Axel Knight stood at the doorway in a perfectly tailored black suit, one hand resting casually on the doorknob as if he'd just stepped out of a magazine shoot.
Behind him, two bodyguards in matching black stood like statues.
He smiled slightly, his sharp gaze moving from Stella's frozen expression to Evelyn's startled one, and finally to Alicia, who looked like she was trying to decide whether to faint or curtsy.
"Axel? What are you doing here?" Evelyn finally found her voice, too shocked to see him in this place.
She hurried to the doorway, pulled him inside quickly, and glanced down the hallway before shutting the door.
"Someone might recognize you. Why didn't you call me first?" she whispered, holding his hand.
Axel leaned closer, his tone calm but teasing. "Because I wanted to surprise you..."
Stella, standing right next to them, clearly heard everything. "Wait, sis, you didn't know?" she asked.
Evelyn turned to her, frowning. "Know what?"
