Chapter 287: Fullhouse

Chapter 287: Fullhouse

"Jump!" Lola pulled Second up as he leapt over a puddle outside the restaurant.

"Yippee!" Second shouted, his hand in hers as he jumped. Chacha cheered too, but it was Atlas who was holding her.

"More! More!" they requested happily, and Lola and Atlas happily complied.

The family of four played together, with Lola and Atlas holding the children while the little ones found joy splashing in the puddles.

"Jump!" Lola intoned. Second leapt again, chuckling at his own flexibility. She glanced at Atlas, who maintained a straight face as Chacha stomped in the puddles. Splashes reached his trousers, but he didn’t move.

A light chuckle escaped Lola as she watched the father and daughter. Despite his drenched trousers, Atlas didn’t scold Chacha. If anything, he stood close as she deliberately splashed him.

"I want to do that too!" Second suddenly let go of Lola’s hand and ran toward the puddles Chacha had been mercilessly stomping. The moment he jumped in, a big splash hit both Atlas’s leg and Chacha.

Chacha giggled and jumped in as well. The two children bounced up and down in the puddles until it was almost empty.

"Done now?" Atlas asked flatly, looking at the energetic kids. He then pointed at his wet trousers. "You’ll wash these pants."

"No, they will not," Lola interjected, gathering the children. Chacha and Second hugged her sides, grinning mischievously at their father. "They just played in puddles. You should’ve stayed away."

Atlas’s already stoic expression faltered slightly as he looked at Lola, then the children. When he met their eyes, they shrank behind her.

"Don’t worry about your father," Lola said, hands on their backs. "He’s not as angry as you think."

"Hehe. Because we have a mommy, that’s why!" Chacha grinned, while Second tugged at Lola’s leg. "Mommy, let’s watch a movie later~!"

"Okay," Lola smiled. "Let’s do lots of things together, okay?"

"Okay~!"

Soon, the twins spotted their car pulling over. Dragging Lola with them, they shot Atlas a glance and smiled. The man let out a shallow breath before following.

****

[Penthouse]

Dinner with Atlas and the twins had been simple. As usual, the twins ordered everything they could, only for their father to choose the items they hadn’t. Afterwards, they played outside the restaurant while waiting for their ride.

Simple, yet Lola’s heart was full.

It felt as if they had become a family overnight. But Lola knew this relationship wasn’t built in a day—it had taken effort from everyone involved. Tonight, she was simply looking forward to spending time with the children, caring for them, and loving them some more.

That was the plan, though Lola knew from experience that her plans rarely went smoothly.

Standing frozen in the middle of the penthouse, Lola stared at the people in the room.

"Oh, sis, you’re back~!" Slater beamed, jumping from the couch and running to her. "How was your dinner with the twins and my first brother? Did he propose?"

Lola slowly turned to him, then glanced at Atlas, who continued toward the couch without a word. Meanwhile, the twins cheered,

"Cousins~!" running toward the playpen set up in the living area.

"Uh..." Lola blinked, caught between the playpen, Slater, and two new guests in the home. Her mouth opened and closed as she stared at Penny and then another man seated across on the long couch.

I don’t feel good about this, she thought. The last time I froze in this spot, I was looking at someone who decided to live here with us.

And she meant Slater.

Now, seeing Penny and the familiar man approaching, Lola braced herself for the worst.

"Ah!" Slater clapped, gesturing to the man who had stopped a few paces away. "Sis, this is my brother-in-law."

"Hello," the man said, extending a hand. "My name’s Zoren. I’m pleased to finally meet you, sister."

Lola blinked, panicking slightly, and whipped her head toward Penny. Of course, she knew this man. He was a legend in Novera’s business circles—there was no way someone like him would be casually here.

Penny stopped near her, smiling. "Sis, I mentioned that my hubby and I decided to have a short vacation."

Oh, hell no.

"But since we’re already here in Novera and planned to stay a short while, we thought—why not stay at your place?!" Penny beamed, her tooth glinting like she had just thought of a brilliant idea. "That way, my children can play with their cousins, I get time with you, and we can make my first brother’s life a living hell—"

Just as Penny finished, Lola clasped her hands together, desperation clear in her eyes.

"Penny," Lola said, smiling tightly, "please don’t ruin the image I have of you like Slater did."

"..." Penny smiled, while her husband said, "That is already too late, sister."

Slater moved closer to Lola’s side. "Sis, whatever image you have of Penny, just forget it. She’s not like that at all."

"Want to die?" Penny hissed, noticing her husband carrying two of their children, while Atlas picked up the other two. She faced Lola again.

"Let’s have a lot of fun, sis," Penny said, slapping Lola’s shoulder. "And I already chose a room for us! This place is amazing! Love it!"

With that, she patted Lola’s back once more and skipped ahead. "First Brother, I want to watch something!"

Lola’s eyes fell on Zoren, only to meet a short nod from him. Slater tapped her back and gave a slow nod. She felt the twins pat her legs apologetically, but said nothing.

In the end, Lola could only stare as everyone headed toward the family room.

"Wait!" she shouted, following them. "Guys, asking permission isn’t going to hurt anyone, right?!"

Everyone stopped and looked back. Lola took a step back under their gazes.

"I mean..." she gulped, forcing a smile. "Welcome! Let’s enjoy each other’s company."

Everyone smiled except Atlas, who glared daggers at them all. Even the quadruplets weren’t spared.

And just like that, the penthouse was in full swing with more people in it. As for Lola? She could only watch as everyone’s image shatter them so willingly and so happily. All she could ask herself was;

Just what do these people want?