Chapter 256: New Chapter My Butt!
Lola and Silo’s friendship hadn’t started smoothly. If anything, the beginning of this so-called friendship started with a rivalry. Both of them fought tooth and nail for their young hearts; if Lola cheered for Atlas, Silo would be screaming his lungs out.
If she did something for Atlas—even when the guy didn’t even notice—Silo would double down. When Lola confessed and offered her ultimate crush chocolates, Silo handed him ten more from different brands.
When did it stop?
Well, when they were both rejected by the campus’s ultimate crush so mercilessly. Lola was turned down for not being a fan club member, while Atlas told Silo flat-out that he wasn’t his type.
Neither Lola nor Silo could remember how the friendship even began, but they knew it was rooted in their common interest. And because Lola was the only one who comforted Silo after his rejection, the two ended up crying together and bonding over heartbreak.
*
*
*
Lola shook her head, glaring at Silo with clear dismay as though he’d already betrayed her. Silo pursed his lips, sitting in silence while Atlas took a seat.
"Uncle!"
The quadruplets immediately swarmed Atlas, clutching his knees and calling out to him in unison.
But Atlas was unfazed by their cuteness overload. He simply stared down at them—then at the other children—with his usual cold detachment.
"Slater, any word from Penny?" he asked, making Slater jolt.
Slater had been trying to reach his sister, under Atlas’s orders, but had failed.
"Her phone’s off," Slater pouted. "She’s probably away. I heard that she and Zoren had a project somewhere, and they just can’t take the children."
"Why leave these four here?"
"First Brother, you know they rarely leave their kids with anyone," Slater sighed. "Mom and Dad probably couldn’t either. They have a trip planned."
"And Hugo?"
"You know they’ll never trust him with their kids again."
Atlas’s brows furrowed as he massaged the bridge of his nose. While he thought, everyone else stared at him for different reasons: Slater worried he might kick the children out, Silo couldn’t look away, and Lola was simply concerned about what he would say or do.
"Father Sir, don’t worry about them!" Second piped up, moving to his father’s side. "Uncle Best is here! And we’re here too! We’ll take care of them!"
Chacha stood on his other side, nodding. "We can take them to school too!"
"First Brother, I’ll look after them!" Slater raised his hand eagerly. "I promise I won’t let you down! They won’t bother you at all!"
That’s not my concern.
Atlas glanced at the children, who were beaming up at him adorably. Though his expression didn’t change, he ruffled their little heads mildly before fishing out his phone and speed-dialing someone.
"Find out where Penny and Zoren went," he ordered as soon as the call connected. "And send someone I can trust to them if they need backup."
"Yes, sir."
He hung up and turned his eyes to Lola. "My sister asked me for a favor, but she didn’t tell me it would be like this. They might need to stay with us. Is that okay with you?"
"Huh?" Lola flinched, then nodded without thinking. "Of course."
At her response, Silo whipped his head toward her. In that instant, he finally understood how this penthouse had become so packed.
*****
"How could you?" Silo huffed, standing outside the penthouse as Lola walked him out. "No wonder you wouldn’t tell me anything."
Lola exhaled sharply, holding the door open. "Silo, are we still doing this?"
"Hah! I’m not the first one who betrayed this friendship."
"Silo." She sighed. "It just happened, alright? You were there when I first met the twins! I didn’t know their father is... him!"
Her voice rose before she caught herself. Making sure no one inside overheard, she stepped out and shut the door behind her.
"Silo, please. For the sake of friendship, let’s just be happy for each other, okay?" she whispered. "Atlas is mine now, so just... back off."
Silo scoffed. "Goodness, just look at you. Why did I ever think you’d like someone else, when all these years you’ve been a devoted fan of his? New Chapter my butt!"
"I’m not a fan, and this is the new Chapter of my life."
"Not a fan? You even named your company—and your pen name—after him!" he whisper-yelled, glaring in disbelief. "That’s not just being a fan, Lola. That’s stalking."
Lola touched her nape and stretched her neck, biting back her frustration. This was exactly why she hadn’t told him and why she’d wanted to surprise him instead.
"Fine, fine." Silo clicked his tongue. "I’ve moved on from him, anyway. I like girls now."
"Oh?" She arched a brow, suspicion narrowing her eyes.
"That was just a phase. I’ve outgrown it." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, Lola, should I start living with you? You’ve got plenty of space, right?"
She deadpanned. "When I first asked you to stay with me, did you forget how mercilessly you turned me down? You said you needed a life away from your boss."
"I changed my mind."
"Just leave." She clicked her tongue. "Besides, there’s no room available. They’re all under construction."
"You think I’ll believe that?"
"Even I can’t believe it," she shot back, stepping aside. "Why don’t you see for yourself? Go."
Silo frowned deeply, glaring at her. "Fine. I’ll just stay in my apartment. More peace there anyway. Not worth staying with you when those kids destroy my heart every chance they get."
"Mhm. Take care."
Silo was about to leave when he paused and turned back. "By the way, did Amala tell you?"
"Hmm? Tell me what?" She blinked, then realized Amala must have already brought it up with him. "Ah... no. Amala hasn’t told me anything yet—I’ve been busy with other things."
Now that she thought about it, she exhaled deeply. The surprise babysitting had distracted her, but she still had something important to discuss with Atlas.
"That’s weird," Silo frowned. "How could she put it off? What is Amala thinking?"
Lola snapped out of her thoughts. "Why? If it’s important, she’ll tell me. Don’t make a big deal out of it."
"Is Vito not a big deal for you?" he asked. Her body stiffened, her eyes dilating slightly that instant. "Vito is coming. Here, to Novera. And you can bet he’ll be looking for you. That’s the news Amala wanted to tell you. You think that’s not a big deal?"
"..."
Silo shook his head, ruffling his hair. "What’s going on with Amala? How could she not tell you and call it unimportant?"
Lola kept her eyes down, making Silo sigh.
"Don’t worry about him," he reassured. "Amala’s here. He won’t be able to do anything... probably."
"It’s Haji," she blurted softly.
"Huh? What about him?"
Slowly, Lola lifted her eyes to meet Silo’s. "Haji. She probably found out he came with me under Vito’s orders."