ATLAS

I was just on my way to my office when the call came in.

Sighing, I slid my fist off my jaw and tapped the answer button on the screen.

“Yes,” I grumbled out, keeping my eyes on the highway.

“Why do you sound so snappy this early?”My father’s voice filtered through the car speaker, grating on my nerves.

“This early?” I bit back. “It’s past ten, father.”

What did he want? He rarely called.

“I see,” he paused, an uncomfortable silence stretching for the next few seconds. “Well,” he added after a while, “we’ll be having this.. brunch thing in thirty minutes, and I’d like for you to be here.”

“Why do you want me there?” I demanded, my tone even colder. “I mean, this is new.”

“It’s important that you’re here, Atlas,” my father retorted in an equally cold tone, the playfulness vanishing into thin air. “We’ll be discussing business and sorts.”

Sighing heavily, I lifted one hand and raked it through my hair, highly displeased at the sudden disruption of my plans.

“Well, informing me thirty-minutes-before is a little too short notice, don’t you think?”

“I know you can make it here in less time, Atlas. Don’t be difficult.”

“Fine,” I conceded moments later, “I’ll be there.”

Before he could say another word, I leaned forward and ended the call abruptly.

In the same breath, I swerved the car onto the left route and sped towards his penthouse, my mind swirling all the while with thoughts of what this supposed business talk would possibly be about.

An appreciated distraction from the thoughts of a certain woman.

************

He was already waiting with Luke at the large table on the rooftop when I arrived, glancing impatiently at his wristwatch.

Apparently, I’d arrived more than forty minutes later.

“What took you so long, Atlas?” My father asked as I strode towards the table, adjusting my suit, all the while feeling Luke’s hot, malicious stare on my face, “I encountered some delay at the gas station.”

Silent for a moment, my father picked up his napkin and spread it in front of him. Then he glanced up at me, his eyes hard-set. “It’s always one tale for every time, isn’t it?”

I said nothing in response, unwilling to get into an argument without settling in.

“So,” I cleared my throat, picking up my napkin, “what is this about? It’s not everyday we have brunch together.”

“Like I said,” he replied, stabbing a fork into his tortilla and wrapping it round, “we’re here to discuss business.” One thing I admired about him, he wasted no time getting to the point.

“And as you both know,” he continued, grabbing a maple syrup off the table and squeezing it over his plate, “I’ve been working for years. So I think it’s high time I stepped back and let one of you continue the ride.”

From my corner of my eye, I noticed Luke tense in his seat, his plate untouched. Well, so was mine.

“What are you saying, father?” Luke demanded, his terse voice slicing through the silence as he couldn’t handle it anymore.

“I’ll be stepping down from my position as CEO of the empire soon,” he announced, then lifted his head to pull his gaze between Luke and I, “and when that happens, one of you will be replacing me, as my successor.”

“What?!” Luke snapped almost immediately, bolting to his feet. “You’ll be ‘choosing’? But I'm the COO, father!”

“That doesn’t matter, Luke,” he replied, pinning him with a hard glare. “I’m trying as much as possible to be fair and square here, so this will be a healthy competition between my sons. The best man wins. It’s simple.”

“You can’t be serious, dad,” Luke scoffed, his features taut with disbelief. He whipped his gaze to me, filled with spite and malice. “How is Atlas even an option? I’ve been the one working tirelessly, all my life! Sacrificing my time and my life, dedicating it all to this company! Even after we almost lost it to Braden’s bitch of a wife after his passing!”

He paused, breathing heavily, and my knuckles tightened underneath the table.

Bitch of a wife?

Elena?!

For goodness sake, I would leap out of this fucking chair in the twinkle of an eye and punch the living daylights in this bastard, for calling her a bitch. But I refrained from acting out my thoughts.

How could he dare speak about her in that manner? A bitch? The same woman he’d taken advantage of immediately after Braden’s passing, seducing her and eventually getting into her pants, deceiving her, all to steal Braden’s inheritance?

What black-hearted asshole did that?

My father’s fork clattered onto his plate, and he picked up his napkin, wiping the corners of his lips and fixing a hard gaze on Luke. “Well, I hope you ride on the coattails of the same ambition that drove you to marry your late brother’s wife, because I’m not joking, Luke. This is a fucking competition.”

He paused, his gaze straying to where I sat.

“Atlas here,” he continued, “has some experience running a company, but my choice would be strictly based on merit. So you both have to work hard to impress me.”

Of course. You mean kissing your ass, right?

I really didn’t have the time and energy to kiss anyone’s ass, so this would surely be a long shot.

Grunting in displeasure, Luke scraped his chair backwards and threw his napkin down on the table. “Well, I guess we’re done here.”

As he stormed off, I let out a small sigh under my breath and pushed to my feet, raking a finger through my hair.

“I can go now, right?” I asked quietly, staring down at my father.

“You didn’t touch your food,” he observed, his palms intertwined on the desk as his gaze slid over to Luke’s plate. “None of you did.”

Saying nothing in response, I turned around headed towards the exit, eager to leave here so I could focus fully on worrying about why I hadn’t heard from Elena in over three days now.

“Work hard to impress me, Atlas,” my father’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I paused in my tracks, my jaw working. “I need to see your best.”

Was that a strain I heard in his voice?

When nothing else seemed to be forthcoming from him, I strode out the exit door, reaching into my pocket for my phone.

I was almost going crazy, expecting a text or even a call from her, and I’d spent a greater part of my time staring at my screen these past few days. Waiting for something. Anything.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my palm, and as my eyes flicked over the name on the screen, my breath caught in my throat, my heartbeat accelerating.

>• Meet me at the Hives, the text read, In ten, preferably.

Shoving the phone back into my pocket, I took the stairs two at a time, striding quickly towards the garage.

I jumped into my car and punched in the address of the restaurant, speeding off.

I arrived in less than ten minutes, panting heavily, my heart racing excitedly.

Calm the fuck down, Atlas. What has she done to you?

I spotted her as I stepped into the restaurant, seated at the far end of the left wing, her gaze locked on her phone.

Even from a distance, she looked breathtaking, her hair beautifully pulled up in a half-messy bun, her skin glowing radiantly.

“Elena,” I called as I walked up to the table, my voice a little thick, and she instantly whipped her head up, her eyes widening slightly, a blush creeping into her cheek as our gazes locked.

“Oh,” she licked her lower lip, “you’re here.”

I nodded, pulling out a chair and sinking in.

“That was fast,” she muttered under her breath, and a small smile crept into my lips.

“So,” I cleared my throat, impatient as it was, “have you decided?”

She sat up straighter, pulling her palms up and intertwining them. “I’ll do what you want,” she announced finally, and my heart leapt with joy and relief.

Thank goodness… I’d feared she wouldn’t bite.

“That’s great, then,” I replied, watching as she picked up her bag and pulled out a brown, medium-size envelope, sliding it towards me on the table.

“What is this?” I demanded, eyeing the envelope suspiciously, and she leaned into her seat, folding her arms across her chest.

“A contract of my conditions, Atlas Grant. That’s what.”

ELENA

I’d spent the past few days pondering so hard on everything that’s happened recently, and the crazy web of fate I’d found myself tangled in, with the Grants.

Just why in the flying fuck was all this happening?

First it was Braden, the one I actually loved.

Then it was Luke. The bastard that deceived and seduced me just to steal from me.

Now, it was Atlas. The drop-dead gorgeous, six feet tall, striking-blue-eyed man I’d impulsively had a night-stand with.

All of them fucking Grants.

How did I get here?

No matter how much I thought about it, the blame kept falling to Braden. Yes… he was the reason I was in this mess.

I mean, if he hadn’t kept me away from his family, shielded me away, I most probably wouldn’t have been in this mess. Because then, I’d have been able to tell what kind of person Luke was, and also know he had another gorgeous man for a brother.

True, Braden had always told me his family were all bad people, and didn’t want me involved with them. It was only now I understood why he’d always been so secretive…

After Atlas had made the ridiculous proposal, and I’d pondered and pondered, without getting anywhere, I’d turned to my borderline crazy and nice friend.

“You already fucked the three brothers, Elena,” Emily had said with a ridiculous smirk on her lips. “So why not fuck with them even more?”

I’d shrugged off her words, together with the urge to slap her out of her messed up head, lamenting the poor luck I had getting entangled with three brothers.

Married two and had a one night-stand with one.

But Emily had been unrelenting with her absurd advice.

“Listen,” she’d continued, “what they did to you was purely horrid, but I have to tell you, sobbing over spilt milk, or drowning in self pity isn’t really the way to go. Trust me.”

“If Atlas Grant is offering you such a sweet deal, a way to take to take it all back from them, then you should fucking take it. I bet opportunities like this don’t come your way twice.”

I’d sighed heavily, shaking my head. “Atlas isn’t necessarily a good person, Emily. Believe me. He doesn’t even care to pretend to be one, and I think he’s going to screw me over. What happens then?”

Emily had gone ahead to slip me the contact of her lawyer, doing her best to assuage my fears.

“Contact him,” she’d said, “and he’ll help you draft a contract that can protect you in case things go south. You get me?”

Now I was seated across from the drop-dead gorgeous, blue-eyed man in this restaurant, watching him go through the contract I’d eventually drafted.

The terms had been perfectly tailored to my tastes.

How I would like to get paid.

How I intended to get back all that was stolen from me, and humiliate and expose Luke Grant for the fraud he was.

How I intended to clear my name and reveal who was really behind the manslaughter I was accused of.

How my involvement with this hunk of a man—Atlas Grant—would be strictly professional.

How I intended to gain immunity from whatever shady stuff he planned to delve into or was in, already.

The terms in the contract were fucking genius.

After long minutes of silently going through the contract, Atlas pulled his striking blue gaze up to me, a smirk on his lips, causing an electric bolt to zap through me.

What was it about those eyes? It was nothing like Braden’s. Or Luke’s.

Much colder. Much more captivating.

“What do you think of me?” His gruff voice pulled me out of my thoughts, causing me to jolt slightly. “A shady dealer?” He added, cocking a brow, then leaned forward. “Is that really all you think of me?”

There was a hint of amusement in his tone that annoyed me.

I folded my arms across my chest so I could look a little tough. “I know there’s more to you than meets the eye, Atlas Grant. You can’t fool me, you know.”

“And just so you know,” I leaned forward also, matching his intimidating gaze, “I really wouldn’t want to know that part of you.”

He chuckled then, a deep timbre that instantly sent a bit of heat between my thighs.

What. The fuck. Is wrong with me?

Why was I reacting to the sound of his laughter?

“You’re smart, Elena Carlson,” he said, leaning back and still watching me with that intense gaze. “I’ll give you that.”

“Well,” I lifted my shoulders in a nonchalant shrug, “spending years in prison will teach you a thing or two. Undoubtedly.”

“I see,” he replied, then glanced down at the document. “So, about this last part,” he lifted his head again, a smug smile playing on his lips, “isn’t it a bit too much?”

I cocked a brow, wondering what he was talking about because I couldn’t really remember what that last part was about. “What do you mean?”

He pushed the document to the side and leaned forward. “What if I want to get reacquainted with the taste of you?”

Instantly, I remembered what was in that last part, and I swallowed hard, a memory of this blue-eyed hunk tasting my wetness flashing through my mind.

A blush creeped into my cheeks and I averted my eyes from his, adjusting in my seat so I could calm the vicious throbbing in my panties.

I cleared my throat. “That clause is just as important as the rest in the contract, Atlas,” I replied as bluntly as I could, “and if you sign the contract, we have to keep this strictly professional. No sexual contact.” I paused, adjusting in my seat as he wouldn’t stop looking at me in that way that made me feel uncomfortable and good at the same time. “And didn’t you say you don’t do relationships?”

He shrugged, leaning back. “I did say that,” he replied, “but it still doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do a lot of unspeakable things to you, Elena.”

Goosebumps scattered across my skin as he said those words, and I suddenly couldn’t even regulate my own breathing, or articulate my fucking thoughts, or think of anything to say in response.

The way he says my name. God.

Just what kind of man was I about to sign a deal with?

And even most importantly, why wasn’t I appalled by the thought of him doing whatever unspeakable things he had in mind to me?

Worse, I feared I looked forward to the day he did those things. Again..

ELENA

I watched as Atlas picked up the document and threw it down in front of him, keeping his gaze fixed on mine all the while.

His gaze was electrifying, and somehow rid me of every saliva in my mouth, making me squirm in my seat.

“Are you going to sign that or not?” I croaked out, sticking out my tongue and running it across my lower lip.

He cocked a brow as his fingers skimmed the document to the last page. “Did I say I wasn’t going to?” He shot back, his voice low and husky, his eyes dark and droopy.

I adjusted again in my seat, clearing my throat as I suddenly felt small under his intimidating gaze. “Well, uhm,” I licked my lips again, my teeth grazing it a bit, “you’re just wasting a lot of time, so I think m-maybe you don’t want to. Because if you’re cool with the terms, you would have—“

He scoffed in a surprisingly polite manner, cutting me off, then bent his head and scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page. “You didn’t think I was simply mesmerized by your beauty?” He asked after a while, and my breath caught in my throat.

Did he just casually call me beautiful?

Why was he flirting so openly? What made him so fucking audacious? And tempting?

“W-what?” I stuttered when I finally found my voice, and he pulled his gaze to me, mischief playing behind those blue eyes.

“Don’t act so modest, Elena,” he said as he reached over to drop the document next to my hand on the table, his fingers brushing mine and leaving sparks. “You’re fucking beautiful. Own it.”

I swallowed, a red hotness creeping into my cheeks, and I found that weird because people called me beautiful all the time.

Braden used to call me that all the time.

But I couldn’t deny the fact that it never made my heart flutter the way it was doing now, looking at this mysterious man with a mischievous smirk on.

As I took the pen from him and pulled my gaze to the document, I could feel his gaze hot on my face, and it made my heart race even faster.

What was he thinking?

“I can’t wait to explore you, Elena,” he added after moments of heated silence, and I quickly whipped my gaze to his face, hot all over.

“What did you say?” I demanded, my breath raspy.

“Sorry,” he smirked, “I meant I can’t wait to explore with you.”

Was he playing with me? Teasing me?

Well, the truth was, I knew what he was doing. And I hated that I was indulging him, being all flushed and fevered, instead of shunning him.

Pathetic…

Lost in the depths of his blue gaze, I struggled internally to calm my thrashing heart, wondering why the fuck I was reacting to him this way.

Did he have some kind of hold on me? Would it be wise to sign this contract?

As we held each other’s gaze, the air between us electrified, he started to lean forward, his hand snaking forward, and just as his fingers skimmed my wrist, my pinged loudly and I jumped.

He drew back, smiling, as I glanced down at the screen of my phone to see a text from Luke.

~•Come get your stuff yourself, bitch. I’m not your fucking errand boy.

I let out a frustrated sigh, the tension worn off already, as I scribbled my signature on the document.

I’d asked the thieving bastard to send my stuff to me. Things I couldn’t just let go of. Valuables I couldn’t stand losing. Things I’d shared with Braden.

Things that had been part of my life before the Grants fucked me over.

I wanted them back…

I pushed the chair backwards and rose to my feet, pocketing my phone. “Well,” I started, glancing down at Atlas who seemed puzzled by my sudden movement, “I guess we’re done here.”

“But—“

“So I’ll be on my way now,” I quickly interrupted whatever he was about to say, suddenly impatient. “I have somewhere to be right now,” I explained as I started to walk away, “so I’ll probably mail over your own copy of the contract. See you around.”

Before he could say a word, I was already out the door and flagging down a cab.

The cab pulled over to the curb and I got in, spilling the address to the driver quickly.

As the car went into motion again, I leaned my head against the headrest and let out a deep sigh.

Thinking about it now, I’d been through hell. And why the hell do I deserve all this?

From losing the love of my life to the cold hands of death, to ending up in jail for manslaughter, and realizing afterwards, that I’ve been deceived by the sly fox, Luke, all this time.

Now I was getting tangled in yet another web with Atlas.

What did I do so wrong to be dealt so ugly a fate?

Almost thirty minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of Luke's imposing penthouse, which had once been home to me. What a lie my life has been.

“Thank you,” I said to the driver, tipping him off, then I turned around and took a deep breath, before taking careful, calculated steps up to the front gate.

I rang the doorbell twice, and shortly after, the butler appeared at the gate.

“Ms. Elena,” he acknowledged me with a slight tilt of his head as he opened the gates, letting me in, and I nodded at him in response.

Just as I stepped into the penthouse, a woman with piercing green eyes, high cheekbones and blond-almost-white hair came strutting down the stairs, her sly gaze on my face.

She was the lady from the engagement… The same one Luke was divorcing me for..

His wife-to-be…

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes as I went up the stairs, and just as I walked past her, her voice rang out behind me.

“Elena Carlson, right?” Her tone was just as condescending as her expression, laced with mockery, and even though I tried hard to ignore her, I still found myself turning to face her.

“Hello,” she added, the smirk on her lips stretching.

“Yes,” came my stiff response, as I wasn’t interested in indulging her. I just wanted to smack that cockiness off her face.

“I’m Sophia,” she introduced, folding her arms across her chest. “Luke’s fiancée.”

“I see.”

She gave me a quick once over, then scoffed. “Elena, you know you don’t belong here, right?”

“Well I’m just here to get my things, Ms. Sophia,“ I bit back almost immediately, “so if you—“

“So be fast about it, then,” she interrupted, spreading her palm in an arrogant gesture, “because you would have to leave town soon.”

I paused, my eyes drilling holes into her face.

“Everyone knows you’re an ex-convict now,” she added with a shrug, “so it’s best if you just leave, to save face, you know.”

I let out a derisive scoff and closed the distance between us. “And you think I’ll just leave town because of that? Or because you said so?”

When she said nothing in response, only staring up at me with a smug smile, I shook my head. “You should be careful, Ms. Sophia,” I spat, taking a step back from her, “because I was once where you are right now, and I know what it feels like being there. Thinking you have it all.. They’re going to use you, trust me. That’s what they do.”

Without another word, and ignoring her suddenly fearful and curious expression, I turned around and walked up the stairs to my room.

I didn’t need to seek anyone’s permission to get into my own room, because I once lived here and knew my way around.

As I stepped through the doors, I breathed in the familiar smell of my room, which caused a flurry of memories rushing into my head.

Sighing, I snapped out of my reverie and pushed towards the closet, pulling out the large box which I'd used to store most of my stuff.

A few seconds into looking through the box, the door pulled open behind me, and I whirled around to see like striding in like he owned the fucking room.

“What do you want?” I demanded immediately, eyeing him as I rose to my feet, and he smirked, looking at me in that way that would have turned me on before I found out he was an asshole.

“You didn’t miss me?” He asked with a slight shake of his head, his eyes raking over me hungrily.

“Never,” I spat, “and you know that.”

“Okay,” he scoffed. “Did you miss how I used to fuck you, then?”

I cocked my brows, rolling my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, Luke. You were nowhere near—“

Suddenly, he closed the distance between us in two quick strides, pinning me up against the closet and crowding me in.

“Don’t think I don’t own you, Elena, just because we’re divorced,” he warned. “I own all of you. Every part of you.”

Unable to stop myself, I opened my mouth wide in a hysterical laughter, my head falling backwards.

Then I pushed him off me with one hard shove. “I would rather die than be with you again, Luke. You better get that into your thick skull.”

“Also,” I slapped his hand away, “you should know I plan to fuck you over. So brace yourself.”

His brows furrowed in a frown. “Is that a threat?”

“No,” I spat. “It’s a warning.”