"Oh... even your taste in men hasn’t changed. You really found yourself the Hulk."
Atlas’s ears twitched at Aileen’s comment. He glanced over his shoulder, then slowly looked at Baby, who gulped and lowered his head.
The two men fell completely silent, as if their shared quiet was deafening.
Lola let out a shallow breath and turned to Aileen with a smile. "Come, I’ll introduce you to him."
With that, Aileen picked up the rest of her brown paper bags and followed Lola. When they stopped beside the table, Aileen smiled at Atlas and then at Baby.
"Uhm, hey," Lola cleared her throat, watching both men turn to her. "I didn’t notice the time. Have you been here long?"
Just as Aileen expected Baby to answer, the other man spoke.
"Just now." Atlas slowly rose to his feet, facing the women. When his eyes landed on Aileen, all he saw was the shock on her face.
"Heh." Lola smiled brightly. "Aileen, this is—" she paused, noticing the shock on Aileen’s face. Why is she looking at him like that?
She ignored it and continued. "Anyway, this is Aileen, my childhood friend. Aileen, this is Atlas, my boyfriend."
"Nice to meet you," Atlas said, offering his hand. Aileen hesitated before finally taking it after a few seconds.
"Aileen, nice to meet you," she said, smiling, though the effort was noticeable. "Really."
"If you’re still going to talk, don’t worry," Atlas said, ignoring Aileen completely. "I’ll wait."
"Hmm." Lola shook her head with a smile. "It’s fine. I was planning to go, anyway."
She paused, turning to Aileen. "Aileen, let’s stay in touch, okay?"
"Uh, sure!" Aileen nodded. "Of course."
"Baby," Atlas called, giving him a side glance while helping Lola with the groceries. "Take Miss Aileen home."
"Yes, sir."
Lola lingered with Aileen, hugging her tightly before reluctantly letting go. As Lola and Atlas left, Aileen just watched them in disbelief. Only when they stepped out of the restaurant did she finally snap out of her daze.
"She used to like big men," she muttered. "He’s a shorty."
Baby froze, glaring down at her.
"He’s not short," he said. "I’m just big."
Aileen blinked, then blinked again, staring at Baby. If someone painted him green, he’d look like a comic superhero. Her mouth stretched into a wide grin as she tilted her head.
"Are you single? You’re my type."
*****
"Ahh... that’s why..." Lola rocked her head in understanding after hearing why Atlas had gone to the coffee shop.
It was true that Atlas had just arrived minutes before Lola saw him. He hadn’t approached her, thinking he didn’t want to interrupt her time with Aileen. But she had already seen him.
Lola smiled, scooting closer to his side. "Sorry for worrying you."
"It’s alright.’
"I’m so glad I met Aileen after all these years."
Atlas studied her expression before nodding. "Mhm."
"You know, she’s like my sister from before," Lola mused. "She’s really sweet, always thinking of me. Honestly, maybe because of that, I used to try my best because I didn’t want to disappoint her."
She leaned closer and whispered, "She’s my first fan."
"I see." Atlas tilted his head, pondering. "You have a strange friend."
"She might be strange, but she’s a really good one."
"I know," he nodded. "Sometimes, the strangest people make the best friends. All of my sister’s friends are strange."
Lola chuckled, leaning against him. "I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can make dinner tonight."
"There’ll be more nights. You can cook whenever you’re free." He nodded. "Also, the twins helped in the kitchen tonight."
"My babies?!"
"..." He fluttered his eyelashes slowly before adding, "Ours."
*****
[Chairman Lancaster’s Residence]
"Chairman, I’ll be outside if you need me," the head butler, who was around the same age as the chairman, said, lowering his head.
The chairman waved him off, already in bed. He had taken his medicine and was ready to rest. As the door closed, he picked up his book, planning to read a page or two before falling asleep. But when he opened it, all he saw was a flower picked from the garden earlier.
"Haha," he chuckled, lifting the flower in front of him. "So, that’s what they were doing."
The image of the twins—their beaming smiles, their laughter, even their adorable voices—crossed his mind. Their visit had surely brightened his day.
"It’s been a while since this place echoed with such laughter," he whispered, his eyes softening. "Though she looked like them when she was young."
Thinking of Chacha, the chairman couldn’t help but remember the young Lola. They almost looked the same—almost identical. It made him wonder,
"Are those two... really not hers?"

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!