I heard a loud crash behind us, followed by two explosions.Despite the impact, the car continued to move forward steadily. Dylan slapped the steering wheel and breathed a sigh of relief.Only then did I open my eyes. The crossroad we had just narrowly crossed was now engulfed in flames, with the sound of exploding cars becoming more distant by the moment.I could feel Atlas's arm tightly around mine, which was relaxed slightly. He nervously asked, "Chloe, are you okay?""I'm not—"Before I could finish my sentence, there was a sharp, cracking sound. My body immediately lurched to the left with a tremendous bang.Atlas blocked my body with a powerful arm, wrapped another hand around my waist, and his head slammed against the car window.I felt his hand loosen slightly for a little second. However, as soon as he realized it, he pulled me back into his embrace.I clung tightly to his body, shivering from dread."Atlas... are you okay?" I asked quickly."I'm fine! It's nothing t
I took a deep breath, trying to ease my tension. The car was speeding forward, constantly dodging the relentless pursuit from behind. The car swayed from side to side in a large arc.Finally, we all noticed a container truck driving steadily ahead. I saw a glimmer of happiness appear on Dylan's face.When I looked up at Atlas, he comforted me immediately, saying, "Don't worry! He's got this!"His big hand clasped my head against his chest. I could faintly hear his strong heartbeat, knowing that he was nervous.Dylan stepped on the gas and quickly caught up, driving side by side with the truck.Perhaps the truck driver noticed we had caught up, so he also accelerated. To sustain this calibre of driving, one needed to be exceptionally skilled. If there was even a slight mistake, it could result in a fatal accident.My hands tightly gripped Atlas's body, and I dared not breathe.The cars following us were afraid to approach because if the truck slowed down slightly, it would be
"Are you guys okay?" He looked us up and down before he asked, "This must be my beautiful sister-in-law, right?"He mischievously waved at me and called out, "Sister-in-law!"I looked at Atlas, not knowing who this was.Atlas introduced him to me, "This is my cousin, Melvin Lively, the youngest son of my aunt from the Lively family."I nodded and softly said, "Thank you for helping us.""Wasn't it fun?" He asked.This cousin seemed a bit off. How could he ask if it was fun in such a life-threatening situation?Then, Melvin asked Atlas, "Wasn't my move great? A deadly move, ensuring complete annihilation. Moreover, it made dealing with the aftermath easy!"Atlas smirked. "Nicely done!"Dylan, however, didn't think much of it and said, "Ha! Easy to deal with indeed, but leaving no survivors, how do we investigate?""My plan was flawless, but if you can't find anything, it's because your skills are lacking!" Melvin retorted.Atlas's deep gaze turned toward the distant flames on
Atlas didn't answer my question! It seemed he was not too sure, either."Father only mentioned that the distribution maps were kept separately. My father's map shows geographical locations, while your father's map indicates mineral deposits. They need to be combined to make sense," Atlas explained.At that time, my father also mentioned the details of these distribution maps, but I only had a vague understanding and didn't fully comprehend them. Now, Atlas explained it to me in detail again."Even the instructions are kept separately. I have no idea about my father's, he never told me, nor do I know where they are kept," Atlas truthfully told me about Louis's part."Perhaps Dad never thought he would suddenly pass away! After all, they were still too young." I sighed, feeling somewhat regretful.Atlas would have remembered if Louis had just mentioned a few words to him back then. We wouldn't have gone through so many detours.In fact, in terms of business acumen, Atlas surpassed
Atlas nodded at me. He was very alert. As he glanced at the rearview mirror, I followed suit and checked; everything seemed normal.He continued, "On the surface, I seemed to have grown distant from these two families over the years since I went to Torado and settled in Foswood. But in reality, the more distant on the surface, the closer internally! Many things they've been looking out for me behind the scenes! Of course, we also have a business alliance!""So, from the current situation, the possibility of things falling into Celine's hands isn't too high!" Atlas affirmed, "That's my secret. I didn't want you to worry! And there wasn't a suitable opportunity to talk to you about these matters.""I understand." I placed my hand on his large hand, and he clasped it in return."Celine might have caught a whiff of some information, knowing our fathers had secrets, but she may not even know about the existence of this map!" Atlas said confidently."Why do you say that?" I asked Atlas.
I looked at Atlas helplessly, saying, "Is this a dead end then? Since her passing was so sudden, nobody would have known."I felt a bit disheartened; trying to find this map was like finding a needle in a haystack."Your father told me that he repeatedly told Lucille that this was something very important, and she had to keep it safe for him. However, Lucille was unaware of the purpose of the map.""Why?" I asked, puzzled."Your father said he never told her what exactly it was. But when Lucille suddenly passed away, it was lost."Neither of us knows, and the people at the old mansion are all gone. Nobody knows where she stored the map. This is truly a dead end." Atlas's tone was somber."Didn't you ask my dad about it again before we came here?" I said in a tone tinged with urgency as I turned to him."He mentioned a few possible places and was waiting for us to return to the Pierce residence to check. That's why I was eager to reclaim the Pierce residence." Atlas smiled at me
I looked at him, not entirely understanding what he meant. I met his questioning gaze and asked, "Are you saying you want to send me back to Foswood?"Atlas nodded and softly explained, "Yes. Fremont Bay is the safest place for you right now. I've ensured tight security there since it was constructed."Atlas was right about this. I fully believed it; Fremont Bay had secret passages, and the entire estate was very well-protected."I’d like to send you back to Fremont Bay so you can rest and get ready for our babies to arrive. I can't afford to have you in any danger. I'll only be at ease when you're in Fremont Bay.""Don't be so nervous. I'm fine! I’ll go back, but I want to return to the Pierce residence first," I asserted firmly.After all, that place had a different allure for me.When Atlas saw my firm attitude, he smiled and gently kissed my hand. "Okay. We'll go to the Pierce residence tomorrow."I knew he still had business to attend to, so I grinned broadly and remarked,
The next day, Atlas was by my side when I woke up. I didn’t know when he had come back.He sensed my slight movements and quickly opened his eyes to look at me. "You’re awake! How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?" he asked, as his large hand gently caressed my belly.He was divulging his deepest secret with that sentence. He must have come back early because he was really concerned about me.I quickly leaned over to nestle into his embrace and comforted him. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm not that fragile, and besides, you took good care of me yesterday. I didn't feel any discomfort at all!"He hugged me with a smile and kissed my forehead lightly. "We can't take any more risks.""Okay," I responded. "I’ll return after visiting the Pierce residence today."When I finally stood in front of the Pierce residence gate, I was a little shocked. The magnificent gates were gorgeous, grand, and breathtaking —just what I had imagined them to be.I could vaguely see the white palace-like