"Mommy, are your friends in the place you went to nice?" Second asked, lifting his head to meet Lola’s eyes.
Chacha then perked up. "Are they really fun?"
The four of them had gathered in the family room to spend time with the twins. Although Lola and Atlas understood that whatever they needed to hear from Hugo was important, their children were more important.
They couldn’t just dive straight into another problem when they already had so much on their plate. They had resolved Ravah’s problem, but they already knew more awaited them.
So, as much as possible, they wanted to give this time to their children. Second and Chacha patiently waited for them, and they couldn’t just break their hearts like that.
"Well..." Lola hummed, her eyes sweeping over the kids gathered around the coffee table with her. Her lips stretched into a smile as she nodded. "I told them about the two of you, and they said that when I visit again, I should bring both of you. They said Chacha and Second sound fun. They look forward to meeting both of you."
The twins’ faces lit up. "Really?? They want to play with us?!"
"Mhm!" Lola smiled, ruffling their hair. "And I’m sure both of you will like it there."
The twins giggled, continuing to draw while snacking. Lola watched them fondly before lifting her gaze to Atlas.
Surprisingly, Atlas hadn’t touched any paperwork since arriving home. Instead, he had been quietly watching them from his seat.
"Why are you just watching?" she asked, pushing herself up and crawling over to the armchair where he sat. Once she squeezed herself into his lap, she bent her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He let out a shallow breath, one hand steadying her.
"I’m resting," he said. "And watching the three of you reminds me..."
"That we’re your safe haven?" Lola guessed with a grin, only to see his brows knit slightly. "No?"
"No," he clarified. "It reminds me that you probably don’t want to go to bed with me early."
"..." Lola deadpanned, then leaned forward to whisper, "Baby... it just occurred to me. You’re actually a pervert, aren’t you?"
And yet, somehow, that made him smile.
"I suppose I am." Then, as if to prove a point, he pulled her closer and raised his brows knowingly. "Sometimes, when nothing else is on my mind, our shared intimate moments find their way in."
She coughed — half amused, half concerned.
But before she could dwell on it, she stiffened. Chacha and Second were already climbing onto them, squeezing in until their father was buried beneath the three of them.
"Daddy, Mommy, look at this!" Chacha showed her drawing, immediately settling in. Second proudly held up his own sketch, beaming.
"It’s heavy—"
"Mommy, Daddy, look what Second drew while you were away!" Chacha interrupted, flipping the pages.
Lola chuckled as she glanced at her husband underneath them, practically treated like part of the armchair. Good thing she had shifted most of her weight onto the armrest — otherwise, she might’ve smothered him.
*
*
*
Chacha and Second didn’t hold back in expressing how much they missed their parents, sticking to them like glue. Even after showing their drawings, they asked to watch a movie and fought sleep just to stay up longer.
But eventually, they fell asleep in the couple’s bedroom.
"They’re really sweet," Lola whispered, stroking Second’s back as the twins lay between them.
Her eyes softened as she looked at Second, who had fallen asleep hugging her. When she shifted her gaze, Chacha was hugging Atlas.
"She usually sleeps with her plushie, but I guess she prefers her dad tonight," Lola teased softly. "Atlas."
Atlas lay on his side, gently patting Chacha over the blanket, his knuckles propped against his temple. His eyes, however, were on Lola.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"Will our kids... be alright?" she asked, her voice low. "Even though the evidence and clues we gathered don’t form a full picture yet, what I do know is... we’re up against very dangerous people."
She paused, breathing steadily. "I’m worried they might play dirty and target the children."
Instead of answering immediately, he lifted his head and reached for her. His fingertips brushed her hair as his eyes locked with hers.
"That won’t happen." His voice was quiet but firm. "If they’ve been watching me, then they know the children are the last people they’d dare touch."
Atlas loved his family deeply.
And if someone crossed them, he wouldn’t stand still. But the twins? They weren’t just his bottom line — going after them would guarantee slaughter. He had set examples before, and he was willing to go further.
"I won’t let that happen," he reassured. "As long as I’m here... I’ll do what it takes."
For his family, his siblings, his wife, his children, his people.
Silence followed his voice as the two of them held each other’s gazes. After a moment, Lola’s lips curved into a small smile.
"Okay," she whispered. "I believe you."
He nodded, stroking her hair as if lulling her to sleep.
"Sleep for now," he murmured. "Let’s rest tonight."
She hummed, her eyelids growing heavy. As sleep crept in, she gazed at him and let out a soft breath.
"Atlas..."
He hummed in response.
"I... love you."
Her voice faded into slow, heavy breathing. Though she had rested in Ravah, she realized only now that it hadn’t been true rest. Being home with her children was different.
Atlas smiled faintly, looking at his sleeping children, then at his wife.
"I..." he whispered, finally closing his eyes. "...love the three of you more."
Lola and the twins would probably never understand what he meant by "more." But he loved them more than they could love him, and he preferred it that way.
*****
The next day arrived without warning, and early in the morning, the mansion shook with Lola and Slater’s voices.
"EH?!"
Lola and Slater gasped at the same time, eyes wide as they stared at Hugo. Even Atlas looked stunned, glancing at Hugo, then at Allen, who was forcing a smile.
"What did you say?" Atlas asked.
"I’m saying..." Hugo scratched the back of his head. "Aunt Jessa’s going to kill us... if she finds out her daughter got abducted."