Chapter 1626: Date her on your honeymoon

Meanwhile, in a rented home in one of the many subdivisions in the city...

"Oh, my god... oh, my god..." Hayley paced back and forth in distress.

She kept running her hand through her hair, then across her face. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shot a bitter glare at the two individuals on the small couch.

Patricia and Theo.

"You—" Hayley’s breath hitched as she pointed at both of them. "You better marry me after this. Otherwise, I’ll hate you both for the rest of my life."

Patricia sighed, her expression pale. She looked at the distressed Hayley, who had also unfortunately gotten tangled in tonight’s sudden escalation.

She shifted her gaze to Theo. "You’d better propose now."

"..." Theo, still holding an ice pack against the side of his head, looked between the two of them. "Shouldn’t we date first?"

"Date her on your honeymoon," Patricia clicked her tongue, eyeing the fresh blood on the side of her brother’s collar.

"Oh, my god..." Hayley wept, running a hand over her face again. When her knees felt weak, she dragged herself to the other couch and slumped down on it. "Oh, god... what did we do? And why... in my place?!"

Looking up again, her eyes burned with bitterness. She glared at the Miller siblings. She was interested in Theo, sure. But this was not what she imagined their first date, and probably their first night, to be!

"I’m sorry," Theo sighed, noticing the mixed emotions in Hayley’s eyes. His heart ached seeing her like this. He rose from his seat and sat on the armrest next to her.

Theo quietly held her hand. "I’m sorry."

"..." Hayley pressed her trembling lips together, staring at that handsome face full of regret. "Ugh... I hate myself."

Snatching her hand from his, she buried her face in her hands. Even though she was angry, how could she not forgive him? It wasn’t like Theo was to blame for all of this.

Another shallow breath slipped past Theo’s nostrils, still holding the ice pack on the side of his head. He then shifted his focus to his sister.

"Patricia, you said you called Penny, right?" he asked.

Patricia, who was just as shocked and distressed as they were, managed to remain quiet. She nodded in response.

"What did she say?" he asked again. "Is she really coming?"

"She said we should stay here first." Patricia then turned to the entrance. "I’ve already told her where we are."

"Are you sure?!" Hayley yelled in panic. "You called her an hour ago! Are you sure she’s coming?! Or will the police show up here first?!"

"Do you even know where she lives?" Patricia clicked her tongue. "If you don’t know, Penny lives in Skyline Plaza—the billionaire’s row. So, it’ll probably take her two hours to get here. If she were fast, she’d be here by another thirty or so minutes."

Another helpless breath escaped Patricia as she touched her head and closed her eyes. Perhaps it was because she had been in scarier situations before that she was able to contain herself. Even so, she couldn’t deny that she was scared—very scared.

What if she was wrong?

But then again, if she was wrong, why would the maid attack her and her brother?

Patricia shook her head, her mind spinning with thoughts. Her gut twisted, tempting her to throw up something she couldn’t.

Hayley, on the other hand, couldn’t help but tear up. She had been on many adventures, but this was never on the list.

Seeing her back tremble, Theo reached out to stroke her back.

Peeking at him, her tears fell even more. "If you don’t marry me at this point, you’re going to be the only guy I’ll never forget."

Theo sighed heavily, offering her a subtle smile. "I never planned for you to forget me."

"For God’s sake..." Patricia groaned, peeking at her brother and future sister-in-law. At this point, Patricia was already sure these two would tie the knot.

Just look at how Theo consoled Hayley instead of her. That never happened before.

Of all the people Theo dated, Patricia always came first. But now, she wasn’t the priority, and surprisingly, that didn’t feel upsetting at all.

Silence quickly filled the small living area of the small two-story home. Neither of them spoke. Yet, the tension in the air grew with every passing second. The dread crawling under their skin gnawed at them, making them wonder one thing:

What the hell did they just do?

But just as the anxiety began to settle in, a knock came at the door.

All three of them turned toward the door, their breaths stopping at the same time. The silence was so profound they could even hear their own nervous gulps.

Knock... knock...

Patricia, Hayley, and Theo didn’t move. Didn’t make a sound. They just stared at the door as if they were staring at something horrific. On normal days, they wouldn’t have reacted this way.

However, their fear was justified, knowing there was a body in the bathtub.

"I... I’ll get it," Theo huffed as he stood to his feet, putting the ice pack down. After another breath, he mustered his courage and took a step.

His steps stopped when Hayley suddenly grabbed his hand to stop him.

Looking back at her, he whispered, "It could be... Penny," he breathed out, almost hopeful.

"While I check if it’s her, you should hide first," he said. "Just in case."

And by that, he meant just in case it was the police. At least the ladies would have a head start to make a run for it.

He carefully pried Hayley’s hands off of him before marching toward the door. But instead of opening it, he looked back at them. He tipped his head, signaling them to hide somewhere else.

"Patricia," Hayley whispered. "Come with me."

"Are you crazy? Your future husband could get arrested."

"At least he’d be a married man even if he’s in jail," Hayley had already risen to her feet. "Let’s go."

Reluctance swirled in Patricia’s eyes as she cast a glance at her brother. He, however, just shook his head and gave her an encouraging look.

With that, Patricia and Hayley ran to the kitchen, where there was another exit. But instead of leaving, they hid under the counter.

Meanwhile, Theo took a deep breath and faced the door. It wasn’t that he doubted Penny, but what had happened was outside of Penny’s usual scope.

That woman wouldn’t just help them cover something like this, right?

Knock...

Theo huffed and reached for the knob. A spike of hesitation bubbled in his heart, but he squashed it down and opened the door.