"Why do you enjoy making my life miserable so much?" she asked, despairing after inhaling the scent of her notebook, which she had not smelled in a long time.
Atlas smiled slightly as he looked at her. "Because you make my life a little more enjoyable."
Slowly, her grip began to loosen. However, that didn't mean she let him go. Atlas simply turned Josie's wrist slightly—his movement was gentle, but enough to make the girl turn back to him—before finally letting her go completely.
"There's a price for every bad habit, Miss Everhart," he continued. "And I'm glad to be the one to collect it."
Josie took a step back, instinctively wrapping her arms around her chest, trying to protect what remained of her dignity. But her still-flushed cheeks, her eyes unable to meet his gaze directly, and her breath not yet fully steady—all showed she had lost this little duel completely.
Meanwhile, Atlas touched the notebook with his fingertip, gently stroking its slightly worn leather surface. "I'll know you truly deserve it back," he said softly, "when you can entertain me without trying to steal."
Josie pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing in protest. "I'm starting to dislike you, Sir Raymond."
The response was beyond his expectations. However, Atlas was not offended by it at all. On the contrary, he curved the corners of his lips into a smile. "You still like me," he replied without pause, as if he had prepared his answer long ago. "Otherwise, your face wouldn't be that red when you imagine my naked body."
"Hey!" she cried in panic, then reflexively covered her face with both hands. Her voice was half choked with embarrassment and anger.
"Look at yourself, trying to hide your embarrassment," the man teased casually. "Just admit that what I said is true."
Josie snorted loudly, her hands still trying hard to cover her face in embarrassment. "The truth is, your mind is too wild!" she replied in a muffled voice, her eyes peeking out from between her fingers. "Are you always like this with all women?"
"No. Only with one woman who once wrote about my jawline in nine full paragraphs."
"Ugh!" Josie's shoulders slumped, falling as if she had lost all her strength. Her hands tried even harder to cover her face, which was growing hotter and hotter. A soft groan escaped her lips, like a desperate cry begging the earth to open up and swallow her whole. "Please, forget that part. That's a personal note, not meant to be read!" she said, half whining and half sulking.
"Unfortunately, it was written too beautifully to ignore, Miss Everhart." Atlas couldn't help but smile as he watched Josie continue to try to hide her face behind her small hands. "Especially the part about the 'deadly, threatening gaze'. Very poetic."
"Oh my God!"
Josie couldn't bear to be embarrassed like this any longer. The shame that burst in her chest was beyond reasonable limits, burning her face until it was almost as red as a ripe apple. She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, then rushed forward with hurried steps. Without a second thought, she circled the desk that had always served as a barrier between her and the man who now suddenly seemed more annoying than any man she had ever met.
As soon as she was close enough, Josie quickly and frantically covered Atlas's mouth with her hand. Her palm pressed tightly against his face, silencing his lips, which were too adept at making suggestive remarks.
"Stop talking before I rewrite your character as a chatty, annoying duck!" she hissed, her face red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
But shortly after, her eyes widened in disbelief as she fully realised the rude thing she had just done to a Major General. Meanwhile, Atlas just stared at her. Those grey eyes were focused entirely on the girl who had dared to cover his mouth with her small hands. But Atlas had no intention of removing those hands from his mouth. In fact, his expression seemed calm, almost as if he was enjoying the situation.
His controlled calmness made Josie nervous and anxious. Oh my God, why does he look like he's enjoying this?! she thought, panic beginning to take hold of her.
Unable to bear the way Atlas was looking at her, Josie finally removed her hand from the man's mouth. As if the previous incident wasn't enough, now she had added to her embarrassment. She intended to step back immediately and apologise for rashly silencing a Major General, before Atlas thwarted her plan.
The man had no intention of letting Josie leave so easily. In one smooth but strong movement, he grabbed her arm—not painfully, but enough to stop her from running away. "Where are you going?" he asked in a low voice, almost a whisper, but his tone was clearly commanding.
And before Josie could come up with the right answer or protest, her body was pulled so hard that she lost her balance. Then in an instant, Josie fell right into Atlas Raymond's arms. Her chest collided with his, hard and warm, making her heartbeat chaotic. One of Atlas's hands was still on her arm, while the other had now moved to her waist to prevent her from falling completely.
The world around them seemed to freeze for a few seconds. Their breaths almost merged. When Josie reflexively looked up, she immediately met a pair of grey eyes that trapped her in silence.
Josie swallowed nervously. "S-Sir Raymond ...."
Atlas remained still. His gaze was calm, sweeping over Josie's panic-stricken face. "Why? Are you afraid?" he asked.
Josie looked up, trying to hide her nervousness behind the courage she had gathered as quickly as possible. "No ... just ...." Her breath caught in her throat, but that courage—whence it came, she did not know—pushed her to speak. "Sir Raymond, you cannot treat a woman as you please. It's ... rude!"
Atlas suddenly blinked. Perhaps he was surprised to see Josie's small act of courage take over her nervousness. Or maybe he was just pretending. However, the man did not answer immediately. Instead, he tightened his grip on Josie's waist slightly, causing the girl to hold her breath again.
"That's rude, isn't it?" he muttered softly, as if considering the words in his mind. He then moved a little closer. His warm breath brushed Josie's temple, causing the girl to immediately turn her face away, not daring to look at him any longer.
"Then," Atlas whispered softly yet clearly enough for her to hear, "which part do you think was the most rude? When you covered my mouth with your hand, or when I held you like this for too long?"
His voice sounded so low and dangerous, like a river that looked beautiful and calm on the surface, but was actually deep. It wasn't just his voice that spread poison, the smile that appeared on his lips also contained deadly poison. He deliberately teased her with his touch, his words, and his smile.
Josie immediately gasped for air. "I-I ... I didn't say my previous actions were polite, but—but—"
"But you enjoyed this moment?" he interrupted quickly, still with a teasing tone.
Josie's already red face turned even redder. She hurriedly pushed Atlas's chest with both hands—which unfortunately did not work at all.
"D-Don't you have to get back to work? There are a lot of documents on your desk," she said quickly, her voice rising because she could no longer control her nervousness.
Atlas finally loosened his grip. But before he completely let go, he leaned down slightly and whispered a sentence that made Josie freeze instantly.
"If I'm not allowed to treat you like this, next time stop looking at me as if you're writing the hottest chapter in your novel, Miss Everhart."
And as he slowly released Josie, Atlas did so with a terrifying elegance, as if he knew full well that his influence hadn't truly faded. The touch lingered on her skin. The whisper still swirled in her ears. And his final words were like ink seeping into the pages of Josie Everhart's living manuscript.