Beyond the Divorce



I discreetly assessed the newcomer and I found him to be a gentlemanly and refined middle-aged man, accompanied by our little cousin who had saved us the night before, Melvin.

Atlas quickly went to greet him. "Hello, Uncle."

The man nodded. "I've come to discuss a few things with you, Atlas."

Atlas nodded, walking side by side with the man into the study on the first floor.

Melvin immediately approached me with a mischievous smile. "How are you, Chloe?"

I gestured for him to sit down. "Please, have a seat. Have you had breakfast?"

"I haven't slept all night, so of course I need a hearty breakfast to replenish my energy. Do you have a sister, Chloe?" he suddenly asked, catching me off guard.

He looked at me with a sunny smile and explained, "You're so pretty, so your sister must be just as lovely. Can I get in line early?"

"Watch your manners, Mr. Melvin," Dylan warned, noticing his flattery.

Melvin glared at Dylan. "Mind your own business."

Then he continued bantering with me. He reminded me of Arnold but with a bit more mischief, since he was much younger than Arnold. Honestly, I quite liked this little cousin of mine.

From his words, it was clear that they had been up all night. It seemed that both the Cross and Lively families had taken action last night. No wonder Atlas was so confident.

After about twenty minutes with his uncle, Atlas came out of the study and briefly introduced us. That was when I learned that the refined man was Brock, Melvin's father. He was also the husband of Atlas's aunt.

After exchanging some pleasantries, he hastily left with Melvin.

Before they left, Melvin ran up to me, playfully asking, "Can I visit you in Foswood, Chloe?"

I smiled and nodded. "Of course. You're welcome anytime."

Satisfied, he stuck out his tongue at me before turning and running off.

Meanwhile, we proceeded with our original plan to visit the bank, which was said to be the largest in the city.

The procedures were quite tedious, so I waited in the VIP area.

Quite a few people were here for business today.

I grew bored and scrolled through my phone, drawn to the headlines reporting the recent incidents involving several major

net

conglomerates. The reports clearly showed that this was not merely a private activity but a joint effort by the authorities and relevant departments.

Atlas had acted swiftly. Several corporate giants had collapsed like dominoes overnight, sending shockwaves through Nocturnia's business circle.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

But he seemed as calm as ever, waiting leisurely while the bank verified the contents of the safe deposit box.

At this moment, I felt a bit nervous, eager to know if what we wanted was inside the safe.

An hour later, accompanied by the bank manager, we finally opened the long-sealed safe Louis had rented back in the day.

As we opened the safe door, I noticed that Atlas's eyes were slightly moist.

Wearing pristine white gloves, the bank manager, carefully lifted out a small, square box with a password lock from the safe and handed it to Atlas. He said, "The distinguished gentleman who once instructed us to keep this mentioned that the person coming to collect these items would know the password."

Atlas nodded solemnly, accepting the box with both hands and holding it against his chest momentarily.

I knew how complex his emotions must be at this moment.

It was evident that Louis had left those instructions and had anticipated that he wouldn't be coming back to retrieve these items himself.

I gently rubbed his back and remained silent. We had an unspoken understanding.

He placed the box on a workstation

behind him. He stared at the

ne

password lock for a moment, raised his hands, and paused after

inputting a set of numbers.

I was incredibly nervous as I silently watched him. Then, he pressed the confirmation button without hesitation.