"It’s just you and me... tonight."
Lola stared at Atlas as if he were a gigantic, breathing question mark. Him and her? Tonight? All alone?
"Oh." Her eyebrows rose, a slow smile spreading across her mouth. "Cool."
Satisfied, he jerked his chin toward the remote control. "Play it." After giving the command, he leaned back and picked up a tablet, settling in comfortably.
Meanwhile, Lola watched his every move with slow-burning horror. Her complexion paled, and her eyes grew wider than ever.
What the hell?
Her face twisted in dismay as she peered at him. She didn’t want to suspect him of anything, but he didn’t do this on purpose, right? He didn’t send the children away just so they could have some alone time, right?
We’ve been together the entire day... and he hasn’t done anything suspicious.
If anything, everything that came out of his mouth was... she didn’t even want to think about it. The man had a talent for getting on people’s nerves without even trying. Just as Lola recomposed herself and convinced herself it was just an innocent movie night, a new thought crossed her mind.
The dismay in her heart doubled. She realized she was worried about the wrong thing.
It wasn’t Atlas’ intention, or what he might do, she should worry about. She should worry more about what her colorful mind would concoct.
"What are you doing?" His voice snapped her back to the present. Atlas tilted his head, watching her with a quizzical expression. "You haven’t played the movie yet."
"Ah... right... ha... ha..."
His brows knitted at her strange tone and forced laugh. Lola cleared her throat and straightened her back, about to play the movie, when a sound stopped her.
Ding Dong!
Both of them glanced up, listening to the echo of the doorbell. A second later, she perked up and leaped from the couch.
"I’ll get it!" she exclaimed, tossing the remote back onto the cushion. "Don’t worry about it. Just stay there!"
She hurried away, not even bothering to check the door camera before rushing to the main door.
Atlas, on the other hand, simply arched a brow before casually shrugging.
****
Outside the penthouse, Slater stretched his neck in a circular motion.
"I am so tired," he muttered, his face a mask of exhaustion. "James already told me I’m done with everything... but that guy—I’m going to replace him someday."
Bitterness filled his head as he remembered working nonstop all day because his manager forgot to tell him about one more project. Amidst his thoughts, his brows rose. Fluttering his lazy eyes open, he noticed the surroundings had dimmed.
He looked up, catching a shadow stretch over him from behind. When he turned around, he had to crane his neck just to meet the person’s eyes.
"Heh..." Slater laughed nervously. "I’m not in trouble, am I?"
He shouldn’t have asked. The moment those words left his tongue, a sack was put over his head. Before he knew it, a few more men were carrying him away in a hurry.
At the same time, the door to the penthouse flew open just as his feet disappeared down the hallway.
"Yes—" Lola panted as she opened the door. But all she saw was... no one. "Huh?"
Stepping outside, she looked to her right, as the penthouse’s main door was at the end of the hallway. Her brows knitted in utter confusion.
"Did someone ring the wrong door?" she wondered to herself, her face twisting in frustration. "How? This is the top floor."
Who would mistake the top floor when there was no one else here?
But that was the least of her concerns right now. The more pressing concern was... it was still just her and Atlas.
"God." Lola pinched the bridge of her nose in distress. When she opened her eyes, they sharpened. "Brain, my dearest mind, please don’t dream with your eyes open."
With that thought in mind, she reluctantly closed the door and conditioned herself.
Just an hour or two, Lola, she nodded to herself. Don’t be a drama queen. Sit through a two-hour movie with him, then lock yourself in your room.
Lola lingered in the entryway for a moment, rewiring her brain, something she hadn’t had time to do when he said the kids wouldn’t be home. After a minute or two, she finally walked back and rejoined him.
As Atlas saw her figure return, he noticed that her gait was more casual and her expression was more indifferent.
"Do you have a split personality?" was the first question out of his mouth as she plopped down on the couch.
"What?" She looked at him. "No. Why are you asking such a strange question?"
"Just making sure," he shrugged. "For sure, you don’t have one when drunk."
Because if Lola turned into a different person while drunk, he would’ve known that night she came home bawling her eyes out. He may have gotten clarity, but Lola was just more confused by his random questions.
"You’re weird," she muttered, earning a look from him. "Instead of asking who was at the door, you’re asking me a very random question."
Atlas didn’t answer because his explanation would only create a longer discussion. Why would he need to know who was at the door when he was certain his people would have already removed whoever it was?
With that, Lola reached for the glass and poured herself some wine for some calming assistance while playing the movie. She barely took one big gulp, focusing on the huge flat screen and ignoring the fact that she even had company.
As for Atlas, he quietly stayed in his spot. However, he wasn’t watching. Instead, he was doing something on his tablet, not showing any interest in the movie he had chosen.
Minutes later, he slid his eyes to her. Lola looked engrossed in the film, her eyes wide and glued to the screen, while eating popcorn. The side of his mouth hooked up in satisfaction as he continued doing what he had been doing.
After all, this movie wasn’t for him. It was for her, so she could relax, as she had mentioned in passing that it had been a while since she had sat down to enjoy something.