Chapter 216: Is she... two-timing?
Lola stayed in the gym to discuss some matters with Haji and Silo, not just about Cedrick, but also their offices. Her building would be finished in about a week, and the three of them needed to get back to work. Cedrick, after all, was just a side project she had squeezed in.
"So, Amala is already headed here, huh?" Haji threw his hands behind his head, watching Lola rise from her seat. His feet rested comfortably on the table, shaking slightly. "Lola, do I get my job back as your bodyguard and driver or what?"
Lola paused, pondering for a moment.
Before they all came here, Haji had been her bodyguard. She didn’t really need one, but she had hired him because he was trustworthy. Since her life had been peaceful, though, his job had mostly boiled down to being her driver.
"There’s nothing else you can do, right?" She shrugged, then shot Silo a look. "Silo, walk me out."
"Okay..." Silo jumped from his seat and lazily followed her.
As they went, Haji shook his head, keeping his gaze on Lola’s back.
"Should I tell Amala about her relationship?" he wondered. "I really don’t like this, and she’s acting like she hadn’t even considered that it could be a problem for her."
Then again, Haji stopped as he looked up at the ceiling, thinking. It was no surprise that Lola wasn’t worried that the news of her relationship would reach Vito. After all, the two of them always fought whenever they could.
"But another person..." he trailed off, checking his smartwatch. "Yep. I should pick up Amala."
****
Meanwhile...
"What do you want to talk about?" Silo asked as they stepped out of the gym, walking down the old hallway of the building alongside her. "Is there another problem?"
"No, no. I just want you to remind Cedrick not to check the news or any social media platforms," she said. "It might affect him, since the reading is in a few days. Once Director Sarian confirms the dates, he needs to be ready."
"That’s it?" Silo frowned.
"No, and I also need you to prepare all the documents for our official public offering," she continued as they exited the building. "Amala will surely request them during her flight."
"I’ve already got all of them ready," he mumbled. "Why do you think I have time to—"
Before Silo could finish, he noticed a car slowing in front of the open gates of the apartment complex.
"Huh? Who is that?"
His question made Lola turn her head to the car, arching a brow slightly. She recognized it immediately by its design—an imported car she saw every day.
What is Atlas doing here? She wondered, tilting her head.
"Is Haji expecting someone?" Silo blurted, only to stop when Lola turned to him.
"That’s all for now," she said. "If you can, send the last files to Amala so she has something to read during her flight."
Having said that, Lola quickly moved, but instead of going to her car, she approached the waiting vehicle and jumped beside it. Silo knitted his brows as he watched her lean down.
The backseat window rolled down, and Lola lowered her head to see who was inside.
She blinked, spotting Atlas seated in the corner of the backseat.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, confused.
"Picking you up." He tapped the empty space beside him. "Hop in."
"..." Lola blinked again, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. "How about my car?"
"Someone will take it back."
"Oh." Her mouth formed an o-shape. After a brief pause, she unhesitatingly joined him in the back seat.
As Lola got in, Silo kept stretching and craning his neck just to get a glimpse of who she was talking to. When she opened the door, all he saw was a man in a suit on the other side of the car. He didn’t see his face clearly, but he was certain it didn’t look like Slater.
"Who...?" he trailed off, knitting his brows. "Isn’t she dating already? Then, who is that?"
His face twisted with dismay, his mind racing as he realized why Lola had never told him anything about her personal life.
"Is she... two-timing?"
****
Meanwhile, Lola turned to Atlas, studying his side profile.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked, curiosity in her tone.
Atlas gave her a side glance. "Kids."
"Ah..." she nodded. "It’s them, huh?"
"They usually observe the routes, so they know how to get home," he explained nonchalantly, watching her. "Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Confusion appeared on her face. "Why wouldn’t I be?"
He didn’t answer but kept his gaze fixed on her. After a moment, realization dawned on her.
"Ah... hahaha." She laughed. "Did you pick me up today because you were worried about me? Because of the article?"
Atlas nodded slightly, which made her smile. Lola giggled and leaned against the door, arms crossed.
"Don’t worry about me," she said proudly. "You probably don’t know, but I’m actually very reliable. This is not a problem I didn’t expect."
"Is that so?"
"Mhm." Lola’s smile softened as she briefly lowered her gaze. "I’ve prepared for this, Atlas. At least, this is something I won’t need help with."
She snapped her eyes back to him. "Cedrick is a good person on and off camera. There’s nothing fake about his personality or his kindness. Even if lies and fabrications sometimes overshadow the truth, the truth always prevails."
"So, there’s no need to worry about me," she giggled softly. "He’s going to be fine."
"I’m not worried about him, and I don’t care whether or not he’ll be fine," he clarified, making her pout slightly.
"Then, I will be fine," she corrected. "Because this fight... it’s not just his—it’s mine."
She paused and looked back at him. "And I’ll win it."
Through Cedrick, she would fight the people who had trampled on the naive Lola of her first life. Thinking about it made her smile, but Atlas, who didn’t share her mindset, could only think one thing:
"Is he truly that important to you?"
"Huh?"
"You’re smiling," he pointed out. "I assume it’s because of him."
"Well..." Unaware of why he was pointing it out, Lola hummed a tune and thought for a moment. "Cedrick is, indeed, a good friend to me. But his career... his dream is more important."
"And why is that?"
She grinned, joking. "It’s because it’ll feel like I did my past self a favor. I used to be a struggling actress in my previous life, you know?" She chuckled, feeling safe enough to joke about lifetimes with someone she trusted. "Besides, I’m not doing Cedrick a favor. I should get something in return, even if it’s not money."
"You understand, right?" she grinned while he just looked at her.
"Okay."