Hours later...
The twins peeked their heads out of the door frame, watching their mother do her makeup. Their big round eyes swirled with curiosity, their mouths stretching wide.
"Mommy seems to like doing her makeup," Second muttered, watching Lola poke a prosthetic pimple that dripped with yellowish liquid. Lola was just checking how believable it would be since she was trying to avoid drawing more attention to herself.
Melissa was a jealous woman, and Derek was a fickle man. Until they were married, Lola didn’t want any trouble from them. Hence, she had no qualms wearing horrendous makeup. It wasn’t like she was scared of those two, but she didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble that they could bring her way.
"She’s so pretty..." Chacha murmured as if she couldn’t see just how horrific Lola looked. "I want to be like her too."
Second turned to his sister, catching her staring at their mommy with twinkling eyes.
"Chacha," he pulled away from the door frame, facing his sister. "I already called uncle yesterday and told him to help mommy and kick out those bad actors to save our mommy’s eyes and ears."
Chacha blinked. "Is Uncle coming here?" She asked, and her brother nodded. "Yipie~!"
"Chacha, later, when Mommy meets Father Sir, don’t forget to put on your best act," Second murmured discreetly, checking Lola, then turning back to his sister. "We need to save our Father Sir. Otherwise, he’ll be childless."
"Mhm!"
"We can do it!" Second raised a hand, and Chacha quickly hit his palm for a high-five.
The two of them grinned from ear to ear before they turned to the door and ran inside.
"Mommy~ me too~!" Chacha cheered, while Second raised his hand, jumping. "Me too! Me too! I want to be just as pretty as mommy!"
Lola paused as she looked back, catching the adorable babies jumping while holding their hands up. Her face twitched a bit, knowing her makeup was horrific, but they were telling her they wanted to be as pretty as her.
This is pretty? Even Lola would jump in fear if she saw herself in the mirror in the middle of the night.
"Mommy, always so pretty!"
"So pretty! I want too!"
"..." Lola mentally covered her mouth, weeping quietly. Being called pretty wasn’t a brag, but it stung a bit to be called pretty when she had such a painting on her face.
In the end, she smiled at them and nodded. "Of course. I’ll make you... I’ll make you pretty."
****
Another few hours later...
In a different van than usual, Silo couldn’t help but look across at them. Since the vehicle’s seats were different, he had no choice but to sit across from the twins. His face contorted as he eyed them, their faces white as a sheet with some dark makeup around their eyes and mouth.
The three of them looked... expired.
"So, this look is...?" Silo hummed, gaining their attention. "... a haunted panda?"
The twins frowned.
"Uncle Silly, I am mommy!" Chacha remarked, pointing at herself and then at Second. "And Second is mommy too!"
Silo’s undereye twitched as he cast a wicked look at Lola. The twins looked believable already, but Lola? She looked like a witch straight from a horror film.
"Is that popped pimple really necessary?" he asked in dismay, recalling his horrific experience picking up the twins. He almost had a heart attack when he first saw these three. Lola truly elevated their look from last time.
"Lola, as far as I know, we’re not going to a costume party, and there’s no prize for the three of you to win..."
That was no disguise anymore! It was a real Halloween costume! Also, why was she wearing white contact lenses with pupils as small as a dot? Who was she trying to give a heart attack?
Lola smacked her lips as she glanced at the twins. "Well, Second and Chacha told me I’m so pretty."
"Yep!" the twins hummed, nodding profusely. "The pudding on mommy’s face is also cute!"
"See? So, even if there’s no prize to win for where we’re going, I’m already a winner!" she grinned as she turned her attention to the little possessed dumplings on either side of her. "Right?"
"Mommy is the prettiest!" they mused, making Silo scrunch up his nose in dismay. "Wooo~ scary me~"
Silo shook his head, studying the three of them—who would be able to win any Halloween contest if there was one on the way.
"Lola, if you ever get possessed, I will never know," he said, watching the three look in his direction. "Because right now, you three look like one."
Lola chuckled while the twins giggled.
Well, that was the point. After all, aside from Director Sarian, no one really knew Lola’s face behind her username, Taz. And somehow, Lola just wanted to hide her face while she was having all these achievements, as if trying to erase Lola Young from this world.
*****
[Lion Square]
Lion Square was one of the most renowned hotels in King’s City—the capital city of Novera. Because of its location, many socialites stayed there or even used its function hall for various events. It was a high-end place that only the rich could truly afford.
Lola, the twins, and Silo arrived thirty minutes earlier than Lola’s first appointment at five with Director Sarian. But with so many people arriving at the place, their car was stuck in the slow-moving traffic in the driveway.
"Function hall three," she whispered as she checked her phone before snapping her eyes at Silo and the twins. "Babies, I’ll leave you in Uncle Silo’s care for a while, alright?"
The twins, wearing bright smiles, nodded. "Hai hai~! We will behave!"
"We’ll look after Uncle Silly for mommy!" Second reassured her, making Lola smile in satisfaction.
Silo, on the other hand, scrunched up his nose. This was why these kids kept poking him where it hurt. Lola would just casually ignore the twins’ teasing.
"I’ll be quick," Lola hummed as she glanced at the traffic. When she decided, she snapped her eyes back to Silo. "I already booked a room for them to wait and rest. Just take them there—and if they get hungry, there’s a buffet."
She paused as she moved away from her seat. "This traffic will consume all my time. I’ll go first."
"Take care, Mommy~" Chacha waved at her, smiling.
"Mommy, see you later~" Second also waved at her.
Lola smiled at them and then gave Silo a short nod. But before she left, she reminded him, "Don’t take your eyes off them."
"Yes, yes," Silo clicked his tongue, watching her jump out of the van with that haunting rockstar outfit. He shook his head, following her figure with his gaze.
Meanwhile, the twins perked up, also watching Lola’s figure. But then, they noticed some hotel staff jogging in the opposite direction. Their little brows furrowed as they followed the staff’s figures until they were looking back a few cars behind theirs.
After a moment, the twins caught a familiar face walking out of a car, surrounded by some hotel staff.
"And off she goes..." Silo trailed off as he turned, only to furrow his brows when all he saw were empty seats before him. "Where did those two go?"
When his eyes fell, he caught the twins crouched on the floor.
"What are you guys melting there?" he asked, only to see the twins smile.
"Hehe..." they laughed nervously.
Silo’s knitted brows deepened, only to get distracted when he saw a group walking past their van. He turned instinctively, catching a group of hotel staff and men in suits walking while surrounding a man in the middle.
"Who is that?" he blurted out. "Never seen his face before."
Chacha and Second looked at each other, their adorable faces twisting a bit. That was their Uncle Allen, their father’s assistant. And whenever Allen was around, it meant their father was also close.