Chapter 244: The result is interesting.
"You’re mine now. Remember that."
Lola’s head spun as she stared at him with wide eyes. But as if Atlas had expected it, he lowered his head and simply planted another soft kiss on her lips.
"Breakfast is ready. I’ll take it here," he said. "The children are playing outside, so don’t worry about them for now. Rest."
Having said that, he stole another kiss from the paralyzed Lola before leaving. Meanwhile, she stared at the ceiling with blank eyes. When she finally recovered, she shot the door a quick look.
"La—last night... he and me—" she gasped, wanting to cover her mouth, but her arms were just too weak. "Does that mean..."
All that she remembered... were not just dreams?
And to make it more shocking, they went at it all night. After all, her dream ended when she glimpsed the sky slowly turning brighter blue at the very last straw of her consciousness.
If Lola were standing, her jaw would’ve hit the floor.
"We... did it..." She tried to move her body again, only to feel every part of her sore. "With barely any breaks at that."
As she sorted through her thoughts, memories of last night completely filled her mind. All those moans, his low grunts and growls in her ear, their lips meeting over and over again, their bodies tangled all night, and the inexplicable pleasure she couldn’t even put into words...
And most importantly, he never pulled out until they were done.
He emptied inside her over and over, holding her hips as he rammed against her walls—fast, slow, hard. Lola wasn’t the most flexible, but surely, last night, she felt like a gymnast.
Slowly, her face turned red, sinking into the blanket. Once she was covered, a loud squeal escaped her, and somehow, with her heart racing, she was able to lift her arms and cup her face.
"I... I... lost my emotional virginity to him," she breathed out, her mind buzzing as she froze in pure disbelief.
Now this felt like a dream.
[You’re mine now, remember that.]
She blinked rapidly, covering her mouth with her hand. Her breathing quickened, gulping against the growing tension in her throat.
"Wait a minute," her brows knitted. "Why in the world is he the one making the decision? I don’t think I agreed...?"
[Be mine.]
Her face twitched. "Nah, I did." She nodded to herself. Last night’s event was already the most obvious answer. Because even though Atlas didn’t stop, as if he were making up for all the years of inactivity, Lola had agreed to all of it.
She didn’t need words to agree; her actions were enough. Besides, her heart... was already his to begin with.
"Kyahh—ack!" She froze at the sudden pain in her hips and legs. "I should... I should rest, just as he said."
Thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body, she managed to turn to her side and muffle her scream with a pillow. Biting her lips to stop herself from grinning from ear to ear, her eyes twinkled brighter than ever.
"Be mine..." she whispered, repeating his words. "He really has a way with his words. Goodness. When’s the last time I felt this happy?"
To be honest, she couldn’t remember—be it in this life or the last. She had good moments, but nothing like this level of happiness and joy.
Amid her jubilation, Lola suddenly froze as one thought hit her.
"He emptied inside me again and again..." She pursed her lips, her smile fading. "Well... I don’t need to take the morning-after pill, right?"
The mere thought quickly erased the happiness in her eyes. She shook her head, trying not to think about it.
"I’ll just discuss it with him later." Lola smacked her lips, pushing the thought aside, wanting to enjoy this moment—even if she was temporarily paralyzed.
*
*
*
"I’m not sick," she pouted, seated up against the headboard with a tray over her lap. "You don’t have to feed me—see?"
She raised her arm to her side and opened and closed her fist. "I’ll be running a marathon later, for sure."
"Mhm." Atlas hummed and still hovered the spoon in front of her lips. Lola puffed her cheeks and secretly giggled as she took a bite.
"By the way, how did we get home?" she asked, eyeing the man seated at the side of the bed as he fed her. "And..." She gazed down at herself, already noticing her clothes were different. "Who changed me?"
"I did." He casually scooped another spoonful, and she automatically ate. "I would’ve bought a bed, but the house was still too dusty. It’s not good to stay in it in that state."
"We shouldn’t even be there in the first place." Lola bit her tongue, lifting her brows as she studied him. She wanted to say that the place wasn’t even good for whatever they had done last night, but she was too shy.
"We can go there next time once it’s fixed," he said.
"Huh? Why would we?"
"It’s ours now."
"Ah?"
"Bought it this morning."
Lola blinked, not opening her mouth despite the spoon hovering near her lips. "That house is part of the redevelopment area, isn’t it?"
"Not anymore." He jerked his chin, making her open her mouth. "The redevelopment will have to be adjusted. It’ll be paused until they find a way to redevelop the area without touching that neighborhood."
Confusion instantly filled her head. "You put a stop to a government project...?"
"Is there a problem with that?" He looked at her, putting the bowl down. "I like that place. It holds a lot of memories."
A lot of memories...
Lola gulped, knowing what kind of memories he had in mind. That was not a lot of memories! It was just a night. But that wasn’t what was truly important right now.
"Atlas," she called quietly, eyes still on him. "Novera... is really your territory?"
"That’s what I kept telling you."
She pursed her lips. "Who else knows?"
"A few select leaders."
"..." She opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. When she did, there was only one thing she could say. "I really don’t have a choice but to accept that there are people—forces out there that control an entire country, huh?"
Atlas raised his brows, rocking his head. "We’ll have to talk about that with our current status, but only when you’re ready."
"Anyway..." Atlas secured the bowl on the tray and reached out to the bedside drawer. Taking out a folder, he placed it next to her. "You asked me to find out where those funds are coming from. Here’s the result."
Lola’s eyes widened a little. "Did you... check this?"
"Mhm." He nodded. "The result is interesting."