CHAPTER 207: ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED

"Bye..." Silo’s voice trailed off as Lola jumped out of their car without looking back. "Tsk. She’s probably really excited to go home."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, reminded of the guy living with Lola. He sighed and shook his head.

"Well, with that kind of face, I would be excited to go home too."

"Hey, what are you mumbling about?" Haji called from the back. "Let’s go, man."

Silo glanced in the rearview mirror before driving off. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, even though part of him wanted to confront Lola. Still, he didn’t think he was the right person to do so.

But unlike what Silo imagined, the reality in the penthouse was very different.

****

[Penthouse]

Lola hadn’t even put her key in when the door flew open from the inside. Her smile instantly disappeared the moment she saw the person standing there.

Slater.

"Hello, sis!" he grinned. "Welcome back~!"

Lola deadpanned, clearly unimpressed with the guy who had just left with the family before she could even ask Atlas about something this morning.

"Never mind, self," she mumbled loud enough for him to hear. "Slater, I really want to go home, and you’re in the way."

"Right, right." He giggled and stepped aside. The second he did, Lola walked inside. He jogged beside her, smiling from ear to ear, his mouth opening and closing as if he couldn’t decide what to say first.

When she reached the end of the entryway, she stopped and faced him. "What is it?"

"Sis, is it true?" Slater leaned in, lowering his head to match her height. "Did you... my brother... the two of you...?"

She pursed her lips slowly, studying those shimmering eyes. Even though Slater’s image had been brutally ruined by himself, he was undeniably charming—charmingly so for a little brother. No wonder Atlas just let him be, ridiculous as he could be.

"Did he tell you that?" she asked cautiously, watching him nod profusely. "He said we... the two of us..."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," he nodded even more excitedly.

"So, it’s true that he... kissed me?"

"Uh-huh—" The excited smile on his face froze as his brows knitted. "Huh?"

Confused, Lola furrowed her brows. "Huh?"

"Sis, what did you say?" Slowly, his mouth fell open as his eyes widened. "You two, did what?"

"You—" she bit her tongue. "You weren’t talking about that?"

"No, I was trying to say he told me that the two of you talked," Slater blinked, making her hold her breath until her neck turned taut. He paused, then covered his mouth. "Did you two... ki—ki—"

"No!" she blurted out in horror, and without waiting, she resumed walking, switching from her outdoor shoes to indoor slippers.

"Wait, sis!"

"We didn’t! Leave me alone!" she yelled, hurrying inside to avoid him. As his voice echoed behind her, she winced.

Why would I even think Atlas would share that detail with his brother?! Did I just taint that guy?!

"Sis!!" Slater jogged after her, but her little steps hastened.

At the same time, the twins suddenly emerged, running from the room they came from.

"Mommy~!"

Lola hastened forward and slid onto her knees. "Babies~!" But instead of the usual hug, she stopped behind them. "Babies, your uncle is nagging me again."

The twins frowned, then looked back at Slater.

"Uncle Best, why are you harassing our mommy again?" Second stepped forward, shielding Lola and Chacha. He spread his arms wide and shouted, "Uncle Best, if you want to touch my mommy and Chacha, you have to go through me first!"

Slater gasped, dumbfounded at the little boy’s intense glare. Meanwhile, Chacha hugged Lola as if comforting her.

"I was just—"

"Uncle Best, please stop now," Chacha barked. "Our mommy is already very pitiful. It’s not good that you always pick on her."

Lola nodded, maintaining a pitiful front until she heard their next remarks.

"She might be a little weird sometimes, but she’s still our mommy," Chacha added. "She’s already very thin and lacks proper nutrition. Do you want her to be more skin and bones from stress?"

"She already looks stressed half the time," Second chimed in. "How is she going to live if you keep doing this to her?"

"That’s right! Leave our mommy alone!" Chacha added again. "She’s already a bit out of touch."

Second nodded. "She needs recovery! Uncle Best is not helping!"

The pitiful look Lola had been wearing and the mischievous giggle she’d been suppressing disappeared instantly. All she could do was stare at the twins with a dead expression.

What they said hurt more than telling Slater about what happened between me and his brother.

Just then, Lola instinctively turned toward Atlas’s usual spot. "Wait a second. Babies, where’s your father?"

"Hmm?" the twins turned to her. "Mommy, Father Sir had an emergency. He’s flying out to settle something."

"Oh..." Lola’s mouth formed an o-shape, then flinched as the twins turned back to Slater.

"Uncle Best, apologize to our mommy now!" they demanded.

Watching how the twins refocused on the situation, Lola made a mental note: never do that again. After all, the twins might scold their uncle, but she wasn’t safe from their criticism either!

In the end, once the twins had calmed down, Lola and Slater slumped onto the couch, exhaustion evident on their faces, while they watched the twins do homework around the small coffee table.

"I never thought they could be hard to please sometimes," she mumbled, loud enough for Slater to hear but not the kids.

Slater’s face contorted as he looked at his future sister-in-law. But before he could speak, Lola beat him to it.

"I’m sorry, okay?" she huffed. "I regret it now. I was in the wrong. Happy now?"

The anger on his face quickly subsided. "Fine. Now at least you know my pain."

"What pain?" Lola knitted her brows. "Why? Did you also do that?"

"Yeah." He deadpanned, recalling a memory from the past. "It was my first brother, and I hid behind the twins. The same thing happened."

"I can already imagine," she muttered. They both gazed at the twins and sighed heavily at the same time.

Another lesson learned.