Chapter 3 2/4
464 Words
[Present]
At the breakfast table, Atlas’s father sat at the head, with his mother on one side and Lily seated beside Atlas on the other. The peaceful morning atmosphere was broken by Atlas’s mocking voice.
“Do we really have to eat with the help?” he asked, his tone dripping with disdain.
His father looked up calmly before responding, “Stefan, an old friend of mine and Lily’s former boss, asked me to look after her well. He cares for her as if she were his own daughter.”
“Hmph…” Atlas scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping him. More like a daughter-in-law, he thought resentfully.
Mrs. Blackwood glanced at Lily with a warm smile and added, “Besides, Lily is such a sweet girl. Even I can’t help but be fond of her.”
Lily returned the smile politely. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Atlas’s gaze darkened at the sight. He couldn’t help but wonder, If they knew what she’s really done to me, would they still look at her so fondly? He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and stood up.
“Where are you going, dear?” his mother asked, her voice laced with concern.
“I have a band rehearsal,” he replied shortly.
“Don’t forget about the meeting this afternoon,” she reminded him gently.
In the car, the air was thick with silence and tension. Atlas sat there, watching Lily intently as she focused on driving with a serious expression.
“I feel like going shopping,” Atlas spoke up, breaking the silence.
Lily glanced at him briefly, then asked, “But don’t you have band rehearsal today?”
“I got the date wrong,” he replied, his tone flat.
Lily didn’t press further; she simply drove them to the mall as he wished. When they arrived, Atlas stepped out with long strides, quickly heading inside, leaving Lily, smaller in stature, to hurry after him to keep up.
Atlas walked into a shoe store, stopping at a display and pointing to a pair. “I want to try these on.”
The sales assistant smiled and immediately bent down to offer assistance. “Of course, sir.”
But Atlas raised his hand, stopping the assistant. “Wait. Come here,” he called Lily over instead, prompting the assistant to step back quietly.
Wearing a knee-length A-line skirt and modest two-inch heels, Lily crouched down with slight difficulty. She gently picked up the shoes, carefully fitting them onto his feet before tying the laces with grace and respect.
When she finished tying the laces, Atlas lightly nudged her chin with the tip of his shoe, making her look up at him.
“Do these look good?” he asked, a sly glint in his eyes.
- Writer
