Chapter 723: I’m taking charge

Meanwhile...

Standing outside the hospital ward, Yugi gazed through the window at Nina, who had set up a makeshift office with a small coffee table and a desk lamp, working at this hour while keeping watch over Finn.

A quiet sigh escaped Yugi as he glanced from Nina to the person lying on the bed. "No wonder Penny told me to send someone to check on this guy," he murmured, then knocked gently on the door.

Yugi carefully slid the door open, peeking inside, which caught Nina’s attention. "Hey," he called softly, watching Nina smile at him and stand up.

"Yugi," she replied, hurrying to the door. But instead of going inside, Yugi stepped back, prompting Nina to join him in the hallway and close the door behind her.

As they stood face to face, Nina’s smile stretched in relief. Her eyes scanned him up and down, exhaling softly; it had been a while since she’d seen him. Though Penny often spoke of him and reassured her that Yugi was fine, she missed him just as much as Jessa and Yuri did.

How could they not miss his rebellious and ridiculous comments that often made the house lively?

"I missed you, Yugi," she said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. "Did you visit Aunt Jessa and Yuri? They missed you a lot, you know. There’s never a day Aunt Jessa wouldn’t talk about you."

"You mean not a single day she didn’t curse me?" Yugi glanced down at her. "Why are you hugging me? This is... cringe. Get off."

"Hehe." Nina chuckled but didn’t let go, resting her head against his chest. "Did Aunt Jessa and Yuri ask you to come?"

"Well... tch. Why don’t you let go first, then we’ll talk? You’re suffocating me," he suggested irritably, but Nina held on stubbornly. Eventually, he stopped wiggling and let her be. "Yeah, they asked me to visit you because they’re worried. They thought you’d worry more if they were worried about you, so they sent me to check in."

"Haha. Did they?"

"Hey, Nina, why do they think you’d worry about them but not about me? Isn’t that a little insulting on my part?"

Nina smiled subtly, staying quiet, keeping her arms around him as her gentle expression slowly cracked. The answer, if she was to give one, was simple: she didn’t know either.

It wasn’t that she didn’t care about Yugi. But she knew that even if she were crumbling, he wouldn’t budge. Yugi had shown fearless resilience in going against Jessa’s wishes years ago, and along with Penny, he had made the Prime Group happen. In a way, she felt more at ease with Yugi or Penny, knowing they’d be concerned but not consumed by it.

"Geez..." Yugi clicked his tongue irritably, but he still patted her back, awkwardly yet gently. "Don’t you dare cry in front of me, got it? If I see a single tear, I’m leaving."

"I’m not crying," she chuckled. "I think I’ve already used up all my tears."

"Good. I don’t want to see you crying over some bulldog."

Nina laughed softly, used to Yugi’s brash comments. He was a bit like Atlas, just more untamed. At least, Atlas would usually keep his intrusive thoughts to himself — although one would know his thoughts just by his reaction.

"Stop now," he said, still with a hint of irritation in his tone. "Let go. I want to go home and rest. You should too. There’s not much you can do staying here day and night."

A small sigh escaped her as she reluctantly let him go and took a step back.

"Well, you’re right," she said. "Whether I’m here or not doesn’t change much. But even so, I want to be here when he wakes up."

"Huh?"

"As you can see, he’s alone. Finn has always been alone, and I don’t want him to feel that way now or when he wakes up," she clarified, though she knew Yugi didn’t need an explanation. "Thank you for coming, Yugi. It means a lot to me."

"You’re not planning to get back with him when he wakes up, are you?"

Nina gave a small smile. "I haven’t thought about that yet. Right now, I just want him to get better. Even though I broke off the engagement, I can’t disregard the time we had. He was my friend before he was my lover."

"Well, whatever makes you happy." Yugi jerked his chin toward the door. "Get some sleep. You’re already taking care of someone—don’t let it be the reason you get sick too."

"Mhm."

"Now go."

She pressed her lips together, staring at Yugi, who had always been like a brother to her. Though she had the Bennet brothers, Yugi was special. She reached for the door and glanced back at him.

"Yugi," she said, "I really appreciate you coming, even at this hour. It’s... motivating to know you’re here."

He raised his brows slightly, but other than that, he didn’t react. He simply gestured toward the door again, watching her smile one last time before she slipped back into the ward. As Nina closed the door behind her, Yugi remained standing, staring at it.

He rocked back and forth, mulling something over in silence. Then, with a resolute look, he turned on his heel and pulled out his phone.

"Trace all of Finn Davis’s activities prior to his accident," he instructed quietly, arching a brow as the person on the other end informed him they’d already gathered plenty of information on Penny’s orders. "I see. Send it to me."

"Mr. Yugi, are you sure about this? Miss Penelope requested every detail."

Yugi didn’t reply right away, his gaze sharpening. "If Penny’s investigating, she knows it wasn’t just a freak accident. I’m taking charge."

"We haven’t received official orders —"

"You will soon," he replied. "I’ll let her know I’m handling this."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Yugi ended the call and dialed another number. Once the line connected, he got straight to the point. "I’m taking charge of the investigation into Finn Davis. Penny, please let me."

A few seconds of silence filled the line before Penny’s voice responded. "Don’t disappoint me."