Chapter 236: Control Yourself, Woman!
[Penthouse]
"I’m home~!"
Slater announced his arrival as usual, expecting to see the twins and his brother in the living room. Much to his dismay, no one was there.
"Huh?" He blinked. "Were they already eating?"
Curious, he went to check the kitchen, hoping to see the excited faces of the children at the sight of their best uncle. But the dining room was also empty.
"Did they go to sleep?" He checked his watch. "But it’s still so early???"
Narrowing his eyes at the suspicious silence in the penthouse, Slater sprinted to the master bedroom to check on the twins. When he saw no one inside, he ran through the house, checking each room. Unfortunately, even their shadows were nowhere in sight.
Standing in the middle of the living area, his mouth fell open in disbelief.
"Where... in the world did they go?!"
*****
[Cabin]
A break, huh?
Lola’s thoughts circled back to that again and again—until she finally relaxed, enjoying a nice dinner prepared by the little master chefs. While they ate, the twins couldn’t stop themselves from asking her questions all at once, stabbing their father right in the chest with their words.
"Mommy, is it good?" they asked her first, but then it turned into a full-blown confession.
"Phew! Mommy, good thing we are here. Daddy wanted to prepare dinner for us, and he might be perfect except for anything about cooking."
"But don’t worry," Second added. "Chacha and Second are with you, so you won’t have to worry about getting poisoned!"
Lola laughed it off but couldn’t help sneaking a nervous glance at their father. Thankfully, Atlas was just eating quietly while his children unknowingly roasted his cooking skills.
It’s not bad, though, she thought. She had tasted his food once before—simple, maybe a little bland, but decent.
Little did she know, Atlas might have been quiet, but he was listening—very intently—to his children’s criticism.
Poison, huh?
Unaware of the silent poison he was brewing in his head, the family of four continued their meal until they finished. The cabin was cozy, and somehow, a little chilly. Afterward, they idled on the front porch.
There were still questions in Lola’s head, but she pushed them aside as she spent the next few hours chatting with the twins and playing board games. It sounded boring, but surprisingly, she didn’t even notice the time until she had to put the children to bed.
"Good night, Chacha, Second," she whispered, pausing at the door while looking at the twins one last time. She smiled before closing it.
As she turned, her eyes immediately fell on the living area window. Through it, she caught sight of Atlas idling alone on the front porch. A shallow breath slipped past her nose before she walked out to join him.
Atlas was leaning against the low railing. She stood beside him.
"So?" she hummed, eyeing the clearing and the tree line around the cabin. "Where are we? I don’t think I’m familiar with this place."
"Oakbridge, Willow Town."
"Willow Town..." she repeated, frowning as she thought about it. She knew this town, but it was in another region of Novera, one that required at least an hour by plane or a full day by ship.
"You mean... we flew here?"
"We did."
"And I didn’t wake up?" Lola gasped in disbelief. "Did you drug me by chance?"
He gave her only a blank side-eye, but that was enough for an answer. Lola pursed her lips in disbelief. How deeply had she slept? She hadn’t even woken up, transferring from the office to the plane to the cabin. Had she just fallen into a coma for a few hours?
"This place is a little far, but it is peaceful," he said. "Far away from the chaos."
Her thoughts halted at his words. She nodded, following his gaze toward the trees.
"You’re right," she chuckled softly. "You are... right."
Her eyes softened as a subtle smile curled her lips. Even when the penthouse was relatively quiet, it was still the city—the world that never sleeps or shuts up. Compared to that, the peace here was overwhelming.
Silence rested between them until his eyes slid to her.
"Do you want to take a walk outside?"
"Hmm?" Lola looked back at him. "A night stroll? We can’t. No matter how smart the children are, we can’t just leave them without an adult."
"They are not alone."
"Huh?" Her brows furrowed as she followed where he jerked his chin. She turned and caught Baby walking out from the tree line. "Baby?"
Baby paused, smiling innocently at them.
"I didn’t know he was with us."
"He’s always around." Atlas gave her a knowing look. "Told you he’s reliable."
"Oh... but where will he sleep? There are only two rooms here, and the couch in the living area."
"Over there."
She followed his pointing finger but saw nothing but trees. Narrowing her eyes, she couldn’t see beyond the first line of trunks.
"Is there a cabin there?" she asked.
He hummed. "It’s a small one, but it’ll fit him."
Atlas then looked back, meeting her gaze. "Should we take a short walk?"
"Like a date?" she blurted before she could stop herself. The words hung in the air, and she mentally winced, biting her tongue.
Control yourself, woman!
"Mhm," he hummed, snapping her out of her turmoil. "Like a date. Let’s have a date tonight—a simple one, if you don’t mind. Or would you?"
"..." She didn’t answer right away—not because she was hesitant, but because she was surprised. A night stroll in an unfamiliar town?
"I don’t mind," she finally said, smiling. "I think it’s perfect."
A very subtle smile appeared on his face, almost as if he were relieved or satisfied with her answer. With that, the two of them walked away after Atlas gave Baby instructions to look after the children.
As they left, Baby watched their figures fade into the distance. He shrugged, then quietly walked into the storage shed beside the cabin, took out some tools, and headed back the way he came. When he reached the small clearing that separated the cabin from the first line of trees, he caught sight of an entire group of people already at work—building another cabin for themselves.