Chapter 655: You were counting?

Hours later...

Allison dragged her feet down the stairs, holding an empty glass of water. Her steps were careful as she yawned, reaching the first floor of the mansion. However, her steps halted when she saw her daughter seated on the couch in the living room.

"Penny?" she called, her brows furrowed. However, Penny didn’t answer, as if she were deep in thought. So Allison approached Penny and bent down slightly. "Penny?"

This time, Penny snapped her eyes open and intuitively moved them to the owner of the voice. "Mom."

"Why are you still up?" asked Allison, hugging her body with her silk robe as she sat down beside Penny. "Is everything okay?"

"Mhm." Penny smiled. "I’m just waiting for them to come home."

"Aww." Allison’s eyes softened as she stared at Penny with a smile. "Are you worried about your husband? He’s with your dad, so everything’s going to be fine."

"I know that..." Penny smacked her lips. "But I still want to wait for them."

Allison couldn’t help but let her smile soften further, scooting over to Penny’s side. She slowly rested her head on Penny’s shoulder, holding her daughter’s hand affectionately.

"You know, when I was your age... when your dad and I were your age, I used to wait for him like this as well," Allison shared, almost laughing at how strange it felt to tell this to Penny for this reason. "He used to tell me I didn’t have to stay up and wait for him, but just like you, I was worried, even though I knew he was just coming home from work."

Allison slowly peeled her head from Penny to face her daughter. "I kept waiting and waiting for him. Sometimes in the living room, other times, I’d just stay up. What I’m saying is... you can wait for your husband to come home or not, but know that even if it kills them... they’ll come home no matter what."

A subtle smile dominated Allison’s face as she cupped Penny’s face. She nodded at her daughter reassuringly, blinking as if to say she didn’t have to worry.

"Your dad called me earlier, telling me that he caught the most fish," Allison added. "I’m sure they’re already on their way home. They’ll be here any minute."

Penny pressed her lips together and nodded. "I’ll still wait for them."

"Okay." Allison nodded in understanding. "Do you want me to wait with you?"

"It’s okay." Penny shook her head. "You had a long day today."

"Alright."

Having said that, Allison reached for the empty glass she had placed on the coffee table and left. When she returned, she was not only holding a glass of water but also a glass of milk.

Penny’s brows rose as she spotted the glass of milk on the table before lifting her eyes to her mother. All she saw was Allison’s affectionate smile.

"Good night, Penny."

The corners of Penny’s mouth slowly curled into an appreciative smile as she replied, "Good night, Mom."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Allison reached out to ruffle her daughter’s hair gently before marching away. Meanwhile, Penny stayed on the couch with her eyes fixed on her mother’s figure.

’Aside from the cons of the drunk Penny... there are also good things about it,’ Penny thought as she cast her eyes down on the glass of milk, chuckling as she reached for it. ’My family... or perhaps even I became more expressive of my thoughts and my heart.’

Growing up, Penny showed her love for her family through her actions. However, she never verbally told them just how much she loved them. But now, whenever there was a chance, Allison would always express her love, on top of showing it with her gentle actions.

Thinking about it, a chuckle slipped past Penny before she chugged down the glass of milk.

******

Meanwhile, Charles let out a sharp breath and glanced at his side. His gaze landed on Zoren, who was sitting beside him, staring out the window. Everyone had already dozed off except Zoren, Charles, and Hugo, who had ended up driving because their driver had an emergency earlier that day.

"Ahem!" Charles cleared his throat loudly, earning a glance from Hugo through the rearview mirror, and then Zoren turned his head in Charles’s direction. Charles straightened his back and huffed. "I had fun today."

"..." Hugo briefly raised his brows and ignored his father, not planning to interrupt Charles’s attempt to strike up a conversation with his son-in-law.

Zoren smiled subtly. "Me too, Dad."

"Hey, did I ever give you permission to call me Dad?" Charles scrunched up his nose. "That’s the twentieth time you’ve called me that today."

"I only did it eighteen times."

Charles arched a brow. "You were counting?"

"..." Zoren pressed his lips together while Charles’s face twisted. For some reason, Charles didn’t know how to feel about this. He didn’t mean to count how many times Zoren called him "father" or "dad," but he didn’t expect Zoren to be counting as well.

"I’m simply testing the limits of how many times I can call you that," Zoren explained his side as if that were necessary. "I hope in the future, I can do it more than eighteen times. I’ll work hard for it."

"Pfft —" Hugo bit his lips, but then he sensed his father’s glare.

"Hugo, focus on the road," warned Charles before casting Zoren a look of disbelief and shaking his head. ’For some reason, I sort of understand how he and my princess get along.’

Even though Charles saw his daughter as his only precious child, he had always been aware that Penny was sometimes different. Not in a bad way.

"Thank you for inviting me today." Zoren’s voice brought Charles back from his thoughts, smiling appreciatively at his father-in-law. "Today... is a new experience for me, and I would love to do it again."

Hugo glanced in the rearview mirror before a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Meanwhile, Haines, who was supposed to be asleep, partially opened his eyes, smiled, and then closed them to sleep some more.

Charles, on the other hand, nodded his head. He didn’t say anything, but a look of approval spread across his face. That said more than any words could.

Soon, they arrived home, and as they stepped inside, Charles noticed Zoren’s actions had turned a little urgent, as if he were excited. It wasn’t that Zoren was jumping or acting unnecessarily excited, but it was clear that he was.

They all knew why: it was because of Penny.

How could a father like Charles hate a young man like Zoren, who had shown him just how much Penny meant to him?

Charles was also pleased that he had taken Zoren with him today.