With the team Atlas had brought to help with the garden cleanup, Lola quickly saw the difference between doing it alone and working with them. It wasn’t all that bad, since Atlas had instructed the workers not to overstep. After all, he brought them here to assist her, not to take all the work away.
So while the team busied themselves in different areas—some inside the small home, others around the grounds—Lola and the twins stayed in the main garden.
"Mommy, look!"
Lola glanced up and froze at the sight of worms wriggling in Chacha’s palm. She wasn’t afraid of worms, but her eyes flickered to Atlas, who was standing nearby reviewing revisions with the contractor.
I guess he doesn’t mind his children handling worms. Then again, they did say he once tossed them into a well to make them climb out.
Just as she felt reassured, her breath hitched when Chacha spoke.
"It looks like noodles. Second, want to bet with me?" she mused innocently. "I bet I can eat them!"
"Okay!"
The instant Lola saw Chacha lift her hand and cock her head back, dangling a worm above her mouth from the corner of her eyes, she leaped from her squatting position.
"Noooo!" Her voice stretched in slow motion, her arm outstretched, fear wide in her eyes. For a second, it felt as though time slowed with her.
Plop!
Instead, she tripped on a small rock and toppled face-first into the dirt. The twins blinked at their mother lying just a few paces away.
"Ugh..." Lola groaned, the tip of her nose red beneath the soil. "Ouch..."
"Mommy, are you trying to catch something?" Second asked as she slowly lifted her head to look back at them.
But before she could respond—
Plop!
"Ugh..."
Slater had fallen flat on the other side. Just like her, his front was buried in the earth, arms stretched, with one of his legs bent back.
Lola and the twins turned toward him. Her face twitched as Slater pushed himself up, dirt clinging to his clothes and face. It was a good thing this wasn’t mud.
"Kids, what the—don’t eat worms—" He froze, eyes narrowing at the sight of what Chacha was holding. Even Lola, who had fallen to save her daughter from acting like a gremlin, finally got a good look.
On one hand, Chacha held live worms squirming. On the other, pinched between her fingers, was a brown gummy worm. A candy!
"Uncle Best, but this worm is really good," Chacha chirped, biting the gummy’s head off before handing the body to Second. He nodded. "It tastes like cola."
Slater: "...."
Lola: "..."
So... they both fell on their faces for nothing?
Slater’s face twisted, suspicion sharp in his eyes. As for Lola, when realization hit, her face showed different emotions until —
"Pfft—" She slapped the back of her dirty hand over her mouth, but laughter spilled out anyway. "Hahaha!"
The twins grinned at her laughter, while Slater looked anything but amused.
"Sis, stop laughing! I almost broke my nose trying to save them!" he shouted, but she was already slapping the ground where she’d fallen. "Do you know how much this face is worth?!"
"I’m sorry—it’s just—haha—your face!" she gasped between giggles, making his scowl deepen.
"Tch." Slater clicked his tongue. "Before you laugh at me, just look at yourself!" He scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it at her. "You’re no different from me!"
Lola tilted her head to dodge, but some still smeared her cheek. Her laughter cut off as her eyes snapped to him.
"Wha—what?" Slater stammered at her blank stare. "You started it! You were making fun of—"
His words choked off as dirt smacked his mouth. He gagged, spitting the grit out. The twins giggled as they watched their uncle suffer temporarily. As for Lola, she raised her brows and sported an innocent look.
"That’s not me," she said, but that was not important anymore.
"You—!" His eyes burned as he grabbed more soil and hurled it at her.
"Dirt fight~!" the twins cheered, scooping up soil and launching it at both adults. Soon, everyone was covered with dirt, flinging clumps at one another with reckless glee.
"Hey—wait! I got something in my eye!" Slater shouted.
"One eye shut doesn’t mean I’m stopping!" Lola shot back just before dirt flew into her mouth. The earthy taste coated her tongue, and she ramped up her assault.
I’ll bury this guy alive!
As soil, worms, and laughter filled the air, Atlas and the contractor stood frozen nearby. Dirt splattered across Atlas’s shoes and pristine clothes, but he didn’t so much as flinch, watching as the four buried themselves in chaos.
"Haha..." the contractor laughed weakly. "I guess we don’t need to touch this area. They’ll uproot it themselves."
He glanced at Atlas just as another clump of dirt struck Atlas square in the chest. The contractor winced, bracing for an outburst. But Atlas remained as flat and unreadable as ever.
"Mhm," Atlas hummed, sparing him a glance. "Don’t bother looking for the flowers she asked about. I’ll find someone else to bring them."
The contractor, thinking Lola had requested a rare flower, smiled politely. Atlas had instructed him to agree to everything she wanted, so he hadn’t objected, even though the request had seemed impossible. It was why he brought it up to him because that was what he said: "Let me know if there’s something you might not be able to fulfill."
"Mr. Bennet, you really adore your wife, huh?" he said, sneaking another look at the four—messy, loud, playful, completely opposite of the man beside him. And yet, it wasn’t surprising because the stark contrast seemed to fit.
"I’ll check on my team," he added quickly. Atlas gave a short nod, and the man strode off.
When the contractor was gone, Atlas finally turned his sharp eyes back toward the garden bedlam. A shallow breath escaped him as he walked closer.
"This is it!" Slater declared, patting the mound of dirt he’d rolled together—only to gape at Lola, who had molded an even bigger one. "Hey! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Lola smirked, scooping up her massive dirt ball. Slater panicked, scooped up his, and hurled it at the same time she did. The twins, not to be outdone, rolled together their biggest one and threw it with all their strength.
The clods collided midair, exploding into debris that showered everyone equally like fireworks.
"Ahh!" the four yelped, shielding themselves. That was not how they expected the outcome would be.
When they lowered their arms and blinked through the dust, their relief vanished.
There, standing at the edge of the dirt storm, was Atlas with soil trickling down his once-clean shirt.
Their breaths stopped as his sharp eyes opened, fixing squarely on them.
Uh oh.