I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Daisy’s POV

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I’d had my suspicions. My gut was never wrong. That was exactly why I dragged Rory all the way to California in the first place, because something about Atlas going quiet, Emery going distant… it didn’t sit right. But I still hoped…just once, that I’d be wrong. Turns out… I wasn’t.

Because why the hell did we go to Emery’s apartment only to realize it was in the same building Atlas owned… and then I casually told Rory, “Why don’t we go see Atlas first?” and the door opened…

And guess who it was? Emery…wonderful.

My cheeks hurt from how hard I’d been smiling. Or maybe I’d been grimacing. Honestly, at this point, I didn’t even care what my face was doing.

“What did you just say?” Rory asked. His voice wasn’t loud, but his whole body went tight, shoulders squared, eyes locked on Emery like he needed to hear it again to believe it. Like if he blinked, the story would change.

Emery gave a small sigh and lifted her hands a little, palms out. Calm-down mode. “Dad… Daisy, please. It’s fine now. You don’t have to get worried.”

Rory stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “What do you mean, don’t have to get worried?” His eyebrows pulled together, and his voice cracked just a little. “Some fucker broke into my daughter’s home…while you were in it…and you want me to just… stay calm?”

“Dad,” Emery said again, firmer now, but not scared. Just trying to keep him grounded.

Rory stepped closer, his face shifting from anger to something sharper…fear. “No. And you didn’t tell me.” His voice softened on the next part, the way it always did when he called her that.oney… why would you keep that from me?”

Emery’s expression faltered for a second. She looked down, the back up, swallowing like she was choosing her words carefully.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” she said quietly. “Because you’d get worked up. And I didn’t want you dropping everything and taking the next flight out here like I’m still sixteen.” She tried to lighten it with a small, stubborn smile. “I’m not a kid anymore, Dad.”

Rory opened his mouth, but she kept going before he could interrupt.

“And thankfully, Atlas showed up,” she added, turning slightly toward him. “He handled everything. It’s… done. Case closed.”

Okay, this is where I step in before Rory’s emotions take over again.

“Rory,” I said gently, placing my hand on his arm. “Calm down.”

He looked at me still tense, still furious, but he listened. He always did when it mattered.

“Emery’s right,” I continued, keeping my voice steady. “We should be grateful Atlas showed up.”

Rory dragged a hand down his face and let out a long breath through his nose, like he was trying to force his heart back into

his chest.

“You’re right,” he said finally, turning back to Emery. His eyes softened. “I’m sorry, Em I just….”

“I know,” Emery said quietly.

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Sat, Feb 28

Chapter 155

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Rory looked at Atlas next. Not suspicious. Not hostile. Just a man trying to say thank you without showing how badly he’d

been scared.

“Thank you,” he said.

Atlas gave him a small smile. “Anytime, Rory” Then his tone turned sure, almost quiet, “And I can assure you he won’t come back. No one will”

Rory nodded.

Then Atlas cleared his throat, like he was trying to steer us away from blowing up his living room.

“Now that we’ve all calmed down,” he said smoothly, “we can go to the building restaurant and get lunch.”

Right on cue, Rory’s stomach growled so loudly it made the room go still. Then Emery snorted. Atlas’s mouth twitched. I couldn’t help it…I laughed too.

Emery pointed at him, amused. “I believe that was confirmation

**

The restaurant downstairs was ridiculous. Elegant. Expensive…e pleasing whatever, I couldn’t care less about that because across from me, Atlas and Emery sat side by side like it was normal. Like this wasn’t the exact thing I’d been terrified of. Their subtle little smiles. The way Atlas kept glancing at her like he couldn’t help himself. The way their arms brushed, and neither of them moved away.

Oh. They were definitely fucking again.

I took a sip of water to keep myself from saying something unholy out loud.

Rory, blissfully unaware, leaned back after his first bite and sighed like a man who’d just found peace.

“Okay,” he said, pointing his fork at Atlas. “This food is amazing Where the hell did you find a cook like this?”

“Wrigley handled the staffing and management. He’s good at what he does.”

Rory’s eyes lit up. “I need to speak to him. See if he can recommend someone for us.” He turned to me. “Right, honey?”

“Mmhmm,” I hummed, still staring a little too hard at Emery’s hand near Atlas’s.

Focus, Daisy. I shifted in my seat, forcing my eyes away from then. Then I smiled and aimed my attention at Emery, because if I didn’t address this directly, my brain was going to chew through itself.

“So, Emery,” I asked, keeping my voice light. “How’s modeling going?”

Emery paused, shoulders lifting slightly like she wasn’t sure what version of the truth she should give.

“Well… um,” she started, then let out a small laugh. “It’s been great, actually. But with what happened…” She glanced down at her plate. “My Manager thinks it’s best I take a break.”

Something pinched in my chest. I reached across the table, found her hand, and squeezed gently.

“Take all the time you need,” I said quietly. “Seriously.”

Emery’s eyes lifted to mine, and she gave me a small smile. “Thank you.”

I nodded, then tried to soften the mood before Rory went into dad-mode again.

“My friends are obsessed with that Korean brand you modeled fr,” I told her. “What was it called again? The one with the

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