Chapter 1262: Just for the fun of it

Hugo lingered in the room even after Penny left. He lay on the floor, arms and legs spread out, eyes fixed on the ceiling. When he lifted his head and glanced at the board he had worked on, he hissed and shut his eyes again.

"What a headache, indeed," he muttered, thinking about all the connections. Although he had a theory about the drugs, there were still too many unanswered questions. He might’ve told Penny not to include the baby swap and Charles’s incident from decades ago, but that didn’t mean he was disregarding them.

After all, they believed everything started with Charles. Even Charles himself believed that, warning them that certain people were beyond even the government’s reach. Not because the government was afraid, but because meddling would risk innocent lives.

"What a real headache," he whispered. "I don’t want to think anymore. This is more complicated than when I was in the combat zone."

A deep exhale escaped him as he closed his eyes to rest for a moment. Perhaps tomorrow, with fresh eyes, he could look at the board again and make sense of it... or not.

Just as Hugo was considering sleep, his eyes snapped open. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, it’s me," he said as soon as the call connected. "How are you guys?"

"Well... it’s still the same," the person on the other end replied, his voice laced with both distress and boredom. "Lieutenant, when are you coming here? My heart skips a beat every time someone walks in. I feel like they’re going to kill us or something."

"Some of my friends from the station are in the area, so they can respond if there’s an attack," Hugo reassured him casually, thinking about how this man—whom he had once mistaken for an assassin—had been stuck in the ward for weeks.

When Hugo first encountered the man and ended up saving him from an attack, he decided to transfer the coma patient elsewhere for safety. With Zoren’s help, he was able to move them to a more secure facility. But even so, the man had to stay with the patient because his life was also in danger.

"I’m just checking in," Hugo said. "Try waking him up again."

The man on the other end sighed. "I just did, like you told me. Even though I knew it wouldn’t work, I still tried. He’s not waking up."

"Well, it’s good to exhaust all possibilities." Hugo shrugged. "Anyway, I’m hanging up. Let me know if he wakes up."

"Alright—"

Hugo didn’t wait for the response and ended the call. That coma patient had been attacked because of his greed—because he had tried to dig into the baby swap case. It was eerily similar to what had happened to Haines and Penny years ago, just because Haines refused to stop investigating it.

"Ughh...!" Hugo grunted, ruffling his hair in frustration. "I just told her not to think about that for now, since it might not be relevant. But with everything that’s happened—it is important!"

Another deep sigh escaped him as he lay motionless on the floor. He needed to uncover these mysteries as soon as possible. Otherwise, he had a bad feeling that when they finally found the answers, it would already be too late.

In their past life, it was Charles who had been investigating the baby swap. If their theory was correct, then his accident had something to do with it. After all, Charles had only stopped investigating because Haines had volunteered to take over.

"How about..."

RING!

The rest of his words died in his throat when his phone suddenly rang. He casually lifted it over his face, his brows furrowing at the name on the screen.

"Why is Lily calling me at this hour?" he wondered, tapping the answer button. "Hello?"

"Senior Hugo~! Hi~! Good evening! How are you?"

Hugo arched a brow, suspicious of Lily’s overly cheerful tone. "Are you drunk?"

"Hehe. No—not yet!" she giggled. "Senior Hugo, I heard you were looking for a drinking buddy a few days ago."

"I wasn’t looking for a drinking buddy. I was just looking for friends to hang out with."

"How about hanging out with me instead?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I’m lonely too!" she declared, though her playful tone didn’t match the claim. "And because this pretty, single lady—who has already accepted that I’ll be your child’s godmother—is throwing a party."

Hugo deadpanned. "Lily, if you’re going to be my child’s godmother, would you give them red packets on every occasion?"

"Not just red packets—thick ones. And not just on holidays, but everytime they see me."

"Where is this party?"

Lily grinned from ear to ear, quickly giving him the club’s address before adding, "Also, Senior Hugo, whatever happens here... just go with the flow, okay?"

"Uh..." Hugo frowned. "What’s going to happen?"

"Nothing much. Hehe. Anyway, see ya!"

Beep... beep...

Hugo slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it suspiciously. "For some reason, I don’t want to go now," he muttered. He knew Lily’s antics all too well. Penny’s were one thing, but Lily’s? That young lady was dangerously playful.

"My instincts are telling me not to go," he mused. "I should tell her I can’t make it."

Hugo quickly typed a message to Lily but stopped when his eyes drifted back to the board in front of him. Staring at the scattered clues that refused to connect, he hesitated—then deleted the message.

"Fuck it." He threw his hands up and jumped to his feet, heading straight for the bathroom. "I’d rather deal with her than get a nosebleed from overthinking this board."

With that thought, Hugo took a quick shower. As soon as he was done, he headed to the parking lot, hopped onto his motorcycle, and sped off.

Little did Hugo know, this party wasn’t just about Lily trying to forget whatever drama she had in life. But rather, a party that would solidify Hugo’s involvement in the love triangle that Lily had been creating just for the fun of it — and also, for a lasting springtime for her dearest Ginnie.