Chapter 768: I’m looking for… a sneaky rat.

"Of course, I went there. I even bought a few pieces. The collection was amazing... hihi—I could be saying that at the party, but here I am, peeling potatoes," a young woman standing near Penny muttered, talking to herself as she peeled more potatoes. "Damn it."

"Mom, of course... ha ha. Yes, I’m getting along with everyone." The man with them laughed awkwardly, speaking quietly on the phone. "Mom, I can’t stay on the line for long—yes... of course, I’ll give—wait, the line is having trouble. I can’t hear you—szzt!"

He huffed as he reluctantly ended the call, his face showing bitterness. "Jesus."

"My hands can’t peel any more of these," another mas mumbled listlessly. "At this rate, I might have to find something to massage my hands and smooth out the calluses I’ve gained since joining this family."

Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, glancing at their little group of four in this corner of the kitchen. They hadn’t chatted much, but she’d already heard enough: one was talking to herself and imagining the conversations she should be having at the party, another man had to lie to his mother, and the third person seemed to be on the brink of giving up.

’And to think all of them were part of the upper circle before marrying into the Pierson family,’ Penny thought, feeling surprisingly indifferent. ’Wow. This is definitely humbling.’

Penny would’ve shared their sentiments if she’d had the same expectations, but she’d lowered hers. She’d anticipated tonight to be more chaotic than a battlefield.

"Ahem!" Penny cleared her throat, waiting for them to look at her. When they did, all she saw were their tired, hopeless expressions. "Hehe. Now’s probably not the best time to chat, huh?"

"Just shut up and peel so we can finish sooner," the depressed man muttered, shaking his head. "You’re new here, aren’t you? Then you should work ten times harder than us. Don’t think that just because you came from a good family, you’re above this."

"No matter how pampered you were at home, you’re not part of that

"It’s my third year in the kitchen now," the young woman continued, her gaze still on the potato she was peeling. "They said I’d soon join the gathering, but look at me. Who knew that ’soon’actually meant not less than three years?"

Penny’s face contorted slightly. "Nothing I could say would make you feel better?"

"If you want to make us feel better, then peel more than us," said the first man. "My hands... I’ll probably have nightmares tonight, still peeling these potatoes. Why do they need so many? The mashed potatoes are already done."

Penny kept her lips tightly sealed, looking around the kitchen where gloom hung in the air. It was actually a sight to behold.

"I’ve never been to a place where depression is so widespread," she mumbled under her breath, though those who heard her didn’t have the energy to call her out.

What she said was true.

Not just their group, but most people in the kitchen looked depressed. Some of them had been doing this for more years now. Compared to them, Penny and the three others still had it "easy." Even so, that didn’t mean that those here didn’t want to be in the kitchen. In fact, a small fraction of the people actually preferred working here than attending the family gathering.

"So, when are we going to join the gathering?" Penny asked, more curious than hopeful. When she saw their faces, her own expression fell. "No? We’ll be here all night?"

They scoffed and shook their heads, refocusing on the potatoes.

"If we’re lucky, we might join them. But who wants to go to the party smelling like this?" the young woman sighed heavily. "After this, we’ll probably just go home and rest. My husband can be home alone. I don’t care anymore."

"I’ll have to wait for my wife."

"Same here."

"At this point, I just hope others get married. Maybe then I’ll finally get out of here."

Again, the three of them heaved a deep sigh. Penny felt a bit sorry for them. But in her view—just as Belle had mentioned—it was better to spend time in the kitchen than attend the dinner.

"It can’t be that bad, right?" Penny remarked, already forming plans on how she might sneak out after helping this group. There were only a few potatoes left; she might as well finish them before slipping away.

’I wonder if Renren has already arrived?’ she mused, sighing. ’It’s getting late, so he’s probably there. Hehe. I bet he’ll be surprised to see me.’

A bright smile crept onto Penny’s face as she thought about Zoren’s reaction. Just imagining it put her in a good mood. Would he be stunned, or would he be jumping in joy to have her there with him? After all, this was her first family gathering as a Pierson.

But as Penny happily thought about Zoren’s reaction, her smile froze at the sound of Mildred’s voice.

"Oh, Young Master!" Mildred exclaimed in surprise, rushing to the entrance. Her loud voice quickly captured everyone’s attention, and they all turned to look.

Their eyes fell on the dashing Dean standing by the doorway.

Meanwhile, Penny didn’t dare look back. ’What the hell is he doing here?’ she mentally gasped, panicking. ’Don’t tell me he saw me earlier? Did he recognize me? Damn.’

Penny’s eyes darted around, searching for an exit—or at least a place to hide. She really didn’t want to deal with Dean right now. She’d already had enough encounters tonight, and adding another one was not something she was eager to experience.

But then she heard Dean speak. "I’m looking for... a sneaky rat."

’Yep.’Penny mentally nodded, now convinced. ’He definitely had seen me. Damn it! Did he get a Penny radar installed in his brain? How come he always sensed where I was? I don’t feel safe anymore. After this, I’d have to review my security.’