The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!-Chapter 512: Haji’s Birth Place

"Wait — hep — nope!" Lola spun around the moment they stepped into the dining room, her hand shooting up toward Allen.

Deep lines appeared on both Allen’s and Atlas’s faces as they looked at her curiously. But the first thing they saw was Lola’s stretching smile before her eyes squinted.

"Before you two talk business, you both need to eat first," she declared. "No business talks until after a meal."

Allen and Atlas were both rendered speechless. Then, Allen slowly turned to his boss for help. Eating was not the resolution he needed right now. But Atlas stared at his wife first before meeting Allen’s eyes.

Right then and there, Allen instantly knew his boss’s decision.

With that, Lola gleefully chuckled and dragged Atlas to the dining table. As soon as her husband pulled out a chair, she snapped her eyes at Allen.

"Take your seat," she ordered. "I’ll just make us lunch."

"Make lunch...?" Allen echoed, only for Atlas to respond in his usual stoic voice:

"She likes to pretend she’s still cooking," Atlas explained. "Don’t question it."

Lola smiled in satisfaction, nodding at her husband and then at Allen. The latter let out an awkward laugh and obeyed, watching Lola go reheat the food and pretend she made it from scratch.

As soon as Lola was out of sight, Allen perked up.

"Sir, about the—" Allen barely even started when Atlas raised his hand to stop him.

Atlas slowly blinked and looked back at him. "My wife said no business talk until we finish the meal."

"...huh?"

"I am her devoted, faithful, loyal husband," Atlas stressed each word as if that would add more impact. "Do not tempt me to sin, Allen."

Hearing his boss’s remarks made Allen’s face twitch. He tried to gauge whether Atlas was just trying not to upset his wife, but a moment later, he realized Atlas meant every word.

I know he is in a good mood today, Allen thought. But what is going on?

Just what did Lola do—or what did she feed her husband—to make him suddenly this obedient? Allen would understand if it were something else, but this was work!

Atlas was already a workaholic even before the Zorken and the Order. He carried that habit into his position as head of the family. While he never put work above his family or children, he would always sneak in a little extra time for it, especially when it was important.

Regardless of Allen’s spiraling thoughts, Lola soon came back wearing an apron and carrying a pot. She happily served her husband, insisting Allen also eat with such grace.

Thankfully, the food was nice, and in the end, Allen ended up eating more than usual. And like magic, the urgency of his reports suddenly felt not as important as this meal.

"You said you didn’t make this," Atlas finally spoke, wiping the corners of his mouth while looking at his wife. "It tastes like your recipe."

Lola grinned and winked. "That’s because I added some of my love into it. I made a few adjustments, so it’d be okay."

She studied her husband and Allen, who was still pigging out in his seat. She chuckled, thinking these guys mostly worked all the time, eating late or sometimes forgetting to eat at all.

I guess... I understand Mom and Aunt Jessa more than ever now, she thought, smiling to herself, reminded of how those women always insisted that everyone eat. It wasn’t pride in their cooking... it was concern and love.

"You can talk now," she smiled, lifting her cutlery. Her words almost made Allen choke. "I just wanted you guys to eat first before anything else. It’s late already, and I bet neither of you has had lunch yet."

She smacked her lips, then leaned closer to her husband and whispered playfully, "Let me know if I shouldn’t be listening. I always keep my earplugs with me."

After all, she had many pairs from the Bennet family. They gave them like they were a necessity. So, she had some in her office, car, bags, bed, and even her pockets.

"It’s alright." As expected, Atlas didn’t mind keeping her in the loop. With her go-signal, he turned to Allen. "Report."

Allen grabbed his glass immediately — he hadn’t expected that. Didn’t this man just say not until they finished eating?! He chugged the water to clear his mouth, coughing and straightening his posture.

"Boss, a word came from the Bellemonte," he started, almost panting from the near-death experience (choking) while rescuing himself, all in under a minute.

"Initially, there were five people that needed to be rescued, but according to Bellemonte, there are only three people now." Allen bit his tongue slightly as he discreetly glanced at Lola.

Atlas and Lola continued eating gracefully, but what he was about to say might ruin someone’s appetite. He wasn’t worried about Atlas, but he was slightly worried about Lola.

"I’m alright, Allen," she said mid-chew, glancing at him and offering a smile when their eyes met. "Atlas told me briefly about the mission with the Bellemonte. I promise you, it won’t turn my stomach."

"Heh." Allen let out a relieved breath, then shifted his attention to Atlas. "They said the other two were caught and publicly... mangled. I heard that some people finally caught on, and the rest of them are being hunted."

He paused, growing stern. "Sending a small troop to survey the area is impossible. We’re running out of time, especially now that the enemies are on high alert, and... the Bellemonte has lost communication with the group."

In other words: they’d have to find them — and that was yet another problem.

Every day without help, the situation would only get worse.

"Even though the Bellemonte keeps sending people to distract them, all that does is buy us some very little time," he continued solemnly. "The Ravah Territory has grown more powerful and is spiraling out of control. We need to deploy our men as soon as possible, sir."

Atlas’s expression darkened while Allen waited for his judgment. But what they didn’t notice was Lola’s reaction. She paused when she heard the name of the place and furrowed her brows.

"The Autonomous Territory of Ravah?" she blurted out, making both men look at her. "Atlas, baby — the place you told me about was that place?"

"Mhm." He nodded. "Do you know it?"

Lola didn’t answer immediately... but then she nodded once.

"Mhm. That’s Haji’s birthplace, and... both of us had been there for months."

It was the last mission she had with Haji before earning her freedom from Vito.