CHAPTER 103: AM I BECOMING HIS SLAVE?

[Young Residence]

The family of three gathered in the dining room for breakfast.

"Dad, I heard you already got the lands back yesterday," Melissa smiled charmingly at her father, who was seated at the head of the table. "Congratulations."

Jasmine smiled. "Melissa, that is not what you should be congratulating your father for."

"Not that? Why? Did something else good happen?"

"Haha." Lawrence chuckled, nodding. "The current owner of the properties was actually someone very influential."

Confusion quickly overtook Melissa’s face as she darted her eyes between her parents. "The Summit Partners?"

They shook their heads, chuckling.

"The same... no, probably bigger than whoever is behind The Summit Partners, Melissa," Lawrence remarked proudly, watching his daughter’s mouth fall open.

"There’s someone bigger than Summit Partners in Novera?"

"He’s a powerful man, Melissa."

"And we’re making connections with them," Jasmine intoned. "I’ve invited Mrs. Bennet and told her that I’d introduce you to her. Once I set up a meeting with her, free up your time, okay, dear?"

"She’s just around your age," Lawrence continued. "So you might get along with her well."

Jasmine nodded. "You wouldn’t be very busy, right?"

Melissa studied her parents’ faces before she smiled. "Okay!"

All three of them smiled happily, satisfied with this. Even though Lawrence hadn’t heard from his prospective buyers of the land, he was in a good mood and wasn’t worried about it for now.

"Are they really that influential?" Melissa asked after a moment of peace. "The Summit Partners are already a big deal... even the Lancasters will think twice about offending them."

Her question only made her parents chuckle, looking at her as if telling her she had no idea.

"The Lancasters in Novera are big shots, and anyone—except The Summit Partners and a few others—would think twice about offending them," Lawrence mused. "But compared to that man... Melissa, even the Lancasters will bow down to you."

"Try to make Mrs. Bennet come to your engagement, dear," Jasmine added, nodding at her daughter encouragingly. "Of course, I will help you. But this... this is a whole new world."

It was much better than their initial goal of stepping onto the higher level of the upper echelon. It didn’t have to be that they should be so close. Having Atlas Bennet or even his wife at Melissa’s engagement was a huge deal.

"Your engagement will be the talk of the country," Jasmine cooed. "With The Summit Partners in your favor, and then the Bennets, you—no, our family—is set."

Melissa pursed her lips as she darted her eyes between her parents. It wasn’t rare for her family to talk about others, but it was the first time they had talked about someone so highly. She bit her lip and tried to suppress the creeping smile on her face. However, she couldn’t help it.

Her engagement was coming up after all the delays and hurdles, and all of these good things were coming their way.

"Mom, let me know when you can invite them over," Melissa proposed. "I know a few places she might like."

****

Later...

Lola sat in the van quietly while Silo studied her side profile. After a sharp breath, she turned to Silo.

"What is it?"

Silo cleared his throat and moved to his seat, leaning closer to Lola. "Lola, are you hiding something from me?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Lola, we’ve known each other since high school, and I’ve been working for you for five years already," he said. "And in all these years, it’s rare for you not to ask me to do something. You don’t let me carry your bags to your place, or even ask me to come up and pick up your things!"

He paused and narrowed his eyes. "What are you hiding?"

But Lola just deadpanned. Maybe it was because all of her brainpower and heart power were being depleted in the penthouse that dealing with Silo wasn’t worth the mental strain. Or maybe she was just too exhausted.

"Silo, I already asked you to do something," she said in a dead tone. "It’s true I don’t ask you to help me with other stuff, but that was because you’re temporarily handling Cedrick’s affairs while I’m busy with other things."

After all, there were more things needed to help Cedrick, and someone needed to keep a close eye on him. Lola couldn’t possibly do that right now with all the things she had to worry about. For her, as long as Cedrick was well taken care of, the guy would be fine.

"Just focus on him and stop asking me questions," she added, picking up the head mask she had looted from Atlas’s collections, then putting it on.

"The hell is that?" Silo scrunched up his nose, staring at the horse’s head mask.

"Disguise. I feel too lazy to put on my usual look."

"Lola, I don’t know if I feel amazed at how you could always reinvent yourself, or..." he trailed off, thinking of the right term to call it. "Never mind that. I’m used to this."

He then settled into his spot comfortably. "Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve sat in my original spot. The twins always occupy it." He perked up and turned to her. "By the way, where are the kids?"

"With their father," she muttered. "I’ll pick them up later since I’ll be enrolling them in pre-school."

"Why did it have to be you?"

"..." Lola pondered for a second, then turned to him. "I really don’t know."

She scrunched her nose up from underneath the horse’s head mask. She didn’t even think there was an anomaly with this until Silo raised the question.

Am I becoming his slave? How can I just agree with him just because he asked?

But the moment Atlas’s morning face crossed her mind, Lola shook her head violently.

"Stop asking questions, Silo," she cleared her throat. "Just leave it at that."

Because whenever she thought of Atlas, it was the image of him this morning that was flashing in her eyes. Not just that, but her palm throbbed, feeling the lingering sensation of his smooth skin as she ran her palm along his back. Not to mention the heat of his fingertips brushing her skin.

Never mind looking like a slave, but she might end up kissing the very ground he walked on if she kept thinking about him.

"Are you on your period or what?" Silo’s face twisted in dismay. "Your mood changes every two seconds."

But she ignored him now and throughout the ride until they arrived at her first destination of the day: Chairman Lancaster’s residence.