Angelica thinks she is so clever.
[Atlas]I could not bear to stay in the room any longer."What are you doing," Angelica demands. "Why are you chasing after her? What aren't you telling me Atlas?"Angelica is holding her head as she paces back and forth. She is close to having another attack, I can tell by the way that her arms are shaking and her breath becomes more ragged. Each attack is different than the one before in intensity or length, but they all start the same way. "I'm sorry this is confusing you, Angelica, but I don't have time right now to deal with this," I grab a dress shirt and pants and head to my bathroom. "Please be gone before I get back. You should be in your room.""But Atlas," she stops, standing still, her beautiful body on full display as her robe opens again. I am man enough to notice her beauty, but not fool enough to touch. I don't want her, I want Cordelia, and if I lay even one finger on her sister both my wife and my heir will be lost. I know it. "Do not wait up for me tonight, Angelic
[Angelica][Flashback–The day before}The wedding trip was a disaster. I know Atlas showed up and left, the shopkeeper confirmed it when she informed me that only half of my purchases had been approved by "Mr. Steele himself."But we didn't see him. He never made his presence known. He went out of his way to avoid us. To avoid me. How am I going to win him over, to bring him back to me, if he cannot even spend a pleasant afternoon with me, one that he helped me plan? Disappointed, I returned home, hoping to rest and brainstorm ways to give myself more opportunities with Atlas. I know he is still attracted to me--I can see it in the way he looks at me and feel it in the way he pulls away from our kisses as if he is afraid to give in and submit. I just need to find the right opportunity to force his hand. And I need to get my sister out of the way. She isn't part of the plan. She has wanted Atlas since the moment she met him, but he never saw her as anything more than my little sis
[Atlas]Inside the envelope are interviews of various employees (some of whom are now fired), printouts from the security cameras, as well as security logs for entry and exit. Angelica was in the office while I was gone. Not only that, she visited the production floor. One of the pictures shows her handing an employee a large envelope. The employee seems very happy. In the interview notes, Josephina, one of the sewists, mentions that the "lovely Mrs. Steele," gave her and the other sewists "a generous bonus" for "a job well done." She doesn't mention the changes, but another employee, one who received the bonus from Josephina stated that when she received the changes from Manny, it came with around the same time as the $1000 in cash, so she didn't question it. She was too excited for the bonus.All of this information is circumstantial. There are no pictures of Angelica DOING Any of the damage that was done. Also, there is no proof she was doing anything underhanded in my office. I
[Cordelia]It took me 15 minutes to clear everything of mine out of my office at Steele Industries. My heart is heavy. I don't understand how Atlas could do this, how he could do any of this. And Angelica...we used to be so close once. If she knows I once cared for Atlas and suspects I still do, why is she being so cruel?Night has fallen before I make it out of bed again. Tilly has gone for the evening. She left a note on the refrigerator about going back to Malibu for last-minute changes to her line, but that she left me something in the fridge. "Don't wait up! I'll see you in the morning!" This line must be very important, Tilly has been going to Malibu almost every day to tend to it. That's what I should have done with my line. I should have camped out at work. Then none of this would have happened. I'd have seen the changes in time to keep it from being a disaster. Sigh. I really need a friend right now. I wonder what Clark is up to. I send him a quick text as I emerge from my
Taking Atlas' hand, I let him guide me out of my apartment. He has a car waiting, a rare luxury as Atlas usually prefers to drive himself. It is one of the company cars, so he must have had someone from security bring him over. Looking at how his hands are shaking, it was probably the best idea to have someone else do the driving. I don't bring up his hands, or the way he looks so tired and drawn, like he has just finished a marathon in loafers and a tie. I know how much he prides himself on looking like he is in control. We may have had our ups and downs together, but I would never try to hurt him when he so clearly seems to be struggling. "I kicked Angelica out of my house today," he announces, breaking the silence. "She's with your parents. We can work on her memory issues from there.""Oh." I'm not quite sure what to say about that."And I called off the wedding," he continues. "Not officially, yet, but she is aware that I have no intention of marrying her."I notice that he does
[Cordelia]Atlas' eyes are a clear, ice blue when he is frightened. And in this moment, he looks terrified. We sit here, looking at one another, searching each other's eyes for the answers to the questions: Can we make it work?Is this worth saving?Is there enough room in my heart to forgive him? Can I believe in us enough to try and make this work?Neither of us says anything. We just watch each other, both of us afraid to make the first move. "Atlas, I...""We've arrived, Mr. Steele," the driver announces, pulling into a parking spot at Steele Industries. "Come," he opens the door, his eyes lit with childlike inner joy. "I need to show you this."Atlas pulls me along through the empty office building, through security, and into the elevator. When we get off on the production floor I see it is around 9 pm, about 3 hours past when most of our sewing staff would have been sent home for the day.When we enter the floor, several seamstresses are working fervently on their industria
[Cordelia] Even though Atlas wanted to take me home, I insisted on watching to make sure everything happened the way that it needed to happen. I made the mistake of leaving too soon and look where it got me. I was willing to stay here alone, but Atlas stayed by my side the entire night while I watched and made sure that my dresses were fixed. The last of them were packaged and boxed just after midnight. Finally. My whole body relaxes as I watch the last box join the others. "Congratulations," Atlas smiles as he squeezes my hand. "You did it." I know I should be excited but my body is so exhausted I can barely manage a weak grin in response and a half-hearted, "Yay," "Come on," he pulls me into his arms. I lean into him, enjoying his dirty sweaty smell maybe even more than his usual crisp linen and clean soap scent. We both worked hard tonight. Together. The driver he had hired went home hours ago, leaving the two of us to fend for ourselves. Thankfully, Atlas' hands are now ste
As Atlas guides me deeper into the house I begin to wonder if this was a good idea after all. Here we are in his big dark mansion. Alone.Anything could happen.But do I want it to?As I feel the electric touch of his hand on mine I realize I do. I want to know what it feels like to be with Atlas Steele, not as a foggy memory, but as someone he loves and cherishes. As soon as we enter the kitchen, he begins opening cupboards and looking in the pantry and fridge for supplies. "Do you like omelets? I know you probably haven't had dinner, but I feel a bit more like breakfast and eggs are easy and quick to cook."When he sees my approval, he begins chopping and dicing. I try to help but he slaps my hand away. Kissing me gently, he orders me to sit down at the little eat-in kitchen nook while he cooks for the two of us. I'm about to say no, but the look he gives me makes everything in me clench. "No," he insists leaving no room for argument. "I'm treating you."When the omelets are don