Meanwhile, in a hotel right in the main city…
Hayley, Patricia, and Theo sat around the huge living area of the penthouse where Penny’s men had assisted them the night before. The three of them sat on the couch, staring into nothingness with blank eyes.
Did they sleep the whole night?
To be fair, they had no idea.
Maybe they did nap, but their mental exhaustion was still present.
They couldn’t even eat or drink coffee as they found themselves sitting on the couch. The memories of the night before filled their minds, as if everything was replaying in their heads on a loop.
“Never mind marriage,” Hayley whispered, her plexion pale, but the bags under her eyes darker than they should be. It was the same for the Miller siblings. “Miss Penny is right. I need therapy or counseling. Maybe an electric shock to my brain to erase that memory from last night.”
The Miller siblings rocked their heads, their dry lips like a desert.
“Do you… do you think… she died?” Patricia blurted out, her brows rising as she sensed two pairs of eyes on her.
When she looked up, she almost jolted at the blank look from Hayley and Theo. If she had more energy, she would’ve jumped from her seat. However, she didn’t have that much energy, despite the horrifying blank looks dominating both Hayley’s and Theo’s faces.
“I’m just wondering…” Patricia whispered, the corner of her eyes reddening. “I don’t want to be — huhu! Mommy, what do I do?!”
In the end, she buried her face in her palms and wept. Calling out her mother, Patricia could feel she was on the brink of snapping.
“I don’t want to bee a murderer!” she whimpered. “I’m so scared!”
Theo’s eyes softened as he reached out to stroke her back. “Patricia, that’s not going to happen.”
“How are you so sure?!” Patricia intoned, looking up at him, tears streaming down her face. “Penny said she’d be here first thing in the morning, but it’s almost lunch! Who knows?! Maybe she’s preparing the funeral or something!”
“No —” Hayley covered her ears and shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it — shut up, Patricia! Stop! Just stop talking!”
As Hayley started to freak out, screaming to muffle Patricia’s cries, the latter doubled down and freaked out even more.
Theo, who was seated between them, panicked.
“Patricia — Hay —” his voice stopped in his throat, leaving him opening and closing his mouth. However, he couldn’t think of how to calm both ladies when he was starting to panic himself.
What happened last night was traumatizing. However, the thought of the maid passing away because of what happened filled their hearts with nothing but dread.
“Patricia…” Theo called out, patting her back, then turned to Hayley. “Hayley, let’s not—”
Before he could finish his words, they heard the entrance fly open. Theo flinched as he instinctively looked at the door. Patricia and Hayley also stopped, twisting their necks with one swift motion as all the alarm bells in their heads rang.
It could be the police, after all.
However, the second they saw who was walking in, Patricia’s face sagged while Hayley’s tears flowed even more.
“Penny!” Patricia jumped up and, without thinking, rushed to where Penny stood.
Penny took a step back as she raised a hand. However, she was a second slower because Patricia had already jumped on her.
“Penny!!!” Patricia cried out loud, hugging her like a bear. “What do I do?! I don’t want to go to jail! I have so much potential — I’m still so young!”
“Uh —” Just as Penny opened her mouth, Hayley jumped from her other side.
Hugging Penny, Hayley begged, “Miss Penny, please help us! I will work for you my entire life, even after my retirement! I didn’t want it to happen! I wasn’t supposed to be there! All my crime here is following my heart!”
Both Hayley’s and Patricia’s sobs and wailing chorused right in front of Penny’s ears. Penny, who was being assaulted with hugs and wails, stood frozen in the same spot.
She knew these people wouldn’t be fine, but not to this extent!
Her eyes slowly fell on Theo, who looked a little more disgruntled than usual. The exhaustion on his face was not the same as the one he carried during the Miller pany’s crisis. This one was physical exhaustion, but also mental, spiritual, and emotional.
Theo slowly rose from the couch, offering Penny a wry smile. “I tried to calm them down,” he said with a smile. “But to be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to calm them down or reassure them when I’m not calm or reassured myself.”
“…” Penny just stared at the man, and the only thing she felt for him was pity.
“Penny!” Patricia wailed in Penny’s left ear, followed by Hayley’s on the right. “Miss Penny!”
Her face twitched as she winced, feeling like she would end up with permanent damage in her ear if she just let them.
“Wait–”
“Penny! What do I do?!”
“Miss Penny, please save me!”
“I said —ENOUGH!” Penny roared, snapping both Hayley and Patricia back to their senses.
Angel, who had walked in with Penny and stopped a few steps behind, scrunched up his nose.
’Just now… I think Penny’s voice sounded like a ghost possessed her,’ he thought, recalling how Penny’s voice modulated like that of a monster. ’I still think she put Zoren under a spell for the guy to believe she’s a woman. The noise she made doesn’t sound like a human or a woman at all.’
Penny irritably pulled her arms from Hayley and Patricia, taking a step back to create distance from the two. Meanwhile, Patricia and Hayley also took a step back, wearing sour and sorrowful looks.
“Okay, okay. Let’s get one thing straight,” she cleared her throat, darting her eyes between Hayley and Patricia. “No one’s going to jail, alright?”
Patricia and Hayley sniffed hard, but they didn’t react. They just stared at Penny as if they needed to hear more than that.
Penny sighed heavily, running her hands through her hair. “No one’s going to jail, and no one’s going to get in trouble. Why? Because no one died, and because I already talked to the maid.”
This time, Patricia and Hayley raised their brows. But they still didn’t say anything.
Penny’s face twitched before she forced out, “She told me herself that she understood it’s not your intention. So, she’s not going to press charges.”
“Really?!” Hayley and Patricia finally reacted, the life in their eyes shining. They hurriedly rushed to Penny and leaned their faces inches from her. “Is that the truth?”
Of course not. Priscilla never said such things, but even if Priscilla wanted to pursue this, there were so many factors that wouldn’t allow her to do so.
“Yes,” Penny nodded. “That’s the truth.”
Slowly, Hayley’s and Patricia’s gaunt faces brightened with life. Theo, on the other hand, stumbled back until he fell onto the couch, sighing in relief.
“Thank God,” he whispered.
Angel kept his lips drawn, guessing that Penny had just told them a lie.
’But well, it’s much better, I guess? It’s not like it’s a full lie, when it’s true, they wouldn’t be legally liable for what happened the night before.’ Angel shook his head. ’I’m still worried, though. Penny is already a magnet of trouble, but these guys… they are on a different level. I’m not even sure if I should be impressed or not.’
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