In Atlas’s defense, he might have sounded like he "punished" or "trained" his children harshly. However, he didn’t do all of that just for the sake of training them.
When he threw them in the wilderness for a month, he had given his children weekly rations. By the second week, though, the children had already learned how to find edible food and survive on their own. They even made friends with the wild animals and looked more comfortable there than anywhere else.
Besides, Atlas was there. He stayed at a small camp in the wilderness for the entire month. His men remained close to his children, camouflaging themselves and ready to rescue the twins if anything went south. When he threw his children into the well, he also stayed right beside it and waited for them to climb out.
He would even deliver food to them. Otherwise, how would they survive with no food or bathroom breaks?
As for the parachuting, he jumped with them. That, however, wasn’t something he planned. It was just that his children wanted to do it. And knowing them, they would have done it with or without his permission, so he strapped them in with safety gear, just in case.
There were more stories, and Lola couldn’t even believe them.
The twins were just five! But their extreme experiences were more than a fifty-year-old thrill-seeker’s!
Lola’s mouth gaped, her thin lips almost reaching the floor of the vehicle. Her eyes were fixed on Atlas as the man casually explained the situation to her.
"Even before they could walk, they would crawl and climb the curtains," he said in the same steady tone. "If you want proof, I can give you the list of babysitters and nannies they’ve given heart attacks to. It’s quite a long list, but I can sort them based on the severity of the case and the length of their resignation letters."
"..." Lola still didn’t react, just looking at the man with blank eyes.
She tried to process this as best she could, but it was just too... unnatural. Sure, the twins were mischievous and active when they were younger, but wasn’t this a bit too much?!
But then again, according to him, it wasn’t too much in the world he walked in.
"Is..." she trailed off, leaning closer to him and whispering, "...the secret society real? You’re not kidding?"
Atlas didn’t answer and just looked back at her. But before he could, Slater — who they thought was resting — suddenly sat upright and leaned over their seat.
"Sis, why do you think he just disappeared from the business world?" Slater rested his arms over their seats, pointing at his brother with his thumb. His eyes, however, were focused on Lola. "That’s not for fun. My brother is very popular and was ranked the number one most sought-after businessman and number one most hated person in the business world in Anteca."
"That’s not a good thing." Lola looked back at Slater. "I thought you were sleeping."
"I took a nap when I suddenly heard my brother talking," Slater mumbled. "I want to gossip."
Her face twitched. She studied Slater and then looked back at Atlas. She tilted her head a bit, still processing this endless information.
"So, you... somehow ended up in a secret society?" she asked, then shot Slater a look. "Does that mean you too? But how come? The entire world knows you. That’s not the way to keep a secret."
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