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

"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 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 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,

"Of course I remember! I mean, I spent ten years making memories here!" I said without hesitation. Then, I looked at Celine and asked, "Are you comfortable here?"Celine looked at me, suppressed her smile, and showed her usual arrogance. "This has been my home for a long time. Of course I’m comfortable!"I giggled and looked at Atlas, saying mischievously, "Look at how domineering Celine is. She’s still acting so self-righteous even though she’s occupying the house. Such admirable courage!"Atlas looked at my face, then kissed me indulgently in front of Celine and said, "How silly! You can come back here anytime you want."His tone was invincible. He sounded like a landlord coming to collect rent as if it were a matter of course.Celine watched our interaction indifferently, smiling lightly as if she didn’t care about what we were doing. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw her clenching her hand fiercely until her knuckles went white."I need to check if my piano is still here