Sometime before the battle on Zorken Island, there was another battle the Bennet siblings got into. It happened on Pierson Island, but that was mostly accidental. At least, that was what Atlas and Hugo said.
It was because Slater and Benjamin, Zoren’s assistant, got abducted. Or rather, they were taken into the enemy base because of the trouble they got themselves into. So, the siblings did what they had to do — go crazy.
What they uncovered was an illegal gambling ring that forced people into what was practically modern slavery.
Of course, they managed to get out of there alive and even got the syndicate arrested.
But during that time, Penny almost got herself killed. From what Atlas and Hugo told Lola, it was because Penny thought she was helping a child. As it turned out, that child injected her with something that incapacitated her.
The strangest part was that instead of leaving her to die, the woman who appeared with the child gave her an antidote. Until now, it was a question that resurfaced in everyone’s mind every once in a while. Sadly, even with Atlas being the head of the Order, he still had no answer as to who they were or what they truly wanted.
"Ugh..." Lola collapsed face-first onto the bed, grunting. "I feel like my head is spinning."
First, Yuri’s discoveries, and then the pills. She appreciated Ransom reporting to her as soon as the results came out, but he could’ve waited a bit.
"There’s just too much information," she muttered, turning her head to the side. "I feel like my brain’s going to explode."
Or maybe she was simply sleep-deprived.
"I should get some sleep," she whispered, staring at the wall. "But even when my brain is exhausted, and my body wants rest, I don’t feel sleepy anymore."
If anything, her brain was exhausted but still very active.
Lola closed her eyes and sighed heavily, unable to stop herself from thinking that this was too much. They had just finished Ravah — actually, they hadn’t finished Ravah yet. There were still things to uncover, especially in Ashkar and the Bellemonte.
And yet, here they were, investigating Yuri’s case.
"No," she whispered, keeping her eyes closed. "I can’t complain. Someone’s life is on the line."
Yuri was family. Even when Atlas kept a cool front, Lola could feel his worry and anger. It was just that Atlas was good at controlling his emotions and understood he couldn’t act rashly.
On top of that, because Atlas was calm, everyone — including her — felt calmer instead of panicked. He was their anchor, and Atlas knew that before anyone told him.
Talk about being a responsible eldest brother.
As Lola lay there, trying to lull herself to sleep, the door creaked open, followed by the cheerful voices of the twins.
"Mommy~!" they cheered in unison, making Lola peek at the door.
She opened her eyes just in time for the children to jump onto the bed. Her lips stretched into a smile as she pushed herself up to sit.
"Ah," she whispered, cupping Chacha’s cheek. "Have you finished the pancakes?"
"Mhm!" Chacha nodded with a bright smile. "It’s so yummy!"
"Mommy, we ate all of it!" Second grinned proudly. "And then Auntie Ki said she’ll give us lots and lots of fruits as snacks later!"
Lola smiled softly, her body relaxing in their presence. "Chacha and Second are really good," she hummed. "Do you want to play?"
She might not have slept last night, but somehow, she still felt she had the energy to play with her children. Also, deep down, she felt guilty that they had just come back from Ravah and were already facing another problem.
To her surprise, the twins shook their heads with smiles on their faces.
"You don’t... want to play with Mommy?" Lola blurted out, only to see them grin.
"Chacha and Second like to play with Mommy," Second corrected, his small hands holding Lola’s. "But we also want Mommy to rest."
"Mommy and Daddy work hard for Chacha and Second," Chacha mused. "That’s why Second will be a good boy!"
Lola smiled, though at the back of her mind, she wondered why Chacha was excluding herself.
"You two..." she sighed, pinching their cheeks, her eyes soft with affection.
Now I feel more guilty.
"Daddy told us Mommy and Daddy just need to work on something and help Auntie Yuri," Chacha added. "We don’t want Auntie Yuri to be in trouble."
Second nodded. "Mommy, please save Auntie Yuri so we can play together!"
Lola’s brows rose slightly; she hadn’t expected Atlas to tell them this. Then again, she often forgot her children were little geniuses.
"Mhm." She hummed, eyes soft, her heart tightening with determination.
Slowly, she lowered her head toward them, smiling. "Chacha, Second, once we save Auntie Yuri, how about we go on a trip?"
Their faces lit up instantly. Lola chuckled, pulling back.
"Mommy and Daddy promise we’ll bring Auntie Yuri home, and then we’ll play, okay?" she suggested, and the twins nodded excitedly.
A shallow breath escaped Lola as she studied her beautiful children.
I was complaining about staying up all night for things that could destroy our peace and threaten my children’s safety, she thought, caressing their cheeks gently. How could I complain?
Many people had played God with Lola’s life just because they thought they could. Worse, many of them were people she least expected — Jasmine, Lawrence, Mike... Loren.
So, knowing Yuri had tried to interfere — even if she didn’t mean to play God in Lola’s life — she had still contributed to this life Lola had now, whether she admitted it or not. In many ways, this woman was someone Lola owed.
And the only way she could repay Yuri was to help her out of that situation so they could solve this once and for all.
*
*
*
Five hours later...
"I’ll do it!" Lola announced as soon as the door flew open, causing everyone inside the room to jump in surprise.
Her eyes shone with resolute determination as she huffed sharply. "Let’s beat them all at their own game!"