When my dad saw me and Ava walk in, he quickly stood up. "I seem to have lost control again. I'll go check on my plants outside. When you're feeling better, I'll push you out there to get some fresh air. Your daughter can keep you company for now."He looked at me and said, "Take good care of your dad. I'll go outside for a bit.""Okay, Dad." I nodded obediently. I didn't feel awkward, despite my unique family situation. After all, they were my close family. I couldn't do without any of them in my life.I rang the bell to have the dishes cleared and opened the windows to let in some fresh air.Then I sat beside him and asked, "Dad, are you feeling better? Did you sleep well last night?"He looked better than when he woke up feeling despondent."I slept better than ever." He sounded like he was in good spirits, and I smiled with relief."That was the best sleep I've had in years. I finally feel relieved since I’ve settled my life's work with Louis for our children. And Atlas trul
My father shook his head. "I need to get better as soon as possible. I want to help Atlas fulfill Louis's last wish and see if we can completely replicate those maps in my lifetime.""Those maps? You mean it's not just one map?" I looked at my father in confusion."Of course not. To be precise, there are six maps, one for each continent, excluding Wrekonia. We did send some people there, but the harsh environment forced us to abandon the mission. “However, we continued to explore around the edges of Wrekonia. What those seven members did was remarkable, even when they had no communication among themselves."Atlas says he only knows two of them. He has no idea about the other five, which means their fate is uncertain. So, restoring the maps to their original state might be difficult," my father said with a grave expression, sighing softly. "It would be best if we could retrieve the maps. It would save us a lot of trouble,” he continued."Don't worry about it, Dad. Just focus on
My father listened to my question and shook his head slightly. "I don't know the details. I was locked in the basement of the base, which had two levels, and I was on the bottom floor."I only had contact with two people. One was a woman named Taya, who was responsible for bringing me food. The other was Navi's right-hand man, Ierak. He was a sly character, and he was always smiling. Whenever he let Taya in to bring me food, he would leave immediately, and I never saw anyone else.""Ierak?" I repeated. "How did I miss him when I was there? I've never seen him.""He’s cunning and treacherous. Many of Navi's strategies were reportedly his ideas, which made him Navi's strategist. He looks harmless on the outside, but he's rotten to the core."My father's expression turned sour as he spoke about Ierak.I searched my memory, but couldn't recall ever seeing him.My father continued, "Loak used to take care of me. They didn't keep a close watch on me at the time. Only Loak and another y
"Yes, Atlas already filled me in on that. I was taken aback at first. She knew about my daughter and asked if I wanted to see her. I felt a mix of anxiety and joy. I suspected you were still alive, but I was worried if her questions implied anything else.”"I understand how you felt. I'll definitely settle the score with her someday.""She asked me if I wanted to see my daughter. That question made me tense up immediately. Just imagine how worried I was, fearing for your safety."I asked her where my daughter was. She arrogantly responded that the only way to see my daughter was to spill the beans on whatever secret Louis and I had been hiding."After finishing his sentence, he smiled at me."It was precisely that statement that put me on alert. She was using my daughter to manipulate me, trying to extract my secret. It was then I became certain that they realized I must be valuable, but they didn't know why."I looked at my father. He seemed wise and had managed to maintain his
Atlas raised an eyebrow, confidently saying, "We'll just have to be ready on all fronts.""What do you mean?" I asked."I'm planning to return to Nocturnia soon. Even though we know about the BZ plan, we don't have either of the keys in our possession, so we’re not in a good position right now. If we make a mistake, it could backfire. “I've already dispatched some people to start searching for the main players involved in the exploration of those continents back then, just in case."It seemed that Atlas had already begun planning.I looked at him, questioning, "Do you have any information on them? After all, it's been so many years."Atlas glanced at me, proudly saying, "While you were asleep last night, I had a long talk with Dad. He gave me detailed information on those people.""He still remembers, after all these years?" I asked in amazement. "If we can find them, that would be fantastic!"Atlas nodded. "I've always wanted to explore this area, so I've been in touch with p
Atlas bringing Dylan back showed his seriousness about the BZ plan.Dylan and Atlas's partnership reminded me of Louis and Rory’s, with an equally high level of understanding. I was sure Dylan was fully aware of Atlas's plan.Cane, on the other hand, played a peripheral role. But both of them were important to Atlas. With Dylan's return, I felt more at ease.When he mentioned going to Solaris, I quickly suggested, "I'll go with you. It must be cold in Solaris now. I promised Archie that I would visit when I returned. We can bring Ava along too.”Atlas paused, then asked, "Are you feeling alright?"I reassured him, "Don't worry so much. Solaris isn't dangerous. Worst case, I'll stay home and not go out. At most, I'll go to a mall to buy some clothes for Archie. I want to do these things for him.”Seeing him still contemplating, I softened my tone, saying, "I'll be careful. I want our baby more than you do.”Atlas's eyes softened with affection as he looked at me.Just then, Jim
No matter what Atticus's intentions were, I felt confident about the situation. After all, ATL Empire’s Design Division did the project's overall design in Rivendell, making communication relatively easier.Moreover, I believed I had some basic understanding of Atticus. He might be a cunning man, but he wouldn't resort to tricks with me. Our interactions, whether in the past or present, had always been heading in a positive direction.As businessmen in the same industry and having fought on the same front, we had a good starting point for our relationship.Furthermore, Atlas's involvement also played a significant role. Even if Atticus saw me as a competitor, he had to consider my current status, which was far from the struggling position I was in a year ago when I first took over Tanum.While the outside world might not understand the situation, he was well aware of it.Honestly, his assistance to me in the past had been considerable. So, this project was definitely within our gr
Seeing Arton so proud, I smiled and said, "I'll have to find time to visit him soon. It's been almost two months, and he'll probably forget about me if I don't go." I chuckled."He won't," Arton said confidently, then with a smile, he added, "My sister always teaches him to call you ‘Aunt Chloe’."I'm actually quite eager to see him," I said sincerely. Despite Charlie being Melanie’s child, I genuinely liked him.After a few more brief instructions, I hung up and returned to my father's room. Upon seeing the three old men chatting lively, I noticed that my biological father looked the oldest despite being the youngest in terms of age.His escape was truly remarkable, and it wouldn't have been possible without Atlas's careful planning. I silently rejoiced in having someone like Atlas by my side.They were discussing matters related to Bermuda, so it was no wonder they had a common language, considering their intricate connections to that place.So, they hit it off immediately.My