Chapter 31: Miss you

Unfortunately, Penny got stuck with Hugo throughout the day. He didn’t show any kind of sign he wanted to leave her alone and she didn’t have the heart to chase him away. It wasn’t like he was bothering her or anything. So when dinner was over, she quickly went to her room to play with Chunchun and Tiana before bedtime.

As for Hugo, after dinner, he idled in his room for a while before he went to see his father.

Knocking on his father’s study, he heard Charles say, "Come in."

When Hugo stepped inside, he saw his father sitting behind the wooden desk. Charles was wearing glasses, tipping them down his nose as his eyes snapped over the rim of his glasses.

"Hugo? What are you doing here?" Surprised was evident in Charles’s voice.

Hugo didn’t speak until he was standing in front of the table. "Dad, Penny mentioned she’s going to meet her cousins tomorrow."

"Oh..." Charles was a little confused. "Yes, she will."

"Can I accompany her?" the young lad didn’t beat around the bush.

Ever since Penny mentioned meeting her cousins, who were like siblings to her, Hugo’s intrigue was piqued. He wanted to see and understand why Penny would consider those twins like siblings.

"Please don’t send her away," he added when he didn’t get a reply from his father.

Charles was lost for words.

Did Hugo think he was trying to send Penny away?

"Uh, Hugo, I’m not sending Penny away. Why would I do that?"

"Then, why did you agree?" Hugo’s reply was faster than a bolt of lightning, not giving his father enough time to recover. "They might try to change her mind and ask her to return to them."

"Hugo, that’s not it." Charles sighed deeply, putting his glasses down. "The woman who raised her wants to make sure Penny is being treated well in here. If she sees Penny is doing well, she won’t try to take her back. And Penny also wants to see her and her cousins. Don’t worry. Butler Jen will accompany her."

Hugo’s ears drooped when he heard it was what Penny wanted as well. He thought if it was his father’s decision, he would try to change his mind. But if it was Penny, he didn’t have the heart to.

Seeing how his second son came in here, and how his mood changed, Charles smiled. "If you want to come with her tomorrow, then you have my permission. But you also have to let Penny know."

The life that was slowly dwindling from Hugo’s eyes returned with fire.

"But Hugo, I know Penny will agree because she wouldn’t want to disappoint you. So, make sure not to bother their private time," Charles reminded. "You’ll stay close, but not close enough to make them uncomfortable. It’s their private time, after all."

"I understand." Hugo nodded sternly. "Thanks, Dad."

Having said that, Hugo didn’t idle anymore and left.

Looking at his son’s back, Charles sighed and smiled. Hugo was the type to only come to him when he wanted to negotiate something. He would rarely come to him for requests or to ’beg’ for someone. He was a bit prideful, after all.

"I’m glad he’s opening up to her," Charles was pleased. "I hope all of them will get along soon."

Right now, Charles wasn’t that worried anymore.

Penny was like a ball of sunshine that could melt anyone’s heart. She was just delightful about everything. Hence, he knew his other sons would see that.

Returning to what he was doing, Charles continued reading some articles about mice to get a deeper understanding before getting her one tomorrow.

*****

The next day, Penny excitedly went downstairs for her plans for the day. But when she arrived on the porch outside, she saw Hugo and Butler Jen waiting for her.

"Second Brother?" Penny called as her steps slowed down. "Second Brother, why are you here?"

Butler Jen smiled. "Second Master will also accompany us for today, Miss Penny."

He would? What about his school? Or training?

"Will you mind?" Hugo asked, knowing his father told him to ask for her permission first. But it was already night, so he postponed it for today.

"N — no," Penny muttered, a little skeptical if letting him tag along was a good idea. However, she couldn’t simply reject him when he was already here.

Seeing that he smiled in satisfaction, Penny’s slight doubt dispersed.

"Then, shall we?" Butler Jen proposed, and the two didn’t hesitate to listen to him.

Penny and Hugo got in the back seat while Butler Jen was in the front. Chunchun was kept in a pet carrier between them while Tiana was on top of Hugo’s head. It was a little dangerous to keep Tiana there, but they were still in the car, so they didn’t mind it. Moreover, Tiana seemed to like his head.

When they reached their destination, the three of them listened to the veterinarian when she told them advice to take note to keep the pets happy. The professional especially focused on Tiana, because keeping a rain frog was more delicate.

As for Chunchun, she got vaccinated. She made a fuss about it, so Penny tried to coax her with all the love she could give.

After hours, they headed to the shopping center in Jin City, where they would meet Penny’s auntie and cousins.

Penny just got out of the car in front of the mall’s entrance when she heard familiar voices.

"Penny!!"

"Penny!"

She turned and followed the voices, and her face instantly brightened up with excitement. Penny rushed to the twins, making Yugi run faster to meet her halfway.

"Penny!" Yugi grinned, seeing Penny rush to him. "I miss... you."

His smile immediately stiffened as Penny suddenly ran past him.

"Yuri!" Penny quickly held Yuri’s hand, checking up on her up and down. "Are you okay now?!"

Yuri couldn’t contain her excitement as she nodded profusely. "I still take medicines, but I’m all better now!"

"Oh, thank God." Penny breathed a sigh of relief, now worry-free from Yuri’s health condition.

"Ahem!" Jessa cleared her throat aloud to get their attention. The moment Penny looked up at her, Jessa quickly went to her side like an evil mother about to poison her child with words. "Penny, I got you something."

"Huh?"

Yuri smiled sweetly as she said, "Mom got so excited when she heard from your dad, so she spent all night making us lunch boxes that contain all our favorites."

Jessa smiled proudly while Penny was a bit skeptical.

Was Yuri exaggerating? Penny couldn’t imagine Jessa doing that, but she didn’t reveal it.

As the four of them reunited and happily chatted, Butler Jen and Hugo stood in the distance and watched. Hugo tilted his head and Tiana, who was still on top of his head, also tilted its head.

In his eyes, Penny was much livelier and more playful compared to when she was at home. It might not seem obvious, but he always thought Penny never truly let her guard down in the house. Seeing this now confirmed it.

As for Butler Jen, he carried the pet carrier with his eyes on Penny and the people she called family for the past thirteen years. He heard many things about the Cortez Family and how they exploited Penny. But from what he could see now, they also seemed they have a good relationship.

’Did Mrs. Cortez really just exploit her?’ the butler wondered while observing Jessa’s body language. ’She seems like a genuine person, though.’