Derek instinctively grabbed Atlas’s arm as the man seized the lower part of his face.
"Shut it." Atlas’s eyelids drooped dangerously, his grip tightening. He listened in the brief silence and nodded in satisfaction. "Just like that."
Lola’s jaw dropped upon hearing Atlas’s remarks. She was darting her wide eyes between Atlas and Derek. For a moment, she couldn’t believe what had just unfolded and how quickly things had escalated.
"Where did those guys go—"
Suddenly, Justin’s voice echoed as he emerged from the private dining room. Derek had stepped out earlier, but hadn’t returned until now. Justin wondered why, but as soon as he stepped out, he caught sight of three figures a few feet away from the door.
His brows furrowed as he stared at Atlas’s back, then at Lola, and finally...
"Derek!" Justin gasped, taking a step forward, only to freeze as Atlas’s eyes briefly flicked in his direction.
His breath hitched as his entire body froze involuntarily. It was as though his own body wasn’t his, sensing danger and freezing for self-preservation.
"Hey—!" Derek’s voice was muffled by Atlas’s palm. He raised his foot to kick Atlas, but Atlas quickly countered with his own swift move, landing a blow to the back of Derek’s leg, causing him to lose balance.
THUD!
"Ack—" Derek’s body landed with a violent thud, clenching his teeth in pain as he touched his side, propping himself on his elbow. "Damn... it."
Justin gasped louder, watching Derek flip over and fall. He barely followed Atlas’s subtle maneuver that brought Derek down. But what he did know was that it was done with precision.
"Now, you’re quiet," Atlas nodded in satisfaction, then casually glanced at the dumbfounded Lola.
She leaned closer, whispering, "Shouldn’t you have asked him to be quiet before taking him down?"
As their eyes met, she flinched and cautiously leaned back, half-expecting to be next. Instead, Atlas exhaled softly, his expression holding layers of unspoken meaning.
"You—what the hell have you done?!" Derek hissed as he recovered, glaring up at Atlas, his face reddening with fury and his hands clenched tight at his sides.
In his mind, all he could think was: What the hell?!
Atlas wasn’t imposing or significantly larger than Derek. In fact, Derek was slightly taller. Yet, Atlas had seized him with the strength of a giant! However, for someone as self-entitled as him, this was something he would not accept so easily.
Pointing a trembling finger at Atlas, Derek continued, "You’re going to regret this! Do you know who I am?"
"Do you?" Atlas arched a brow, observing the brief confusion that flickered across Derek’s face. "Good."
Derek interpreted the vague response as mockery, causing his rage to intensify. He raised his fist, throwing away any other reasons first before his fist. But before he could throw a punch, Justin intervened, grabbing Derek’s arm.
"Derek—haha!" Justin chuckled nervously, holding Derek back to prevent further escalation. "Cousin, why don’t you calm down first, hmm?"
Derek frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Derek, I think there’s a misunderstanding here!" Justin nodded vigorously, stealing a glance at Atlas. He leaned and whispered, "Derek, if the chairman heard you’ve caused trouble, it’s gonna be very ugly."
Atlas was open for Derek’s unthrown punch, and it looked like Derek would land that punch. From Justin’s perspective, however, Derek would end up getting hurt more. Having trained in martial arts, Justin sensed that the confidence emanating from Atlas was not out of arrogance, but a mastery beyond mere smugness.
Even Lola looked at Atlas with surprise, unknowingly sharing Justin’s thoughts.
Atlas could have taken him down before Derek even reacted, she thought, wide-eyed at Atlas. I didn’t know he could fight.
"Justin, let me go!" Derek huffed, pulling his arm away from Justin in irritation. He glared fiercely at Atlas, his anger burning hotter with each passing second. His cousin was right, though. Aside from the chairman, Travis and that jerk Caullen would make use of this situation if it became bigger trouble.
Just then, a voice sliced through the escalating tension in the hallway.
"What’s going on here?"
Turning towards the voice, Lola and Justin almost sighed in relief upon recognizing the establishment’s manager. Meanwhile, Atlas and Derek held each other’s gaze—rage against indifference.
David, the manager, stopped a few steps away from them and scanned the situation. "Is there a problem?"
"Uh..." Justin cleared his throat, but Lola jumped in before he could respond.
"Oh, it was just a small misunderstanding," Lola stepped forward, gently tugging at Atlas’s arm to keep him away from Derek.
Atlas raised an eyebrow as he glanced at her hand, which circled around his arm, nearly hooking onto it. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to her side profile, catching her faintly nervous smile.
"Misunderstanding?" Derek scoffed, prompting Justin to intervene.
Justin threw an arm around Derek’s shoulder and chuckled. "Yes, just a misunderstanding!"
"What are you talking about?" Derek frowned deeply, glaring at his cousin. "How is that a misunderstanding? I was assaulted!"
"Sir, I’m sincerely sorry!" Lola interjected dramatically, urging herself to defuse the situation before it escalated further. With Justin—Derek’s sneaky cousin—by her side, she knew he would help, but for different reasons.
A wry smile crossed her face as she looked at Derek, sporting a pitiful look. "I apologize; he mistook him for someone harassing me," she explained with a glance at David.
Lola pursed her lips as she thought of seizing the moment to subtly hint at her disinterest in Derek.
"...my husband is very protective of me," she flashed David a warm smile, earning a sidelong glance from Atlas. "Especially when it comes to my safety."
She grinned, then turned to Atlas, whose gaze bore into her. Her next words faltered a bit, but she managed.
"Right, hub... by?"
Atlas blinked slowly, studying her until a faint amusement played on his lips.
Then, he turned to David. "Exactly what she said."
"Heh. See?" Justin patted Derek’s shoulder, nodding at David. "Just a misunderstanding, but I think it’s clear now."
David’s frown lingered, mostly directed at the Lancasters. Nevertheless, he exhaled deeply and nodded, accepting that both parties had agreed to call it a misunderstanding.
Derek remained dissatisfied, but with Justin guiding him away, all he could do was glare daggers at Atlas. His blood boiled even more when Atlas met his gaze and offered a subtle smile, saying, "Good job."