The next morning, Evelyn was in the backseat of a black SUV, her fingers tracing the signature she’d just signed on the contract. Three months. Three months of pretending to be Mrs. Cole Everstone.The car rolled to a stop in front of a tall glass building that looked more like a fortress than a home. Cole’s penthouse occupied the top three floors. Even from the outside, the structure screamed money, and the kind of power people like her father only dreamed about.

Her phone buzzed. “Dad,” she muttered, staring at the screen. A part of her wanted to ignore it, but the other part, that dutiful daughter who once begged for his approval, answered.

“Evelyn, sweetheart!” her father’s voice came through, loud, proud, and dripping with hypocrisy. “I just got the news. You’ve turned everything around. I’m so proud of you, darling. I always knew you’d make things right for the family.”

Her stomach tightened. Right for the family? She remembered the way he’d called her “cheap” in front of everyone at the party. How he turned his back when the rumors spread. Now suddenly she was his precious daughter again?

“Glad to know you’re proud,” she said flatly.

“I always believed in you,” he continued, ignoring the ice in her tone. “The investors are calling already—Cole Everstone! Evelyn, that’s the kind of man who—”

She hung up before he could finish. The call ended with her father’s voice still echoing through the car. She rolled her eyes, exhaling sharply, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Unbelievable.”

The door opened. A tall man in a dark suit greeted her. “Mrs. Everstone. Welcome. Mr Everstone asked me to escort you in to show you around.”

‘Mrs. Everstone.’ The words sounded foreign. Pretend or not, they sent a shiver through her.

She followed Reid into the building, the click of her heels echoed through the marble hallway that looked like it had never been walked upon.

When she turned her head and by her far right there were several people seated, they looked like they were waiting. Most of them looked like some government officials she recognized from television.

What the hell were they doing here? Were they waiting… for Cole?

Her heart stuttered. This was more than wealth. This man had influence.

Laughter rolled from the far end of the room and Cole appeared, talking easily with two foreign investors. The people waiting subtly straightened when he entered.

Reid cleared his throat as Cole approached her. “Sir, you’ve got a meeting with Mr. Axton in twenty minutes.”

Cole’s gaze flicked briefly toward Evelyn, then back to Reid. “Not here.” He muttered gently.

The young man paled. “Of course, sir. I..I I’m sorry.” He retreated quickly, nearly tripping over his own legs.

Evelyn caught every nuance, the flicker in Cole’s jaw, the weight in his voice. Whoever this Mr. Axton was, she wasn’t supposed to hear that name. And that made her curious.

###

Evelyn stood by the window in the room she was welcomed into. She couldn’t help but replay Cole’s reaction when Reid had mentioned Mr Axton’s name.

She left the window and sat on the couch, pulled out her phone, and typed Mr. Axton into the search bar of her browser. But nothing useful came out, just random real estate listing, fake gossip and a list of Axtons who were regular people.

Biting her inner cheek, she decided to call Dominic.

“Hey girllll..” Dominic beamed once he answered the call. “How’s life as a trillionaire?”

“He’s not a trilllionaire! He’s a billionaire,” Evelyn shot back.

“A billionaire who’s about to become a trillionaire!” He shrieked in excitement.

Evie rolled her eyes and sighed. “I didn’t call you for this. I called because I’ve got something to ask you.”

“What’s that?” His tone rose in concern.

“Dom, you’ve got connections everywhere. Have you ever heard of any Mr. Axton?”

He was silent for a while. “Why? Who’s asking?”

“Cole’s assistant mentioned him, and then Cole suddenly looked like he’d seen a ghost. I searched for him on googke but nothing useful came up.”

Dominic exhaled. “Evelyn, that’s not a person you just Google. He’s part of the Helios Group.”

“The what?”

“The Helios Group. Think of them as the ones who run everything: compliance, real estate, government contracts. They’re at the top. No one even knows who owns the subsidiaries under them. They govern everything.”

She frowned. “Govern? Is it some sort of corporate monarchy?”

“Exactly,” Dominic said. “And if Cole’s got a meeting with one of them, it means he’s not just some rich CEO. He’s in bed with them.”

Her stomach sank. Cole seemed like a responsible man, but then he’s always always been a mystery, half the internet only got to know about him being the son of Mrs Everstone recently. She had thought it was just him liking his privacy, apparently, there’s more to that…

“Evie,” Dominic called. “Please be careful around him. If he’s dealing with the Helios, then it’s possible that you’re standing next to a very dangerous man.”

She ended the call, but Dominic’s words lingered. Her gaze drifted across the penthouse. She was married to a man who might own more than she could ever imagine.

###

The next morning, she went to the kitchen to get something for herself, but the maids kept crowding her.

“What would you like, ma’am?” one asked.

“Coffee, maybe—”

“We’ll get that right away.”

“No, I can do it myself.” She shot back.

Another maid stepped forward. “We can—”

“I said I’ll do it!” Evelyn snapped. “Can you all just give me space?”

They froze and she pressed her palms to her forehead.

A voice came from behind her. “Someone’s in a mood.”

Cole walked in with his shirt half unbuttoned and his tie hanging loose. He grabbed a bottle of water and twisted the cap open.

She didn’t give him the satisfaction of her answer.

He smirked. “You look like you’re about to fire my entire staff.”

“Maybe I should,” she snapped. “They won’t stop breathing over my shoulder!”

“You’ll get used to it. Being married to me comes with eyes everywhere.” He took a drink, set the bottle down, and turned toward her.

Evelyn’s gaze flicked down his body, from his pecs down to the v line just above his dress pants.

“I see you staring,” he teased.

“I wasn’t.” She cleared her throat.

“You were.” He grinned, grabbed an apple, and headed for the door. “You can only dream, Evelyn. Your hands can’t touch this.”

“In your dreams,” she shot back.

He paused at the doorway, smiling without turning around. “Careful. You’ll start sounding like my wife for real.”

She clenched her jaw, but her pulse jumped.

Three months. She reminded herself. Three months and I’m free.