Rival

Atlas’s throat tightened. They had known each other since he was seven and spent ten years together—until he was taken abroad at seventeen. When he finally returned, everything had changed.

By the time he had the means to look for her, he discovered that Naomi had started an online account—one that initially gained popularity through cursing him.

Her very first video accused her childhood sweetheart of betraying her by leaving the country, painting herself as the abandoned victim.

The second video outright scolded him, calling him a heartless man. She even swore that if they ever met again, she would slap him.

Yet, when they finally did meet again, she simply ignored him. At that moment, he would have preferred a slap—ten slaps even—if it meant she acknowledged him.

There were over a dozen videos, all ranting about him.

Then, one day, she stopped speaking in her videos. She simply danced.

And one day, even those videos stopped.

It wasn't until he returned that he realized—she had stopped because she got married.

During those years without her, those videos and old childhood photos were all he had to hold onto.

"Naomi, you had a dance account. If you want to continue dancing, I'll help you get it back."

"Okay!" Naomi agreed without hesitation. After all, she had always loved dancing.

"Oh, right! Atty, I bought you a casual outfit. It's really nice. Do you want to try it on?"

Atlas's brows twitched. She bought him clothes?

"Did you get anything for yourself?"

Naomi felt a warmth in her heart. "No, I only had time to pick something for you. I also ran into two crazy women in the process."

Atlas’s expression turned cold and sharp. "Why didn’t you mention that earlier? Did they hurt you?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over her, checking for any injuries. Dressed in a strappy dress, she was making it all too easy for him to inspect her.

Naomi's face flushed. "I'm fine! Not a single scratch. But Atty, do I know someone with the name Kael? Those two women kept mentioning Kael to me."

The room fell silent. Atlas felt a sharp pang in his chest.

"It’s probably Kael Rhodes, the CEO of Rhodes Corp. He’s my rival," he admitted. He didn’t want to lie to her, so he kept it simple.

In reality, if not for Naomi, he wouldn’t have even considered Kael worthy of being called a rival.

Naomi hadn’t expected this answer.

"Oh? So he's your arch-nemesis? Hmph! Then I hate him too! His sisters are awful as well!"

Watching her stand so firmly on his side, Atlas’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Didn’t you buy me an outfit? Should I try it on?"

"Oh, right!"

It was a casual outfit. Atlas’s eyes darkened slightly as he took the clothes and headed into the dressing room. Meanwhile, Naomi sat in a swivel chair, bored as she waited.

About five minutes later, the man stepped out, now dressed. When Naomi saw him, her gaze froze.

Atlas was still wearing his dress pants. Normally, this wouldn’t be a matching outfit, but somehow, he still made it look effortlessly stylish.

Naomi’s eyes sparkled like stars. “Atty, I really struck gold.”

“Huh?”

He didn’t quite understand what she meant.

A radiant light flashed through the girl’s breathtaking eyes. “Of course, I mean I found you! You’re my treasure.”

Naomi had a knack for sweet words, and today, Atlas felt like he was the happiest he had ever been. “You’re my treasure too.”

They exchanged smiles.

They had lunch in the office, a meal personally ordered by Jay. Afterward, Naomi took a nap in Atlas’s lounge. Feeling a bit bored when she woke up, she decided to step out for some fresh air.

At the same time, the man, who had been immersed in his work, conveniently looked up. “Bored?”

“Yeah. Atty, I want to go see our parents.”

Atlas immediately knew she wasn’t referring to his parents—after all, his mother had passed away. But from what he understood, Naomi had some conflicts with her family, all because of Kael.

Still, he wouldn’t stop her. A little girl shouldn’t have to cut ties with her family over anyone. And he was certain that Mr. And Mrs. Swift still loved her. Maybe this was the opportunity they needed.

“Alright, I’ll have someone take you.”

“Okay, I want to go straight to Swift Group.”

Naomi didn’t reject his offer, and soon, she was in Atlas’s car, heading toward Swift Group. After she left, the man stared at the same page of his document for a long, long time.

Once she returned home, with Mr. Swift’s sharp insight, he’d surely notice something was off about Naomi. Atlas knew he was taking advantage of the situation, but since fate had brought them back together, he wouldn’t let her go again.

...

Swift Group, First Floor

This time, the receptionist was someone Naomi remembered.

“Miss Swift?!”

The receptionist recognized her instantly. Mr. Swift often brought his daughter to the company, but in the past few years, for some reason, the young lady rarely came around.

Since Naomi’s marriage to Kael had been kept a secret, no one knew she was already married.

“Hi, Aline. My dad’s upstairs, right?”

The woman, called Aline, instinctively nodded. It had been years, and yet, Miss Swift had grown even more beautiful.

Naomi smiled and took the CEO’s private elevator straight to the 26th floor.

The employees on the floor were diligently working when, all of a sudden, they saw the CEO’s elevator open in broad daylight.

For a moment, they thought they were hallucinating.

Wasn’t the CEO still in his office?

“Miss Swift!”

It was Valir, Mr. Swift’s long-time assistant, who recognized her first.

Naomi glanced around. Some faces were familiar, some weren’t.

“Uncle Valir, is my dad in his office?”

Having worked alongside Maldric Swift for decades, Valir knew more than anyone that the young lady had fallen out with her father after getting married. For almost two years, they hadn’t spoken.

Both were stubborn, neither willing to back down. But why had Miss Swift suddenly come back today?

Valir’s eyes widened. Could it be that the Rhodes family had sent her here to ask the CEO for money again?

Naomi had no idea what was running through Valir’s mind. Without hesitation, she walked straight toward the CEO’s office.

In her memory, it felt like just yesterday that she had last seen her father. But strangely, his face had become somewhat blurry in her mind.

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open. The middle-aged man inside, busy working, frowned deeply...

***