Beyond the Divorce

Atlas pinched my nose playfully. He didn't answer my question and instead asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"What can we eat here?" I asked skeptically.

But when the dishes arrived, I couldn't help but smile. It was all seafood dishes I loved, and although they were prepared in a different style here, they looked very tempting.

I reached for a dish eagerly, and he indulgently reminded me, "Take it easy, we have plenty of time."

"Why did you bring us here for dinner?" I asked, knowing that he must have had a reason.

Sure enough, Atlas smiled and replied, "We need to put on a show and make Navi nervous. Otherwise, he'll come up with too many tricks. If he wants to challenge me, he must be able to do so."

"So you wanted him to feel like you were going to a more important appointment to make him uncertain," I said, "Especially when you brought the notebook with you?"

"Exactly," he replied, feeding me some lobster meat.

It was tender, succulent, and slightly tangy. The lobster was fresh.

"Why does it have a hint of sourness?" I asked.

here," he replied, looking at me, "Do you like

It's so fresh and tender!" I praised, then asked seriously, "Aren't you afraid

you afraid?"

you're taking a risk. You saw Navi's people. They were desperate for that notebook.

always have a strategy, and I always leave room for

I'm familiar with all of Cirencester," Atlas said arrogantly,

I raised

was like a mind reader and knew exactly what

"I was just wondering when

at me

int

a fish for me, "Language is a required course for me. After all, our business is globaby don't like someone else expressing my ideas. They might be

success wasn't pure luck and was the result of extreme

language, my father owned mines here, so I learned how the people talked. And I hired locals to teach me, so..." He

moment. That was what he meant when he

had never heard Atlas say we

does our family have?" I asked