Monts ago...
"How do you do this?" Atlas looked at the hairdryer, standing behind her.
Lola chuckled. "Just switch the button, then blow my hair."
As instructed, he pressed the switch. The hairdryer started blowing hot air and making a loud noise. He pointed it at her hair, copying what she did. Lola watched him through the mirror, biting her lip to stop herself from grinning from ear to ear.
She just watched him in amusent. Atlas often made things seem like he knew what he was doing. But right now, it was clear he had no idea. The curiosity in his eyes told her that. Her eyes softened; her heart ward.
Thinking about last night, this wasn’t what she expected to spend the next day doing. She had expected the usual aftermath of a fight. But no — it felt like she was being treated like a princess. Before joy could fully bloom in her heart, worry crept in.
Atlas glanced at the mirror just as her smile began to fade. He switched off the hairdryer.
"What is it?" he asked. "Was I hurting you?"
Lola looked at his reflection. The usual hesitation she felt whenever he asked sothing was gone.
"You said my siblings are here to visit ?" she asked, and he blinked. "You an, Slater... and Penny?"
"Mhm. Tell if you don’t want to see them. The feeling is mutual."
She frowned. "Not that," she sighed, ignoring his side comnt. "I an, what did you tell them happened to ? Did they... know?"
She liked Penny, and even though Slater could be a handful, she liked him too. Still, they were his family, and she worried how they would look at her now.
"Did you tell them about last night?" she turned to face him. "They might not change your opinion of , but I... I value their opinion too. I don’t want to be a splinter in your relationship."
Atlas raised his brows, studying the concern in her eyes. He thought she was joking, but this was a real worry.
"They know everything that happened last night," he said. "And perhaps their opinion of you might shift a little."
She bit her lip; her eyes widened.
"But not like that," he clarified. "See for yourself."
*****
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. She trusted Atlas. Still, a part of her felt reluctant to et Penny and Slater face to face. Out of courtesy she agreed to see them. After all, they ca for her.
Lola suppressed her worry and tried to act cool. It didn’t take long for her to understand what Atlas ant.
"Did they turn off the CCTVs so no one would see how they failed so miserably?" Penny shrugged. "They turned them off hours before the attack! Even my people couldn’t retrieve anything that wasn’t recorded."
Slater clicked his tongue. "Sis, you shouldn’t have killed them so easily! You should’ve knocked them out and tortured them later!"
"Agree," Penny nodded. "Shooting them in the head is an easy death. They didn’t even feel it!"
"They make angry."
"If it were ..." Penny trailed off, thinking. "I would’ve run them over with a truck, then treat them and wait for their injuries to heal. That way, I can run over them a few more tis."
"Line them all up," Slater suggested, imagining people lying on the road one after another with Penny behind the wheel. "They deserve a much more painful death. How could they attack a lone woman?"
"And there were so many of them. Whoever sent them should be ashad."
"They barely grazed their target."
"This is why being a villain is not good," Penny intoned. "Villains should be smart—stupid villains destroy themselves before they can succeed."
Lola leaned back, sandwiched between Penny and Slater as they casually talked about last night. She jolted when Penny clapped and turned to her, then stopped and stared. Slowly, Penny’s eyes twinkled. When Lola glanced at Slater, his eyes glead too.
"..." Lola pursed her lips, darting her eyes between them. With this good-looking duo twinkling, she felt like squinting at their glow.
"Sis, I didn’t think about it, but you are really cool!" Slater declared, earning Lola’s attention. "Allen should be ashad for calling you normal. Clearly, you’re not."
"Ah?"
"You’re abnormal." Penny nodded, tapping Lola’s shoulder. "Next ti this happens, rember what I said. Don’t kill them so fast. Give them a day, at least."
"..." Lola pressed her lips into a thin line. "Do you guys have any idea what happened last night?"
She was glad they didn’t seem horrified. Still, she believed they didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the incident.
"Mhm," they nodded. "Allen showed us the cri-scene photos, and we even checked the morgue."
Lola was rendered speechless. She pointed at them. "You an, the two of you? Went to the morgue."
"Mhm," Penny humd. "This morning."
"Sis, why are you asking sothing so strange?" Slater frowned. "Instead of asking questions, you should be proud!"
"Proud?" Lola knitted her brows. "Why would I need to be proud...?"
"You held your ground and protected yourself," Penny said, tilting her head. "You’re still alive. Isn’t that sothing to be proud of?"
Lola held her breath, her eyes widened. Then Slater added, "Besides, you’re not the one who invited them. They intruded the penthouse. Was it your fault for retaliating?"
"It’s self-defense," Penny chid in. "Why make it sound like what you did was horrible? Sure, your hands got dirty. But if you hadn’t done it, it’d be your body in the morgue, not theirs."
Lola knew she’d acted to protect herself, but she didn’t want to rely on excuses and grow used to them.
A subtle smile touched her lips. She raised her hands and ruffled Penny and Slater’s hair. The duo lowered their heads in surprise.
"Thank you for coming today," Lola said, ruffling their hair gently. "I an it."
Penny and Slater blinked, then blinked again. After a second their eyes welled up and they jumped up to hug Lola, yelling in unison,
"Big sis~! Get married today, please~! We really want a big sister~!"
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