Chapter 45 No Problem with Work
After hearing what I said, Atlas chuckled softly.
His deep voice sounded beside me, "What, afraid I'm going to pounce on you?"
My face flushed with embarrassment, and I said with a straight face, "Atlas, that joke isn't funny at all."
"Okay, okay, my bad."
Atlas raised both hands, "Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch tonight."
As Atlas got up and walked toward the couch, I finally breathed a sigh of relief after he left.
What a day full of dangers. Now that I'd relaxed, I couldn't fall asleep. I kept tossing and turning.
Hearing the sounds I was making, Atlas turned on the light. "Helena, can't sleep? Let's chat then."
"I can sleep just fine!"
Seeing my defiance, Atlas chuckled, "You were so cute as a kid. How did you become so stubborn growing up?"
This made me very curious. "Where exactly did you see me before?"
Atlas smiled, "At the Armstrong Villa. You saved me once."
Now I was even more curious.
I thought hard, but couldn't recall anything.
"I have no memory of this."
After I finished speaking, Atlas said, "That's okay, let me help you remember."
"I had just arrived at The Armstrong Villa and was depressed every day, never talking to anyone. Over time, the kids there started calling me an orphan."
"I was really angry, and one day I got into a fight with them. But I was alone and couldn't beat a whole group of them. That's when a little girl with pigtails appeared."
His words startled me. "That little girl was me?"
Atlas continued, "Yes, it was little Helena."
"You had your bodyguard come up and scare those kids away, saving me."
When he mentioned the bodyguard, I remembered.
For a while, there were rumors about missing children in our area, which scared Maria so much that she hired a bodyguard to protect me.
But I couldn't remember any of these details.
I asked, "How are you so sure it was me?"
"Because you often went near The Armstrong Villa to learn piano. I found out later."
His words jogged my memory. I often went to a piano teacher's house when I was little.
"You forgot, but I never did."
Atlas's voice grew deeper, "I thought to myself then, how could there be such a beautiful girl in the world? How wonderful it would be to marry her someday."
"Helena, see how devoted I am? I've been waiting for you to grow up, but I was still a step too late. If I could see you happy, I'd be willing to accept that."
"But Knox isn't a suitable partner at all. He doesn't deserve to be by your side. Helena, can you tell me why you keep insisting on staying with him?"
After hearing Atlas's words, I stammered, "Some things aren't what you think. You'll understand later."
Seeing that I wouldn't say more, Atlas chose not to press further.
The room quickly fell into silence, an oppressive kind of silence.
I tried to find another topic. "Atlas, what was your mother like? Can you tell me about her?"
Just when I thought Atlas had fallen asleep, he spoke.
"She was beautiful and gentle. My mom came from a prominent family, was talented in arts and literature, and after marrying my dad, she stayed home to take care of the family."
Atlas fell into thought. "It's a shame Mom died so young."
A wave of sadness filled the room. My heart ached, and I didn't know how to comfort Atlas.
"I'm fine. If Mom could see me happy now, she'd be at peace."
"Yes, Atlas, you're so outstanding. Your mother would definitely be proud of you."
After hearing my comfort, Atlas was silent for a moment before saying, "Thank you."
Drowsiness crept over me without me noticing, and I fell asleep at some point.
When I woke up, Atlas wasn't in the room.
After washing up, I received a text message. It was from Atlas.
"Come downstairs for breakfast."
When I went downstairs, I saw Atlas wearing hiking clothes and boots, waiting for me.
"What are you doing?"
"We still need to visit that manufacturer today, so I've got prepared."
Atlas sat down beside me. "Eat quickly so we can get going."
Time was of the essence. I knew we couldn't delay any longer, so I ate quickly to get on the road.
When we got to the car, I noticed it was just Atlas and me.
"Where is everyone else?"
"Yesterday's driver is in the hospital, and Roy is taking care of him. He can't get away. It's just the two of us today."
Atlas opened the back of the SUV. "I've prepared food and drinks. See if we're missing anything."
I looked—the entire trunk was packed with food and supplies. This was enough for us to survive a week, let alone a day.
"That's enough."
Atlas closed the trunk. "Let's go."
After I got in the car, we set off. After a while, I noticed we weren't taking yesterday's route. "This doesn't seem like yesterday's road."
Atlas acknowledged, "Right, yesterday's road is still being cleared. We're taking a detour today."
"Won't a detour be even harder?"
"No."
Atlas shook his head. "The route I found is easier. If we hurry, we'll definitely get there by noon."
He glanced at me. "Hold on tight."
With that, the car shot forward like an arrow.
Today's road was difficult but better than yesterday's. Sure enough, we arrived at Vertex Industrial Group by noon.
"Welcome, welcome to both of you."
The owner of Vertex Industrial Group was an elderly man named Elmer.
When he saw us, he hurried over and shook my hand repeatedly. "You've come such a long way. Please come inside and have some coffee."
"We don't need coffee. Let's get down to business."
Atlas looked around at the mountain roads. "Elmer, your place is a bit hard to find."
Elmer laughed good-naturedly. "I grew up in this remote area, but later I learned some skills outside and came back home to start a business. With the help of my neighbors, I established this company."
"Don't be fooled by the size of my company—we've invested in the most advanced machinery and equipment available. Whatever you described over the phone, we can manufacture here. If you don't believe me, I'll take you on a tour to see for yourself."
Elmer led us to the workshop. Inside, we saw dozens of elderly workers busy at work.
"Are these all your workers?"
Looking at the group of elderly workers, I frowned.
Seeing my question, Elmer quickly explained, "Ms. Lockwood, these workers are all from nearby villages. They may be older, but they have no problem doing the work."