Chapter 1344: Is she sick?

"Haines?" Grace carefully opened the bedroom door, only to find it vacant. As she stepped inside, widening the door, the faint sound of the shower caressed her ears.

Turning her head toward the bathroom, she bit her lip to stop herself from smiling like a fool.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat and marched to the bathroom door, knocking softly. "Haines?"

She raised her brows, listening for any sign of movement as the water stopped. "I have an arraignment to attend in an hour, so I might not be able to wait for you. I’m leaving."

Grace didn’t hear a response, but she was certain he was listening.

"My door passcode is 123456, by the way," she teased. "In case you want to come over later."

Under the weak trickling water, Haines almost rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Grace chuckled before glancing at the door.

"This is strange," she whispered as she turned away, her smile stretching as she shook her head. "I never thought having a man in the house wouldn’t be so bad."

With that, Grace didn’t linger. She grabbed her things from the living area and left. As much as she wanted to stay and tease him a little longer, she had obligations. Even with a heavy heart, she reassured herself that there would be plenty of chances in the future.

Besides, tonight was her birthday—again.

***

Haines, on the other hand, didn’t waste time and finished his shower quickly. Initially, he had some trouble with the shampoo and body wash—they weren’t the kind he usually used. But with a sigh, he resigned himself to using them. Not because they were disgusting, but because he knew they were his.

He had to swallow his pride to get through it.

The only good thing Penny had sent him was a disposable toothbrush. At least he didn’t have to stop by a convenience store to buy one. There was no way in hell he would use Grace’s toothbrush. That would be disgusting.

After showering and dressing, he reached into the paper bag Penny had sent, only to freeze.

At the bottom was a red, see-through lace thong.

Picking it up between his thumb and index finger, his face twitched.

"Grace," he muttered, shaking his head. "She really is Penny’s friend."

Both were mischievous. He hadn’t expected Grace to be this playful—he had assumed she was the mature one. But it seemed she had her moments.

His gaze drifted toward the trash bin.

Grace had placed this abomination in his things to tease him. And knowing her, she would probably check if he had thrown it away.

Smirking, Haines walked over to the small trash bin and pressed the pedal with his foot. The lid popped open, and just as he was about to drop the thong, something caught his attention.

Pills.

Inside the bin were several pill bottles. Enough to make him pause.

Aside from the bottles, there was nothing else in the bin.

Frowning, Haines picked one up and examined it.

"They don’t look like vitamins," he murmured, brows furrowing.

Curious, he reached in and grabbed the rest, turning them over in his hands. Different medications. For what, he wasn’t sure.

"Is she... sick?"

***

[Skyline Plaza: Zoren’s]

Penny pursed her lips, puffing her cheeks as she gazed around the dining table. The silence was suffocating, making her even more tense as she massaged her nape.

When she had woken up this morning, her husband was already gone.

She hadn’t thought much of it at first. But when she came downstairs, everyone was already there—silent. The only exception was Nina, who had briefly offered her a small smile before falling back into the same eerie hush.

’Don’t tell me... they all remember?’Penny swallowed nervously and reached for her coffee cup with a trembling hand. Taking a small sip, she subtly scanned the faces around her.

The people at the table were the ones she couldn’t simply send away last night: Nina, Finn, Yugi, and Atlas.

"Penny."

She nearly jumped out of her seat when Yugi suddenly broke the silence. Her eyes darted to him, shaking slightly.

"It was First Brother’s idea, not mine!" she blurted out before he could even speak.

Much to her dismay, Yugi furrowed his brows, tilting his head. "Huh?"

"What?" Penny blinked, realizing that everyone was giving her strange, clueless looks.

"Penny, what are you talking about?" Yugi asked. "What do you mean by Atlas’s idea? I’m just going to remind you about the competition."

"..."

Penny pursed her lips, her gaze darting across the table. They all seemed genuinely confused. Even Zoren.

’If they don’t remember... then why are they all so quiet?’

"She means it was my idea to bring everyone here after having too much to drink," Atlas said, his usual indifference intact. He then shot Penny a cold glance. "Don’t worry. I spoke to your husband this morning. He doesn’t mind having a few guests."

Zoren nodded, only making Penny more confused.

"Then why is everyone so quiet?" she asked.

Zoren exhaled. "First Brother told me he has a terrible headache," he explained. "And since I owe him for last night, I’m keeping my mouth shut."

"It’s the same for us," Nina added, while Finn nodded in agreement.

Yugi rocked his head slightly. "We don’t want to make his headache worse. Didn’t you say you had one too?"

"Oh."

Penny’s mouth formed an ’O’ as she turned to Atlas with newfound awe.

’I already knew he was impressive, but this is one of those moments where I have to admit—my First Brother is really talented!’

Feeling emboldened now that she wasn’t facing anyone’s anger, Penny cleared her throat. "Yes, I had a hangover, but I already took medicine earlier. I’m fine now!"

"Shall we eat?" she added, beaming like someone who had just gotten away with a crime. "Let’s treat this as our first breakfast together as a family! Renren and I can be Mom and Dad’s proxies, and Yugi and First Brother can be Aunt Jessa and Uncle Lester!"

She giggled and eagerly dug into her food, her appetite suddenly bigger than before.

Meanwhile, everyone else exchanged puzzled glances. Even so, they shrugged it off and started eating.

Atlas, however, continued observing them.

’What kind of drug did she use last night? Even Mom and Dad said they had a strangely good night’s sleep.’

How odd.

Now, Atlas couldn’t help but wonder—what exactly had Penny given them? Was it really just a sleeping pill?