Chapter 168

Sophia complained, "I want to be the only daughter of the Bennett family. Why can't she just give me that position?"

"She's already married. I've already let her have the man. Why can't she just make things easier for me? If it weren't for me, she never would have gotten into the Stewart family."

The more Sophia thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. "The Stewart family is incredibly wealthy. The man was on the verge of death. Once Odalys married him, she would live comfortably, even as a widow. Isn't that enough for Odalys? What more does she want?" Sophia thought bitterly. Tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Mom! Brothers! What should I do? Odalys is trying to kill me! You have to save me, please!" Sophia cried out in a choked voice.

Feeling helpless, she climbed to her feet, curled up, and stared out into the night, lost and directionless. She had once believed Finnian liked her, but now she realized he was avoiding her. Atlas had looked at her with suspicion, doubting her innocence. "How could he not trust me? I can't accept this," she thought, frustration growing.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. She quickly opened it, and Atlas charged in. He pinned her against the door, wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulled her close, and leaned down, inhaling the fragrance of her hair. "Don't move. Let me touch you," he murmured, his voice low.

"Uh, Atlas, stop! Don't do this!" Sophia grew desperate, trying to push him away, but he only held on tighter. Their bodies pressed together, and Atlas's eyes gleamed with desire.

"Did he touch you? Where did he touch you? He said he touched your shoulder and your chest, right?" Atlas's voice was hoarse. His hands slowly began to wander over her body.

Sophia froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What are you doing? Atlas, let go of me!" she panicked. They could flirt, but she would never agree to anything more. She could never stay in the Bennett family forever, nor would she ever marry into it. She aimed for greater heights; she only wanted to be considered the daughter of the Bennett family, and nothing else mattered. "Does Atlas want to ruin me?" she thought, feeling trapped.

Atlas was jealous. "Let go? When he came to you earlier, we were right outside the door, but you didn't reject him. You didn't scream. If you had, we would have barged in right away. But you didn't. He touches you, and it's fine. Why can't I?" He continued, "Also, when you asked him for those things this afternoon, you promised you would be with him. Why didn't you tell me?"

Atlas had watched Sophia grow up, but now he realized Rafael had already touched her before him. Atlas was jealous and couldn't stand it.

"Atlas, have you lost your mind? I'm your sister! You trust Odalys but not me, don't you?" Sophia's eyes reddened.

Seeing her tears, Atlas was taken aback. "But Odalys is my sister too," he blurted out.

Sophia turned her head away, letting out a bitter, soft laugh. "Right, she's your sister. You trust her, not me." "Fine then. If you don't trust me, I'll go find Rafael tonight. I'll really go to sleep with him. Is that what you want?" she said, spinning around.

Atlas quickly stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to doubt you," he said, his voice soft and regretful. He held her close, continuously apologizing.

Sophia heard his apology, and seeing him admit his mistake, a cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She tilted her head back to look at him. "Then you'd better never yell at me again."

"No matter what I do, it's for our own good. Don't forget what we need—the emerald pendant from Odalys. Only by getting it can we save the Bennett family. You can't go easy on her just because she's your sister. Everything I'm doing is a setup for getting that emerald pendant. You need to trust me," Sophia said softly, trying to calm him.

Atlas seemed swayed by her words. "Alright, I trust you," he nodded hoarsely. He immediately picked her up and carried her toward the bed, gently placing her down. With both hands on the bed's edge, his fingers traced her jawline, slowly moving downward.

Sophia let out a low grunt, her eyes following his fingers as they brushed over her chest. She turned her head away, and Atlas hesitated before pulling his hand back. He held his breath and said, "Get some rest. Don't do anything rash again. If you have something on your mind, talk to me first."

He knew Sophia was lying, but he chose to trust her. If he didn't trust her now, their relationship would shatter beyond repair.

"Okay, Atlas. You're the best," Sophia murmured softly. Watching him begin to turn away from the bed, she hurriedly wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her face into his back. She nuzzled against him, lingering for a while before whispering, "Good night."

"Good night," Atlas replied, suppressing the strange feelings inside him, before getting up and heading toward the door.

However, as he stepped out, he found Finnian and Francis standing in the living room with glasses of water, watching him with strange looks. Atlas froze, feeling suddenly awkward.

"What are you two doing here?" Atlas asked, a hint of irritation in his voice. He felt as though he had just done something wrong, and the sight of them made him feel uneasy, even ashamed.

Francis raised his cup slightly. "I got some coffee from Stellan today. We came out to brew some, but I didn't expect you to be having a heart-to-heart with Sophia tonight." His words weren't outright wrong, but they felt jarring to Atlas. He wanted to snap back but couldn't find a reason to lash out.

Chapter 168

"Atlas, don't forget that Odalys is also your sister," Finnian suddenly reminded him. Finnian had known about this situation for a while. In fact, he had brainwashed Odalys, hoping she would marry into the Stewart family so he could use the marriage to benefit. But Finnian's plans had fallen apart. Now, Odalys had severed all ties with him and was filled with animosity.

"Sister!" Francis looked at the exchange with interest, clearly intrigued by the new gossip. He hadn't been aware of the rivalry between Sophia and Odalys, but the antagonism had become a hot topic, and he had hoped to gain some attention from it. After participating in the show, he realized it was better to stay out of things, or it could hurt his career.

"Enough. This is my personal business. Finnian, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" Atlas snapped, turning back into the room and slamming the door behind him.

Finnian wasn't angered by Atlas's outburst. "Odalys is Atlas's sister, and what about Sophia?" Francis raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. He was particularly interested in their relationship.