"Hah..."
Lola dipped into the bathtub after washing the paint off her face. Cocking her head back, her closed eyes slowly cracked open.
"See you later...?" she whispered, her brows knitting. "What does that even mean?"
What it meant was already obvious, but the question in her mind was whether Atlas would come here as well.
"He won’t, right?" She whispered, gaslighting herself while being aware of it. "I mean, why would he stay in a stranger’s place—did he sleep here last night?"
Lola gasped as she covered her mouth, trying to get even a glimpse of any memory from last night. However, all she could remember was drinking and crying with Silo, then crying just a little bit more when she was home.
That was it.
"Ugh..." She closed her eyes again and dipped herself lower in the tub. She partially opened her eyes when her lips were submerged in the water.
Just what is going on in my life?
Another deep exhale escaped her, just trying to get through the fact that she had to live with the memories of reuniting with her childhood crush in the most unexpected ways. But then, a thought crossed her mind.
The twins...
Her eyes squinted as a brief smile took over her face.
Does this mean they won’t have to leave for now? She giggled. I guess it’s not so bad at all.
Her smile then faded a bit as her brows knitted. "But... how did he get children?"
As far as she knew, Atlas preferred men. She knew about it late, but somehow, it consoled her heart a little. It made her think the reason he rejected her the way he did was because he preferred the same sex.
"But I also didn’t hear that he’s gotten married or anything like that," she whispered, tilting her head to the side. "Should I be worried?"
****
Meanwhile...
The twins behaved in the backseat with their father, peeking up at him from time to time.
"Say it." After minutes of ignoring their constant peeks, Atlas finally gazed down to his left.
There, the twins sat comfortably, with Second on the window side while Chacha was in the middle.
"Father Sir..." Chacha hummed, scooting a bit closer to her father. "Do you think Mommy wants to tag along with us?"
"Father Sir, we think we should’ve waited for her to finish."
Their father deadpanned. "Wait for her?" he repeated. "And pressure her to hurry?"
"Oh..."
"She had quite a few drinks last night, so it’s best to leave her alone now," he continued in the same tone. "As for the two of you, give me the names of those who bullied you. You have an entire day."
"But Father Sir, we only know their faces!"
"Then draw their faces..." he trailed off as he felt his phone vibrate. Checking who it was, his expression turned colder until Chacha peeked up to his side.
"It’s Uncle Slater!" she announced, making Second beam.
Atlas’s already dead expression died once more as he looked at the twins. "Did you tell him we’re here?"
"Hmm!" Chacha, who was now leaning against him, nodded enthusiastically. "Second called Uncle Slater to help Mommy with her job! We want Mommy to be rich—so rich she didn’t need to work forever!"
Second grinned. "Father Sir, our mommy will be a very rich woman—richer than you!"
"..." Atlas darted his gaze at his daughter, who was getting a little too comfortable and was now sitting on his lap, and then at his son, who was getting closer. "You think I can’t make her rich?"
A very faint scoff escaped him as he ended the call, not bothering to answer his brother’s call at the moment. Instead, he dialed his assistant’s number, which Allen answered even before the first ring stopped.
"Slater landed in Novera," he said coldly. "Send someone to accompany him and his manager."
Without waiting for a response, he was about to end the call when he paused.
"Also..." he trailed off as he pondered it. "Double the investment in that series."
And then finally, he ended the call. Gazing down at the twins, he raised his brows.
"Happy now?"
The twins giggled, and Chacha hugged his neck. "Daddy is the best~!"
"Daddy, if you are always this pretentious, our mommy will marry you too." Second nodded approvingly. "Daddy is the best!"
Then, Second hugged Atlas from the side. But as usual, their father didn’t show any sign of anything as he let them cling to him with a plain look.
"What happened to Father Sir?" he asked, watching them draw themselves away from him. "Didn’t you say in your petition that you would call me Father Sir until I give your mother back?"
"Hehe. There’s an exception because Daddy is trying!" Second gave him a thumbs up. "Keep up the good work, Daddy—Daddy’s the best."
And again, as if they had to keep repeating it, Chacha also said, "Daddy is the best!"
The twins squeezed themselves to their father once more, hugging him tightly. He didn’t hug them back, but his hands were on Second’s shoulder and the other on Chacha’s back to keep both of them still.
"I’m trying?" he whispered, arching a brow. "I didn’t even do that... not yet."
As he gazed out the window, staring at the flashing side road, the thought of last night suddenly flashed in his mind.
****
Last Night...
After his twins accused him of making Lola cry, the trio tried to help Lola. That included wiping off her makeup and perhaps, just taking care of her. However, her makeup seemed to need more than a wet cloth and a ritual to remove it.
Hence, the reason Lola’s makeup was more ruined than it should’ve been.
In the end, the trio gave up, and Atlas sent his twins to bed as it was already past their bedtime. He only allowed them to stay up so they could finish their appeal.
Silence fell in the living room with Atlas seated on the coffee table, facing the woman sleeping on the couch. His arms crossed under his chest, his leg resting over the other.
Slowly, he leaned over to have a closer look at her face.
With narrowed eyes, he whispered, "You lost weight—why?"
"Baby..." Suddenly, she whispered in her sleep as a tear rolled down her nose. "... don’t leave me."
"..." he blinked and then nodded. "... okay."