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.

It's a specialty here," he replied, looking at me,

praised, then asked seriously, "Aren't you afraid

you afraid?"

how you're taking a risk. You saw Navi's people. They were desperate for that notebook. I was almost a showdown

"Besides, when am I ever reckless? I always have a strategy, and I always leave room for the next step." "Looks like you're quite familiar

all of Cirencester,"

I raised

you have any questions." Atlas was like a mind reader

wondering when you learned

glanced at

int

deboning a fish for me, "Language is a required course for me. After all, our business is globaby don't like someone else

showed that success wasn't pure luck and was

the people talked. And I hired locals to teach me, so..." He shrugged and fed me a delicious piece of

was what he

never heard Atlas say we

our family have?" I