Chapter 181: Burglary?!
At the same time, in the penthouse...
Silo stood outside and nodded to himself. Pulling out the spare key he kept for emergencies, he unlocked the door and let himself in.
"I’ll just take a look... see if she’s been buying ropes or pills," he muttered, tiptoeing inside.
Normally, Silo wouldn’t need to sneak around her place like a thief. He could come and go freely, with or without Lola’s knowledge. She trusted him enough to give him the spare key. But today was different. He had an agenda: to make sure Lola wasn’t planning anything harmful. So, he moved quietly, like a burglar.
"I’ll just..." Silo trailed off as he reached the receiving area. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a figure. Slowly, he turned his head and froze. A huge man was walking out of the kitchen wearing a pink apron.
"Huh??" Silo blinked, bobbing his head up and down. "You... look familiar."
Baby looked back at him just as innocently. But before anyone could speak, another voice rang out:
"Baby, did you come back..."
Silo instinctively turned toward the sound. Descending the stairs was a tall, lean man in a casual shirt and sweatpants.
Slater stopped mid-step and stared down at him. Their eyes met. Silo’s gaze darted from Baby to Slater, then back, until it finally settled on Slater.
"Ba... by?" Slowly, Silo’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open, and his finger trembled as he pointed. "You... you—you!"
Wasn’t this Slater?! Slater Bennet?!
Silo choked back a gasp.
"Is this... her secret?" he whispered to himself. "She... she’s... dating a superstar?"
*****
Silo sat frozen in the living room, caught between Slater and the enormous man. He didn’t know which to focus on first: the giant or the fact that Lola had somehow snagged Slater.
Slater, however, narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Arms crossed, one leg casually draped over the other, he swung it back and forth.
"Hmmm..." he hummed. "You—" He paused as Silo flinched. Slater arched an eyebrow. "How did you get in here, huh?"
"How did I—" Silo stopped, struggling to process the question. "I have... a key—"
"Should I call the police first for this burglary?" Slater interrupted, rubbing his chin. "Or should I report this to management?"
He frowned. "How could this place be called exclusive if they just let anyone inside?"
"What?" Silo blurted. "Burglary?!"
"Why? You’re caught red-handed. You should be grateful I’m interrogating you first instead of calling the cops." Slater’s frown deepened. "What are you doing here? Or rather, who sent you?"
Baby opened his mouth, but stopped as Slater raised a hand.
"It’s alright," Slater said. "I want to hear it from this thief."
"I’m not a thief!" Silo gasped. "I’m just here to check on Lola!"
"Hah! Really? Why are you checking on her?"
"What?"
"As far as I know, there’s no reason for someone like you to check on her. Also, I’ve never seen you before."
Silo’s face twisted in disbelief. First, he couldn’t believe Slater was here. Second, why was this guy acting as if he owned the place—or, worse, Lola?!
Are they really seeing each other secretly? he wondered, his face souring. But if they were, how could she not tell me?!
"So, confess," Slater pressed. "If you tell me who sent you, I might reconsider what to do with you. Don’t fight it. Otherwise, I’ll call the police and make sure you rot in hell."
"..." Silo opened and closed his mouth, staring at the fiery man threatening him. "I am Lola’s assistant!"
Slater deadpanned. "Seriously? Is that how you’re going to save yourself? Are you dumb?"
"Dumb?! What do you — why don’t you call her!"
"If I did, she’d die of fright thinking there’s a burglar in her home!"
"Are you serious?!"
"Mhm!" Slater nodded. "If you really are her assistant, how come you don’t know me?"
"I should be the one asking!" Frustrated, Silo moved closer, slapping his chest. "How come you don’t know about me if you live with her?!"
Slater blinked innocently. "Exactly my point. How come I don’t know you, even though I’ve been here?"
Silo gasped, wide-eyed. This guy really didn’t know him? But then again, Lola hadn’t mentioned the man living with her either. All Silo knew was that Lola babysat the twins occasionally. Thinking about it, his face twisted.
This was neither Slater’s nor Silo’s fault. It was Lola’s!
A deep exhale escaped Silo as he raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine! I’ll prove it. I am her assistant, and I don’t know why she never mentioned this, but I have the keys to this place!"
Silo grabbed his phone and tapped the gallery. He scrolled through some pictures and held the phone up to Slater.
"Here! That’s us! Check the timeline!"
Suspicion flickered across Slater’s face as he reached for the phone. He leaned back, arching an eyebrow while examining the first photo—the most recent one of Silo with Lola.
"Huh," he scoffed.
The photo showed Silo at a barbecue party on this ugly rooftop with Cedrick and Haji—someone Slater didn’t recognize. Lola and the twins were also in the picture. Slater continued scrolling, checking other photos in the same setting, shaking his head.
This doesn’t look photoshopped, he thought, scrolling further. Then he came across an older photo of young Lola and Silo in a familiar uniform.
"Hey," Slater frowned, shooting Silo a look. "Did you go to the Summit School of Excellence in Anteca?"
"Of course! With her!"
"Oh..." His mouth formed an ’O’—just as Silo yelled:
"I was even part of your sister’s fan club! Penny!" he shouted. "Do you believe me now? I’m not a burglar!"
Slater studied him. Part of him didn’t want to believe it. But the other part... was curious.
"But she didn’t say someone would come today."
"That’s because she didn’t know I was coming," Silo clicked his tongue. "I was worried about her, okay? She wouldn’t let me come up, no matter how I tried, and I was getting suspicious."
"What’s suspicious about that?"
"She’s happy!"
"Huh?"
Silo clicked his tongue and glared at him. "I thought she wanted to end it all! That’s why she’s been zoning out and... even more energetic than usual! You might not understand it, but that’s how things are for others!"