novelraw Chapter 251 - 159 Are you testing me?
Chapter 251 - 159 Are you testing me?
Charlotte Miller looked at Atlas Hallow with a defiant expression that said, "No matter what you say, I’m going to work. Your words won’t change my mind."
In truth, she wasn’t actually daring to confront Atlas directly like this, but she had a slight sense of leverage as a mother-to-be. This feeling was vague, but Charlotte felt that Atlas wouldn’t dare use violence or more severe methods on her now. After all, he desperately wanted a child, and this child was currently growing inside her, so she felt somewhat fearless.
Atlas didn’t respond to her words. The two of them were at a standoff, and the tension in the air made it difficult to breathe.
The man quietly watched Charlotte. His tall frame seemed to make the sofa feel small and cramped as he sat.
Atlas’s gaze made Charlotte’s heart inexplicably race. Her stubborn and gloomy expression gradually transformed into hidden worry. Why did this man suddenly seem so deep and profound?
Hadn’t she said enough to make Atlas angry?
Chaotic emotions rose in her chest, both unease and suspicion. But now, she felt she couldn’t be beaten or scolded. She might as well step forward, glaring at him with wide eyes to see whose eyes were bigger! She wasn’t afraid.
What did Atlas want to stir up? Charlotte wanted to see him lose his temper, but he just looked at her. His dark eyes blinked, and she saw that his beautiful, thick black lashes accentuated his profound gaze. The striking angle of his nose hinted at his strong character, and his jawline had a hint of a blue shadow. Surely he had been too busy to groom recently. Yet, as he looked at her, Charlotte’s simmering anger began to dissipate.
Charlotte thought Atlas would get angry, controlling all of his actions. But now she realized that Atlas just sat on the sofa, without coldness, mockery, or dominance, deeply watching her. He was so handsome she couldn’t look away.
Could a man’s good looks actually be a reason to yield? Realizing that he couldn’t beat or scold her, now he wanted to conquer her with his beauty?
But she enjoyed it. When this man lazily stretched out his legs, Charlotte found herself inexplicably sitting beside him.
"If I insist on working, Atlas, would you agree?" Their current argument was entirely about work. She had been overly cautious and secretive, doing many things behind his back because she wanted to work. His every outburst and conflict was caused by her secret desire to work. If this issue could be resolved, would their relationship improve?
If he could look at her quietly and peacefully from the beginning, not domineeringly commanding her, then Charlotte believed she wouldn’t have hidden things from him.
"If you truly enjoy it, I’ll seriously consider it," Atlas’s pupils glinted with deep and resolute light, as if he had just awakened from a dream.
Yes, Charlotte suddenly seemed unrecognizable to him. She never used to be unreasonable, so stubborn, and incredibly rigid, completely unlike a gentle and obedient woman.
Yet he was inexplicably attracted to this Charlotte. Did he subconsciously have a tendency to seek suffering?
Charlotte, when quiet, gentle, and obedient, was immensely likable to him. But the temperamental and unreasonable Charlotte drew him in deeply, unable to extricate himself.
Perhaps when you like someone, you like all aspects of them, and each new discovery draws you in deeper?
Their eyes locked, and a trace of indescribable emotion churned in the air.
It wasn’t clear who spoke first...
"You..."
"I’ve only said I’ll consider it, but I haven’t agreed, so don’t act so touched." Atlas shrugged, speaking mildly from the sofa.
As he said this, Charlotte noticed that the man returned to his usual dangerous demeanor, like a leopard quietly hunting in the shadows. Waiting for the prey to reveal its fatal flaw, ready to pounce and capture, prepared to seize the prey’s throat and thwart any escape struggles.
"I don’t need you to consider; I need your agreement. Let me work, I’ll compromise on the location—you decide, either here or at Ethan’s place, but I need a job." Charlotte stood up resolutely, speaking firmly. The situation had come to this; saying "considering" was completely useless.
Atlas seemed displeased with her reaction, his brows furrowing deeply into a stern expression.
This wasn’t his style at all. Everyone knew he wasn’t accustomed to catering to others, not even their suggestions. Charlotte was the first exception.
He said he’d seriously consider it, which was his limit. But this damned woman dared to demand an immediate response.
"Otherwise, do you think when I return to the Hallow Family I’ll just fight with Ava Walker?" Charlotte raised this point as well. Their marriage wasn’t just about them but concerned both families. How would she coexist with Ava Walker?
Charlotte knew Ava no longer worked at the Hallow Clan. After Ava stirred trouble with those board members, she likely got expelled by Atlas. She initially had reasons to cause trouble for Charlotte. If Charlotte returned to the Hallow Family now, would it set the stage for a dramatic confrontation between these two women?
Did Atlas want more chaos at the Hallow Family?
This girl thought way too much; Ava Walker wasn’t likely to fight with her.
Ava Walker and Ella Johnson were both being watched by him, waiting for Flower Snake to report any findings to him. He planned to remove these women and their backers one by one.
So there was no chance Ava could interact with Charlotte.
Atlas knew exactly what ulterior motives Ava and Ella Johnson had. Charlotte returning to the Hallow Family meant he’d be extra cautious.
Seeing him silent, Charlotte’s temper flared again. She stood up abruptly, feeling as though pregnancy had emboldened her with courage. Now, she felt that Atlas wasn’t as intimidating; things needed to be made clear.
But in the next moment, Atlas’s large hand grabbed her, pulling her gently into his arms before she could react. The warm embrace felt intimate, like a lover’s caress.
The gesture left her bewildered. Was he angry or not?
The outside world was correct; Atlas was enigmatic precisely because he was inherently capricious.
No one could accurately predict his mood in the next moment. Even Daniel Parker, his longest-serving associate, couldn’t know if his boss would be angry or joyful.
Atlas’s large hand sifted through her soft hair, like a tender caress. Yet when his grip tightened, it felt like a severe warning.
"Charlotte, your recent actions, only you dared to do in this world. Although you’re brave, but..." Atlas slowly leaned closer, a smile in his eyes, subtly threatening as his presence encroached: "You won’t have a second chance. I don’t allow my woman to speak to me like that."
She could be pampered, she could be indulged, but she couldn’t challenge him like that. Her time must be managed by him.
"Do you still want Luna to get better, huh?" There’s no need to touch those two elders in the United States; Luna alone was enough: "Do you want the best doctors to treat her, perform surgery on her, send her safely abroad? Tell me, Charlotte..."
Even the softest voice could send shivers down one’s spine.
He was negotiating with her, hinting that if she didn’t comply, Luna wouldn’t receive treatment, risked being left to fend for herself at home, or even he himself would hasten Luna’s destruction, was it?
To him, such tactics were child’s play. The most cunning individuals were businessmen, and he was the most successful, indicating he was the most calculated. Using her pregnancy as leverage to confront him might have been naïve.
"Let it go badly, then. I’ve already told her in the hospital this is her fate." Charlotte was gambling, betting that Atlas was only trying to scare her. If she won, life would be better; if she lost, she might truly lose all freedom.
Luna was just a test to see if Atlas would take action against the Miller Family.
Charlotte’s heart began to pound urgently. In that moment, she wished the man before her would speak as tenderly as he did during intimate moments: "As long as you’re happy..."
But the man in bed wasn’t the same as out of bed, and the present Atlas was different from the one during their loving times.
"You’re testing me, huh...?" The man looked at Charlotte with an ambiguous smile. Should he commend her bravery or critique her foolishness?