Lola smiled as she pulled the blanket over the twins’ bodies. After the wedding ceremony, she had enjoyed herself thoroughly—laughing, dancing, and downing a couple of drinks. Her mood had lifted even more when she saw Amala, Haji, and... well, Silo. Poor Silo drowned his heartbreak in alcohol all night, while Lola proudly paraded her hand around to make sure everyone saw the ring Atlas placed on it.
Everyone else had fun with gas and drinks. The highlight of the night was the betting pool Penny started on about anything and everything. Lola joined for the fun of it... and, like always, she lost. A great reminder that Lola’s luck had always been consistently terrible ninety percent of the ti.
"But my luck..." she murmured, her cheeks turning a faint pink. "I don’t mind having none, since my children seed to have taken all of it."
Chacha and Second were blessed little beings, as if the universe had stacked all the good fortune in their favor. They survived the accident, and despite the bittersweet outco, they found their father.
Lola sotis wondered what would’ve happened if the twins had grown up under her care. But she never regretted the fact that Atlas raised them. And when the twins decided to search for their mommy, out of all the flights in the world... they ended up on the sa one as Lola.
And their luck didn’t end there. It spread to everyone they touched. If blessings had nas, they would surely be Chacha and Second.
A soft exhale left her as she stepped back from the bed. The whole family was staying in the palace for the night before flying out for their honeymoon. She had no idea where Atlas planned to take her, but she didn’t mind not knowing.
Quietly, Lola slipped out of the twins’ room, giving them one last look before switching off the lights and closing the door. She walked toward the zzanine and peered over the railing.
Below, Atlas stood in his inner dress shirt, sleeves folded up to his elbows, speaking to Baby. anwhile, Baby listened dutifully while carrying a very unconscious Silo in his arms.
"It’s already late," Lola whispered, leaning against the railing as she studied her husband. Her lips curled upward, her eyes naturally censoring the sight of Silo’s limp body.
"My husband," she giggled under her breath. "That’s my husband right there."
Noticing their conversation winding down, she headed downstairs. Baby lowered his head respectfully and walked off—no doubt to deposit the wasted Silo into a bed before he vomited on one.
"Hello," Lola humd as she sauntered up to her husband.
Atlas turned toward her the mont she spoke. As soon as she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes. Her lips eagerly t his, stealing his breath as she deepened the kiss.
Atlas’s brows furrowed, and his hands settled on her hips, but before she could pull him closer, he gently broke the kiss.
"Hmm?" Lola blinked up at him, pouting. "Why?"
Atlas tilted his head slightly, studying her flushed face. She had clearly enjoyed a few drinks. He hadn’t stopped her because that wasn’t the point of today. She rarely got drunk, but the effects still showed on her cheeks and her sudden boldness.
"Baby," she whispered, leaning closer and fluttering her lashes dramatically. "You’re breaking my heart. Why did you pull away?"
Clack.
Lola flinched as sothing shattered nearby. Instinctively, she turned, and her soul froze.
Sitting on the couch set were Hugo, Zoren, Charles, Slater, and Finn. Penny was also there, and Jessa.
All of them were staring, wide-eyed. Their mouths open.
Atlas looked at them expressionlessly. "You saw us kiss during the wedding," he said coldly. "Don’t look surprised."
But they were surprised.
Sure, they saw the wedding kiss. But what they just witnessed was not a kiss. It was Lola seducing an avalanche wearing a suit. And the avalanche was welcoming it.
Everyone knew if they hadn’t been there, these couches they were sitting on wouldn’t survive the newlyweds’ heat.
Lola’s face grew even redder. She had been about to feel embarrassed or anxious about Atlas pulling away, wondering if she’d done sothing wrong.
But now? Now she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
"Ahem!" Charles coughed, fist against his mouth. "You two should rest. We’ll... continue this conversation so other ti."
Atlas nodded and grabbed Lola’s hand. "Co with ."
Before she could respond, he tugged her along quickly, almost in a hurry.
The family watched until the couple disappeared from their line of sight.
"Wow." Hugo blinked repeatedly. "I can’t believe First Brother really got married."
Jessa rocked her head. "So proud of him."
"What I can’t believe," Penny added dramatically, "is that I can finally get a wedding ceremony out of it."
Zoren, still staring in the direction the couple had gone, shook his head. "I don’t know why, but this leaves a void in my heart."
" too," Slater admitted, face twisting. "We nagged him for years to get married, and now that he has... I don’t know what to do with my life."
Sohow, everyone nodded. Even Penny, who had brought up Atlas’s love life more tis than anyone could count.
"But Anteca has a divorce law," Finn chid in with a friendly smile. Everyone turned to him, and his eyes squinted even more. "Just saying."
"My sister loves First Brother," Penny huffed at Finn. "And I think she likes a lot too."
"And the twins," Zoren reminded them knowingly. "It won’t be that easy."
"She’s trapped forever," Jessa humd, sipping her wine. Then she sighed dramatically. "Goodness. My daughter didn’t even attend the wedding. Penny, Yugi didn’t attend either. Where is that fool?"
Penny stiffened. "Actually, he did—"
Slam!
Jessa shot to her feet, flas almost bursting off her body. She cracked her neck to one side, then the other, flexing her fingers ominously.
Slater cautiously raised a hand. "Aunt Jessa, don’t kill your son. He’s still your son."
Jessa ignored him completely. "Where is he staying?"
As always, Penny didn’t hesitate to expose Yugi’s location. Before worrying about Jessa’s son, she had to worry about herself first.
And so, Jessa marched off to teach her "unfilial" son a lesson.
"Tsk tsk," Finn said, shaking his head. "After all these years, Yugi still hasn’t learned. I don’t know who I pity more—Aunt Jessa or Yugi."
"She’s going to kill him," Penny shrugged, zero guilt in her voice. "Anyway—"
She froze when her gaze landed on Charles, who had yet to move. He was still staring in the direction Atlas and Lola had gone.
"Dad?"
Charles inhaled deeply before eting their eyes. He let out another heavy exhale.
"Keeping her beside your brother is important," he said. "But what matters most now is... finding out what kind of danger has been lurking around Atlas."
The room fell silent instantly. Earlier — before Lola and Baby’s arrival—they had been discussing this. Concern returned to their faces, shadows settling over their earlier joy.
Because they all knew that even in this happy mont... sothing dangerous had been circling Atlas. Or perhaps the entire family.
And whoever it was... they knew Lola long before the Bennets ever did.
Reviews
All reviews (0)