Chapter 251: Jealousy... as if.
[Summit Partners]
"Wahhh! How could he not even think of his little brother?!" Slater’s tantrums rang in his brother’s office while Allen tried to calm him down. "He doesn’t even care about me anymore! Heartless! Monster! Meanie!"
Allen tried to comfort him, but Slater had slid across the couch like a child throwing a full tantrum. Just a bit more and he’d be on the floor, thrashing and crying.
"Goodness," Allen whispered, shifting his eyes to his boss.
Atlas stood motionless in front of his desk. He didn’t show any signs of hearing the racket behind him. Arms crossed, eyes fixed on the desk, he looked deep in thought.
"What is he even thinking?" Allen muttered, eyeing the mountain of work waiting for Atlas’s approval. "He’s been staring at that desk since he arrived."
He shook his head, glancing between the wailing Slater and his unbothered big brother.
Little did Allen know, Atlas was just sizing up the desk’s dimensions.
"It’s a little too low," he whispered, before glancing over his shoulder. "Allen, I need a new desk."
"Huh?"
"Come and write down the dimensions for the new one."
Confused, Allen tilted his head. "Sir?"
"This one." Atlas pointed at his desk. "It’s too low."
"Too low?" Allen repeated. Slater even stopped crying to stare. "Sir, we had that desk customized. It’s supposed to be perfect for your work."
"It’s not perfect," Atlas replied flatly. "I need something adjustable. Something that goes up and down — multi-purpose and sturdy."
Slater’s face soured before he dramatically resumed. "Huhuhu! Waah! His brother is crying over here, and he’s just thinking about a desk! A desk! Did I get demoted? Is a desk more important than my heart?!"
But Atlas ignored him, keeping his eyes on Allen.
"What are you still doing?" Atlas asked. "Write the dimensions. I want it done as soon as possible."
*
*
*
Hours later...
Atlas nodded in satisfaction as he watched workers set up his new desk. The corners of his mouth curled subtly, but noticeably.
"What’s going on here?" Scarlet’s voice carried from outside as she eyed the people lingering near the office.
Allen and Slater turned back to her and sighed. Scarlet stepped inside and peeked, catching Atlas watching the installation with rare satisfaction.
"A new desk?" she whispered. "Allen, didn’t you customize that one before?"
Slater shot her a side-eye and huffed. "He did. But he’s hell-bent on replacing it. Weird, right? He usually doesn’t change anything. He hates change."
And that much was true. Atlas was the type to keep what he was used to. His bedroom at home rarely changed — a habit since childhood.
"Good work," Atlas said, giving the workers a nod of approval.
As they left, Allen, Slater, and Scarlet gave way. Once the office was quiet, the three of them turned curious eyes on Atlas.
"First Brother, are you okay?" Slater asked, hesitant. "This is a new desk, you know?"
"I know," Atlas replied, approaching it. He pressed a button, raising the surface. "And it moves too."
"..." Scarlet, Allen, and Slater were speechless.
The man had been away for a few days, and this was his big concern? A desk?
"Why are you—" Slater began, but Atlas cut him off.
"Lola is a pervert," he said seriously, nodding in approval as the desk stopped at the perfect height. "There’s no telling what she’ll do once she visits again. I am preparing."
"Ahh... so that’s why you—WHAT?!" Slater gasped. Allen’s jaw dropped. Scarlet furrowed her brows.
For several seconds, they just stared at the desk while Atlas pressed buttons to test the range. Then Slater clapped his hands over his mouth before rushing up beside him.
"First Brother, what do you mean by that?" he gasped, eyes sparkling. "Wedding??"
Atlas slowly turned his gaze to him. "No."
"Huh?!" Slater scrunched his nose in dismay, ready to throw himself into his brother’s arms if he’d said yes.
"It’s not like that," Atlas said, biting his tongue and looking away. "Nothing like that at all."
Allen and Scarlet exchanged looks, their expressions twisting. Slater, meanwhile, exploded.
"First Brother, you already have her all to yourself and still haven’t gotten what you want?! Just how pathetic can you be?! Didn’t you remember all the good points I told you?! The twins and I, even spent so much time making you that guide—why can’t you just follow it?!"
The other two shook their heads.
"He’s lying," Scarlet muttered. "How can he not see that?"
"It’s definitely not nothing, like he claims," Allen mumbled.
Yet Atlas was lying. And they couldn’t figure out why.
Allen arched a brow and glanced at Scarlet, gauging her reaction. She frowned.
"What?" she snapped.
Allen chuckled weakly. "Thought you’d be seething with jealousy."
"Jealousy..." she scoffed. "As if."
****
[A short flashback of Atlas and Lola’s last night in the cabin]
Lola lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, Atlas beside her. The blanket covered their naked bodies, the air heavy with the aftermath of another passionate round. Thanks to the previous nights, her tolerance had risen a bit.
"What are you thinking now?" he asked after a long silence, turning onto his side.
He pulled her waist closer until their faces were inches apart. His hand slid down, squeezing her thigh and guiding it over his leg.
Lola pursed her lips. "Just a bit worried about Slater."
Atlas frowned. "Why are you thinking of him right now? I don’t like it."
"Hehe. Not like that," she laughed nervously. "It’s just... we’re going home later, and I can already imagine his tantrums."
"Ahh..." Atlas paused, understanding her immediately. "He’s already loud on normal days. He’s going to be a headache once we’re back."
Both of them grimaced just imagining the tantrum that oversized baby would throw once they returned.
"We’ll tell him we’ve been having sex," Atlas said matter-of-factly, meeting her eyes. "That’ll shut him up."
Her face twitched. She slapped a hand over his mouth. "Can you not say it like that? This is a private matter, but it’s... it’s a bit too bold."
"It’s the only way to silence him," he shrugged. "Don’t you think?"
She thought about it, then shook her head. "I mean, yes. He’s childish, but not that young. I’m sure he’s had girlfriends..." She trailed off, a look of horror dawning on her face. "Forget it. Let’s not tell him anything."
"Hmm?"
"Atlas," she whispered mischievously, moving closer. "I usually control him with these keywords: wedding, relationship, blah blah blah..."
She explained in great detail how she tamed Slater.
"If we tell him, he’ll bother me endlessly about something else," she added, drawing back. "If we do, that’s like surrendering that power. Let’s not, okay?"
Atlas just stared at her, then nodded. "Okay."
"Hehe, thanks—" she froze when his hips shifted, the tip of his erection brushing her entrance. "Wait. We agreed on a ten-minute break, right?"
"I am sacrificing my ear for you," he said, lowering his head to claim her lips. "I should get something from it."
Her face flushed as she wrapped her leg around him. This time, she leaned up to kiss him first, biting his lip as he thrust forward, sliding deep into her already slick canal until he was once again on top of her.