Chapter 288: Move
All this time, Lola thought the penthouse was already packed. Oh, how wrong she was. Now, it was a full house for real. Interestingly, none of them asked her permission. They all just decided!
It was a good thing that whatever Slater had done with the rest of the rooms in the penthouse was finished. Penny, her husband, and their children now had a place to stay. The thought that they might all sleep in one room had almost made her faint. Lola was not ready for a slumber party.
On the bright side, last night had been quite the experience. The happiest were the twins, so that was a consolation.
"By the way, sis, you’re not getting bothered by anyone, are you? You haven’t noticed anyone following you or stalking you or anything of the sort?"
Lola snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at Penny, seated two chairs across from her. All the adults were gathered in the dining area for coffee, while the children were still asleep—it was too early for them. To be fair, Lola woke up early just to enjoy a cup of coffee, only to realize Penny and her husband were early birds like Atlas.
"No? I don’t think so," she answered, watching Penny shift her focus to Atlas.
"Then that’s that," Penny said to Atlas. "But First Brother, are you sure about the move you’ve made?"
"Penny, I don’t think you should be asking that of First Brother," Zoren said, sipping his coffee. "First Brother is always sure... according to Second Brother."
"Penny, do you want to die?" Slater leaned over, seated right next to Lola. "First Brother, Penny said she wants to die."
Penny clicked her tongue and glared at Slater, but the conversation continued.
"I don’t mind letting you borrow my men," she offered. "It’s better if you have people you can trust."
"No. Sending them to me isn’t ideal. If your defenses are weakened, they would come for you and Zoren," Atlas said, shaking his head. "There are still people I trust. I just need to know who turned their back on the Order."
"Still, that puts you at risk," Zoren argued calmly. "Sometimes the people we least expect to betray us are the ones who stab us in the back."
"First Brother, Penny and Zoren are right," Slater chimed in. "With how big the Zorken and the Order are, finding out who is leaking information about your house is like finding a needle in a haystack. Unless, of course, they make it known."
"And you can’t just kill all of them," Penny shrugged. "That’d be a lot of bodies. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOOOT. No one’s going to clean up that many bodies—at least, not me."
"Me neither," Slater said, shaking his head, while Zoren looked at Atlas thoughtfully. Only when Penny elbowed him did Zoren say, "I can’t either."
Lola listened quietly, absorbing their conversation. She grasped what they were talking about—the Secret Society—and with Penny and Zoren discussing it so casually, it only confirmed its existence. Not that she didn’t believe in it, but she found it amusing.
Lola blinked. Are they really talking about dead bodies at five in the morning?
The thought barely crossed her mind when everyone suddenly turned their attention to her.
"Uh... what?" Lola asked, confused. Thinking back on the siblings’ conversation, she added, "I’m not cleaning anyone’s body. That would put me behind bars. I don’t want to go to jail."
"Good thinking, sis." Penny gave her a thumbs-up. "No matter what, we stay out of prison. These men, on the other hand, we can visit them."
Lola’s face twitched as she glanced at Zoren and Atlas. Neither reacted. Slater merely gave Penny a sour look but didn’t object.
"Or until they make a mistake. I’ve already put up enough safety measures just in case something happens," Atlas remarked flatly. "We’ll move as soon as possible."
"Ohh..." Penny’s mouth formed an O-shape, and she elbowed her husband. Zoren, pleased to be drinking coffee, mimicked the gesture.
"When are we moving then?" Slater asked, tilting his head. "With how the situation is turning, I think we should move as soon as possible."
Atlas slowly looked at Slater, then shifted his gaze to Lola. "Up to her."
Again, all eyes fell on Lola. She blinked, utterly confused.
"What?" she asked, scanning Penny, Slater, and Zoren before settling her gaze on Atlas. "What page are we on? I’m completely lost."
"What?" Penny scrunched her nose. "He hasn’t told you yet?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Slater clicked his tongue continuously. "Look at him. Just making decisions. First Brother, if you keep this up, I don’t think my sister-in-law will ever accept your stone-cold heart! How could you not tell her about your plans?!"
Zoren opened his mouth, ready to comment, but closed it when Atlas’s eyes slid toward him.
"This coffee is very nice," Zoren said approvingly. "Please tell me where you buy the beans. Uncle Haines and Father will like them."
Lola’s face twitched. Is he scared of his first brother-in-law?
But then again, Lola couldn’t blame him. She’d be scared of Atlas too if she were Penny’s husband.
"But I still don’t know what you guys are talking about," Lola blurted.
Everyone turned their attention to Atlas. He let out a shallow breath and shrugged.
"I wanted to tell her later, but it’s already been brought up," Atlas said. "I’m planning to move out of the penthouse. Only because it’s not as secure as my other place."
"Your place in...?"
"My first brother owns a few small properties in Novera under Summit Partners," Slater explained. "And putting more men here to keep you and the twins safe is tricky."
"If there’s an attack, having civilians around works to their advantage," Penny continued. "As someone who lives with bodyguards, you should move."
"First Brother doesn’t like collateral damage," Zoren added calmly. "Staying here risks not only your life and the children’s, but also First Brother’s life and everyone else in this building."
"So, I’m planning to move somewhere more secure," Atlas said, eyes on Lola. "However, we’ll only do so with your agreement."
Again, all eyes were on Lola, waiting for her answer. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. In the end, she could only offer a slight smile.