Chapter 1623: No need for DNA test

Mint’s plan was simple: have Penny come over, because Benjamin would surely restrain himself if she were there. She knew that even with the silent war she and Benjamin had going on, he would still show up the moment he heard she was getting discharged.

That was just the kind of person Benjamin was.

Mint might not be able to stop her cousin—not yet, anyway—because she knew she needed to apologize to him properly. Just not now. If she apologized too early, she’d only end up apologizing again later. She would rather wait until she was certain she wouldn’t be saying sorry for the same thing twice.

But alas...

"Really?!" Benjamin’s voice echoed dramatically through the room. "You owe me an apology, but you can’t even call to say you’re sorry?! Instead, you call Miss Penny and my boss here, thinking that’ll stop me from running my mouth?!"

Mint sulked in her hospital bed, shifting her gaze to where Penny and Zoren were seated. Penny gave her a small, understanding smile and a shrug, but said nothing. Zoren, on the other hand, simply stared at Mint like she deserved the tongue-lashing, making sure she knew he thought so.

Another shallow sigh escaped Mint as she turned her eyes to where Benjamin stood, pouring his heart out.

"I’ve told you so many times! During office hours, he’s my boss! After that, he’s my friend!" Benjamin pointed at her, exasperated. "Are you really not sorry for me?! Or do you hate me so much that you want me to have an early heart attack?!"

His voice rose again and again, clutching his chest as if trying to squeeze a tear out of her—but still, nothing.

"..." Mint pressed her lips into a thin line, exhaling heavily.

She shut her eyes and tried to accept how things had turned out. Her plan, clearly, wasn’t as foolproof as she thought.

’I imagined it going better than this...’

When she opened her eyes, she looked up at him. Her breathing grew sharper, heavier. No matter how much she tried to act unaffected, Benjamin was precious to her. It wasn’t just Benjamin staring out the window, wondering what the other was doing.

Mint felt the same in the past few days.

"I’m sorry, alright!?" she suddenly yelled back, emotions rising. "I didn’t call you because I knew this would happen! What I said back then was harsh and stupid! And I know I’ll probably end up apologizing again until I close this case and hand in my resignation!"

She sniffled, her vision blurring. "I missed you too, you dummy. I didn’t mean everything I said that night."

"You—" Benjamin’s breath hitched, his eyes stinging. "I hate you!"

With that, he rushed dramatically to the bed and hugged her, sobbing. Mint sobbed too, both of them crying loudly despite the close distance.

Penny and Zoren exchanged a look, both shaking their heads slightly.

"This feels like one of those over-the-top telenovelas," Penny muttered, while Zoren silently nodded in agreement.

One second they were screaming, the next they were sobbing. Then back to yelling. No DNA test needed—Mint and Benjamin were clearly family. Their tears for each other came far too quickly, and honestly, no one else could get emotional witnessing something this exaggerated.

Yet here they were, watching Mint and Benjamin make up in the most random, overly dramatic way possible.

"I guess... that’s a good thing?" Penny hummed, offering Zoren a small smile.

Zoren returned it with a soft nod. "It is."

In the end, Benjamin and Mint made up. And that was all that mattered.

---

If Penny said Benjamin and Mint cried for thirty minutes straight, she wouldn’t be lying. She actually timed it after realizing there was no sign of them stopping. If the nurse hadn’t come in to remind them that someone needed to handle the discharge papers, they would still be crying.

Sitting beside the bed, Penny glanced at the door as it closed.

"Why did your husband leave?" Mint asked, wiping her eyes and sniffing hard. Penny reached for the tissue box on the bedside table and handed it to her. Mint blew her nose, then looked back up. "Damn it. I didn’t even get to surprise him with my resignation plans."

Penny chuckled, giving her a moment to collect herself.

Mint’s injuries were healing well. Her black eyes were fading, though faint bruises remained. The swelling had gone down, and she finally looked like herself again. If only she hadn’t cried so hard—now her eyes were puffed up all over again.

"It can’t be helped," Penny said with a laugh. "I’ve long accepted that I’m terrible at surprises. Even when I buy a secret gift, I end up talking about it ten minutes later."

Mint chuckled too, grabbing more tissues. "I heard about the antidote."

"It’s done," Penny said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small box. "I added a few enhancements and made it into a pill. If the trials are accurate, it should work in this form too."

Mint accepted the box, giving Penny a look before slowly opening it. Inside were five pills. She picked one up and held it at eye level.

"An antidote, huh?" she murmured, glancing back at Penny. "How did you manage it? Even some of our top experts couldn’t make one."

Penny smiled. "There’s a hidden property in the lethal drug. Even if you study its structure, it’s not something anyone would notice easily. Even I had a hard time figuring it out."

"But you still figured it out—faster than the experts who’ve spent ages on it."

"Actually, it wasn’t me who figured it out," Penny said, her smile softening. She shrugged as Mint furrowed her brows. "It was Dean. Dean Pierson."

Mint’s brow furrowed deeper. "Dean Pierson? Your husband’s nephew?"

"Dean and I interned in the same research lab during university," Penny explained. "He’s also a core contributor to the Miracle Drug project. You knew that, didn’t you?"

"No," Mint shook her head. "That’s news to me. I’ve never heard his name mentioned in connection with it."

Penny tilted her head. "How is that possible?"

"I don’t know, but he’s a Pierson," Mint replied. "It wouldn’t be surprising if someone in their family—or Zoren Pierson himself—suppressed that information. The Miracle Drug draws attention from more than just good people. Some very dangerous ones, too."

She paused, snapping her eyes to the pill. "Anyway, I’ll send one to the lab, just to be safe. It still needs proper testing."

"Why only one?"

"Well, I trust this one will work already," Mint smirked, giving her a knowing look, "Besides, I’m starting to distrust everyone involved in this case."

"If you don’t trust them, why send one at all? Better to keep it hidden."

"I know," Mint said, placing the pill back into the box and shutting it carefully. "But how else am I supposed to identify a mole in Homeland Security unless I start isolating people with different pieces of information?"

She looked back at Penny with a smirk. "I want to retire after this case, Penny. And I want it to happen fast."