Chapter 196: Behind the Scenes
[Second and Chacha’s POV in Chapter 3]
The twins sat on the monobloc chairs in the management office of the airport. Their feet swung to and fro as they listened and watched Lola show the officers documentation to prove she was not their mother.
"Mommy doesn’t love us, does she?" Chacha frowned a little, her shoulders lowering.
Second, who was getting demotivated while listening to Lola, turned to his sister. Seeing Chacha’s mood dip, he pressed his mouth into a thin line and forced a smile.
"Chacha, Mommy was on a long flight," he said. "She’s probably tired and confused."
"Tired that she already forgot about us?"
"We also forget things when we’re tired. Only Daddy doesn’t forget because he’s petty. We’re not petty like him."
Chacha blinked before she smiled at her brother. "Okay!"
Then, they moved their eyes back to the officers and Lola. At the same time, Lola heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank you!" she intoned, as if relieved that they finally believed she was not a neglectful mother trying to abandon her kids.
"We’ll be paging and trying to find someone who has missing children," said one of the officers. "Thank you."
Lola nodded before turning her head to the children in the corner. They were looking at her so adorably that she felt slightly guilty. But then again, she knew that whoever their parents were, they were surely worried sick.
A deep exhale escaped her as she approached the twins, resting her hands on her knees. "Kids, I already told them the situation. They will look for your parents, okay?"
But the twins just kept their lips pursed, eyes on her.
"You’ll be fine," she said as she straightened her back, turning to leave. But as she turned, Second asked,
"Are you leaving us?"
When Lola looked back at them, her heart clenched. The children were looking at her with such deep and expectant expressions that it almost hurt.
She smiled at them subtly. "They’ll find your parents soon."
Having said that, Lola resumed her steps and walked away. As she neared the exit, Silo rose from his seat.
"Are we leaving?" he asked, shooting the twins a look. "You’re not going to wait for their parents?"
But Lola moved without pausing. "Let’s just go, Silo."
And with that, Lola stepped out of the office while Silo followed closely behind her. As for the twins, they just stared at the shut door. Their lips curved down, a little disheartened.
"Second, what are we going to do now?" Chacha turned to her brother, the corners of her eyes a bit teary. "Our mommy left us... again. Does she really not want us anymore?"
The two of them were on an adventure to travel across the globe and find their mother. They did so with meticulous planning, enrolling themselves in a homeschool that wouldn’t require them to stay in one place. They even prepared a proposal plan so their father would know what they were up to.
But alas, they were just turned away.
Of course, even if they were daring enough to make these plans, they were still children. And at this rejection, it made them wonder why their father never talked about their mother.
Second was disheartened as well, but his sister was already sad. If he showed weakness, she would surely cry.
"Chacha." He reached for her hand, smiling. "I think... we are too much in a hurry."
"Too much in a hurry?"
He nodded. "Mommy hasn’t seen us since we were babies, so she probably didn’t recognize us. She probably didn’t want other kids because she already has us."
Chacha blinked while Second grinned.
"Let’s not get disheartened!" he mused. "I’m sure if we work hard, she will remember us. Or, she will love us so much that she will never leave us again!"
Chacha thought about her brother’s logic, and somehow, it made sense to her. Determination lit up in her eyes, and she nodded at him. But then...
"But she already left," she frowned. "We don’t know where she lives."
"Then, we have to hurry!"
Having said that, Second jumped from his seat and reached out to his sister. Holding his hand, Chacha also jumped from her chair, and together they approached one of the staff members in the office.
"Hello, Good Mister," Second greeted, looking up at the man before them. "We now remember someone and their phone details. Can I borrow a phone to call our uncle?"
The staff smiled at the twins and nodded. "Sure. Tell me the number and I’ll call him for you."
Second quickly recited a private local number, which the man dialed on his phone. Hearing it ring, the man handed his phone to the boy.
"Hello?" Second’s voice was heard. "My sister and I are stuck at the airport without a guardian. Can you help us leave? Please hurry. We are running out of time."
The man listening to the boy knitted his brows in confusion, but didn’t think much of it. After the brief phone call, Second handed the phone back to him.
"Thank you, Mister," he smiled.
"You’re welcome." The man then turned to the desk. "Hey, did someone already claim missing kids? They just called their guardian; they might be here soon."
Just as the man finished his remark, the office telephone rang. The officer at the desk quickly answered, knowing that only the management would usually call from this line. But after a second, her eyes dilated.
"Ye—yes, sir! Right away!" The officer then snapped her eyes to her colleague standing in front of the twins. She smiled awkwardly and nervously as her gaze fell on the two adorable buns. "You may go."
"Thank you~!" Chacha and Second beamed, and just like that, they walked past the man.
Confused, the man watched the twins and his colleague. "Hey, what are you—"
"Just let them go!" the colleague at the desk panicked, watching the kids push the door. The second the door opened, there were already some higher-ups rushing outside and then stopping right before it.
The confused man, who had lent them his phone, also saw this, utterly baffled.
"What in the..."
"We need help," Second chimed at the men in suits waiting for them outside. "Can you find this vehicle with this plate number and model?"
"Of course, young master!" The general manager of the airport bowed deeply. "Please let us know, and we’ll find it for you."
As the twins giggled and went, the confused man walked back to the desk. Confusion was clear on his face as he turned to his colleague.
"Who are those... kids?"
The colleague looked at him as if they had just avoided a disaster. "It’s not who those kids are, it’s who called." She bit her lip and leaned over the desk, hissing, "It was the Prime Minister himself!"
And just like that, the twins quickly located Lola’s van, and the kind staff of the airport even helped them unlock the doors so they could wait for her inside. Sure enough, Lola and Silo arrived not long after, and so, the twins’ plans commenced.
So far, they had been successful!
Surely, hard work pays off.