Chapter 560: Guest house

Penny didn’t idle in line after listening to Wild’s short report about Nathaniel. After all, Wild had ordered the operation to lie low, as he felt that the Phantom Circle was shifting its focus onto them. As much as possible, they didn’t want to attract attention before anything else.

"That’s what’s wrong with me," she told herself quietly. "I’ve become too relaxed and too... happy."

A surge of bitterness swelled in her heart as she thought that ignorance was indeed bliss. At the same time, it made her bitter because it felt like being too happy was a sin.

"I need to reassess everything."

With that thought in mind, Penny prompted herself to return to work with this revived agenda. No matter how determined she was to avoid going back to prison, Nathaniel’s existence felt like a thorn in her throat.

Even if Penny and Zoren’s marriage was a product of brief insanity, one fact remained: someone had their eyes on the Bennets and Zoren.

Penny turned to do some more work and dig for information about the people known as Specters. But just as she was walking back to the residence, she stopped. Turning her head, she furrowed her brows as she saw Renny running in a direction.

"Blacky?" she frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Where is he going?"

Penny hadn’t planned to follow Renny, as she had other things to do. However, from what she knew, Renny was supposed to be somewhere else. After all, when the workers were there, Renny wasn’t supposed to be running around without Zoren.

"It’s not like I think Blacky is violent, but others might provoke him without knowing." She nodded. "It’s better to be sure than sorry later."

Even though Renny was like a sweet child to her, she also knew that she couldn’t disregard other people’s safety. With that thought in mind, Penny jogged to where she had seen Renny running. It led her to the separate guesthouse.

Stopping several steps from Renny, Penny cocked her head to the side. She glanced at the window of the guesthouse, folding her arms as she caught sight of her cat, Chunchun, on the sill. Her eyes darted between Chunchun on the sill and Renny several feet from the entrance.

"What are they doing here?" she wondered to herself. "It’s like Renny is waiting for someone to come out."

She slowly moved her gaze to the guesthouse. "Is there someone in there?"

How come she didn’t know?

"Nah, that’s impossible." Penny shook her head, telling herself that there was no way someone was in the guesthouse. If there had been a guest, she would have been the first to know. "Though I’m surprised Renren didn’t ask my brother to stay here."

If Hugo saw this place, that guy would probably live there permanently. This area, after all, had plenty of space for Hugo to wrestle with his dummies.

The guesthouse was more of a separate bungalow with a few rooms. Although Penny hadn’t been there, even as a guest, the residence had plenty more rooms for her to sleep in. So this place felt more like a separate house in the same lot.

’I guess they’re just here to play,’ she shrugged and smiled, about to call for Renny and Chunchun when the entrance creaked slightly. "Huh? Is there someone?"

SLAM!

Penny jolted slightly when the door suddenly shut just as it opened from the inside. Lines quickly formed between her brows, confused and surprised.

"There is someone," she blurted out, approaching the black panther.

Renny was idle when he noticed his mother approaching. Turning his head, he saw Penny place a finger in front of her lips.

He let out a low purr that sounded like a growl. ’Mom, don’t worry. The person inside will never leave this place — Dad will only remember him when his body starts to rot.’

Meow.

Renny turned his attention to Chunchun, who suddenly jumped off the sill and approached Penny. Penny gazed down at Chunchun, who began nudging her ankle.

"Chunchun," she whispered, picking her up and turning her attention to the door. "Are you guys watching someone inside?"

Her voice came out above a whisper, casting a glance at the cat in her arms and then at the panther idling on the grass. She stared at them, and they just looked back at her innocently. It was as though they were already giving her that innocent look.

Innocent of what? That was the question in her head.

"Renren would’ve told me if there was a guest," she mumbled to herself, pressing her lips into a thin line. How she wished she had her third brother’s simple mind and could just deem it a ghost. However, Penny felt curious and, at the same time, worried.

The residence might not be as huge as one would expect, but the lot surrounding it was vast. Therefore, people with bad intentions could easily sneak inside and hide in any space without being noticed. Even though she was certain Angel would have found out about something like that, Penny wanted to make sure.

With that thought in mind, Penny cautiously approached the front door. She carried Chunchun in her arms, but suddenly, her cat jumped out. Penny stopped and looked back, only to see Chunchun lying down beside Renny.

’What’s wrong with them?’ she wondered to herself, shaking her head as she focused on her activity. If the person turned out to be one of the workers cleaning and maintaining the guesthouse, then she could just shrug it off. But if this turned out to be someone who wasn’t supposed to be there, then that was another story.

Either way, there was no harm in checking, right?

Who knows? If it was a cleaner, he or she might be afraid to come out because of the panther camping outside the guesthouse.

Reaching out to the front door to check it, Penny pushed it slightly. At the same time, the person inside leaned against the wall beside the door and watched it open with bated breath.