[Atlas's POV]Nodding, I make my way over to Greg and then kneel, placing my hand on his shoulder while his frightened gaze comes to meet mine."I'm sueing!" He hisses. "For abuse in the workplace.""The only one abusing anything is you," I counter with a smirk. "Pocketing money as if it isn't a big deal. Tsk tsk. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?""It wasn't me!" He gasps, being the coward that he is. "I-it was Harold!" He continues, naming his assistant. "He t-threatened to place the blame on me if I said anything, so I...""Save it!" I sigh as the sound of feet heading towards us reaches my ears. "For your trial."Standing, I watch as four men dressed in all black enter the room and surround Greg."He's all yours," I announce as they lift him and then quickly disappear.Once they're gone, I lean down and pick up Avery's shoe, then make my way to her."Thanks," she says, holding out a hand, but I ignore it, dropping to one knee and then lifting her bare foot. "Hey!" She gasp

[Avery's POV]I take deep breaths, trying to calm my tumultuous mind, but with each passing minute, I'm being dragged further and further into the past, until it feels like I'm there again on that night that my mother and I finally escaped that hell.Despite all the years that had passed, it was still so fresh that I remembered every damn second of it vividly.The night had started like any other, with my mother in the kitchen cooking dinner while I did my homework in the living room.I wanted to get it done early so that I could show my father just how smart I was because I was sure he would be proud of me.Back then, life was simple, and my family was happy. Little did I know that underneath that facade, my parents both kept a horrible secret from me. One that would change my and my mother's lives forever. It was right around the time that my mother finished cooking and ordered me to go wash up when the pounding on the door started.At first, I tried to go answer because I was too

[Atlas’ POV]I stare into Avery’s hazel eyes, trying to figure out what in the world was going on in her head. After that show of pride of hers yesterday, why was she back here? She could say that was a joke, but I knew better, and from her pinched expression and the dark circles under her eyes, it was easy enough to tell that something more was going on here."Well?" I push as she continues to remain stubbornly quiet. "If you tell me the truth, I may consider letting you stay. Otherwise, you can get the hell out of here."I knew that being harsh wouldn’t get her to budge, but I was frustrated. Since she stormed out of my office yesterday, I couldn’t get her look of betrayal and pain out of my head. It was maddening considering the fact that there was nothing between us, but I knew that I was at fault in some ways since I decided to remain neutral in whatever the hell was going on between her and my son."I need money," she sighs, beginning to deflate. "Is that a good enough reason?"

[Atlas’ POV]Come Monday morning, I sit at my desk waiting for Dean to make an appearance while my mind whirls with images of Avery. For the entire fucking weekend, I found myself wondering if she was back at that strip club, shaking it for all those men, and then giving them the same lap dance she gave me. Just the thought of it left me fuming, but I managed to keep from going down there to see for myself.That isn't to say that I didn't almost cave a few times, but I didn't want to strain our relationship any further, especially if Dean uncovered that there was something that she truly needed help with given her history with my son, because I refused to think of the alternative to why I was so fucking concerned for a woman I barely even knew.Now that the weekend was over, I could only hope that Dean completed my task, and once I knew what was going on behind the scenes in Avery’s world, I could come up with a way to make sure that she didn’t have to go back to that place, and if sh

I pace around the room, lifting my arm every now and then to check the time, only to find that it wasn’t standing still and was growing later and later, and so far there hadn't been any word from Avery about whether or not she was accepting the offers that I sent to her."Dammit," I hiss in frustration, beginning to wonder if she was truly that proud. "Stubborn woman."After spending most of the afternoon yesterday making phone calls and setting things into motion, I had expected to have heard some word from Avery by this point, but it was already three in the afternoon and there was nothing.Did this mean that she wasn't going to accept? Or maybe she realized that I was the one behind it and didn't want my help? Either way, I wasn't going to just stand around and take no for an answer. Growing impatient, I reach for my jacket, which is hung over my chair, and pull it on, then begin to move, heading out of my office just in time to see Dean rushing toward me."What is it?" I demand w