Chapter 69: Outsider

The Bennet Couple darted their eyes at their boys before Allison took a step forward to coax them.

"Hugo, we —" she halted when Hugo took a step back.

Hugo’s expression was unrelenting. "Mom, Dad, I’m really disappointed in you. I don’t know why would you say something like that to Nina, but she’s been a part of our family."

After saying that piece, Hugo strode off.

Everyone could only watch him walk out without looking back. The Bennet couple let out a sigh as they shifted their eyes to their eldest.

"Atlas —"

"Mom!" this time, Slater harrumphed as he faced his parents angrily. He balled his hands into tight fists while grinding his teeth. "You promised!"

"Slater, it’s not like that..."

"Then, what?!" Slater’s voice thundered. However, he was unsure, which made him the angriest.

Was it the fact that they didn’t tell them? Or that they were sending Nina and Penny away? Or was it that the people they looked up the most disappointed them?

"Don’t talk to me! I hate you both!" Slater declared immaturely and ran away.

Allison bit her inner bottom lip as she watched Slater run away to the stairs. Charles, on the other hand, frowned deeply. When the couple shifted their eyes to their eldest, they no longer had hope.

"I’ll talk to them," was all Atlas said, but his disappointment was evident in his eyes. Atlas immediately walked away in the direction where Hugo went to.

Even though this disappointed Atlas, he was the eldest. He couldn’t just let his emotions take charge when his two brothers had already blown up.

"Allison." Charles quickly reached out to his wife when Allison almost lost her balance. Watching her look up at him, he couldn’t even force a smile. "I’ll take you to your room first. I’ll settle this matter."

"Charles... how..."

"It’s alright. Everything will be okay," he reassured, knowing his children didn’t mean what they said.

His boys only said those things because they were angry, but even so, Charles had to talk to them man to man. After all, Hugo was already old enough and Slater might still be young, but he was at the age where he could understand the dilemma.

With that being said, Charles helped her back into their room.

At this point, Haines already returned after walking Professor Singh off. Deep lines immediately appeared between his brows as soon as he sensed the heavy tension at the entrance. When his eyes landed on Charles and Allison, alarm bells quickly went off in his head.

"This doesn’t feel right," he mumbled to himself as his steps slowed down. ’What happened in the short minutes I left?’

Haines intuitively shifted his eyes from the couple’s back to the other corner where Butler Jen and Penny were standing. Butler Jen looked displeased while he couldn’t discern Penny’s expression. The latter was just staring at her parents while holding the tray still.

"Butler Jen." Haines approached the two quietly. "What happened?"

Butler Jen slowly set his eyes on Haines and pressed his lips in a thin line. He was about to tell Haines that he would help Penny back to the library or her room, but Penny already spoke.

"Butler Jen, I’ll take the snacks to my room now."

After saying that, Penny wordlessly made her way to the stairs.

Haines and Butler Jen kept their eyes on her small figure. When she was far enough, Butler Jen faced Haines.

"Sir Haines, the young masters found out about Miss Nina’s departure."

Haines furrowed his brows. "Did Allison tell them without Charles?" he asked, and Butler Jen shook his head.

"Then, who..." Haines trailed off as he quickly figured out how the boys found out. His expression darkened as his jaw tightened. When he lifted his head, he caught the same irritation in Butler Jen’s eyes.

Butler Jen was always smiling and was a warm person from the start. This was the first time Haines saw Butler Jen looked irritated and disappointed.

"Sir Haines, Miss Penny was about to talk to you and Sir Charles about the deal with her auntie. She thought she could coax her auntie to postpone the deal because young master Atlas and the third young master needed to focus on their study, while the second young master was preparing for his next game," Butler Jen explained, still doing the job he was supposed to do if only things didn’t go out of hand so soon. "But alas, Miss Nina seemed to have told her brothers already."

"She hadn’t been going out of her room since yesterday, but in a few hours, she was able to make such a mess," Haines hissed. ’This is too much of a coincidence.’

It was only right to send her away.

Haines knew it. Nina’s insinuations weren’t just a kid spewing out of innocence and obliviousness.

Unlike Penny, who was considerate enough to think of her brothers, Nina’s action was the complete opposite. That kid was only thinking of herself; she didn’t even think of how this would affect Allison and Charles, who chose to see the good in her.

"Sir Haines, the young masters are really angry at Sir Charles and Ma’am Allison," Butler Jen concerned as this was the most important right now.

Haines snapped his eyes back to Butler Jen and nodded. "Don’t worry, Butler Jen. Those boys will eventually be fine with it. I’ll go talk to Charles and Allison first."

He offered Butler Jen a smile before he strutted to where Allison and Charles were.

Nina finally bares her teeth to the hand that fed and took care of her.

If Nina’s plan was to make the couple guilty and make Jessa an enemy to appease their children, Haines wouldn’t allow that. Haines protected the family all his life to the point he wasn’t even thinking of starting his own family. Thus, how could he let an outsider control the heart of the entire Roswald and Bennet Family just because she was lucky enough to have a taste of the life she could only dream of?

*****

Meanwhile, Nina sat on the bed with a cunning smirk on her lips. She didn’t stay throughout, but she did hear Slater and Hugo’s hurtful remarks.

"Hah. That’s what you get for lying." She crossed her arms, pleased at how Hugo and Slater reacted.

Nina didn’t expect much from Atlas. It was why she decided to see Hugo and cried in front of him. She didn’t say much, but she tweaked some words that would rile him up. Hugo fell for it, and Slater rode the waves.

Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but giggle.

Suddenly, Nina heard a faint knock on the door. Her shoulders stiffened as her smile disappeared without a trace. This could be her parents or her brothers. Hence, she wore a devastated look before she listlessly dragged herself to open the door.

Much to her surprise, the person outside was not anyone she expected.

"Pe — Penny?"