Evelyn's eyes beamed with curiosity and worry. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear it... afraid the truth might change how she saw him.
However, her mouth betrayed her as she softly asked, "Yes, what is it?"
"My grandfather was the only person who believed in me when no one else did."
Axel's voice dropped lower, rougher.
"When I started the company, my father laughed in my face. My mother told me to quit before I embarrassed the family. But my grandfather… he was the one who invested the first dollar I ever earned."
Evelyn's expression softened. "He sounds like a good man."
"He is," Axel said with a slight nod. "And he wants to meet the woman who made me… not hate the world so much."
For a moment, she couldn't find her voice. She didn't know the whole story of his past, or how much loneliness he'd carried before meeting her. But hearing the quiet ache behind his words made her chest tighten.
Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand gently on his arm.
