On her way back home, Celestine stared out the car window, her expression solemn. The amusement that once lingered on her face was gone without a trace. She had expected Melissa’s secret to be scandalous, but not like this.
If anything, Celestine didn’t even know what to make of this discovery.
"Melissa Young," she whispered, her eyelids drooping. "And here I thought the only thing you were good at was currying favor and making people like you."
A shallow sigh escaped her. "What a shame. I was hopeful I was wrong about you."
But today proved her right. Every expectation she’d had of Melissa turned out to be accurate, painfully so.
"How insulting," she murmured. "And to think I almost fell for it."
Had it not been for Lola, Celestine wouldn’t have bothered to dig this deep. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to feel grateful to the young woman. If anything, what she felt for Lola was... pity.
"Loren Albert," Celestine whispered faintly. "How could you ever rest in peace?"
*****
The day passed like any other for Lola — or at least, that’s what she wanted to believe.
Aside from managing Slater’s constant demands, she also had to deal with the bodyguards who took her instructions far too literally. The problem wasn’t that they disobeyed her; it was that they followed her orders too well, improving them to the point of making her plans look amateur.
"Wow." Slater whistled, staring at the flowerbed before them. "I can’t believe I did this. Haha! Who would’ve thought I had a talent for gardening? I’m perfect!"
Lola bobbed her head slowly, her face twisting in dismay.
I did this, and his only contribution was his mouth, she thought, clicking her tongue but deciding to let him bask in his delusion. There was no point in arguing.
"Ah, right!" Slater turned to her. "Sis, does this mean the place is finished?"
"The major renovations are," Lola smirked, crossing her arms. "But there are still some small details I want to add."
"You still want to do something?" Slater checked his wrist, only to realize he’d left his watch behind when he changed into his so-called "gardening" outfit. "Are you on drugs?"
Her smile was the only answer he got. She was already picturing the final result in her head: the newly renovated cottage, the fresh lawn, the blooming flowerbeds. But what caught her eye most was the big tree standing proudly in the middle of the garden.
"Lights," she said suddenly.
"Huh?" Slater blinked, furrowing his brows. "What lights?"
"That’s what this place is missing," Lola said, pointing at the tree Atlas had ordered to be planted there. Her grin widened. "It’s too dark there. Come on, Slater, help me set them up."
His face contorted. "Sis, the only lights I know how to handle are ring lights! I can’t help you with that!"
"Yes, you can," she shot back, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk. "You’re tall, and you’ve got long limbs. You’re perfect for it."
He blinked in disbelief, watching her walk away. "Unbelievable..." he muttered, before jogging reluctantly to catch up. "Wait!"
But before they could get far, a familiar pair of voices rang out.
"Mommy~!"
"Mommy~!!"
Lola instinctively turned toward the sound, and there they were. Two little figures ran toward her, backpacks bouncing on their shoulders, faces beaming with pure joy.
Her heart melted instantly. Laughing, she met them halfway and scooped them into her arms.

Verify captcha to read the content
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!