CHAPTER 96: OH... THAT’S HER HUSBAND.

Atlas maneuvered the car quietly, the corners of his eyes squinting despite the deadly glares from his side. Glancing at Lola, his eyes landed on a personification of wreckage.

"Tch." Lola scoffed, clicking her tongue as she finally shifted her death glares to the poor roadside.

Just moments ago, she was as pretty as a modern princess. Now, she had morphed into a witch. All because this guy thought her disguise was something she just put on as simply as his face mask. Of course, Lola argued with him, but the guy wouldn’t budge. He wouldn’t drive, he wouldn’t let her leave and drive herself, and he had just turned himself into a living Stop sign.

The worst part was that he dared to say he should’ve just offered his head mask after everything was done.

"My neck’s a little stiff," she said, touching her neck, feeling her blood pressure rise. "Ah, good grief."

"Sign of aging."

She paused and turned to him. "What?"

"If you’re starting to hurt there, that’s a sign of aging," he said in a very flat tone.

"Tell me you’re joking."

"Ask the doctor. He’d confirm it."

"I was being sarcastic," she laughed, intuitively rummaging through her purse for something.

This man did her a huge favor by blocking all interested buyers for the properties Lawrence was selling. She could have done that too, but his words were more efficient. However, she should’ve expected he wanted something in return.

Talk about a greedy business deal!

"What are you looking for?" he asked as she rummaged through her bag, only to see her look up at him with a wide smile.

"Earplugs. Chacha, Second, and even Slater were very kind to give me a few pairs." She then raised a small box with a few cute stickers on it as a design. "Very fancy for an earplug case, don’t you think?"

Atlas shrugged at her while she wasted no second putting them on.

"Hello? Hello?" She cleared her throat, her fingers pressed against the earplugs. "Hey, hey?"

She tested how effective they were as if she were testing a microphone. Surprisingly, all she heard was her muffled voice, facing Atlas squarely.

"Hey, can you try speaking?!" she asked. "I need to test it!"

"..." Atlas ignored her.

"Atlas!" she called, not realizing her voice was rising. "Can you hear me?!"

He didn’t answer immediately, staring at the road ahead as his passenger morphed into a speaker. He cocked his head back, sliding his eyes to her.

Instead of speaking, he just mouthed, ’What?’

"What?!" she laughed aloud. "You’re saying something?!"

This time, he moved his mouth without making a sound. She stared at his moving lips, her cheeks turning pinkish as she beamed. Satisfied, she nodded at him and shrugged.

"Yep, can’t hear you."

Having said that, she turned to the window happily and leaned back in her seat comfortably. She stared at the flashing roadside, smiling from ear to ear.

I didn’t think these earplugs really had a use, she thought to herself, impressed by the twins. They are truly lifesaving.

Atlas, on the other hand, chuckled quietly as he just let her be happy over such a simple, silly thing.

****

Half an hour later, Atlas found himself seated on a stainless steel bench in the hallway of an acting class. Lola was waiting with her legs crossed, her elbow on top of her knee, her cheek resting on the bottom of her palm. She held her phone with the other hand while sucking on a lollipop she got from his car.

He watched her side profile, a layer of frost coating his eyes as he heard the door open.

"Taz."

Moving his cold eyes, they instantly landed on Cedrick. The man, his kids, and even his brother had been calling him their future father and brother.

Cedrick approached Lola enthusiastically, only to shiver as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Searching for the source of this dangerous aura, his eyes landed on the man seated on the same bench as Lola.

"Uh..." Cedrick forced a polite smile, but even then, Atlas’s eyes grew colder and darker.

"Give me your phone." Lola’s calm voice snapped him out of his thoughts, her brows arching. "Why are you flinching? Are you okay?"

"Ha... ha... yes, I’m fine." He cleared his throat. "You need my phone?"

"Mhm." She hummed, palms open. "Come on."

"Wait, it’s in my bag—" Cedrick hurriedly ran back inside the room and came out just as quickly. Without wasting a second, he placed his phone in her palm.

Lola glanced at the broken screen and its rough edges. This model was a few years old, and with how frequently phones update, she doubted it was still working properly. She didn’t dwell on it as she reached for her bag.

"Why do you need my phone?" he asked, watching her search for something in her bag. "I’m not dating, if that is what you want to know."

Again, he shuddered as he felt the cold breeze brush the back of his neck. He intuitively turned to Atlas, who was staring at him intensely. Sensing that he might be in danger, he moved away slightly to Lola’s side.

"Here," Lola handed him a box. "From now on, use this. I’ll need your old phone for your socials, but I’ll be transferring everything else to you. Some important contacts were already in there, and group chats for Angel’s Revenge, so you get updates. This is where Silo will be contacting you as well. I told him to handle your affairs for now as I’ll be busy."

Cedrick knitted his brows as he reached for the new phone that was still in a box. "Okay, thank you. But why do you want my socials? They’re pretty much dead."

"I know, but they’re better than starting a new one," she said, rising to her feet. "But I advise you not to check on them for now. Focus on the classes since the audition is happening this week. Get it?"

"Yes, ma’am!"

"Good." Lola slapped his shoulder mildly before she turned on her heel. "Keep in touch."

But just as she turned, her face twitched as Atlas was staring at her so coldly he might be able to summon winter early.

What’s wrong with him? she wondered. "Let’s go, Atlas. I’m done here."

Atlas shrugged and pushed himself up, eyeing Cedrick from head to toe before he wordlessly followed her. As for Cedrick, all he could do was stand in the same spot while staring at the two figures go.

"He doesn’t like me, does he?" he murmured, conflict shining in his eyes. "Who is he?"

His brows knitted as he recalled the twins and then that night when he first met Lola in the restaurant. "Oh... that’s her husband."