Chapter 253: Atlas’ Dilemma
[Summit Partners]
"If that is all, leave." Atlas’s flat voice echoed quietly in the office, directed at Allen without him looking up from the documents he was signing. "Those papers will not reach the desk by themselves."
Allen rocked his head and turned on his heel, only to pause and face his boss again. "Sir, are you and Miss Young really in a relationship?"
"I told you we’re not."
"You told your brother, not me."
Atlas’s pen stopped mid-signature. At last, he looked up at his assistant. He said nothing, finished his signature, then leaned back in his chair.
"Yes," he admitted the moment his eyes met Allen’s. "She is my lover now. And yes, we’re going to get married. All I need is for her to agree."
Allen’s face twitched. "You sound really sure about it," he blurted, only to see his boss smirk subtly.
Of course, Atlas was sure. He was always confident.
Allen exhaled shallowly, making Atlas raise his brows.
"Why are you sighing?" Atlas tilted his head. "Is it about Scarlet?"
"No — ahem!" Allen cleared his throat, spotted a rolling stool the twins had left behind, and dragged it to the desk. Sitting down, he leaned his arms against the edge. Atlas narrowed his eyes.
This had never happened before.
"Sir, don’t you think it’s a little... soon?" Allen hummed. His boss’s mouth curved down. "What I mean is, does she know she is possibly the twins’ mother?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Atlas’s brows knit together. Allen tilted his head, certain he’d finally gotten his boss’s attention.
"Miss Lola may like you—like everyone does at first sight, before your attitude turns them off. But there are still a lot of things to discuss between you two, right? For instance, you claim she’s the twins’ mother even though the DNA test says otherwise," Allen pressed. "And then you exhumed her son’s grave. Even though the DNA results said the child buried there wasn’t hers—still, in her heart, that’s her kid."
Allen slid his arms further onto the desk. "You might not realize it, since half of your heart is made of steel, but these are important—deeply personal things."
"Assuming your claim is true, and someone tampered with the DNA results, sir... what do you expect when you tell her about that night?" His voice softened with concern. "For the past five... no, six years, she believed she lost her child. She’s grieved all this time. How do you think she’ll feel when she learns everything she’s believed for six years was a lie?"
"And not to mention, she doesn’t seem to remember that night with you," Allen added carefully. "If she doesn’t remember... is it possible she even consented?"
"She initiated it. She wanted it." Atlas’s face darkened. "Do not insinuate that I defiled a vulnerable woman against her will."
"That’s not what I’m saying, sir." Allen pressed his lips together. "But not everyone is like you, your siblings, or your brother-in-law. Miss Lola is... normal, like the rest of us. She’s not going to jump for joy the moment you tell her all this."
And that was a compliment, because Allen knew the Bennets’ way of life was strange and twisted.
A silence stretched between them as Atlas studied Allen’s face. He could tell his assistant spoke out of genuine concern.
"What are you truly implying, Allen?" Atlas asked solemnly. "That I should keep it from her?"
"Well, no..." Allen faltered, his eyes flickering with conflict. "Honestly, I don’t know, sir. I’m just saying this in case you think it’s less important than it really is. If you love her... do you love her?"
This time, Atlas only blinked. He did not answer.
"Even if you don’t say it—if you want this relationship to work, if you want her to agree to marriage—these things must be discussed," Allen muttered. "That’s what I believe. Because this relationship doesn’t only affect you. It will affect Miss Lola... and especially the children."
Allen wasn’t an expert, but unlike Atlas, he had experience with relationships. Having said his piece, he pushed the stool back, rose to his feet, bowed his head, and quietly left the office, leaving Atlas alone to think.
When the door shut, Atlas leaned back in his chair, arms resting on the armrests, deep in thought.
"Should I discuss it with her even without clear results yet?" he wondered aloud.
It wasn’t as though he didn’t plan to tell Lola. In fact, Atlas had a precise plan: make her want him, think of him every second of every day until she overlooked some of his truths. Then tell her about that night in Anteca, reveal the twins were possibly hers, and that the child in the grave she visited wasn’t her son.
Of course, he meant to wait until he uncovered who was behind the accident, who delivered the children to him, and who tampered with the DNA results. After all, he despised bringing up dilemmas without solutions.
[It might not affect you much, but it will affect Miss Lola... especially the twins.]
Allen’s words echoed in his mind, followed by the pounding of his heart.
Thump... thump... thump...
Slowly, he pressed a hand against his chest. The beat was erratic, unfamiliar. Was it fear? Worry? Uncertainty? He couldn’t tell. He had never felt such things before. But he didn’t like it.
"If she’s not going to jump for joy... then what will she do when I tell her?" he whispered. His thoughts halted when his phone lit up on the desk.
Reaching for it, he saw a familiar name flash across the screen. Without hesitation, he answered, leaning back in his chair.
"Penny—"
"First Brother, where are you?" came a lively voice on the other end. "Can you do me a favor?"
Atlas’s brows furrowed. "What?"
"Hehehe... you already did. Look after my kids for a while, okay?"
"Wait, Pen —" Before he could even bring up his current dilemma, his sister hung up on him. He frowned, looking at the phone with displeasure.
****
[Anteca]
"Hehe..." Penelope, Atlas’s little sister, giggled as she turned off her phone. "That was close."
She believed her brother was about to scold her, so she ended the call before he could start throwing threats. Smiling from ear to ear, she turned to the man seated beside her in the private plane.
"Renren, should we go on a quick vacation — tenth honeymoon — while the kids aren’t around?" she hummed, hugging her husband’s arm. "I heard First Brother’s fiancée is good with children. She’s in that phase of trying to impress the family. We should take advantage of it before she turns out like my second sister-in-law."