Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 831

Chapter 831: I don’t feel safe

BANG!

Blood quickly splattered on the wall to Stephen’s left as a hole suddenly appeared in his right temple. It happened fast, but for some reason, he still saw Atlas’s upright posture tilt from his point of view. Then, there was the loud thud of his body hitting the floor—dying right then and there.

---

"Uncle?" Atlas called. "Uncle."

Stephen snapped his eyes open, blinking several times as he looked at himself. He immediately touched his temple, then turned his head toward the window of the conference room. The floor-to-ceiling windows were still intact, showing no sign of a bullet going through them.

After a moment, Atlas frowned. "Uncle, are you sure you’re okay?"

"Huh?" Stephen let out a short noise, looking back at Atlas. He couldn’t help but glance at the wall on his left, seeing no blood there. ’Did I hallucinate and saw my death?’

Just now, Stephen was sure he heard glass shattering before a sharp pain drilled into his temple. He even felt his body fall to the floor, which was strange... but it also meant it wasn’t real. If someone had shot him in the temple, he would’ve died on the spot.

"Uh..." he let out another noise, snapping his eyes back to Atlas. The latter had his brows raised, blinking, a mix of curiosity and concern in his eyes. "Atlas, I needed..."

Again, Stephen trailed off, turning his head toward the glass wall. He gulped, afraid that what he had just imagined would come true. He knew people were always watching him. They would surely know if Stephen was about to talk to Atlas about what Slater had told him to do the night before.

"You needed... what?" Atlas asked, his voice tinged with impatience. He didn’t appreciate the suspense. "Uncle, please, if you have something to tell me, say it now. Otherwise, I’ll have to leave. There’s still some work I have to do. Once you’re ready, my office is just above yours."

"Ahh... hehe." Stephen laughed awkwardly and nodded. "You’re right. I’ll come by your office once I remember what I planned to tell you."

Having said that, Stephen didn’t linger and hurriedly walked off as if he were running away from someone. Atlas frowned, watching his uncle leave, his deep frown deepening.

’I thought he stopped me from leaving because he was unhappy with the project. Did he just say he forgot the reason he called me?’ Atlas wondered, convinced that something odd was going on with Stephen — it wasn’t just his imagination.

Slowly, Atlas turned his head to the glass wall of the conference room. After staring at it for a few seconds, he glanced toward the wall. Earlier, Stephen had been looking at both the glass wall and the natural wall. It made Atlas wonder why.

"From the way he looks, I thought he was looking at something," Atlas whispered to himself, pondering for a while before shrugging nonchalantly. "Never mind. He’s probably going to talk to me about Sven."

Atlas couldn’t explain why Stephen was acting strange if not for Sven.

’It could be a trap,’ he thought. ’Even though I’m sure Uncle Stephen wouldn’t do that, he could’ve snapped.’

"At—Atlas!" Stephen’s hushed call didn’t stop Atlas this time, making Stephen panic in surprise. Seeing that Atlas was leaving without a word, Stephen quickly pushed open the door and stepped out of the emergency exit.

"Did he not see me?" Stephen wondered, gazing at his hand, which he had used to wave at Atlas to ensure the latter knew his intentions. "Or did he see it as me chasing him away?"

Stephen’s face contorted at the thought, leaning toward the latter assumption. After all, Atlas sometimes saw things differently. So, Stephen didn’t hesitate and was prompted to follow Atlas.

Fortunately, he caught up. Sliding his hand between the elevator doors, he smiled awkwardly as they parted again.

"Atlas," Stephen breathed out, walking into the elevator to join Atlas.

Atlas moved aside, glancing at his uncle but saying nothing. He simply pretended Stephen was a ghost, and ghosts were best left undisturbed.

"Atlas, didn’t you see me earlier? I was calling for you."

"I did." Atlas’s voice was flat, keeping his eyes on the elevator door. "However, after what happened to Allen in the emergency exit, I decided to stay far away from it unless absolutely necessary. I’m sorry, Uncle, but I can’t just go into the emergency exit with just you and me. I don’t feel safe."