The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover (Evelyn) novel Chapter 160

They all soon found their places on the spacious sofa, with Alicia and Oliver nestled together right in the middle.

Oliver was bursting with curiosity, peppering Alicia with questions about her favorite color, what her house looked like, and whether she had any ponies of her own.

“I don’t have ponies,” Alicia confessed with a gentle smile. “But your mom, when she was about ten, convinced me to buy her a rabbit. She promised she’d take care of it herself.”

Oliver’s eyes widened as he turned to Evelyn.

“You had a rabbit, Mommy?”

Evelyn swallowed quietly before nodding. “For just a few days—about three, I think. Then Stella gave it too many carrots, and it got sick.”

“Hey!” Stella protested, crossing her arms. “You’re the one who left it outside in the rain.”

Alicia chuckled softly. “And that’s exactly why I never bought them another pet.”

The room filled with laughter, the kind that bubbles up naturally when old hurts begin to fade away.

Evelyn leaned back against the couch, her gaze softening as she watched her son animatedly chatting with Alicia.

Stella, with her usual playful charm, joined in the conversation, making Oliver laugh so hard that even Alicia couldn’t help but smile.

For a fleeting, perfect moment, Evelyn felt a deep sense of peace wash over her.

The warm hum of conversation, the gentle fragrance of fresh flowers filling the air, and the sight of her family gathered together all stirred a gratitude she hadn’t experienced in years.

Soon enough, more of her friends and family would meet her son.

They would witness how full her life had become, how happiness had finally settled in.

Beside her, Axel sat quietly on a separate sofa. Though he appeared absorbed in his phone, his attention was only half on the screen.

His eyes kept drifting back to Evelyn, observing the way her smile deepened whenever she looked at Oliver, the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the tall windows.

He liked seeing her like this—serene, radiant, and free from the weight of past shadows.

Then his phone buzzed, pulling him abruptly back to reality.

A new notification lit up the screen.

Axel’s expression shifted subtly. He hesitated before opening the message, his thumb pausing longer than usual.

The text was brief but made him tense up.

“Boss, another guest has arrived…” From: Liam

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared at the name on the screen, his jaw tightening before he leaned toward his wife.

“Oscar,” he murmured. “He’s here.”

Evelyn’s head snapped around instantly, her eyes lighting up. She had been waiting for that moment.

Axel noticed her reaction and gave a small, knowing smile. “I might be wrong, but you seem a little too happy to hear his name.”

Evelyn blinked, realizing how that must have sounded. The last thing she wanted was to stir Axel’s jealousy again—especially today, on their son’s birthday.

She smiled sweetly and reached for his hand. “I’m just relieved he finally showed up. He’s been threatening to ‘haunt’ me if I don’t let him meet Oliver in person.”

Her tone was lighthearted, but her thoughts were already elsewhere.

She hadn’t been completely honest.

The truth was, she also needed a private moment with Oscar later—to talk about Axel’s cousin, Maxime.

She worried that Axel was beginning to suspect she was hiding the identity of her hacker friend and didn’t want him to connect the dots too soon—that her friend was Oscar.

Oliver tilted his head, trying to recall. “You said you’d come to my birthday this year?”

“Exactly. And I never break my promises.” He playfully tapped the boy’s nose. “So, are you happy to see your uncle?”

“Yes!” Oliver nodded eagerly. “Uncle, will you teach me how to play arcade games?”

“I promise I will,” Oscar said warmly, chuckling.

Then he glanced toward Evelyn and Axel, still holding Oliver in his arms.

“See, Eve? Little Oliver recognized me right away. Didn’t even need an introduction.”

Evelyn smiled, unable to hide the fondness in her eyes. “He never forgets people who make him laugh.”

Axel stood and offered a polite nod. “Welcome, Oscar.”

Oscar returned the gesture with ease, though a mischievous sparkle lingered in his smile. “Good to see you too, Axel. Hope I’m not crashing the royal family moment.”

“Not at all,” Axel replied smoothly. “There’s always room for uncles who feed kangaroos.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes.

“Please, both of you, behave. I’d rather not have to explain to my son why his father and uncle are competing for the title of ‘coolest man in the room.’”

Oscar laughed. “You mean, why his uncle keeps winning it?”

Axel smirked. “We’ll let the birthday boy decide that later.”

The atmosphere around them was charged with a blend of humor and warmth.

Despite Axel’s guarded tone, it was impossible to miss the affection beneath the surface. Oscar had been there for Evelyn and Oliver long before he officially entered their lives. To them, Oscar was family—even if not by blood.