Chapter 1311: Just not tonight

[SKYLINE PLAZA]

When they got home, Penny chose the closest room to the master bedroom for Nina. After what had happened tonight, she knew Nina might need some company.

"Penny, thank you," Nina said as soon as she placed her stuff down on the bed, facing Penny. "Really, thank you. And I’m sorry for crashing at your place so unexpectedly."

"You have no idea how many unoccupied rooms this place has," Penny replied, leaning against the stand with her arm propped on the surface. "Are you sure you’ll be fine here tonight? Or should I stay with you?"

Nina shook her head. "I don’t think your husband would love that."

And she was right—Zoren, who was leaning outside the room, nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then." Penny smacked her lips. "By the way, you should let Finn know you’ll be staying here tonight."

"About that..." Nina slowly walked up to Penny, her eyes gleaming with innocence.

Seeing this, Penny narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You don’t want to tell Finn what happened tonight?"

"Finn is just going to worry," Nina sighed. "And he’s been doing better lately. I don’t want to burden him, especially with our family dinner tomorrow."

Nina knew that telling Finn about the disturbing gift was the right thing to do. However, there were already too many things weighing on his mind. She didn’t want to add to Finn’s worries when he already had enough to think about.

"Nina, if you’re going to marry him, he should know," Penny advised. "He’s a grown man. You don’t need to protect him from everything. I’m sure he’d rather hear it from you."

"I will tell him," Nina said, pursing her lips. "But maybe... after the family dinner." She raised her brows at Penny. "Please?"

Penny didn’t answer immediately, simply staring at Nina with a flat expression. After a moment, her stoic demeanor gave way to a sigh. She shrugged and waved a hand in defeat.

"What else can I say when you’re giving me that puppy look?" she huffed, while Nina smiled meekly. "Anyway, let me help you settle in."

Penny then gathered a few things Nina might need for the night—or however long she stayed. There were no live-in helpers in Zoren’s house, so Penny had to prepare everything herself: towels, extra pillows, clean blankets, and more.

It took them some time, but eventually, they finished.

Looking around, Nina’s gaze settled on Penny, who was now seated on the floor. Penny never sat on her bed in outside clothes—the same as Atlas.

"Penny, by the way, how did you know something happened at my place?" Nina asked, watching Penny slowly look up at her. "I don’t think I called you."

Despite the traumatizing experience, Nina knew she hadn’t contacted anyone except the police. She hadn’t even thought to call Finn when the officers arrived—she’d been too busy trying to collect herself. Now that she thought about it, she was curious how Penny had known.

"Ah..." Penny rocked her head slightly, her mouth falling open as she searched for an excuse. "Well, I wasn’t actually going to your place because I knew what happened. I just wanted to stop by since the family dinner is tomorrow."

Nina tilted her head, recalling how Penny had looked earlier. "Are you sure?" she asked. "You seemed pretty shaken when you arrived—like you’d rushed over."

"Haha! I was shaken because I saw police at your home! I thought something had happened!" Penny laughed nervously, waving a hand. "Ehh! Nina, what? You don’t believe me? Do you think I’m stalking you or that I have people watching over you to keep you safe?"

Her smile stiffened, then disappeared into a flat expression. "Nina, why would I do that? How would I even know you were in danger when you’ve never harmed anyone?"

Nina pursed her lips into a thin line, studying Penny’s blank expression. Whenever Penny wore that look, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. But Nina had learned that Penny only did this when she was hiding something.

Even so, she didn’t pry—just like she hadn’t that night on the island or the other times she had turned a blind eye to things she noticed.

"I was just curious," Nina said with a smile. "But whether it was a coincidence or not, I appreciate you coming."

Penny smiled back and nodded. "You’re welcome," she said before pushing herself off the floor. "Anyway, I’ll go now. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

Then, Penny stopped in front of Nina, resting her hands on her shoulders. She met Nina’s eyes before offering her a reassuring smile.

"...You’re safe here, Nina. No one is going to touch you or hurt you."

"Thank you," Nina whispered. "I really appreciate you saying that, Penny."

Penny gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Good night, Nina."

"Good night, Penny."

With that, Penny stepped out and closed the door behind her. As soon as the door was shut, she turned to the side, where Zoren was still leaning.

"You should’ve waited for me in our room," she said, earning a smile from him.

"I was trying to see if you’d be sleeping in our bed or here," he teased—so he could ask Nina to trade rooms if necessary.

"Oh, my love life~" Penny mused, casually linking her arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder as they walked back to their room.

---

When Penny left, Nina smiled and glanced around. The room wasn’t as big as she’d expected. This was her first time at Zoren’s place, and she noticed that while the house wasn’t as grand as the Bennet Mansion, the lot surrounding it was vast.

"They could build a few more homes here and still have plenty of space," she mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her gaze then landed on her phone, resting on the bedside table.

Picking it up, she saw a few messages from Finn. Before she could reply, another one arrived.

[From: Finn

Just finished dinner. Leaving in a bit. See you.]

Nina pursed her lips as her hands trembled slightly. Although she had calmed down, her body still remembered the terror she had felt.

[To: Finn

Finn, how about you stay there for tonight? Penny picked me up for a girl’s night, so I’m at her place. Kinda spontaneous, but you know Penny.]

After hitting send, she let out another deep breath. "I’ll tell him... just not tonight."