Chapter 8 - Secret

"Well, well, Mr. Martini, how are you this morning?" Atlas looked up from the file he was reading when he heard the voice laced with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes when he saw his friend Albert walking towards him. Albert made himself comfortable sitting in the chair across from Atlas. "Won't you ask me how our tour went? I have to admit your new secretary is quite interesting." Albert let out a chuckle as he remembered their deal. "What's funny?" Atlas asked, his thumb and forefinger rubbing against his chin. "Um...I can't tell you. It's our secret." "Our? Secrets? I hope you're not referring to my secretary." Atlas spat the words through gritted teeth. "Of course, I'm referring to Meredith. Who else?" Albert said with a smug look on his face. "Meredith? You spent half an hour with her and you're now on a first-name basis?" Something bitter dripped from Atlas's tone. "Yes, I got my charms," Albert said as his eyes danced with mischief as he watched Atlas. "I see," Atlas murmured, seemingly annoyed with his answer. "So, won't you ask me what I think about her? I know that's why you let a busy man like me give your new secretary a tour. You wanted me to assess her." Atlas hated how right Albert was every time. He was the one with the gut instincts and high EQ in the group. Albert was very good at reading people, and that's why he was a lawyer. He handled the legal department of the Atlas company. He had his way with people, and he could be quite manipulative, too, with his charming personality. "Hmmso what do you think of her?" Atlas inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Tell me why you let me give her the tour instead of the HR. Are you perhaps interested in him, so you want to seek my opinion?" Albert squinted; his eyes lit with an inner glow of mischief. He and Atlahave been friends since they were in diapers. His parents and Atlas's parents were best friends from school. They had d plan that they would let their kids get married to each other if they were of opposite sex. Unfortunately, Atlas' mom had given birth to two sets of twins, and then he was born too. They were more like brothers than friends. Over the years, Albert has witnessed the Martini brothers go through massive changes. The bubbly and mischievous Atlas became fierce and ruthless, and the quiet little boy who always had his head buried in books became cold and heartless. Ace, Atlas twin, was the most dangerous man Albert had ever met. Ace was cold, ruthless, with no spark of passion to guide him. Something snapped inside him the moment the ten-year-old Ace witnessed his parents' murder. He didn't talk for years until he nearly killed a boy with his bare hands for hurting Atlas at the age of fourteen. Albert had no idea what had happened, but after the incident, the Martini brothers disappeared for two years until Atlas appeared to take control of his father's company. People thought he was crazy because how can a sixteen-year-old run a company? But he proved everyone wrong in the boardroom that day. The young boy who couldn't even protect himself from a bully two years ago had cut his uncle's tongue in broad daylight in front of people for insulting his dead mother. That incident that day started the legacy of Atlas Martini. Don't be deceived by his good manners, the man simply lacked compassion. There was no openness to him, no wedge to access his heart. That's why Albert wanted to know why Atlas was showing interest in a person for the first time. Why did he need him to assess the woman? "Nothing. She will be working for me. I need to know if she would be a threat or not, and who else is better at reading people than you?" Atlas said in a relaxed sort of way, his words drawn out and low. "Alright, I thought you were finally interested in a girl," Albert commented. Even though Atlas was interested in his secretary in a forbidden way, there was no way he was going to tell Albert. At least not yet. Not until he has her. "Well, for starters, there seems to be something more to Meredith than she is showing. She seems like someone who has forged a new identity for herself. On the outside, de she looks like a shy, ordinary woman, but her eyes tell a completely different story." Atlas arched his brows. "What do you mean?" "She has dyed her hair the most common hair color, black, and her glasses are too big for her face. She doesn't want to stand out in a crowd. She wants to blend in. If you look deep into her eyes, you will see immense guilt. She is too young to have a glint of guilt in her eyes. Unless" They both stared at each other, even though Albert didn't finish what he was saying, he was sure Atlas knew what he wanted to say. Atlas nodded in understanding. "Meredith Rossi, who are you?" His lips curled into a dark smile. It seemed his secretary had a secret, and no one knew better than he that you couldn’t run from what you’ve done. Now he was more than interested in her. If before he wanted to bend her over his desk, now he wanted nothing less than every part of her—her purity, her smile, her body, her secrets. He would take everything until he brought the darkness out in her.