[Order]
Atlas watched his children chat happily around the dining table while Lola listened. She hadn’t noticed anything yet, and he thought that was for the best. Even so, his children were noticeably ignoring him or avoiding eye contact altogether.
"Right." Lola cleared her throat, shifting her gaze to Hugo, Kiara, and Allen. "Why did you guys look so panicked earlier?"
"Huh?" The trio snapped out of their thoughts, tearing their eyes away from the twins and turning to Lola.
Lola tilted her head slightly. "I thought sothing happened," she humd. "What was it?"
She hadn’t had the chance to ask earlier, but now she rembered Hugo’s strange behavior. Since the twins were clearly fine, she wondered what all that panic had been about.
"Ah..." Hugo nodded, opening and closing his mouth. But before any words could slip out, Kiara clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Nothing!" Kiara smiled brightly. "It’s really nothing."
Allen nodded quickly. "Yes, Madam. It’s... it’s nothing."
"Nothing, huh?" Lola narrowed her eyes at them. "Are you sure?"
From what she could tell, their reaction didn’t look like nothing at all. If anything, it fueled the spiral of thoughts she’d had earlier that sothing might’ve happened to her children. But seeing the twins safe had eased her heart.
Now that she’d cald down, curiosity crept in.
"Mommy."
Suddenly, Chacha tugged at Lola’s arm.
Lola turned and leaned down as her daughter whispered sothing into her ear. Seeing this, the trio pursed their lips and held their breaths, dread mixing with curiosity as they wondered what Chacha was whispering.
"Oh..." Lola’s mouth ford a small o as she straightened. She looked from Chacha to the three adults, lips parting as if to speak—only to smile instead. "Never mind. I asked."
She then turned her attention to Second, reminding him to finish his al.
anwhile, everyone’s eyes shifted to Chacha, who wore a smug little smile. That did nothing to ease their nerves. If anything, they weren’t sure whether to sigh in relief or brace themselves. Still, whatever Chacha had whispered was enough to make Lola drop the subject.
That alone was good enough for them.
"Mommy, I want dessert," Second humd. "Can I have pudding?"
"Oh!" Lola nodded. "And you, Chacha?"
Chacha rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I want cake! Strawberry cake!"
"Okay." Lola nodded, then looked around. "Do you guys want sothing sweet too?"
"Pudding!" Hugo raised his hand enthusiastically, then pointed at Kiara. "Two—for both of us!"
"I’m fine, Madam," Allen said, lowering his head. He was already used to this routine.
With that, everyone watched as Lola stood up to get the twins their desserts. She liked doing these little things—in her own logic, it was her way of serving her family despite her busy schedule.
The mont she left their line of sight, everyone whipped their heads toward the twins. But before they could bombard them with questions or lectures, the twins deliberately avoided their gazes and turned to Atlas instead.
"Daddy, we saw Uncle Ricky on the island," Second blurted out.
Chacha nodded quickly. "He’s not dead. Second and Chacha and Renny and Chunchun helped him."
"Ricky?" Atlas repeated coldly, his gaze snapping to his children, who were already trying to save themselves.
Just like Atlas, his children knew him well. Had they returned earlier, they might’ve avoided confessing altogether. But the twins were smart. They knew their father had already caught on, so they had no choice but to speak up and divert his attention.
"The blonde uncle who sotis cos here," Chacha explained. "Isn’t he Ricky?"
Hugo and Allen furrowed their brows, exchanging looks before Allen blurted out, "You an... Henrik?"
The twins nodded.
"He was really hurt," Second explained, tapping his index fingers together. "So Chacha and I helped him. But I think he needs more help."
Atlas’s gaze darted between the twins while everyone else stood frozen—eyes wide, mouths slightly parted. It had been days since they failed to find Henrik... and the children had?
How?
"Allen." Atlas’s voice snapped Allen back to reality. Then Atlas turned to Hugo. "Get him."
At the sa ti, the twins explained where they had left Henrik. Allen and Hugo didn’t waste a second, imdiately forming a small rescue team to retrieve him.
*****
anwhile...
Henrik groaned as he touched his side, waking to a dull ache. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the fire was beginning to die, while the wind outside grew stronger. A distant howl echoed through the night, putting him on edge.
"Damn..." he muttered, forcing himself upright.
He reached for the wood those little gremlins had left behind and tossed it into the small bonfire to keep the cave warm. Then he grabbed one of the fruits and took a bite.
As he ate, his gaze dropped to his body, wrapped in layers of bandages. Like it or not, those kids had helped him. The wrappings weren’t professional, but they’d stopped his condition from worsening.
"I can’t believe those kids saved ," he muttered, crawling closer when he noticed the fire wasn’t catching properly.
Careful not to aggravate his wounds, Henrik crawled toward it. He picked up a stick and used its end to stir the ashes and burnt wood, but then he froze.
Deep lines ford between his brows as he listened.
"...."
He swallowed, lifting his gaze. The faint movents he heard—were they animals... or people?
Slowly, he pulled the stick away and let the fire die down.
"Be careful. There are wild animals around here."
The mont quiet voices echoed nearby, Henrik froze completely. His pupils dilated, and for a second, he even forgot to breathe. When he recovered, he glanced around and then down at himself.
He wasn’t in any condition to fight. And even if he were, Henrik had never been a good fighter.
He rembered the people who attacked him after he left the eting place. He’d seen their uniforms from afar—they were from the Order. Which ant whoever acted without Atlas’s command were traitors.
"I need to leave," he breathed, resentnt burning in his eyes.
Henrik took a steady breath and looked at the items the twins had left behind. Picking up the pills and the repellent Second had ntioned, he quietly applied them, checking for any labels.
Leaving the cave might be the wrong decision. After all, the twins could call for help, and people might co looking for him here.
But he didn’t know how long that would take.
And he was afraid whoever was nearby would find him first.
So, even knowing how reckless it was in his condition, Henrik gathered everything he could carry, crawled out of the cave... and left.
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