Chapter 567: Uh-oh

An hour later...

"What’s this for?" Mark stopped one of the workers in the lobby of the residence.

The servant looked up at him and said, "It’s the snacks for the young madam."

"For her?" Mark glanced down at the tray, furrowing his brows as he saw it was left untouched. "She didn’t eat it? Was she busy?"

"No, sir." The servant furrowed her brows. "The young madam seemed to have forgotten to have lunch; she left it like that."

"What does that mean?"

"She wasn’t in the study when I served tea, as the master instructed."

Deep lines appeared between his brows as he gazed at the servant. Zoren hadn’t contacted him, but that wasn’t surprising at all, since Zoren would only reach out if he needed him. It also wasn’t surprising that he had left instructions for the caretakers to look after Penny.

"Okay. You may go." Mark offered the servant a brief smile, watching her lower her head a bit and walk away. But before she could go far, he spoke again. "Did you tell her when you gave her the snack that it was from the master?"

The servant slowly looked back at him, confused. "The young madam wasn’t there when I served this snack, sir."

"And she wasn’t there when you served her the tea?"

"Yes. She wasn’t in there."

’That’s weird.’Mark briefly showed a look of confusion before hiding it with a short smile. "I see. She’s probably resting in her room. Go now."

"Yes, sir." The servant lowered her head and took a step, stopping just after one step. "Sir Mark, shall I check on the young madam in her room?"

"There’s no need for that." He shook his head. "Just focus on your task. The master will come home early—that’s what he said this morning. So, make sure the dinner is prepared."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the servant didn’t idle anymore and went on to complete the rest of her tasks. As for Mark, his brows were knitted, and he turned his head in the direction from which the servant had come.

"She’s not there?" he repeated to himself. "That doesn’t sound right."

Since Zoren had asked them to watch over and protect Penny, Mark took the initiative to know more about her. After all, he didn’t want to rub Penny the wrong way, as she was an important person in Zoren’s life. In other words, he had to ask her people, whom she deployed to Zoren; they were all enthusiastic to share their experiences working under her.

According to them, working for Penny wasn’t that hard. In fact, they worded it as boring. After all, Penny often worked. Even when she was meeting someone outside, it was safe and uneventful. But most of the time, she stayed in the office, where she would work for hours without even standing up.

[So, there’s really nothing to worry about. You’d just find yourself yawning a lot of times.] These were Angel’s exact words.

"They didn’t seem like they were exaggerating," Mark muttered to himself as he headed to the study room. It was why Angel and the rest seemed a lot more alive working for Zoren; there were many things going on behind the scenes, after all.

Soon, Mark reached the study. Standing in front of the door, he cleared his throat and knocked.

"Miss Penelope?" he called. "It’s Mark. Can I come in?"

Mark waited for any faint noise inside, but there was nothing. Hence, he knocked again. This time, his voice was louder. But again, there was nothing.

"Miss Penelope, I’m going in to make sure," he announced, his hand already on the knob. "I’m going in now."

As soon as those words rolled off his tongue, Mark pushed the door open. Before he could even step in, he turned to the desk and scanned the study.

She wasn’t there.

"Where did she go?" he wondered, confused. "Didn’t she return here earlier?"

Mark pondered it. However, he shouldn’t be worried because they would know if Penny had left the manor. It wasn’t like she was not allowed to go outside or that she needed to sneak out.

"Did she take an afternoon nap?" he wondered to himself, and for some reason, he didn’t feel at peace with that thought.

Something in his heart and mind was telling him he was taking it very lightly. As someone experienced in this field, Mark listened to his gut feeling and left the study room. He headed straight to the master’s bedroom, hoping to find her there.

Standing in front of another door, Mark took a deep breath and knocked.

"Miss Penelope, it’s Mark. Are you inside?" he announced his presence and asked without beating around the bush. "Miss Penelope, I’m coming in if you don’t answer."

Mark idled outside the master’s bedroom, a little hesitant to go in immediately. After all, she could be taking an afternoon nap. No matter how consistent she was in her people’s story, she was only human. Perhaps this was the day she finally felt tired and decided to take a nap.

’It wouldn’t be a problem if this is the boss. I can always come in and check,’he told himself, gazing at the door. "Miss Penelope, I’m going to check now!"

Despite announcing that, he still idled for half a minute. Once he had waited enough, Mark reached for the knob and opened the door slowly and carefully. He didn’t just mindlessly step in; rather, he was discreet and only peeked inside.

"Huh?" After just a few seconds, Mark pushed the door open wider. "She’s not here?"

This time, his heart thudded as he sensed an unpleasant feeling in his head. Mark jumped inside, checking the bathroom and the walk-in closet just to be sure he wasn’t missing her. But alas, she wasn’t there.

When he was certain Penny was not in the bedroom, he raised his hand and spoke into his wrist. "The young madam isn’t in the study or the bedroom. Look for her... discreetly."

As soon as Mark gave that order, he was about to jog his way out when he stopped. The sudden memory of his interaction with Penny in the guesthouse struck him.

Mark’s lips fell open as his eyes dilated. "Uh oh."