Chapter 274: Better Have A Good Explanation For This
Vito’s smile stretched wider until his eyes were no more than slits. He set the photo down, knowing it had already served its purpose.
"Looney, break up with him," he said. "That man you’re seeing... aside from the fact that he makes me jealous, he’s a strange person to exist."
He casually perched on the couch’s armrest and tossed the folder back onto the table. With his eyes fixed on Lola’s figure, he continued.
"He’s worse than me. At least people know me. But him? That man’s a dead man."
And by dead man, he meant there was nothing about Atlas Bennet in the past five years. Not a trace of life. The last thing anyone knew of him was the news of him stepping down as Chief Operating Officer of the Pierson Empire in Anteca.
"If I want intel about him, I’ll get it," he added, his voice lowering. "Yet I can’t. I was lucky to get my hands on this much... as I’ve been digging into who was after your past and your involvement in the underground. So how did I end up with him?"
Vito cocked his head to the side, brows rising. "Darling, you know what that means, don’t you?"
It meant that if Vito couldn’t find information on someone, there were only a few explanations. Either Atlas worked for the government or against it. Either way, the conclusion was the same: Atlas was bad news.
Bad for her, specifically.
"I’m just looking out for you," he said. "Because if I’m right, and you’re with him... I’ll have no choice but to forget about the deal. After all, I allowed you this because you wanted nothing to do with the underground. Because you’d rather die than stay in it for even one second."
He picked up the folder again and strutted toward her. Stopping a step away from Lola, he casually handed it to her.
"I’ll see you around, darling." He smiled gently. "Okay?"
Lola’s jaw clenched as she glared at him. With a deep huff, she took the folder and turned to leave without a word. Taking the same route they had entered, she didn’t stop for anyone, nor did anyone try to stop her.
Once outside the establishment, she paused and looked back at its grand entrance. A sharp scoff escaped her as she gazed down at the folder in her hand. Biting her inner lip, she opened it and revealed the same photo Vito had flaunted.
"... it really is him," she whispered, studying the background. A few more photos followed, revealing more of the surroundings and what was happening. The last showed a familiar small coffin being pulled up.
Her thumb pressed into the photo until it creased. Her stomach turned, dizziness washing over her the longer she stared at it. Questions after questions filled her head, scrambling for an excuse—any genius reason—for Atlas to be touching her son’s grave.
"God..." she breathed, her heart clenching. "May he have a good reason for this."
Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath and swallowed the tension in her throat. When she opened them again, another huff escaped her. She cleared her mind as she walked away from the entrance, making her way toward the driveway of the private resort where the gates awaited.
"That bastard," she grumbled, kicking the concrete path. "Ambushing me like that and letting me leave on foot."
But in a way, she didn’t mind the long walk ahead. She needed time to think and gather herself. Jumping to conclusions and letting her emotions take over was exactly what Vito wanted. Only her sheer hatred of the man stopped her.
Much to her dismay, a light flashed from behind just a minute after she passed the gates and walked along the empty road. Slowing her steps, she looked back and knit her brows at the sight of a black sedan pulling up beside her.
"This car..." she muttered as the front passenger window rolled down, revealing an empty seat. Lowering her gaze, she saw the man she least wanted to face right now.
"Get in," Atlas said from the driver’s seat, casting her a side glance.
"...." Lola pressed her lips into a thin line.
They stared at each other longer than they should have, until finally Lola climbed into the front seat. As soon as she did, he sped away.
Silence filled the air. Lola’s hand trembled over the folder on her lap as she turned to the window. Then she noticed cars trailing behind them.
"They’re with me." His calm voice cut through the quiet. "Don’t worry about them."
Lola whipped her head toward him, eyeing his side profile. "How did you know I was here?"
He didn’t answer.
"Atlas, are you having me followed?" She asked quietly, her tone more like confirmation than curiosity. "Why?"
She waited for his response, staring at his side, but nothing came. His eyes stayed on the road, his expression unreadable. A scoff escaped her at his silence.
"Then, never mind I asked—"
"Baby."
Her brows furrowed. "Baby? What about him now?"
"He’s the one who told me you left with some unknown people," he said. "He’s the one who followed you here."
"So, you are having me followed?"
"I put people to protect you," he answered. "The order is to step in only when necessary. Otherwise, they remain in your shadow. You wouldn’t even know they were there."
Lola opened and closed her mouth, but no words came. She just stared at him for a moment, caught between disbelief and dismay. She should have known this man would do whatever he wanted—just like when he suddenly decided to live with her.
But this...
Her fists tightened in her lap. She breathed out slowly.
"What about your order to have my son’s grave exhumed, Atlas? Was that also part of the protection? Did you tell your men to do it quietly so I wouldn’t know?" Lola paused, swallowing the building tension in her throat.
"Atlas," she called under her breath. "Please tell me you have a good explanation for this because... I don’t think I will want to be in this same car with you if not."