The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!

"Uh… Lola, are you really taking them with you?" Silo leaned in from behind Lola as they walked through the lobby of the condominium where she was currently staying.

Lola glanced back at him. "It can't be helped."

Her gaze dropped to the twins, each holding one of her hands, skipping happily and humming. When she had told them she needed to leave for a while, their round eyes had instantly wobbled and their mouths began to quiver.

So, before they could start crying—and before she could start feeling bad—she quickly added to her statement, "I have to go somewhere…" with, "...so, do you want to come with me?"

The sadness on their faces disappeared immediately. And just as fast as they had said goodbye, the twins had dashed off to shower and get ready.

And now, here they were.

"I don't plan on staying at the Young residence," she added, briefly recalling the events of the morning. "So, wait for me."

Lola didn't want the twins anywhere near her family. Even if she had no blood ties to them—and even if she'd only just met the twins last night—she didn't want them tainted by the toxic environment of that household.

Silo nodded. "Okay."

As soon as they stepped outside, a van was already waiting. The four of them got in, with Lola once again sandwiched between the twins while Silo sat in the row ahead.

"Mommy, where are we going?" Second asked, facing her directly. "Are you going to your father's house?"

Chacha leaned closer. "Are you going to ask permission to have us?"

"Uh…" Lola forced a smile, ruffling their hair. "I'm just going to drop by someone's place before… I take you to the ice cream shop!"

Second and Chacha's eyes sparkled. They asked in unison, "We can have ice cream?"

"Huh?" Lola furrowed her brows, looking left and right. Hadn't they had ice cream before?

Then the twins added, "Mommy, are you going to throw us away after? We want to stay with Mommy, though."

"What? No! Of course not."

"Yay!" The twins high-fived each other right in front of her. "Mommy is the best! We get ice cream and we're not getting thrown out!"

"Or have to summarize a research paper from cover to cover!" Chacha chirped.

Lola's already furrowed brows deepened, while Silo turned to look at the three from the front seat.

"Kids," he said, "what do you mean by getting thrown out or doing homework just to get ice cream?"

The twins blinked adorably at him, tilting their heads in sync like he was the one being strange. Then they turned up to Lola, who was also staring curiously at them.

"When we want something, our Father Sir gives us tasks to do first," Second explained innocently.

Chacha chimed in, "When we asked for ice cream, he threw us into the wilderness to survive! If we made it through the month, we got to enjoy it!"

"Mhm! One time, we wanted cake, so he dropped us in a deep well and told us to climb out!" Second added cheerfully. "Second and Chacha took three days to reach the surface!"

Lola and Silo both stiffened. And it only got worse. According to the twins, they'd even been thrown out of a plane with parachutes—at age two.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

"He… he did all of that?" Silo asked in disbelief.

"Yes!" the twins chimed.

Lola and Silo's faces twitched in sync. The mental image of the twins' father—already villainized in their minds—now grew monstrous. Horns stretched higher than a mountain. They could practically hear his evil laugh.

Evil.

Such an evil father.

Was he trying to kill his children?!

They looked at the twins again, their hearts sinking. How could these two talk about such horrific experiences with such bubbly, innocent expressions?

Lola pursed her lips and pulled them into a tight hug. "Oh, you…"

Could she not return them to such a man?

The twins blinked, resting their chins on her shoulders in surprise.

"Mommy…" Chacha whispered, patting her back. "...are you crying?"

"Did someone make you sad?" Second asked.

"No," Lola exhaled and pulled back, smiling gently. "I just wanted to hug you both."

The twins studied her face and broke into smiles before jumping closer and hugging her back tightly.

"We want to hug Mommy too!" they cheered.

Lola chuckled softly. She looked up and saw Silo watching from the front seat, his arm resting over the backrest. His gaze lingered on the twins, a subtle frown on his face. He felt bad for them but something about their story still felt a little… far-fetched.

Even resilience would rename itself after these two, he thought.

"Kids, why would your father punish you like that?" he blurted out.

The twins turned to him, tilting their heads. "Our Father Sir never punished us."

"Huh?" Silo frowned. "But you said he threw you into the wild, dropped you in a deep well, tossed you out of a plane with a parachute, and once left you in a haunted house to befriend ghosts… Isn't that punishment?"

"Those are extreme punishments," he muttered. "Most kids get told to face the wall or something."

The twins blinked, even more confused.

"Facing the wall?" Chacha pouted.

"That's not punishment," Second added. "That's a reward."

Lola and Silo both stared at them in disbelief, faces twisting in silent horror. Clearly, the twins' father had tangled the wires in their young minds. But to the kids, none of it felt like punishment—more like… adventures.

In fact, they purposely asked for outrageous things just to be "thrown out."

"Never mind that," Lola said, smiling. "We'll grab some ice cream later, okay? Just behave while you're with him, alright?"

The twins nodded happily, grinning as she ruffled their soft hair. Lola chuckled, her expression softening as she looked at the two bundles of joy.

Silo, meanwhile, studied her profile, noting the faint glimmer of affection and something else in her gaze—something closer to longing.

She's going to be very sad when their father picks them up, he thought. Strange… She's always kept her distance from attachments, yet here she is, getting attached so fast.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the twins again.

Is it just me… or do they sort of resemble her?

***

In the Young Residence…

Melissa studied her reflection in the full-length mirror, adjusting her dress before finally smiling in satisfaction.

"Perfect."

A voice came from the door. Melissa turned and smiled as her mother, Jasmine, walked in.

Jasmine paused a step away, stroking her daughter's curly hair and nodding. "If the Lancasters see you today, I'm sure they'll love you. Especially, Derek. Such a pretty lady marrying into their family—you'll be the prettiest daughter-in-law they've ever had."

"Mom," Melissa blushed lightly, though her smile dimmed with a flicker of worry. "What about Lola? Is she coming?"

She bit her lower lip. "Mom, you know Chairman Lancaster is so fond of her. If she doesn't tell him she's backing out of the engagement, then…"

Then this engagement might be null and void. What was the point of marrying Derek if he wasn't even in the will?

"Don't worry, Lisa," Jasmine said, cupping her daughter's cheek. "Don't worry about that fatty. She's going to come."

Jasmine smirked. "She won't dare defy even the chairman of the Lancaster family. Otherwise, she'll lose the only person who's protecting her."

Melissa smiled, visibly reassured. She hugged her mother briefly, then turned to face the mirror again. Her mother stood behind her.

"Mom… I'll be a Lancaster soon," she whispered to her reflection.

Jasmine placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, her eyes on the mirror.

"And once you're officially part of the Lancaster family," she said with a smile, "you'll be able to enter the upper social circle where you and I belong."