Chapter 757: Hell yeah

VROOM!

Penny abruptly made a short drift, halting, before putting her foot down to steady her motorbike. Taking off her helmet, she placed it down before kicking the stand. But before she could leave the motorbike, her phone began to ring.

"Hmm??" She smacked her lips and checked her phone, only to see Zoren’s name on the screen. Connecting the phone to her Bluetooth earpiece, her lips stretched from ear to ear.

"Hey~" her voice was sweet and pleasant. "Getting ready for tonight’s event?"

"A little." A short laugh escaped Zoren before he asked, "Where are you, Penny?"

"Just arrived at the office," she hummed, taking off her gloves as she marched toward the entrance. "I dropped by to the hospital to visit Second Brother, so I just arrived."

"I see."

"Why are you asking? Planning to see me?" she teased happily, offering smiles to the employees on the way to the lift.

Another short chuckle from him was heard. "Should I?"

"Seriously?"

"I’ve been thinking about it since I still have a few hours left."

"Hehe." Penny giggled. "As much as I love the idea, I don’t think you should."

"And why is that?"

"Simple." Penny paused, stopping in front of the lift after pressing the button. "Work."

"Ahh..."

"So? Why did you call? Is it just because you missed me?" Penny batted her eyes coquettishly, even though Zoren wasn’t there to see her beauty. Not that he could see her even when they were together. "I believe there’s something else you need to talk about."

Zoren smiled in satisfaction, hearing just how well his wife knew him. "Just how do you know my intentions every time I call you?"

This wasn’t something Zoren did occasionally. He would always reach out to her whenever they weren’t together. If not a call, then a message. He made sure to call and hear her voice every day—it was like another vitamin he needed daily, even when they were going home to the same place.

"I’m amazing, that’s why," Penny shrugged, smirking. "So? What is it?"

"I can’t reach First Brother."

Her right brow slowly raised. "And?"

"Will you tell him something for me if you can?"

"Sure." She nodded, seeing no problem in relaying her husband’s message to her First Brother. She knew Zoren was reaching out to Atlas because he would surely get busier later. However, considering Atlas’s schedule, their schedules were probably not aligning.

"What do you want me to tell him?" she asked, pressing the close button because the signal inside the lift was bad. "I’ll try calling him in a bit. I’m sure he’s swamped with everything, but I know someone from his department who can make him take his phone."

Zoren smiled. "I would like to ask if he’s available tonight?"

"Huh?"

"He once asked me to be his muse—a display, as he called it," Zoren explained. "I might need to ask him for the same favor."

"You’re taking my brother to the family gathering?"

"Mhm."

"What about me?" she blurted out, puffing her cheeks. "I knew it! Renren, if you have something to admit, you should come clean now. Are you and First Brother in a relationship?"

"???"

Penny pressed her earpiece as if that would help. Her expression was serious. "How come you’re asking my brother to be your muse for the family gathering and not your wife? Worse, you’re asking me to invite him in your stead..." she trailed off, her brows rising.

"Oh, you’re inviting me and not him? And you’re just trying to tease me! Renren, you have messed up humor," she added with a light scoff. "I almost fell for it."

"I was inviting him." Zoren, on the other end of the line, blinked. "You really think your First Brother and I are in a secret relationship?"

If Zoren could be just as blunt as her, he would probably have repeated the last remarks she uttered. Even if the assumptions were a joke, it was a little disconcerting. Wasn’t that the same as having a twisted humor?

"What?" Penny sucked her inner cheeks innocently. "I mean, can you blame me? You guys always go out together and sometimes, you discuss things secretly."

"..."

"Ey... hahaha! I’m just kidding. I knew you and First Brother wouldn’t betray me like that," Penny laughed, reaching for the button because now, she knew she had to enter the lift. Not because she was late for work, but because she had just made this phone call awkward. Reviving it would be impossible at this point.

"Anyway, I’m entering the lift!" she intoned hurriedly. "I’m hanging up now~!"

"Wait, Penny."

Penny winced, telling herself that she should also learn to hang up on Zoren. After all, if this were someone else—whoever they were—she would’ve hung up on them without waiting for anything they wanted to add. Most of the time, she had done this because she knew there wasn’t any more relevant information.

"What, my dearest?" she asked under her breath, hoping Zoren would let go of the awkwardness in the line. "I’m sorry. It’s just that my imagination is a little... wild, but that didn’t mean I was jealous."

Was she trying to make things worse?

Surely, the less one talked, the fewer mistakes they would make.

She should just keep her mouth shut.

With that thought in mind, Penny pressed her mouth shut after smacking them. Zoren, on the other end of the line, let out a faint chuckle, imagining the look on her face from the sound she was making.

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep my questions about that for later," Zoren said. "Although I didn’t plan to tease you, I ended up doing it anyway, so I think it’s only proper to say this formally."

Her brows rose as she waited for his next words.

"Penelope," he called, this time, one of her brows elevated higher than the other. Why was he calling her by her full first name? "I need your help."

Zoren paused, taking a deep breath before he continued. "Will you help me?"

"Is that even a question?" Her mouth hooked up into a confident and smug smirk. "Hell yeah. Anything to keep my love life alive."