After a brief chat with Nolan Palmer, Evelyn finally said goodbye to her master.
"Eve, I will wait for your call..." Nolan patted her shoulder gently before turning away, leaving her with a comforting smile that eased the tension in her chest.
Axel then reached for her hand, guiding her toward his car parked not far from them.
But just as they were about to get in, Evelyn stopped him.
He asked gently, "What is it? You still need to do something?"
"Axel," she said softly, glancing back toward the other car parked a few meters away. "I need to talk to Stella and Alicia first. It won’t take long."
Axel followed her gaze and saw her younger sister and stepmother waiting inside the car.
He nodded, though concern flickered in his eyes. "Alright. But don’t take too long. The ambulance will arrive soon, and we should leave before things get crowded."
"I’ll be quick," Evelyn promised, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before walking toward Stella’s car.
The window rolled down the moment she reached them.
Stella leaned out, worry written all over her face. "Sister Eve! What happened inside? Is he alright...?"
"He’s still alive," Evelyn said calmly. "Liam will send him to the hospital. He’ll be fine once the doctors take care of him."
Alicia let out a long breath of relief.
"Thank God," she murmured, placing a hand over her heart. "I don’t like that man, but I also don’t want Axel to end up in trouble because of him."
Stella nodded quickly. "Same here! I’m worried we might have a funeral today..."
Evelyn laughed faintly, the tension in her shoulders loosening. "No one’s dying today, don’t worry. Everything’s finally over."
Alicia smiled at her, the worry lines on her face softening. "You did the right thing, Eve. And, thank you so much, you helped us again out of this trouble. I won’t forget what you did for us, for our family."
The warmth of her stepmother’s words warms Evelyn’s heart.
"Speaking of family," Evelyn said, resting her arms on the car door, "I want you both to come to my house on November first. We’re having a family dinner for Axel’s birthday."
Stella gasped, her eyes sparkling. "Really? We’re invited?"
"Of course," Evelyn replied, smiling.
Alicia smiled wider, "That sounds wonderful, dear. It’s been so long since we’ve all sat down together without shouting or crying."
"Mom, you already forgot? We just celebrated that on Little Oliver’s birthday." Stella said while smiling.
"Still, we should get together again to enjoy dinner and celebrate this moment."
"Yes, I agree," Evelyn said softly. "It’s about time we fix that."
"Okay, but wait... what should I get for him?" Stella asked. "I can’t show up empty-handed! He’s my brother-in-law now. What does he like? Watches? Cars? Does he collect knives? Someone like him probably collects knives, right?"
Evelyn burst into laughter. "Stella, please, no knives. And you don’t have to buy anything. Just come and eat."
"No way!" Stella said, shaking her head firmly. "I’ll buy something. Maybe something small. Like... socks."
Alicia turned to her with a raised brow. "Socks? Really?"
"Well, I’m broke now. Can’t buy fancy stuff." Stella admitted dramatically. "But socks are going to be useful! Any man needs a good pair of socks to warm and comfort their feet on a cold winter night, even a strong and powerful man like my brother-in-law. Right, sis?"
"Alright, fine. Buy him socks. But don’t say a word about the dinner... It’s a surprise."
Stella grinned. "Got it. I’ll act like a nice innocent girl."
"You? Acting innocent?" Alicia said, teasingly. "That’ll be the surprise."
"Mom!" Stella rolled her eyes, then started laughing along.

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