Chapter 857: Invitation

Hours later, Nina slumped in the chair beside Finn’s bed.

She felt tired, even after having lunch with Jonathan. He had been running all over the place that morning, trying to finish her tasks as quickly as possible so she could come here.

"I’m sorry, Finn," she whispered, putting her bag down and reaching for his hand. "I really am sorry that I can’t stay, or that I can’t take care of you all the time."

Another heavy sigh escaped her as she thought about the days she’d come here late at night. Then, she still had to leave early to go to work. She’d already used up all her leaves, so she couldn’t stay with him. Yet, she still felt guilty, because she couldn’t look after him as much as she wanted.

"And then, I’m sorry for taking work home." She glanced at her bag, where a handful of papers sat beside it. "Tomorrow is the reunion of Penny’s fan club members..."

Nina trailed off, gazing down at him. "Should I not go?"

"But then again, my biggest client will be there, and he plans to introduce me to his girlfriend," she continued, sighing deeply. "If I close another deal, I’d have more time to stay here with you. It’s a good opportunity."

Another big project meant Nina could focus on it, freeing up time from smaller projects.

"Patricia won’t be there for sure," Nina murmured. "I don’t think Penny would invite her, but then again, I’m sure Penny wouldn’t want to be there either. She even called me, ranting about why she didn’t learn anything about cloning."

Thinking about it, she laughed. "Penny never changed. With all that attention on her, anyone in her position would love it. But she really hated it. I thought back then she was just faking it, but I eventually realized she didn’t like the attention at all."

"That’s why I wasn’t surprised when the identity of the head of the Prime Group was only known by an alias; she hated fame," she continued, sharing her thoughts with the unconscious man, as usual. "I told her I was coming — more like, I promised Lily I’d go so Penny would come too."

"Well!" Nina smacked her lips and shrugged. "I guess I’ll just go. The reunion itself is a good opportunity for me. Almost everyone from the Summit School of Excellence is successful. Who knows? I might get another client or two, right?"

The smile returned to her face, her eyes narrowing with a hopeful glint. Nina went on and on, spending the first hour rambling about her day. When she felt tired of talking and realized she had to work on her take-home assignments, Nina squeezed Finn’s hand and sighed.

"Finn, when are you going to wake up?" she wondered quietly. "I..." really miss you.

However, she decided to keep that sentiment to herself. There was no point, after all. Nina was here to take care of him, but at the end of the day, they weren’t together anymore.

"Your parents... will they come back?" she asked herself. "They’ve only come by a few times, but that’s it."

Another deep exhale escaped her as she felt a little sorry for him. He had told her that his parents were always busy, always on business trips, and had settled abroad to focus on their international branch, leaving Finn with the local and main branch.

’Even so, how could they prioritize work over their son?’Her eyes softened as she gazed at his side profile. "It’s okay, I’m here, Finn. I won’t leave until you tell me to."

Nina patted his hand gently before carefully slipping her hand from his. She picked up her things and dragged herself to the couch to work. But after spending so much time in this ward, Nina didn’t dare sit on the couch. She sat immediately on the floor.

The coffee table was low, and sitting on the couch would hurt her back. While Nina was busy setting up her work, she didn’t notice the slight movement Finn’s hand made.

---

Meanwhile, in the Miller Family Home...

Patricia rolled her eyes as she looked around the almost empty mansion. The servants had been reduced to two people, all because of Theo’s stupidity. After that charity event, many of their investors and clients pulled out.

They said they didn’t like how Theo was handling things. While the business was still running and they still had loyal clients, it couldn’t sustain the lavish lifestyle the Millers once had. What Patricia didn’t consider, though, was that people had pulled their investments and avoided doing business with the Millers because Patricia had "offended" Zoren Pierson.

Who would want to risk doing business with people who had shamelessly claimed to be the future matriarch of the Pierson family?

"I hate this place," she grumbled, dragging her feet to the stairs to get some rest. This had been her life. She hadn’t gone out since that charity event. The last time she did, she only ended up fighting with someone she thought was a friend, all because they had tried to bully her.

"Miss Patricia!"

Patricia stopped in the stairwell and looked back at the maid. "What?"

"Uh, there’s a letter for you," said the maid, hurrying to hand it over.

"What’s this?"

"I’m not too sure, Miss Patricia." The servant handed it to her, quickly stepping back in case Patricia blew up again.

Patricia arched a brow and glanced at the envelope. She checked the front and the back, but there was no sender’s name. The only thing written was her name, "Patricia," in cursive on the back.

"What is this?" she murmured, curiously opening the envelope. As soon as she opened it, a pink ticket fell out. She took it out, her brows furrowing as she stared at it.

"Penelope’s fan club reunion?" she whispered. "Why would they invite me when I’m not even a member?"

Her lips curled downward as she thought Penny had sent this to humiliate her at the reunion. "As if I’d fall for something like this... huh?" Just then, she noticed the small note behind the ticket.

It read: [Do you want your problems to go away? Then, I have a task for you.]