I have never seen a woman drink alcohol as though it was water like the way Aria does.
Honestly, I don't have much knowledge about women and experience with them. But Aria was on her fifth glass of wine, and she seemed totally fine.
“Miss Aria, it seems like you don't want my nephew to have a glass with his uncle,” Lex said, glaring at me.
Feeling guilty that I was letting a lady drink on my behalf, I opened my mouth to speak, but she rested her finger on my lips, staring deep into my eyes.
“I hate liars. You are not a liar, right, Atlas? If you even sip a glass of alcohol, then that means you lied to me, and I won't like that.” Aria said, pouting at me as her finger slid down my lip.
The innocent look on her face made my heart flip-flopped, and I felt like I was under some kind of spell that I didn't want to break.
“I really don't drink alcohol,” I mumbled, gazing away from Lex’s angry eyes.
Uncle Lex and his colleagues didn't seem happy about my response, and even though I want to impress them since I needed to do so if I wanted to be welcome into the business world, I couldn't bring myself to take back my words.
“Well, will you rather lie to your uncle than a girl?” Lex asked with a frown, pulling wine into a glass and placing it in front of me.
Before I could get a hold of it, Aria picked it up and drank it. Then she grabbed the wine bottle, comsumed the whole thing, banged the empty bottle on the table, and glared at my uncle.
My eyes widened as I stared at her and faintly smiled, admiring her impudence and carefree spirit.
“Why are you so set on giving him alcohol?” She shouted, pointing her finger at him.
A flash of annoyance crossed uncle Lex's face and his mouth set in a firm line as he threw me a hard look.
“You have so many old scumbags sitting next to you! Why don’t you offer them some wine, instead of forcing Altas to get drunk!” Aria shouted, slamming her hand on the table.
Everyone’s eyes were on us, and I knew it was time to get her out of there because she looked drunk and she was.
“Let's go,” I whispered to Aria, holding her hand and pulling her to her feet.
But she slipped, and I hastily grabbed her by her waist, pulling her against my chest.
“I'm sorry,” I mumbled, staring at the frown on my uncle and his partners' faces.
“You have an entire guest to entertain, and you will leave them for a girl you just met! If she's drunk, then let the guard or one of the maids take her upstairs!” Lex shouted, giving me an icy stare.
Gazing at the faces in the room, I felt like he was kind of right, and his words were giving me a second thought.
“I think I'm going to be sick,” Aria whispered, seizing my shirt in her grip, and instantly, I had a change of heart.
“She is like this because of me, so it's my responsibility to make sure she's okay. I am sorry, everyone!” I shouted, letting go of her waist and cuddling her in my arm as I guard her out the hall.
When we got in the hallway, my guard Torus walked up to us, and said, “Sir, let me take her to one of the guest rooms. You still have a party to attend.”
“Thanks, but I got her,” I mumbled, staring at Aria’s droopy eyes.
Nodding slightly, he took a step aside, and I led Aria upstairs, carrying her straight to my room.
When we got inside, I took her to the bed and sat her down on the mattress.
“Do you need anything?” I asked, squatting in front of Aria and taking her hands in mine.
“Nah, I am fine,” Aria said, drawing in a deep breath.
Then she burped, withdrew her hands from my grips, and did a little stretch.
“I thought you were drunk?” I asked, frowning as I stood up.
A mirthless laugh escaped her lips, and she ran her hand through her hair, pulled a hairpin out of it, and shook out her luxuriant hair.
“It will take more than one bottle of wine to get me wasted,” Aria said, staring at me like I was stupid for not knowing that.
I know I should have felt mad for being tricked, used, and looked down on, but I felt excited and more interested in her than ever.
“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” I asked, sitting down beside her.
Her lips curved into a smile as she gazed at me, her long lashes and Hazel eyes heightened her seductive appeal and made me drunk with feelings that I didn't understand.
“I’m Aria. I served in the military for two years and left to take care of my sick mother. After she died, I joined a protective service agency, and I want to be your personal bodyguard.” Aria said with a straight face.
Immediately, those words knocked me straight into reality and snapped me back to my senses.
“No!” I shouted, not intending for my voice to come out that high.
A frown settled on her face and she looked at me with annoyance. Then she stood to her feet and asked, “Why, because I'm a woman?”
“No, because you are going to die,” I said, staring directly into her eyes, yet she looked unbothered by what I had said.
At that moment, there was a knock on my room door, and our gazes swayed towards it.
“Don't answer it,” Aria said, grabbing my wrist as I tried to get up from the bed.
“That could be Victor, checking to see if I'm here,” I told her while trying to get my hand out of her grip.
But she was freaking strong, and my effort seemed like nothing but a waste of strength.
“I will get it then. You stay put!” Aria mumbled, holding the hairpin tightly in her grip.
“What is that thing?” I asked, staring at the sharp pointed edge of it.
“An 18k gold, natural diamond, and pearl hatpin.”
“O-kay… But why are you holding it like that?”
Her eyebrows drew together in a frown as she stared at me and huffed.
“Call it a protective measure just in case the wrong person is on the other end of that door.” Aria said, letting go of my wrist.
“What does that even mean?” I asked, massaging my hand.
“Let's hope you don't have to find out?”
“Who did you say you were again?”
Lilith POV The few hours I have spent with Atlas, I finally realized why he needs so much protection. Although he's a rich and handsome gentleman, he's a bit wet behind the ears and a poor, innocent creature that is going to get murder for his ignorance. There was a second knock on the door, and I glanced down at Atlas before swaying my attention toward it. “You are being pretty dramatic. Just go open the door or I will.” He mumbled with a hint of impatience in his tone. Ignoring his remark, I walked over to the door and shouted, “Who is it?” But no one spoke, and it grew my suspicion even further. “Is there someone at the door?” I asked, drawing my hatpin to my side as I listened attentively. Suddenly, there was a third knock, but without a response to my question and no other sound coming from outside the room. “Are you going to answer the door or not?” Atlas asked. Swaying my gaze toward him for a second, I frowned before putting my focus back on the door. For a while, my
I laid awake with my eyes shut, listening for the slightest bit of movement or noise from outside my bedroom. After lying still for a while, I heard the knob turn, and I immediately reached under my pillow for my hairpin, grabbing onto it tightly as I slowly raised my eyelids. Suddenly, the door opened, and my gaze rested on Atlas walking into the room with an older man beside him. Letting out a soft breath, I let go of the hatpin and forced a half-smile on my lips. As an assassin, my entire life has been going to bed lonely and waking up alone because I trusted no one. But today I wasn't alone, and it felt a bit weird and comforting to have people in my room at seven o'clock. “Good morning,” I mumbled as Atlas came closer towards me. He then smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed, fixing his eyes on mine. “Morning, how was your first night?” Atlas asked, looking very concerned. No one in their right mind would sleep peacefully in a man's house that has so many powerful enem
I had just walked out of the bathroom with a fluffy white towel wrapped around me when I heard a knock echoed into the room. Taking a deep breath to calm my instincts, I walked to the door, opened it, and stared at the cute girl, gazing at me hatefully. For a moment I maintained eye contact with her. Then my gaze swayed towards the shopping bags in her hands, and it clicked to me that she was Maria, the maid Atlas was talking about earlier. “My boss said that I should give these to you.” She said, hitting the bags on my chest. At this point, I already knew from her attitude and tone that she had some stupid crush on Atlas which didn't bother me. But that still did not excuse her attitude towards me. However, I maintained my silence, gave her a smug smile, and accepted the bags from her. Then as she opened her mouth to speak, I slammed the door in her face. “How rude!” Maria's angry voice echoed into my ears, but I played deaf to it and proceeded to the bed. Then I dumped the ite
Against my better judgment, I smiled at Atlas and said, “Okay, I will be driving.” There was a flicker of hesitation in his expression. Then he sighed and intoned, “Okay.” For a while, I felt nervous as he and I approached the car. But the moment I got behind the steering wheel and started the engine, my anxiety turned into pure excitement. “I have never seen you radiate with joy like you are now. Do you like him that much?” Atlas said, and his words drew my attention towards him. “I have a taste for cars, and Wreck is one dope automobile!” I mumbled, tightening my grip on the wheel. Then I gazed down at my shoes, drew my foot on the seat, and took off the heel before taking out the other one and tossing them in the backseat. “You are a wide one, ain't you?” Atlas mumbled as he looked at me with a half-smile on his lips. “Yeah, thanks for the compliment,” I said, stepping on the accelerator. At first, I drove at a slow speed, but once we got on the main road, I hit my feet hard
******************Atlas POV****************** My conscience kept bugging me after making Aria, my bodyguard. All I want to do is protect her and make her happy, but I have given her a job that many have died on, and I felt like a jerk for being weak and giving in to her wish. “Do you plan on arriving late to your meeting?” Aria asked, and I stared at her. Then my gaze fell on her barefoot, and without hesitating, I picked her off the ground, even though she was screaming for me to let her down, I kept walking until we got to the Jeep. “Stop struggling. You are making it hard for me to open the door.” I mumbled as I was striving to get a hold of the handle. Finally, Aria stopped throwing her legs, and I was able to open the door. Then I let her down on the seat and took a moment to catch my breath. “Pick me up again, and you will end up with a broken nose,” Aria shouted. “Why are your ear tips pink?” I asked, trying not to chuckle. But I couldn't hold it in, and I burst into a
After uncle Kerri’s remark, no one spoke and the room grew quiet for a while.Since my parents passed, I have long dreamt about managing their companies and expanding them into a business empire, so hearing my uncle tell me that I couldn't take control of the companies made me annoyed.But since I'm a patient-minded guy, I took a moment to calm down. Then I stared at my uncles and asked, “Why is that?”Without speaking, he stared at my other uncles and they all nodded slightly.Their behavior bothered me. But I kept silent and waited on uncle Kerri to say something.After a while, he finally looked me in the eyes and said, “Your other uncles and I don't think that you are capable of taking over.”Silence followed his remark. Then uncle Miles sighed and said, “You are still a kid when it comes to business.”“I have been studying for years just for this moment. I may be young, but I
Lilith POV When we first entered the conference room, Atlas had called every single one of the names on my list, and at that moment, my mission became very real to me. As I watched his uncles leave, I kept thinking how Atlas is a sheep who's surrounded by wolves dressed in sheep clothing. “Are you sure that you are okay? You seem a bit pale.” Atlas asked. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts for a second, and I gazed at him. “Are you okay?” Atlas asked again. Although I nodded and smiled at him, I wasn't actually paying attention to what he was saying because my mission was what was on my mind. Now that I have confirmed all of my targets and knows their faces, it was time to start executing my organization order. The command was, “If Atlas ever takes over the companies, I should make sure there are no obstacles in his way,” and so far, all his uncles looked like they were going to be an obstacle. They all see
The next morning I came down for breakfast, wearing dark ripped jeans, a bike jacket, and black boots, with my pale black bag on my shoulder. When I entered the dining room, Atlas looked at me, smiled, and said, “So this is your kind of style?” “Yes,” I said as I took a seat at the table. Then I stared at the smile on his face and asked, “What? You hate it?” I don't even know why I asked such a question, and why I cared to know what he thinks. “No, I like it. Your style is as unique as you.” Atlas said, taking a sip of his drink. Even though I tried so hard not to, I ended up smiling because of his response. After we got done with breakfast, Atlas and I headed outside, and at that moment, my gaze rested on the mole among Atlas’ bodyguards. I turned to Atlas and asked, “Can we not take the escort's cars today?” "Aria, I'm not sure that that's a good idea?” Atlas said with a look of hesitation on his face.