Days later...
Lola sipped her coffee, standing by the sliding door of the kitchen. From here, she could see the same men she’d seen when she first arrived — running laps again.
"Ah—" Allen paused at the kitchen entrance when he saw her. "Miss Lola, you’re early!"
Lola glanced at him and smiled. "Not as early as your boss. He’s not home. I thought he already left for business."
But seeing Allen here now, she doubted that.
"Ahh... well, he’s probably in the gym," said Allen as he resumed his steps to make himself a coffee. "Sir Atlas always starts or ends his day training."
"Oh..." Lola’s mouth formed an o-shape. Since Atlas was usually home in the mornings, she concluded he must have been training at night. "Is that why he sometimes comes home late?"
"Sir Atlas comes home early."
"Early?"
Allen nodded, standing in front of the coffee maker. "Unlike before, he comes home early now. That’s why everyone’s happy about this. We don’t go home unless he does, after."
"Ah..." Lola rocked her head slightly, thinking how Anteca’s work culture differed from Novera’s. It was no wonder Anteca had quickly risen to become one of the world’s biggest economies. "I see."
Allen smiled at her before turning back to the machine. "You probably don’t know this yet, but many have been wishing you both well. Some are even wondering when your wedding is."
"Not you too..."
"I’m just saying it, but I’m not pressuring you at all." He laughed, giving her a quick look. "I don’t think anyone’s in a rush."
Lola smacked her lips and smiled, watching him continue making his coffee. A thought crossed her mind.
"Sir Allen, I didn’t realize you were staying here too," she muttered. "I thought you lived somewhere else — not with your boss."
"My boss likes efficiency. Besides..." He chuckled softly. "I’ve thrown away the life I had before. I could stay somewhere else, but with the nature of our work and Sir Atlas’s lifestyle, it’s better if I stay close." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Don’t you feel suffocated?"
Allen paused and looked at her. Lola clarified,
"What I mean is, when you can’t separate your personal life from work anymore, things can get a little overwhelming."
"I got used to it," Allen said with a calm smile. "Sir Atlas might be a bit much sometimes, but he’s not hard to live with. All I need to do is avoid him at all costs once I clock out."
Her face twitched while he took a sip of his coffee. Then he continued,
"Besides, working for him helped me in some ways." His voice softened, eyes lowering to his cup. A subtle smile crossed his lips before he looked at her again. "You probably wouldn’t understand, but there was a point in my life when I just... needed distractions. Sometimes, dealing with things doesn’t take time — it takes something to fill that time. He gave me that distraction fully."
He chuckled quietly. "I don’t think I’d still be alive if he hadn’t worked me to the bone. Sounds masochistic, but I’m grateful for it."
Her brows rose as she studied him while he sipped his morning fuel.
"Well... dying from dehydration and exhaustion isn’t as painful as one might think," Allen explained carefully. "It’s better if they stay alive a little longer."
"You mean suffer a little longer?"
Allen bit his tongue. After a second, he leaned closer and whispered, "Miss Lola, please don’t tell Sir Atlas that I told you about them."
"..." Lola bit her inner lip, studying his face before turning back to the group. She went quiet for a moment before asking, "I understand that the ones following me had no idea what was happening in the penthouse, since they never stepped inside."
"But what about those guarding the penthouse?" she pressed, knowing Allen would give a real answer. "I never asked before — I just assumed things happened and escalated. But now that you mention it... why weren’t they in the penthouse?"
Allen let out a shallow breath, remembering Scarlet’s decision. "Scarlet pulled them out. She needed them elsewhere. She’s the head of security operations, so she has the authority."
"I see."
With that, Lola began walking out of the kitchen. Allen blinked, frowning slightly.
"Miss Lola?" he called, instinctively following her. "Miss Lola! Where are you going?"
Lola looked back at him, her steps never slowing. "Saving a few lives."
His face contorted a bit as he watched her go, walking straight to the jogging path and then standing in the middle of it.
"I would worship her..." he trailed off, dread creeping up his spine. "... if she didn’t get in trouble for this."

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