Chapter 187: I Guess I Am Happy.
Slater had always known Atlas’ competitive nature. It was why he had deliberately tugged at Atlas’s ego to make his plans work. Never in his wildest dreams had he planned to trigger Lola’s!
But it happened.
Plan A to Z? He should’ve done Plan 1 to a million. Because surely, not only had Lola and Atlas shattered his heart, but they would also get banned from this place. After all, whatever the twins asked, they would get it.
The problem was, the twins only wanted the prizes—never the things in the stores inside the amusement park. One game after another, Atlas and Lola played each arcade like their lives depended on it.
"Do you like it?" Lola asked the kids, holding the big teddy bears, so the twins could enjoy their cotton candy.
Their cheeks heated as they gazed up at their shining mother. "Mhm! It’s really good!"
"Father Sir, want to try?" Chacha asked, turning to Atlas, who was also carrying two sets of gigantic teddy bears for the twins.
"No."
Yet despite his refusal, Chacha giggled as if she had already won. With that, they strolled around until they found an empty bench to rest. They had been at it since they arrived, so taking a break to conserve energy for the other rides later was only natural.
Once the twins were seated, Lola put down the teddy bears.
"Chacha, Second, do you want to go to the restroom with me?" she asked, but the twins shook their heads.
"Don’t mind them," Atlas remarked, sitting down with the children. "Go. We won’t leave. I promise."
Lola pressed her lips together and nodded, smiling. Once out of sight, she hastened her pace to the restroom. Playing all those games was exhausting, but what her body truly craved wasn’t rest, but a bathroom break.
Meanwhile, back at the bench, the twins hummed. They turned their heads toward the other bench, where Slater was sulking.
"Is Uncle Best alright?" Chacha wondered, tilting her head. "Did he not like this place?"
"How is that possible?" Second pouted. "It’s so fun! I could live here!"
Atlas, on the other hand, just stared at his sulking brother without a trace of emotion. He didn’t feel sorry for him. This was Slater getting what he deserved for challenging him.
"I want Uncle Best to have fun too," Chacha mused, facing her brother and father. "Father Sir, maybe we can buy Uncle Best something."
She then pointed toward the ice cream stand from a distance. Atlas and Second followed her gaze.
"Can we buy Uncle Best ice cream?" Second asked, already sporting puppy eyes. "Uncle Best gave his all to arrange everything!"
Chacha nodded. "His itinerary plan was even accurate! He worked hard."
Atlas darted his eyes between the two while keeping a straight face. "Buy it for him."
"But Uncle Best will feel like Father Sir is neglecting him," Chacha blinked. "Let’s buy him something while Mommy is not back yet."
"Mhm~! Because when Mommy is back, we won’t have time for him anymore." Second nodded in agreement.
Atlas’s deadpan expression suggested he would refuse his children’s idea. But in the end, he nodded and told them to pick up their teddy bears. Who knew? Someone might have snatched them away. They were bears Lola had won, after all. That added more value to them.
"Penny’s gonna kill me for sure..." Slater mumbled, dark clouds hovering over his head as he drew circles on the bench. "I told her First Brother’s going to marry, but at this point, this story is sticking to comedy and not romance."
"Damn it..." he trailed off as his surroundings suddenly dimmed.
Looking up, all he saw was Atlas’ naturally cold face staring at him. And then, the twins beamed at him, offering their little hands.
"Uncle Best, do you want ice cream?" they asked in unison, their voices sweet and warm. "Ice cream might make you feel better!"
Slater darted his eyes between the twins and Atlas. His mouth quivered, and the corners of his eyes reddened with tears.
"Huhuhu, babies~!" After a second, he wept and hugged the twins. "It’s a good thing you two are here. Just looking at you is healing me so much~!"
The twins raised their brows as their uncle hugged them. Looking at each other, they smiled and quietly agreed to lend their shoulders for their uncle to cry on. After all, they also felt sorry for Slater, whose plans hadn’t worked.
When Slater stopped crying, the four of them headed to the ice cream stand to buy the "big baby" a cone of ice cream.
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Moments later, Lola came out of the cubicle and went straight to the sink. As she washed her hands, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were slightly rosy, her lips curled naturally, and her eyes gleamed.
"Hmm?" Her brows rose in slight surprise, almost not recognizing the woman looking back at her.
It wasn’t that her face had changed, but the look on it was something she hadn’t seen before. Strange, since she spent so much time in front of mirrors whenever she put on her disguise. Even then, she would look and not like the person staring back.
It wasn’t the face that changed—it was the look. That look... of happiness?
She bit her lip as her smile was tempting to broaden. Thinking of the day, it didn’t feel like fulfilling the twins’ wish or ticking off a bucket list. Rather, it felt like fulfilling her inner child’s desires from the bottom of her tender heart.
"Today was fun," she whispered, taking in her reflection. "And... I guess I am happy. Goodness, you."
Shaking her head, a light chuckle escaped her lips as she finished washing her hands. She didn’t linger and skipped out of the restroom. But when she reached the area where she had left the twins, Atlas, and Slater... the bench was empty.
"Huh?" Her brows knitted, and her steps slowed.
Lola stopped several steps from the empty bench, scanning the area. People bustled around, but not the ones she was looking for. The more she didn’t see them, the more panic throbbed in her chest.
When her eyes fell on the empty bench, the smile lines on her face faded. Even the teddy bears were gone.
"Am I..." she whispered, staring blankly at the empty benches. "...going crazy?"