[Summit Partners: Chairman’s Office]
"See ya!"
The twins beamed, kneeling on the couch with the phone between them. Their mouths were stretched wide, thinking Lola might agree to give them a sibling if they just asked.
"Do you think Mommy feels better now that she knows we want a baby sibling?" Chacha wondered, snapping her round eyes at Second.
Second pondered as he rubbed his little chin. "Of course! Many children don’t want a sibling, but we do because we’re good kids!"
"Right, Father Sir?" Second added, and they turned to the man seated behind the desk.
Atlas looked up at the duo on the couch, who had barely done any work just because Lola wouldn’t do much today. That was what she said, after all.
"Mhm," he hummed. "You’re good kids."
"Hehe." Second and Chacha grinned at each other while their father shook his head mildly. But as he resumed his work, he added, "You can face the wall later once Allen comes."
Hearing that, the twins turned back to him with twinkling eyes. "Yeey!"
****
Hours later...
After visiting the cemetery, Lola dropped by the restaurant where Cedrick was working. As expected, he wasn’t there yet. If it were years ago, she would’ve known where he was, but the guy kept hopping from one gig to another.
So, after spending a short while waiting for him, she decided to give him another day. If she still heard no word, she’d just ambush him.
With that, time moved quickly until she reached home to fix herself.
Had she known her father would dare speak about her deceased child, she would’ve put extra effort into her earlier look to give him an instant heart attack. A lesson learned.
"Huh?" Lola’s nose scrunched up as she put on a dress, only to stop when a realization dawned on her. "Why am I dressing up? It’s just dinner."
Dinner, yes. But had she forgotten that all the time they had eaten outside, Lola had looked like she had used some sort of satanic ritual to bag Atlas?
"My dignity’s at stake here," she told herself, checking other clothes to fit the occasion. "I need to redeem it. That’s definitely the reason, and not because I want to look pretty."
It wasn’t like she still had feelings for her childhood crush. Feeding herself the idea that this was about redeeming her lost dignity, Lola spent extra time just trying out what to wear. Normally, it wouldn’t take her long to choose, but somehow, her clothes looked either too formal, too casual, too glamorous, or too simple.
In the end, she settled on her safest bet.
A black short suit jacket that barely reached her waist and a pair of black wide-leg slacks, paired with black heels.
It was just dinner, but for once, she didn’t want their table to be a spectacle in a place like Harmony Feast.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Lola nodded.
"Just another earring," she commented, quickly picking up an earring to complete her look.
It wasn’t too simple, nor was it too grand. Just good enough to blend in with others.
"This should be fine," she nodded to herself, smiling.
With that, Lola grabbed a small handbag and walked out of the walk-in closet. As she did so, she checked her phone once more; still no word from Cedrick. But she did receive a message from the twins.
"Mommy, see you later~!"
She smiled, chuckling as she responded, [See you] with a kiss emoji at the end.
***
Harmony Feast was a fine dining restaurant with an incredibly long waiting list. One would need to book months or a year in advance to get a table. It was why she had put a little bit of effort into her outfit, feeling a bit sorry for not just the twins but also for Atlas, for garnering unnecessary attention because of her unusual looks.
But then again, Atlas also wore a fish mask, didn’t he?
Their appointment was at seven in the evening, but Lola had already left the penthouse an hour and a half prior. In her mind, she had to consider the traffic and the travel time. Besides, she didn’t want the twins to wait.
One hour later, Lola parked the black sedan she had used because her old Beetle didn’t fit in the place.
"Still half an hour early," she whispered as she closed the driver’s seat door, checking the time. "Oh, well."
With a shrug, she marched away and headed to the restaurant’s entrance to wait for them.
"Hello," Lola said as soon as she stepped in, welcomed by the restaurant’s crew. "I’m with someone. He had a reservation at seven."
The receptionist smiled politely and asked, "Can I ask for the name of the person who reserved it?"
"Atlas Bennet—" she bit her tongue, now unsure if the man was still using that name. "I mean, Atlas Zorken."
"Alright. I’ll check." The receptionist quickly looked down and checked the name in their system. However, there wasn’t a reservation under either Atlas Zorken or Atlas Bennet.
There was, however, a memo for a VVIP client who was coming to the restaurant at seven. That was why the restaurant didn’t accept any other reservations at seven sharp. There were very specific instructions in the memo that the receptionist read carefully. After all, VVIP clients in the restaurant were rare.
Many elites wanted to dine at the establishment and would even willingly shell out money just to be considered a VIP. However, they could only manage to get [ELITE] status.
"Uhm..." the receptionist smiled as she looked up at Lola. "Miss, there isn’t anyone with that name on the reservation list."
Lola furrowed her brows. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, but there is one reservation at seven," the receptionist continued with a smile. "May I know your name, please?"
"Lola. Lola Young."
The receptionist nodded and checked the instructions again. Meanwhile, Lola studied the receptionist, expecting the latter to kick her out. To her surprise, the receptionist looked up at her and flashed a big smile.
"Miss Young?"
Suddenly, a call from her side made her turn her head. There stood a middle-aged man in a neat suit and tie with a nameplate on his chest.
He approached her and politely said, "I am David, the manager of Harmony Feast." He then smiled wider. "I’ll be assisting you to your table. Please, follow me."
Lola’s brows furrowed. She stared at the manager and then at the receptionist, who was also smiling politely. Confused, Lola still followed the manager to a private dining room on the rooftop with one question in mind.
What is going on?