CHAPTER 363: VOLUME. PLEASE.

"Don’t you want to turn that off now?"

Atlas turned to the glowing Lola beside him. Her skirt was still blinking, so much that even their tinted windows couldn’t hide the mini–light show happening inside.

"Ah!" Lola chuckled and quickly pressed a button. In an instant, the blinking lights disappeared. Still, Atlas could see faint dots dancing in his vision because of it.

He didn’t dwell on it and simply looked at her bright face, made even brighter by her thick white foundation. "Are you angry?"

"Angry? Me?" Lola blinked. "Why would I be angry?"

"Allen told me."

In the front passenger seat, Allen froze. A chill crept up his spine. His face twisted, and he didn’t even acknowledge Baby’s side-eye from the driver’s seat.

"Ahh..." Lola chuckled, rocking her head in understanding. "Well, it’s not that I’m angry. I was just surprised you came!"

"You could’ve asked me to come if you wanted me there," Atlas replied evenly. "Those were Allen’s exact words on my way here."

She giggled and leaned closer. "Baby, it’s not that I didn’t want you to come. I wanted to, but you’re too gorgeous! I have to gatekeep you. Who knows? Someone might try to snatch you away from me."

Allen’s face twitched. Her reasoning was absurdly shallow, but if he could speak freely, he’d assure her that anyone who tried to "snatch" their boss would be returning him in pieces within minutes.

"I asked Sir Allen to come because, unlike you, the Lancaster family already knows his face," she went on with a hum. "If he arrived and saved the day, they would’ve been shocked! The result would’ve been the same, but your image and privacy would’ve been protected."

She smiled sweetly. "Secret Society, remember?"

Atlas blinked, watching her act cute in that ridiculous getup. Not that it mattered. All he could see was the woman beneath the layers of makeup.

Allen, however, furrowed his brows slightly. He didn’t expect Lola to take the "Secret Society" and Atlas’s private life into account at all.

"You don’t have to protect me—" Atlas began, but stopped when Lola raised a hand in front of him.

"What am I?"

"A human."

She winced and shook her head. "No. What’s my role in your life?"

He paused, about to answer honestly, but seeing her look, he changed it midway. "My lover."

"I’m your girlfriend," she pouted. "And as your lover, I naturally have to protect you. Sure, you do the providing and protecting, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t."

She leaned closer, smiling. "So don’t ask me not to protect you, okay? You protect me, I protect you—we protect the twins."

Atlas just stared at her, that bright, bubbly smile somehow cutting through the absurdity. Her eyelashes were so long he could braid them, yet they couldn’t hide the sparkle in her eyes.

Without a word, he tilted his head and kissed her softly.

Lola froze for a second, caught off guard. Up front, Baby and Allen immediately fixed their eyes on the windshield.

Allen quietly reached for a button, and the partition rolled up. Whatever was happening back there, they did not want to see. Or hear. Both men slipped in their earplugs for good measure.

Slowly, Atlas pulled back, stopping just a palm’s length from her face.

"Okay," he whispered smoothly. "Let’s do that."

Lola pressed her lips together, failing to suppress a grin. Then she giggled and hugged him tightly.

"Gatekeeping my boyfriend~" she teased. "Goodness, why is he so handsome?"

Atlas just watched her, letting her cling to his arm. When his eyes fell on her skirt, curiosity flickered in them. She had hiked it slightly so she wouldn’t sit on it, but he could still see the faint glimmer of the lights.

"Ah!" His thoughts halted when Lola suddenly turned to him. "Atlas, about what you said to the Lancasters..."

"I’m not changing my mind," he said flatly. "They’ll get what they deserve. Don’t beg for them."

"Oh, no, I’m not begging for them." She shook her head quickly, catching him off guard because he had expected her to. "I just want to know if you plan to stop the project you have with them."

"I’m reconsidering," Atlas admitted. "The project was initially a disaster, but with Travis Lancaster overseeing it, it’s become... interesting. The shift aligns with my current interests. Even so, I’m still reconsidering."

"Oh..."

"Why?"

Lola grinned. "Sir Allen updated me about the joint project, and I’m interested. I’ve been investing in that industry ever since I heard of it."

"I see."

"But whatever you decide, I won’t stop you," she said with a small nod. "I know the chairman. He won’t take your actions against me. If anything, he’ll understand. Besides, I know you won’t make them bankrupt."

"I can, but I won’t. Only because of the chairman."

And he meant it. The Lancasters would feel the weight of their silence and ignorance soon enough, but Atlas had no intention of destroying them entirely—for the chairman’s sake, and because the twins liked the old man.

"You won’t owe him after tonight."

"I don’t owe him anything, and he never made me feel that I did." Her smile was soft and sincere. "If anything, I think he always believed he owed me."

"And if I punish him, that’s you telling him not to owe you?" Atlas arched a brow. "Are you using me?"

This time, Lola’s smile widened into that mischievous grin. "You’re crazy about me, right?"

Atlas blinked, realizing she’d just outmaneuvered him, and for the first time in a while, he didn’t mind.

"...I’m hard."

This time, Lola froze on the spot and stared at him blankly. When she felt his hand snake around her waist, a loud squeal escaped her mouth.

****

"Kyah!"

Allen and Baby, seated in front, froze at the sudden squeal from the back. In their heads, it was either Atlas strangling Lola or something else they definitely didn’t want to think about.

"Atlas—wait~!"

"Baby," Allen said flatly, not taking his eyes off the road. "Volume. Please."

Without a word, Baby reached for the dial and cranked it to maximum. Slater’s voice instantly filled their ears, belting out one of his dramatic hits. Unfortunately, even with the music blasting, the faint movements in the backseat were impossible to ignore.

"I should probably go on that blind date," Allen muttered.

Baby nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Me too."