STEPPING DOWN

ATLAS

I was just on my way to my office when the call came in.

Sighing, I slid my fist off my jaw and tapped the answer button on the screen.

“Yes,” I grumbled out, keeping my eyes on the highway.

“Why do you sound so snappy this early?”My father’s voice filtered through the car speaker, grating on my nerves.

“This early?” I bit back. “It’s past ten, father.”

What did he want? He rarely called.

“I see,” he paused, an uncomfortable silence stretching for the next few seconds. “Well,” he added after a while, “we’ll be having this.. brunch thing in thirty minutes, and I’d like for you to be here.”

“Why do you want me there?” I demanded, my tone even colder. “I mean, this is new.”

“It’s important that you’re here, Atlas,” my father retorted in an equally cold tone, the playfulness vanishing into thin air. “We’ll be discussing business and sorts.”

Sighing heavily, I lifted one hand and raked it through my hair, highly displeased at the sudden disruption of my plans.

“Well, informing me thirty-minutes-before is a little too short notice, don’t you think?”

“I know you can make it here in less time, Atlas. Don’t be difficult.”

“Fine,” I conceded moments later, “I’ll be there.”

Before he could say another word, I leaned forward and ended the call abruptly.

In the same breath, I swerved the car onto the left route and sped towards his penthouse, my mind swirling all the while with thoughts of what this supposed business talk would possibly be about.

An appreciated distraction from the thoughts of a certain woman.

************

He was already waiting with Luke at the large table on the rooftop when I arrived, glancing impatiently at his wristwatch.

Apparently, I’d arrived more than forty minutes later.

“What took you so long, Atlas?” My father asked as I strode towards the table, adjusting my suit, all the while feeling Luke’s hot, malicious stare on my face, “I encountered some delay at the gas station.”

Silent for a moment, my father picked up his napkin and spread it in front of him. Then he glanced up at me, his eyes hard-set. “It’s always one tale for every time, isn’t it?”

I said nothing in response, unwilling to get into an argument without settling in.

“So,” I cleared my throat, picking up my napkin, “what is this about? It’s not everyday we have brunch together.”

“Like I said,” he replied, stabbing a fork into his tortilla and wrapping it round, “we’re here to discuss business.” One thing I admired about him, he wasted no time getting to the point.

“And as you both know,” he continued, grabbing a maple syrup off the table and squeezing it over his plate, “I’ve been working for years. So I think it’s high time I stepped back and let one of you continue the ride.”

From my corner of my eye, I noticed Luke tense in his seat, his plate untouched. Well, so was mine.

“What are you saying, father?” Luke demanded, his terse voice slicing through the silence as he couldn’t handle it anymore.

“I’ll be stepping down from my position as CEO of the empire soon,” he announced, then lifted his head to pull his gaze between Luke and I, “and when that happens, one of you will be replacing me, as my successor.”

“What?!” Luke snapped almost immediately, bolting to his feet. “You’ll be ‘choosing’? But I'm the COO, father!”

“That doesn’t matter, Luke,” he replied, pinning him with a hard glare. “I’m trying as much as possible to be fair and square here, so this will be a healthy competition between my sons. The best man wins. It’s simple.”

“You can’t be serious, dad,” Luke scoffed, his features taut with disbelief. He whipped his gaze to me, filled with spite and malice. “How is Atlas even an option? I’ve been the one working tirelessly, all my life! Sacrificing my time and my life, dedicating it all to this company! Even after we almost lost it to Braden’s bitch of a wife after his passing!”

He paused, breathing heavily, and my knuckles tightened underneath the table.

Bitch of a wife?

Elena?!

For goodness sake, I would leap out of this fucking chair in the twinkle of an eye and punch the living daylights in this bastard, for calling her a bitch. But I refrained from acting out my thoughts.

How could he dare speak about her in that manner? A bitch? The same woman he’d taken advantage of immediately after Braden’s passing, seducing her and eventually getting into her pants, deceiving her, all to steal Braden’s inheritance?

What black-hearted asshole did that?

My father’s fork clattered onto his plate, and he picked up his napkin, wiping the corners of his lips and fixing a hard gaze on Luke. “Well, I hope you ride on the coattails of the same ambition that drove you to marry your late brother’s wife, because I’m not joking, Luke. This is a fucking competition.”

He paused, his gaze straying to where I sat.

“Atlas here,” he continued, “has some experience running a company, but my choice would be strictly based on merit. So you both have to work hard to impress me.”

Of course. You mean kissing your ass, right?

I really didn’t have the time and energy to kiss anyone’s ass, so this would surely be a long shot.

Grunting in displeasure, Luke scraped his chair backwards and threw his napkin down on the table. “Well, I guess we’re done here.”

As he stormed off, I let out a small sigh under my breath and pushed to my feet, raking a finger through my hair.

“I can go now, right?” I asked quietly, staring down at my father.

“You didn’t touch your food,” he observed, his palms intertwined on the desk as his gaze slid over to Luke’s plate. “None of you did.”

Saying nothing in response, I turned around headed towards the exit, eager to leave here so I could focus fully on worrying about why I hadn’t heard from Elena in over three days now.

“Work hard to impress me, Atlas,” my father’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I paused in my tracks, my jaw working. “I need to see your best.”

Was that a strain I heard in his voice?

When nothing else seemed to be forthcoming from him, I strode out the exit door, reaching into my pocket for my phone.

I was almost going crazy, expecting a text or even a call from her, and I’d spent a greater part of my time staring at my screen these past few days. Waiting for something. Anything.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my palm, and as my eyes flicked over the name on the screen, my breath caught in my throat, my heartbeat accelerating.

>• Meet me at the Hives, the text read, In ten, preferably.

Shoving the phone back into my pocket, I took the stairs two at a time, striding quickly towards the garage.

I jumped into my car and punched in the address of the restaurant, speeding off.

I arrived in less than ten minutes, panting heavily, my heart racing excitedly.

Calm the fuck down, Atlas. What has she done to you?

I spotted her as I stepped into the restaurant, seated at the far end of the left wing, her gaze locked on her phone.

Even from a distance, she looked breathtaking, her hair beautifully pulled up in a half-messy bun, her skin glowing radiantly.

“Elena,” I called as I walked up to the table, my voice a little thick, and she instantly whipped her head up, her eyes widening slightly, a blush creeping into her cheek as our gazes locked.

“Oh,” she licked her lower lip, “you’re here.”

I nodded, pulling out a chair and sinking in.

“That was fast,” she muttered under her breath, and a small smile crept into my lips.

“So,” I cleared my throat, impatient as it was, “have you decided?”

She sat up straighter, pulling her palms up and intertwining them. “I’ll do what you want,” she announced finally, and my heart leapt with joy and relief.

Thank goodness… I’d feared she wouldn’t bite.

“That’s great, then,” I replied, watching as she picked up her bag and pulled out a brown, medium-size envelope, sliding it towards me on the table.

“What is this?” I demanded, eyeing the envelope suspiciously, and she leaned into her seat, folding her arms across her chest.

“A contract of my conditions, Atlas Grant. That’s what.”