Chapter 1341: Get married soon

Grace was so shocked by this turn of events that she could only watch as Penny and Atlas wheeled Haines inside her place. With Penny holding Haines’ ankles and Atlas gripping his wrists, they carefully tossed him onto her bed.

"..." Grace opened and closed her mouth, darting her eyes between Penny and Atlas. "Penny, I can understand you doing something like this. After all, I’ve always known you’d do something crazy one of these days. But you..."

She trailed off, her eyes landing on Atlas. "Are you out of your mind? Why would you let your little sister do this?"

"My sister is going to jail if I don’t help her," Atlas said coldly, casting Grace an indifferent look. "And from what I heard, you’ve been claiming to be his wife. So, really, this is a win for all of us."

"Hah!"

"Grace!" Penny skipped forward and placed her hands on Grace’s shoulders, nodding at her encouragingly. "Uncle Haines is going to kill me once he wakes up, no matter what. So please, just talk to your husband and convince him to show mercy to his dear niece and nephew!"

She squeezed Grace’s shoulders, beaming. "I’m counting on you!"

"???" Grace blinked rapidly, watching as Atlas pushed the trolley away while Penny practically skipped out of the room. "Wait!"

She followed the siblings to the entryway, her voice rising with panic. "Penny, you can’t just leave your uncle here!"

"If you’re worried he’ll lash out at you, he won’t," Atlas snapped, his tone as detached as ever. "And if you’re wondering what to do with him, try getting pregnant. I doubt he’d be angry at a pregnant woman."

"...What?"

"He’s drunk. Don’t mind him." Penny giggled, blocking Grace’s view of Atlas. "Grace, don’t worry. He won’t get mad. Just let him sleep here for the night, okay?"

Penny then grinned and hugged Grace. "Thanks, Auntie! Having an auntie is the best! Please get married soon!"

"..." Grace stared at Penny blankly. Before she could react, the siblings were gone.

It took her a moment to regain her composure. When she checked outside, Penny and Atlas had already disappeared.

There was no way Penny and Atlas had just delivered Haines to her bed like a package.

But when she turned back to her room, there he was—fast asleep in her bed.

"Oh my goodness." She breathed out, crossing her arms. "I teased Penny... I should’ve known when she teases back, it’s always tenfold."

Grace sighed, rubbing her temple before letting her gaze settle on the sleeping man. With another small sigh, she walked over to the bed, picked up the case files lying there, and placed them on the bedside table.

Although it was true she was attracted to Haines, she would never take advantage of him in a drunken state. She had far too much pride for that. He could have her bed for the night—she would sleep outside.

Still, as she set the papers down, her eyes lingered on him.

"..." Pressing her lips together, Grace sat on the edge of the bed, tucking her hair behind her ear. She studied his sleeping face before a subtle smile formed on her lips.

"Even when he’s asleep, he still looks sharp," she murmured, almost chuckling. "He’s going to be livid when he wakes up. Oh, Penny, just what were you thinking? I could never guess what you’re planning next."

Her smile widened as she observed him a little longer before finally deciding to leave. But just as she turned, Haines suddenly grasped her hand.

Grace froze, glancing back at him.

His eyes were half-open, heavy with drowsiness. He stared at her silently, his grip weak.

She exhaled softly, her fingers curling slightly around his. "Even if I wish for you to pull me into your arms, I don’t want it happening while you’re drunk," she teased. "Good night, Haines. We’ll have a good banter tomorrow."

A beautiful smile crossed her lips as she watched his eyes slowly close again.

---

The Next Morning – The Cortez Household

Jessa’s eyes fluttered open, greeted by the familiar sight of her bedroom ceiling. She stared at it blankly as if she was already thinking of something so deeply. As she turned her head, she saw her husband just beginning to stir.

"Darling," she called flatly, her voice husky from sleep.

"Hmm?" Lester grunted as he forced his eyes open.

Jessa furrowed her brows. "How did we get home?"

"Uh." Lester blinked a few times before sitting up slowly. He looked around, a bit surprised to find himself in their bedroom. Turning back to his wife, who was now also sitting up, he tilted his head. "I’m not sure. Did we have too many drinks last night?"

"Did we?" Jessa echoed, her memory foggy. She recalled drinking and laughing, having a good time—then nothing.

"Also, I don’t have a hangover." Lester touched the side of his head, then his neck. "And weirdly enough, my body doesn’t ache."

"Now that you mention it..." Jessa rolled her shoulders, realizing that, for once, she wasn’t waking up with her usual soreness. Typically, her shoulders would be stiff, or her head would ache until she had a cup of coffee.

The same went for Lester. They had blamed it on their new mattress, their pillows, or just bad sleeping positions.

But today? Nothing.

It had been a long time since they had woken up feeling this good.

"Well, I guess Charles or one of his sons brought us home," Lester muttered, stretching. He smiled at his wife. "Last night was fun, darling. It’s been ages since we drank that much."

Jessa pouted playfully before smiling back. "Next time, let’s drink just the two of us."

"We should. Haha! Ah... I slept so well last night." He intoned, rolling his shoulders back. "I feel good."

"Uh-huh." Jessa nodded. "It really was a good night’s rest."

And it wasn’t just Jessa and Lester.

Across the city, Charles and Allison were having a similar conversation—waking up feeling unexpectedly refreshed, with no memory of how they’d gotten home.