Chapter 307: It’s her husband

Last night...

"Ugh..." Zoren clenched his teeth as he carried Penny in his arms.

’She... she’s heavy,’ he thought.

From what he could tell, she didn’t seem that big. Confidently, he carried her to his house, though he should’ve just swallowed his pride and asked someone else to do it.

Fortunately, Zoren managed to reach his bedroom before his arms could give in. The moment he saw the bed, a surge of energy coursed through every fiber of his body, giving him the strength to hurry.

When he was close enough, he simply tossed her onto the bed.

"Hah..." Zoren rested his hand on the edge of the bed, panting for air, relieved that he managed. Snapping his eyes up to her, another shallow breath escaped him.

"She hurts my pride," he whispered and sat on the edge of the bed, loosening his tie to breathe. "I should work out more now."

Ever since his health deteriorated, Zoren had to stop most activities that could strain his body. Although he still exercised, it was mild, just enough to maintain good blood circulation. Other than that, he couldn’t train anymore.

Another deep breath escaped him as he reclined a little, his palms resting on the soft mattress. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, but carrying her from the car all the way to the bedroom had drained every last bit of his energy.

Glancing back over his shoulder, his lips drew into a thin line. "She didn’t even drink... what a heavy sleeper." He took another deep breath and pushed himself up. But just as he did, he heard her mumbling.

"Hmm?" Zoren looked back at her once again, furrowing his brows.

Penny was sleeping in such an awkward position on the bed: she was lying on her stomach, her right leg sprawled out. Even though he couldn’t see her sleeping face properly, he could tell she seemed comfortable sleeping on another person’s bed.

’She’s probably too tired,’ he thought before suddenly going completely quiet, his eyes on her. ’I want to doubt you, but why can’t I?’

She didn’t need to do anything for him, honestly.

This marriage was something she didn’t know about, and divorce was the only thing she wanted from him. However, Zoren got himself into trouble when he tried to use this marriage to appease his grandmother.

It was his fault, and to be fair, he didn’t mind facing the consequences of coming clean — if not for the fear that it might hurt his grandmother. Worse, it could trigger a heart attack.

Penny saved him from this dilemma when she played along... without asking for anything in return.

"Are you just overly kind? Or... what plans do you have?" he wondered as he reached for the blanket. "I hope it’s the first, because if it’s the latter, I’ll have a big problem."

After all, he could tell she was a capable woman who didn’t seem interested in crossing the line between him and Dean. However, if this was all part of a bigger scheme, then he knew he had just found a match — because he couldn’t tell if this was real or not.

Afraid he would disturb her sleep — even though she was a heavy sleeper — he simply placed the other end of the blanket over her. As he did so, Penny let out a soft moan and opened her eyes.

"Hmm?" Her eyes were partially open, looking at him in a half-asleep state.

"I’m just putting the blanket over you," he explained. "I’ll leave at once."

"Ahh..." Penny just nodded and closed her eyes, pulling the blanket and cozying up.

Zoren arched a brow and watched her make little movements, as if trying to find her comfortable spot in the blanket.

"Miss Penelope, thank you for today," he expressed, thinking she was still awake. "Thank you for making my grandmother happy. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her so lively. Despite your busy schedule, I truly appreciate that you’ve spared us plenty of time today."

A hum was the only response he got from her.

"If you need anything — anything — I’ll do my best to help," he added. "Anyway, I’ll go. May you have a good night."

Another hum reached him, and with that, Zoren prompted to leave the room to let her rest. But just as he took five steps away from the bed, Penny spoke.

"Grandma is important to you," she mumbled, half-asleep. "Stop thanking me. Just get better... you upset me."

He paused and looked back at her, brows furrowed. He carefully walked around the bed to check if she was still awake, but she had stopped moving before deep breaths resonated in the room.

"Was she talking while half-asleep?" he wondered, making the corner of his lips curl up.

His naturally sharp eyes squinted a bit, and he chuckled airily at the thought of her trying to engage in a conversation in a half-asleep state. Even Zoren couldn’t do that.

"Good night, Miss Penelope," he said with a smile before he turned around to leave. As he did, he heard a phone buzzing on the couch.

He furrowed his brows and approached. Her bag was slightly open, and her phone was almost out. Hence, he wanted to put it back in. However, a thought crossed his mind. It was already late, so this could be important.

Zoren looked back at her before deciding to take her phone.

The phone only rang a few times when he took it with him into the other room right next to hers. However, when midnight came, it kept buzzing again. He ignored it, but it didn’t stop, even though it was already past midnight. In fact, the calls kept coming.

"It must be an emergency," he thought, and hence, he answered. "Hello?"

For a moment, there was only pure silence on the line. Deep lines appeared between his brows as he glanced at his phone, catching a glimpse of the ongoing call. When he put the phone back to his ear, he heard another man’s voice.

"Who is this?" Atlas’s voice was commanding and stern, as if he were the husband who had just caught his wife with another man. "And where is she?"

Zoren didn’t like the tone.

He leaned back in his seat as he casually rested one leg over the other. "It’s her husband, and she’s at home. If you need anything from my wife, call her tomorrow. She’s already asleep... in my bed."