Evelyn Walters’ bright future was destroyed over just one shot of whiskey, or at least that’s how much whiskey she remembered drinking.

She never imagined her world would fall apart after a single night with her father’s greatest enemy, Axel Knight, the notorious business tycoon and infamous playboy.

Almost every weekend, his name trended in the gossip columns, always photographed with some stunning, barely-dressed woman clinging to his arm.

And now...

That dangerously handsome man lay beside her, sleeping soundly, only half of his sculpted body hidden beneath the sheets.

’Oh, bloody hell, Eve... How could you sleep with him?’

Slowly, she tried to slip out of bed, but the moment she moved, her body trembled violently.

The deep, unfamiliar ache between her thighs was unbearable.

It was a nameless pain she’d never known before.

When she saw her naked body, still marked with the trace of their wild night, a cold shiver ran through her.

After slipping out of bed without waking him, Evelyn immediately gathered her clothes from the floor and quickly put them on.

But just as she reached for her bag, her phone rang, the sudden buzzing sound nearly making her heart leap out of her chest.

She snatched the phone and was startled to see her sister, Stella, calling.

"Sister Eve, where are you? Why aren’t you in your room?"

"I’m still here!"

Evelyn whispered sharply, casting one last glance at the man still asleep on the bed before slipping out of the master bedroom.

"Here? You mean the Imperial Hotel?"

"Yes. I’ll explain later!"

"What the hell..."

She hung up before her sister could ask another question.

With one stiletto in hand, Evelyn opened the door, but froze the moment she saw a man in a gray suit standing in front of her.

She blinked a few times, unsure if he had come into the room, but of course, he had.

Before she could speak, the man asked calmly, "Is he still inside?"

"Y-Yes..."

Evelyn’s voice was slightly shaking as she gently opened the door, signaling him to come in.

But he didn’t move.

Instead, he asked, "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

Evelyn simply nodded before turning away, as she walked the hallway and disappeared into the elevator.

Barefoot!

...

Walters Resident.

When Evelyn parked her car in the basement, she nearly jumped when she saw her sister, Stella, already standing there in her favorite home clothes, arms crossed, and looking like a mom who caught her kid returning home late.

Stella didn’t even wait; she yanked the door open before Evelyn had fully parked.

"Oh... my goodness, Sister Eve... where the hell have you been? Do you even know what time it is? Ah, I mean, what day is it now?"

Turning off the engine with an eye roll, Evelyn stepped out, breezing past her sister like a hungover queen.

"Nice to see you too, Stella," she muttered, heading straight for the elevator. Her mind was still in chaos.

After that ridiculous New Year’s Eve party with every rich and powerful snob in the country, she got way too drunk. She somehow ended up in bed with Axel Knight, her father’s arch-nemesis.

Just thinking about him made her face flush all over again. That half-naked devil was now burned into her brain like a curse.

But no way in hell was she telling Stella that.

"I got too drunk to drive, alright? So I booked a room and I slept there..." As the elevator dinged on the third floor, she cast a sideways glance. "Where’s Dad?"

"You’re in deep shit, sis..." Stella trailed behind with dramatic flair, her eyes wide with mock horror.

"What deep shit?" Evelyn stopped and shot her a look, arching one perfectly arched brow. "What? Do you think this is a soap opera? This early morning?"

Stella groaned, hands flying in the air.

"You seriously forgot that you were supposed to go golfing with him this morning? He was already losing it when you didn’t show up at breakfast. I had to survive his nonstop ranting while buttering the toast!"

"Oh, fabulous. Just what I needed."

Evelyn sighed and fished her phone from her purse, about to call him, until Stella stopped her.

"Relax. I told him you were on your monthly period and couldn’t get up. You’re welcome." She smirked, clearly waiting for applause.

Evelyn blinked, then gave her cheek a teasing pinch.

"You little liar. I love you. I owe you a designer bag... preferably one that shuts you up."

"Deal," Stella said, tossing her hair like a diva.

"Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to scrape the night off my soul and sleep before my brain explodes."

Evelyn waved her off and disappeared into her bedroom.

After closing the door behind her, Evelyn suddenly felt her knees weaken at the thought of her father finding out what had happened last night.

"No! He won’t find out unless someone tells him... You’ll be fine, Eve!"

She shook off the terrifying thought and headed straight to the bathroom, stripping off her black dress and the remaining linen clinging to her skin.

When she saw her reflection in the mirror, her face immediately flushed, revealing the love bite across nearly her entire body.

"You are so f*cking screwed, Eve! How dare you sleep with him? Axel Knight?"

She let out a deep sigh, trying to release the pressure building in her chest.

But the tension only tightened when another thought hit her.

"Does he even know he slept with me? No! He was definitely drunk too, right? He won’t remember me... yes... he won’t!" Evelyn tried desperately to convince herself.

She shoved the entire night with Axel to the back of her mind. She decided to bury it.

Everything would be fine, as long as no one ever found out.

But Evelyn’s wish didn’t come true the way she hoped.

For the past five weeks, she had gone on with her usual routine.

She stayed busy working closely with the management team at Walters Group.

However, her life was thrown into a nightmare the moment another marriage arrangement was made with the Lincoln family.

...

The night before the family dinner with the Lincolns, she stared in disbelief at the pregnancy test in her hand.

Two pink lines.

’I’m pregnant...’

Evelyn stared at the pregnancy test in her hand, her knees trembling until she sank to the floor.

Since that wild night with Axel Knight, she hadn’t thought about him, not once.

She’d shut him out completely, burying the memory deep in the farthest corners of her mind.

Until a few days ago, when her body started acting strangely and her period was more than two weeks late, that’s when the suspicion crept in.

And today, she finally took the test.

"Oh... my... God. What do I do now?"

Her hands shook as she stared at the result, heart pounding against her ribs.

"Knock. Knock."

The sound jolted her.

She turned quickly toward the door, panic flaring, and fumbled to hide the test behind her.

But her legs were too weak to support her.

"Sis, are you in there? Dinner’s ready. We’re all waiting for you," came Stella’s impatient voice from the other side.

"I’m coming..."

...

Evelyn found the family dinner unbearable.

The delicious-looking dishes that she knew tasted wonderful now tasted completely bland in her mouth.

She wanted to tell her father about the pregnancy, right now, and beg him to cancel the marriage arrangement. Cancel tomorrow’s dinner.

But hearing how excited he was about the alliance with the nation’s leading medical business family made her hesitate.

At this moment, prayer was her only lifeline.

She silently begged her father to stop talking about her future husband, Daniel Lincoln.

Of course, Evelyn’s prayers were ignored.

A second later, her sister Stella’s words made her want to vanish from the room.

"Sister Eve, I’m so jealous of you..." Stella pouted slightly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Evelyn.

She continued, "Daniel’s such a handsome and respected neurosurgeon. A genius among young doctors... You know what? In my faculty, he’s practically a god!"

"Yes, I agree with Stella..." Alicia chimed in, looking proudly at her stepdaughter, Evelyn.

"Whenever I’m out with my friends, they all talk about him. Everyone wants him to marry into their family... I was so happy when the Lincolns chose you as their daughter-in-law."

Then Alicia turned to Stella and added, "You’d better study hard, Stella... Maybe someday you’ll marry another genius doctor, too. Your daddy already promised to invest in the medical field. Right, Will?"

William Walters cleared his throat, then nodded to confirm his wife’s words.

"Sure, Mom... I’m studying hard right now," Stella giggled, then went back to enjoying her dessert.

While her family spoke with such excitement about the marriage, Evelyn felt her heart grow heavier with each word.

She couldn’t blame them. Daniel Lincoln was someone she’d known since childhood. He was intelligent, kind, and a true gentleman.

But as they grew older, their lives drifted apart. Daniel focused on his medical career while she poured herself into the family business.

When she learned Daniel had chosen her, she was shocked.

Evelyn thought Daniel would marry someone from the medical field, but she was wrong.

Though they hadn’t met to talk about the engagement, she never objected. She is twenty-five now. It was time to settle down, and she wasn’t dating anyone.

But now? She is pregnant.

How could she continue this marriage arrangement?

And not just pregnant, but the father of the child inside her was her father’s biggest enemy: the Knight family.

’How can I talk to dad now?’

Evelyn silently sighed, lowered her head, and tried to stay calm while hiding a troubling thought in her mind.

William Walters’ gaze lingered on Evelyn. He watched her closely, noticing the way her fingers trembled slightly around her fork, and how she hadn’t taken more than a few bites of her food.

"Evelyn?" His voice was calm, but firm. "Is something wrong?"

The table fell silent.

Everyone is now looking at her.

Evelyn looked up, eyes wide, caught in the silence. Her throat tightened. She couldn’t lie anymore.

"I can’t marry Daniel," she said, voice soft but clear.

A beat of silence.

Then Alicia blinked.

"Eve, what are you saying, my dear?"

"I’m saying..." Evelyn took a shaky breath. "I can’t accept the marriage arrangement. I’m... I’m pregnant."

The room froze.

Forks paused in midair.

Stella gasped.

William leaned forward slowly, his expression unreadable.

"Pregnant?"

Evelyn nodded once, her voice barely holding together. "Yes."

"Who’s the father?" William asked, his tone colder now, heavier.

Evelyn’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She lowered her gaze, her silence wrapping the table in tension.

"I’m not ready to talk about that," she said finally.

Alicia pressed a hand to her chest.

"Evelyn, how long?"

"Four or maybe five weeks..." she whispered.

Stella looked at Evelyn, stunned.

"You’ve got to be kidding me, right, sis? You’re just trying to prank us, right?"

"I wish I were," Evelyn muttered, her voice filled with guilt. "But this is the truth."

The silence was unbearable. The air around the dining table had turned even colder.

Evelyn could barely lift her eyes, but she could feel her father’s stare boring into her like a sharp dagger.

"Say, his name..." William Walters’ voice was low and heavy.

Evelyn’s lips trembled as she met his furious gaze.

"I’m sorry... I can’t, Dad..."

"You will," he snapped. His voice cracked through the room. "You think you can stay here... under my roof and spit out something like this and not explain yourself?"

"Will, please don’t be angry..." Alicia started, reaching for his hand.

He yanked it away.

"Don’t. Not now, Alice..." His eyes never left Evelyn. "Tell me who he is. Now. Before I find him myself."

Evelyn opened her mouth, but no words came. Her heart was hammering so loudly she could barely breathe.

She noticed the anger in her father’s eyes. She recognized the man who had built an empire from scratch and had toppled rivals for minor reasons.

If she said Axel Knight’s name.

If she even whispered it.

Her father wouldn’t just ruin him. He’d kill him. And afterward, maybe kill her too for bringing shame and impurity to his family.

"I... I can’t tell you," she whispered. "Please respect me, Dad. I’m an adult, not a teenager!"

William slammed his fist against the table, making everyone flinch.

"Then I’ll give you choices, since you seem to need them spelled out!"

He stood slowly, towering over the room with the authority of a man who had ruled the family.

"You want to act like an adult? Fine. Then listen like one. You have two paths, Evelyn."

Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes trembled while she looked at her furious father.

"One... Go to the doctor and get rid of that little demon inside you, then go ahead with your engagement to Lincoln. We will save your future, your name, your place in this family."

He paused, each word deliberate. Final.

"Will, how could..." Alicia couldn’t finish her sentence, stunned by what she just heard. She gasped in disbelief, words failing her as she struggled to process her husband’s unexpected words.

Stella gasped, just as shocked as her mother.

Evelyn’s heart aches inside. She can’t believe her father would ask her that way. Her hand clenched tightly under the table, but she couldn’t voice anything as her father kept speaking.

"Two... keep it. And walk out of here with nothing... No more Evelyn Walters. No family. No inheritance. No help. Just you, and your shame."

"Will!" Alicia gasped, her voice trembling. "She’s our daughter! Please..."

"She made her decision," William growled. "Now I’m making mine."

Evelyn couldn’t move. Her legs felt like stone. Her mouth was dry.

Stella sat frozen, eyes wide, tears threatening to spill.

"You have time after dinner with the Lincolns tomorrow," William said coldly, already turning away. "Make your choice."

And with that, he walked out, leaving Evelyn in a house that no longer felt like home.

At Apex Tower.

Dylan Hill stared at his desktop like it had just insulted his intelligence.

The headline blaring across the screen looked like something out of a poorly written soap opera.

[William Walters banished his daughter, Evelyn Walters, from the family!]

[What could be the reason behind Evelyn Walters’ dramatic exit from the Walters legacy?]

[The beautiful heiress Evelyn Walters: now officially broke and abandoned.]

"What the hell happened here?"

Dylan muttered, blinking like maybe the words would rearrange themselves into something less scandalous.

But nothing happened.

He leaned back in his chair, his mind drifting back to that morning when Evelyn Walters quietly slipped out of Axel’s presidential suite.

What happened that morning was not something he could boast about, not even to his boss, Axel Knight.

But now, seeing Evelyn’s name trending like a celebrity divorce, the dots practically begged to be connected.

"Did she do something to piss off her dad that bad? Wait... did William Walters find out she slept with Axel?"

Just saying it out loud gave Dylan a full-body shiver.

Suddenly, in panic mode, he shot up from his chair, stormed out of his office, and made his way to Axel Knight’s office.

Two gentle, polite knocks. That’s all he dared.

"Come in," came Axel’s voice, cool and clipped.

Dylan stepped in and found Axel neck-deep in paperwork, not even sparing him a glance. The man was clearly married to his work.

Still, Dylan hesitated; anything involving the Walters had a fifty-fifty chance of ending with some unpleasant things being thrown at his head.

He positioned himself a few steps away from the desk, just in case.

"Boss, it’s me. Are you busy?"

Dylan asked, all polite and harmless on the outside, screaming internally on the inside.

Axel didn’t even look up.

"What kind of question is that, Dylan?" he replied, tone dry enough to make Dylan feel nervous.

"I mean... remember a few weeks ago? After the New Year’s party?" Dylan tried, inching closer to the danger zone.

Axel paused just long enough to sign a document, then finally glanced up to meet Dylan’s panicked expression.

"Should I remember something?" he asked, one eyebrow twitching in mild irritation, the sign that someone was about to regret something.

Dylan pondered for a moment, weighing whether now was the right time to bring it up.

Or... should he take Axel to a bar and casually drop the bomb over whiskey and peanuts?

He was confused. Completely blank.

Not a single bright idea in sight, until Axel’s voice sliced through his internal crisis like a chainsaw.

"Damn it, Dylan, you’re just wasting my time," Axel snapped, eyes back on the document. "You can leave now. I’ve got a mountain of paperwork you begged me to sign, and here you are... hovering like a confused intern."

Dylan sighed internally. So much for perfect timing.

"Boss, what I mean is... do you even know who you slept with on New Year’s Eve?"

That got Axel’s attention.

He stopped mid-signature, put the pen down with unnecessary drama, and leaned back in his chair like he was settling to hear more Dylan wanted to say.

"Why? Did someone show up claiming they’ve got my secret lovechild?" Axel asked lazily, letting out a dry chuckle at his own joke.

Naturally, he brushed the idea off. Everyone he slept with took the pill. That was the unspoken rule. No pills, no thrills.

But Dylan’s face turned ghost-white. His blood drained even faster as a thought crossed his mind.

’Did Evelyn really get pregnant after sleeping with Boss Axel? Is that why her father disowned her?’

Axel narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you look like your girlfriend just caught you cheating?" he asked playfully.

"B-Boss... the woman you slept with that night... she wasn’t the supermodel the company just signed," Dylan stammered, his voice trembling.

Axel’s brow furrowed even further. He tried digging through the hazy, alcohol-soaked memories of that night.

Of course, he remembered the party. He remembered the whiskey. But the woman? Nope. His brain served up a blank slate.

"Who was she?"

Dylan swallowed.

"The first daughter of William Walters—"

"Cough! Cough!"

Axel coughed violently, his face turning red and eyes wide with shock. He never thought that woman would end up in his bed.

"Dylan, if you’re trying to tell me you no longer want to work for me, just say it. No need to make a joke this ridiculous..."

"Boss, I’m being honest with you, and without any ill intention. That morning, when I went to your presidential suite, she was the one who answered the door. She looked rushed—barely had her shoes on—and bolted like she was terrified you’d catch her."

Dylan was desperately trying to convince Axel to believe him, but deep down, he knew how insane it sounded.

Honestly, he’d been just as stunned as Axel when he saw Evelyn Walters coming out of that room.

...

Axel didn’t say a word.

He stood from his seat and walked toward the glass wall behind his desk, eyes scanning the traffic-laden street below.

His mind reeled back to that morning, the one time he didn’t see the woman he’d slept with. When he woke up, Dylan was the only one in the room.

Something had changed in him after that day. He hadn’t slept with another woman since. He thought that because he was too busy with work.

But now? He understood. That woman had left an impact on him. Even if the memories were a blur, the feeling stayed deeply in his mind.

And every woman who came after, throwing themselves at him? Boring. Flat. Like watching a movie in black and white after seeing a glimpse of color.

’Why her? Out of all the women... more outstanding, more attractive, wealthier, why her?’

After what felt like an eternity, Axel finally turned to face Dylan, who was still standing behind him.

"Why are you only telling me now? Did she come knocking and say she’s pregnant or something?"

Dylan shook his head.

He walked toward Axel’s desk, silent, and typed something on the computer.

A few clicks later, he turned the screen toward him.

"Boss, you need to read the news about her... her father kicked her out of the family."

Dylan’s words hit like thunder, tearing through Axel’s mind.

"What? Why did that old man kick her out?"

"I don’t know, boss. But... do you want me to investigate?"

Axel pondered for a moment before replying, "I’m not interested in their family drama..." he said casually, waving his hand like he asked Dylan to leave him alone.

But just as Dylan turned to leave the room, Axel called him back.

"Yes, boss? Is there something you need me to do?"

"Find out whether she’s carrying my child or not. It’d be a real pain if she’s using that as an excuse to chase after me," Axel said, deadpan, like this sort of thing happened to him.

A smirk tugged at Dylan’s lips as he nodded.

"Yes, sir... Consider it done."