Curious

Naomi looked at her parents in confusion. All she did was kiss Atlas, right?

Atlas gently held Naomi’s hand and said, “Naomi, can I talk to your parents alone?”

Naomi looked at him, then at her parents sitting on the couch, and nodded before heading upstairs.

“Have a seat!” Madelyn looked at the handsome and elegant Atlas. Time really flew—this kid had grown up so much!

Atlas glanced at Madelyn and pressed his lips together. In his heart, Auntie Madelyn had always been like a second mother to him.

Back then, both mothers had even thought about becoming sworn sisters, but later, his own mother had said that if they became sworn sisters, they couldn’t become in-laws—so they gave up on the idea.

“Uncle, Auntie, whatever you want to ask, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Maldric looked at the man in front of him. He had once thought this boy would become his son-in-law, but fate had other plans.

“What’s going on? Naomi forgot about Kael?” Maldric stared at Atlas intently.

“What?” Madelyn, who knew nothing until now, was shocked—her daughter had lost her memory?

“Auntie, I’ve looked into everything. Yesterday, Naomi and Kael finalized their divorce. It might have something to do with something Kael said to her the night before. His assistant was the one who handled the divorce paperwork.”

By this point, the expressions of the two elders had darkened completely.

“Naomi got into a car accident on the highway right after the divorce. Luckily, the car had good safety features, so she wasn’t seriously hurt. But she lost all her memories related to Kael, including everything and everyone associated with him.”

Maldric, who had been holding back, finally lost it. He slammed his hand on the table. “Damn it! Just what kind of people are the Rhodes family?!”

Madelyn wiped her tears beside him. What exactly had their daughter suffered in the Rhodes family?

They blamed themselves too—for being stubborn and not contacting their daughter for two whole years.

“Uncle, Auntie, please don’t be sad. Honestly, this might actually be a blessing.”

Maldric and Madelyn both looked at him.

“At least Naomi has forgotten him and that painful part of her life.”

The two elders agreed with this, but Maldric suddenly lifted his head, eyes sharp as a blade. “And what about you and Naomi? What’s going on there?”

Madelyn was also puzzled. The two of them just now didn’t seem like mere friends.

Once Atlas explained everything that had happened over the past two days, the four of them sat down for dinner together—but the two elders still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.

Still, they silently approved of Naomi leaving with Atlas after dinner.

In the car, Naomi kept stealing glances at Atlas. She really wanted to know what he had said to her parents, but unfortunately, even by the time she drifted off to sleep that night, she still didn’t find out.

...

Knox Group Headquarters – Executive Floor

Paulina had taken a day off yesterday and naturally had no idea what had happened at the company.

First thing in the morning, she was pulled aside by a coworker who was eager to gossip: “Paulina, you won’t believe it—yesterday, a stunning beauty came to see our boss!”

Paulina froze for a second, then joked, “It’s not like beautiful women visiting the boss is anything new.”

Her coworker gave a mysterious smile. “This time it’s different! She was personally invited up by Assistant Jay, and she stayed in the CEO’s office for half the day. Rumor has it—she’s our CEO’s wife!”

Paulina’s face stiffened. The image of that dazzling, extraordinary man flashed through her mind.

So he already had someone he liked… She must be an incredible woman to have his heart.

Her own fleeting, secret crush—one that could never be made public—should probably come to an end now.

...

Naomi never asked what Atlas had talked about with her parents that day at her house.

Because he had recovered her old account for her, and when Naomi logged in, she was shocked to find she had 80 million followers. Her last dance video had been posted nine years ago.

Naomi clicked through the videos one by one. The first one showed her at fifteen, looking like she had been crying. She only said one sentence: “Atlas, you jerk.”

The second video called Atlas a heartless bastard.

The third called Atlas a scumbag.

The fourth said, “Don’t ever come back.”

It wasn’t until the fifth video that she actually danced.

Naomi sat there, stunned for a long time. She had thought these videos were from just before she lost her memory—but they were from nine years ago. So… what exactly happened between her fifteen-year-old self and Atlas back then?

And before she lost her memory—did something happen between them again?

But no matter how hard she thought, Naomi couldn’t figure it out. In the end, she just gave up. One thing she knew for sure: no matter what had happened, Atlas would never hurt her.

Logically, after nine years, even the most loyal fans should’ve moved on. But somehow, her account still had 80 million followers, and people were still leaving comments under her videos every day.

After thinking it over, Naomi decided she’d record a new video today.

She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Soft music played in the background as warm water—automatically adjusted to the perfect temperature—poured over her body, relaxing every pore.

After washing up, she applied a soft, classical makeup look—porcelain skin lightly powdered, her lips tinted a delicate rose, and a hint of warmth on her cheeks. She swept her hair into a low chignon and secured it with a vintage silver comb adorned with tiny pearls.

Then, she stepped into the dressing room and chose a gown that Atlas had carefully laid out for her—a timeless piece of satin and lace, whispering of old-world charm.

Perhaps it was the years she spent studying ballet, but she had always loved the feeling of slipping into something so steeped in grace and history.

As she looked at her reflection—poised, luminous, with a serene smile curving her lips and elegance in her gaze—she nodded in quiet satisfaction.

***