CHAPTER TWENTY

DALLAS


The fencing timer buzzed, adding another point to Atlas's tally. I groaned in frustration.

It's been two days since I ran out of Oliver's office. I had no reason for doing that except that I was really freaked out. I haven't gone back to his house since that day. At this point, I really won't mind if he got me arrested for breaking our contract. But I wasn't ready to go back there.

Lucien asked me tons of questions when I didn't return to work after my break was over. I had to cook up a lie that Oliver asked me not to come for a few days because I caught a flu and he didn't want to get contaminated. He didn't bother me anymore after I gave him part of my paycheck. Thankfully, Oliver had kept his distance also. He didn't come to my house like I had anticipated.

What happened that day made no sense at all no matter how hard I thought about it. How was he not affected by my touch?. The man couldn't even touch his own mother. So how come I was the only one he could touch?. It was obvious the reason he was so adamant on keeping me with him. And I had been so clueless that I even flirted with him.

Atlas swung his sabre at me and almost took a strike at my shoulder but I managed to dodge at the last minute and avoid contact. I took a slight dive slicing his arm in the process. The time buzzed, adding a score to my count. I swung my sword again, aiming for his heart. Then another aim at his head. And another on his shoulder. I moved on the piste effortlessly feeling the adrenaline rush. By the time the fencing timer buzzed indicating the end of the match, I had beat Atlas nine to seven.

A scowl settled on his face as he removed his mask.
"You are full of energy today. Your performance is much better than in our last few training sessions."

Thank Oliver for the burst of energy, Coach.

"I have been training a lot." I said simply, removing my mask.

"I agree, I was a bit worried when Mr Kang told me that you would be training him at his house. I was afraid it would affect your personal training but it only seems to help you instead."

"Well it didn't."

It also wasn't the reason for my energy. Oliver and I have only trained two times ever since I started working with him. It was almost like our regular training session. Frustration was the driving force behind my great performance today.

"If you keep up this performance, you sure have a winning chance at the Olympics." Atlas said.

I sighed.
"Is winning the Olympics that important? I mean I could become an instructor like you. That would be great, wouldn't it?"

Atlas stared at me for a few seconds.
"Come here."

He walked towards a bench and I followed suit. We settled down on it. Atlas drew a long breath.
"Do you want to win the Olympics or not?" he asked, his tone was clear.

"I don't really know." I said.

It was the truth. After I quit college in Korea and took on fencing, my only goal had been to be the best at it. My competitive nature got me thrown out of my Olympics dream before I could even start. Aside from the fact that I don't think I deserve a second chance, winning the Olympics doesn't seem that great anymore.

"Let me ask again. Do you want to win the Olympics for your mother or not?"

I was startled by his question. It suddenly dawned on me the reason Atlas was so bent on me winning the Olympics. My mother had died in a car accident on her way to the airport. She was coming to Seoul a day before the Olympics game. I couldn't fight and was so devastated when I heard the news. I wanted to leave for New York when I made that stupid mistake.

"I'm sure if she were alive, she would tell you to get back on the piste and fight your way to the Olympics. Because that's who you are. A fencer never gives up. Whenever you feel like giving up, remember you're doing this for her." he said.

It was the most words Atlas had ever spoken to me, aside scolding, ever since my mother died. I really appreciated it because I know these kinds of talks and the emotions he portrayed don't come naturally to him. I stared at him, my eyes teary and full of emotions.

"Thank you, Atlas. That was really nice of you to say." I flashed him a smile.

A frown settled between his eyebrows.
"Nice?. But I wasn't aiming for nice." he muttered under his breath. I chuckled slightly at his behavior.

“I will make sure to work harder from now on.”

Atlas nodded. He rose to his feet and grabbed his fencing mask.
“I'll see you next week then.”

He walked away before I could say anything else. I drew a sigh and headed to the locker room to change. I tore off my fencing hear. . No injuries today. A big win in my book. I changed into my normal clothes quickly. I didn't want to miss the next bus which will be at the bus station in a few minutes. I couldn't come with my car because I had to sneak out of the house.

I walked out of the locker room and headed to the bus station. Not long after I settled in my seat, my phone dinged indicating a text notification. It was an angry text from Lisa.

Lisa: you would not believe who I just ran into

Dallas: Taylor Swift?

Lisa: Da yun. The worst part is that my mother invited her to my wedding (crying emoji)

Dallas: So what's the big deal?. She was your classmate.

Lisa: Are you kidding?. Da Yun terrorized us in highschool. Did you forget that?

Dallas: That's a long time ago. I'm sure she isn't like that anymore. Give her a chance.

Lisa: I don't think I can. She told everyone in school that I was crushing on that hot senior. I still get traumatized when I remember that incident (retreating into a bush GIF)

Dallas: (hugging a girl GIF)

Lisa: I'm still sad you aren't here for all the wedding arrangements though (sad emoji)

Dallas: Same here babe. But I'll make sure to be present for the wedding.

Lisa: Sure thing. We're going to visit every tteokbokki shop in Seoul when you come here. I've missed eating spicy food with you.

Dallas: Same here bestie (teary eyed emoji)

Lisa: By the way, how is working for the American Psycho going?

I had told Lisa about my work at Oliver's house and the terms that came with it. She was skeptical about it at first but supported me anyway. Lisa was not in support of me going to the Kang's mansion the night of the party. She told me to make enough money to buy it off Oliver. I knew that wasn't possible so I went ahead with my plan anyway. And now I was stuck in this mess.

I told her about Oliver's aversion to touch but I haven't told her about my recent discoveries. I was still so freaked out about it.

Dallas: It's going well. And he has gotten so good at fencing that he can almost beat me.

Lisa: Wow, that must be really impressive. I've never seen anyone that came close to beating you. Not even me.

Dallas: I know right. It was just so amazing.

We texted back and forth about a lot of things till I got to my stop. I dipped my phone into my jacket pocket and got down from the bus. The walk to my house was about five minutes.

I hastened my steps, half sprinting towards my house. I needed to get home before Lucien noticed that I was gone. I completed the trip within three minutes. I noticed a familiar car parked in front of my house.

Is that Oliver's car?. I froze in the middle of the road. What was he doing at my house after days of silence?.

I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart. I walked to the porch, halting my steps midways. The door was slightly opened and I could see half of Oliver's face as he stood in the living room. Sylvie was standing in front of him batting her eyelashes seductively. Oliver showed no interest in her.

I grabbed the door knob and pushed it opened when Sylvie did something that made my jar dropped. She pretended to slip and stumbled on Oliver, placing a hand on his shoulder.

OH MY GOD!