Mrs. Knox

That afternoon, under Atlas’s insistence, Naomi underwent a full-body examination. Only after the doctor repeatedly assured him that there were no issues did he finally take her back to Velmont Villa.

Looking at the villa before her, Naomi paused for several beats. "Atty, aren't we in Everly Villas?"

From what she remembered, she and Atty had always lived in Everly Villas since childhood. Why were they here instead?

Atlas raised an eyebrow slightly. "That place is being renovated, so we’ll stay here for now."

Behind them, the butler, driver, and staff all kept their heads lowered, not daring to speak. They all knew this woman—she was the young madam of the Rhodes family. But just two hours ago, their young master had specifically instructed them that when they saw Miss Naomi, they were to treat her as Mrs. Knox.

Butler Kay discreetly glanced at Naomi and sighed inwardly. As children, she and Mr. Knox had been childhood sweethearts, inseparable. Fate had played a cruel hand, but it seemed Mr. Knox still hadn’t given up. If the old master found out about this...

Naomi, however, didn’t think much of it. She was merely curious about the place.

"Where’s our room?"

Did she get into a car accident today because she was in such a rush to check out their new home?!

"Miss-Mrs. Knox, your room is upstairs. I’ll have Rika take you there," Butley Kay nearly addressed her as "Miss," but caught himself just in time.

"Uncle Kay, did we get new servants?"

Butley Kay froze. Wasn’t Naomi supposed to have amnesia? How did she still remember him?

Atlas also lifted his gaze to her, a fleeting thought flashing through his mind.

"Yes, Rika is a new hire," Butley Kay responded carefully after exchanging a glance with Atlas.

Rika was indeed a recent hire. In the past, aside from the cook, the only staff at the villa were Butley Kay and the driver. But now, to take care of Naomi, Atlas had instructed him to select additional personnel.

Naomi murmured under her breath, "Why does Uncle Kay seem much older than I remember?"

The young woman named Rika stood up and respectfully said, "Mrs. Knox, please follow me.

Rika was chubby and round-faced, giving off a friendly and endearing vibe. Before starting her job, Butley Kay had already informed her that Miss Naomi Swift was the lady of the house.

Naomi followed her to the second room on the left on the second floor. "Ma’am, would you like to rest for a bit?"

Naomi did feel a little tired, so she didn't refuse. "Yeah, you may go now."

Rika nodded and went downstairs.

Naomi looked around the room. The warm-toned decor suited her taste, but she frowned. It felt like she had forgotten many things—why didn't she even recognize her own room?

And why wasn’t there a single photo of her and Atlas together in their bedroom?

Could they have been placed in the previous villa?

She didn’t dwell on it further and opened the wardrobe to grab a nightgown. But when she saw the clothes inside, her frown deepened.

Suppressing her emotions, she casually picked out a pure white silk nightgown and went to take a bath.

Downstairs, Butley Kay glanced at Atlas, who sat silently on the sofa, and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Mr. Knox, Miss Swift doesn’t seem to have amnesia."

If she had amnesia, how could she still remember him?

Atlas pondered for a moment. Thinking about Naomi's unusual behavior today and recalling what the doctor had said, an absurd idea formed in his mind.

Naomi might have been so devastated by the divorce that she selectively erased Kael and everything related to him from her memory. Instead, she seemed to remember a reality where she had never left Atlas’ side—where they grew up together and got married.

Even though the idea sounded ridiculous—especially considering how she had always treated him like a stranger whenever they met before—he couldn’t come up with a more logical explanation.

"She and Kael are already divorced. Whether or not she has amnesia, from now on, she will only be my wife," Atlas said firmly.

Butley Kay noted Atlas’ expression and didn’t say anything further.

"Prepare a new phone for Naomi."

"Yes, sir."

Atlas sat on the sofa for a while longer, mainly trying to figure out how to explain their relationship to Naomi. Although he had already decided not to let her go when she kissed him today, it wouldn’t take long before she found out they weren’t actually married.

Just as he was thinking about this, a sudden noise came from upstairs. Instinctively, he looked up and saw Naomi standing there with damp hair, wearing a short white silk nightgown that barely reached her thighs, revealing a pair of long, slender legs.

"Atty, did we have a fight before I lost my memory?"

Naomi had tried to suppress the nagging feeling in her heart after the bath, but the strange sense of grievance wouldn’t go away. So when she asked the question, her voice carried a hint of complaint.

Atlas' gaze darkened as he looked at her legs. He stood up and walked toward her. "Why do you ask?"

Naomi didn’t notice the danger and simply pouted. "Why aren’t we staying in the same room?"

Atlas seemed momentarily surprised by her question but quickly resumed walking toward her.

Naomi waited for his answer, but instead of explaining, he just kept getting closer.

Suddenly, he reached out and half-embraced her. "You didn’t even dry your hair. You just got injured today—what if you catch a cold?"

His palm was warm, and the heat seeped through the thin fabric of her nightgown, spreading across her skin. Naomi’s face heated up uncontrollably, and her waist, where his hand rested, felt like it was on fire.

Atlas’ presence completely enveloped her. His pure masculine scent surrounded her, filling her senses, making her unconsciously follow his lead.

"Sit."

Naomi obediently sat down and glanced around the room beside hers. "Atty, is this your room?"

***