Chapter 486: And by ‘we,’ I include your husband

The night progressed as casually as it could, though one couldn’t deny the slight awkwardness with Penny’s husband in the room. Even so, everyone did their best to overlook this for Penny’s sake.

Once the night deepened, Charles and Atlas managed to book a room in a nearby hotel. Zoren offered to stay and look after her, only to find himself being dragged away by Slater. Although Penny’s condition wasn’t critical, it was still best for her to get more rest.

That left Hugo in charge of her for the night.

"Second Brother," Penny called, opening her eyes after waiting for what felt like ages for Hugo to fall asleep. She had already grown bored and impatient by the time the scent of coffee filled the room for the second time.

She turned her head to see him seated on the couch, a cup of coffee in his hand. "Aren’t you going to sleep?"

"Weren’t you asleep?" he replied, still not looking at her. "You’ve had your eyes closed for two hours now."

"You know I was pretending." she faintly clicked her tongue. "Don’t tease me anymore."

This time, Hugo slowly turned his head in her direction and smiled. "Yes, I know."

"Goodness, I’m not going to sneak out!" she said, sitting up energetically. "I know I’m not sick, but if I don’t follow the doctor’s orders, I’ll probably end up staying here longer than I should."

"It’s good that you know that." He nodded, pleased. "But you were planning something tonight, weren’t you?"

Penny pressed her lips into a thin line and sighed. Her brothers seemed to know every side of her a little too well. Despite the twelve years of separation, they still had an uncanny sense of her antics.

"Fine," she relented. "But what I’m planning isn’t something to worry about, okay? I just want to make a call."

"To Yugi?" he guessed, raising an eyebrow as Penny puffed her cheeks. "I knew you’d ask him about the situation and want him to investigate. But don’t worry, Penny. We’re already on it."

"How can I not worry? I feel like you guys are hiding something from me, and I don’t know what it is!" she exclaimed. "Second Brother, I know you want to protect me, but you, of all people, should know I can protect myself."

Frustrated, Penny raised her hand, showing him her stitched palm. "This is nothing. It’s just a small cut—compared to all the scars you have, it’s nothing."

"That’s exactly why I volunteered to stay," he said meaningfully, raising his eyebrows. "All the scars on my body are things I never want you to have. But with your personality, I know it’s probably inevitable."

Penny blinked a few times. "You stayed because..."

"Because I knew you’d probably caught on."

"Wow..." Penny almost clapped her hands before remembering her cut. She pointed to herself, uncertainty in her eyes. "So, are you going to let me in on your little secret?"

"It’s not exactly a secret... or maybe it is," he said with a shrug. "But yes, because I know my little sister is stubborn enough to eventually find out. I just don’t want you getting into trouble while doing so."

"Oh."

"Now, what do you want to know?"

"Everything!" she blurted out without hesitation. "I want to know everything from start to finish!"

"From start to finish, huh?"

"Starting with the night Renren came to our household!" she insisted. "Everyone’s been acting strange since then. Although I appreciate First Brother’s dinner treat, I know it’s not something he would typically do."

"Ah, that. It was Slater’s idea."

"Huh?"

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he stared at her. "When Slater found out about your marriage and Zoren’s plans to take you home, he threw a huge fit. That’s why Mom rushed out of your room that night—to make sure we weren’t fighting."

"Oh..." Her lips formed a round shape as she listened to Hugo’s quick, precise explanation.

In other words, after Slater found out and finished throwing his tantrums, he pushed his brothers to take Penny on a date. Since they all agreed that a married woman should be with her husband—something even Allison reluctantly accepted—Slater worried that Penny might be taken advantage of.

Hence, the series of dates they arranged without her knowledge.

"Haha..." Penny let out an awkward laugh. "You guys should’ve at least asked for my consent, you know?"

"We would have, if you’d told us you were married."

"Second Brother, I told you I didn’t even know I was married until Ito Motors!"

This time, Hugo raised his eyebrows. "When exactly did you tell me that?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Penny’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened as she sifted through her memories, trying to recall if she had told Hugo about it.

"Heh..." A disconcerted smile spread across her face. "I guess I told Brother Atlas, not you...?"

"You always want others to tell you the truth, but you can’t even do the same," he remarked casually, making her feel both guilty and embarrassed.

"Sorry. I didn’t realize until now."

"It’s fine. You can be honest with me now." His smile widened, while her expression stiffened. It almost felt like he had set that trap for her—classic behavior from the youngest lieutenant in the military. "Is it true that Dad already told you about what happened to him in the past?"

A look of surprise crept onto her face. "Second Brother..."

"It’s okay," he reassured her with a smile. "I’m not going to ask why you didn’t tell anyone. I know you have your reasons."

He also knew that her reason was to protect them. After all, the information was sensitive enough for the military to try to keep it confidential and buried.

"We all know about it now, Penny," Hugo continued sternly, looking her straight in the eyes. "By ’we,’ I mean everyone except Slater and Mom. And by ’we,’ I include your husband. We all know it now. In other words, we’re all in the same boat."