Chapter 1840: Welcome home, darling.
Chapter 1840: Welcome home, darling.
Two days later…
Grace rubbed her temple, then pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing her eyeglasses up. She had been checking the internet for the past two days, but aside from the major incident on the night of Penny’s abduction, there was nothing new.
According to the reports, the suspects in the vehicle had already been apprehended. The story claimed it was a chase involving a stolen car with a child onboard. But the way the media suddenly stopped covering it and swept everything under the rug told her it wasn’t the whole truth.
She knew it was just a cover story.
“Gosh…” she whispered, peeking with one eye as she reached into her desk drawer. She checked her private phone, but still no word from Haines.
Another deep sigh escaped her as she leaned back in her office swivel chair. It was already late, but ever since Haines left that night, she’d been drowning herself in work. It was the only way to keep her mind from spiraling.
Still, she was only buying herself time.
Her heart was already filled with worry, and just the thought of him being hurt was enough to bring tears to her eyes… like now.
“No,” Grace whispered, eyes shut as she shook her head. “No, Grace, that’s not… that’s not what’s going to happen.”
“There’s no way he got hurt,” she told herself. “Penny’s with him. Everyone’s with him.”
She nodded to herself. “That’s right. There’s no need to overthink it. It’s only been two days. Treat it like a business trip.”
And usually, business trips lasted at least three days.
With that, Grace packed up her things and shut her computer before leaving the office. The longer she stayed, the more she’d be tempted to keep checking the internet. Though honestly, there wasn’t much difference when she was at home.
—
DING!
Her lashes fluttered open as the elevator doors slid apart. Her brows rose as her heart stilled, only to drop when she saw who was waiting.
Mylo.
The hopeful smile she’d almost worn instantly vanished, replaced by a distant expression.
“I told you not to do that,” she muttered, stepping out of the lift and brushing past him. “I don’t like it.”
Mylo stepped aside to give her space, then silently followed. He didn’t jog ahead to open the car door for her—just let her climb in on her own before getting in the driver’s seat.
The ride home was quiet. Grace leaned her head against the window, staring out.
“Still no word from them?” she asked after a few long minutes.
Mylo didn’t answer. He just drove, which didn’t surprise her. At this point, Grace was convinced Penny had sent him to test her patience. She had told Penny she wanted a bodyguard who wouldn’t interfere with her lifestyle. Someone capable, but not a bother.
She hadn’t specified that he should also be this silent.
“Where did she even find you?” Grace muttered under her breath, glancing briefly at him before sighing and returning her gaze to the window.
Pressing her lips together, she spoke again. “If you hear anything—anything at all—just tell me. Even if it’s just a dot in a message. I just need to know that they’re okay.”
Still, he said nothing. But she knew he heard her. And she also knew—if Haines were dead, Mylo would let her know.
Just like the past few days, they reached her place in silence. She didn’t even notice until Mylo pulled up at the entrance to her condominium.
“Hm?” Her brows lifted as she glanced at the familiar drop-off spot.
With another sigh, she gathered her things and stepped out of the car. Mylo remained in the driver’s seat, watching her quietly through the rearview mirror.
He didn’t say a word, but he shared her worry. He, too, was concerned about Penny and the others. After all, how was he supposed to get paid if she was dead? Mylo had never liked how Yugi ran things, anyway.
Just as he was about to drive to the parking area, his phone vibrated.
Hardly anyone contacted him—he had no friends or family—so whoever it was must’ve been from the company.
[From: Captain Angel
Hey there, Mylo! Penny here. What’s up?]
Mylo stared at the message from the boss in complete silence. After a moment, he deleted it and resumed driving.
Even so, for a brief second… a look of relief flickered in his eyes.
***
Grace dragged her feet down the hallway to her flat, lazily swinging her handbag. At the door, she lifted the lock cover and entered her code.
A soft chime sounded, which she ignored.
Unlike usual, she didn’t bother putting on her indoor slippers. She simply trudged through the entryway. All she wanted now was to let her exhaustion hit so she could sleep it all off.
Tossing her bag and blazer onto the couch, Grace was about to head straight to her room until she noticed something.
Her brows furrowed. She looked around the living room.
“Huh?”
The normally messy living area—messy like her current mental state—had been tidied up. Most of the mess had just been papers from her casework, but still, this wasn’t how she’d left it.
“Mom?” she called, stepping into the kitchen.
There, food had already been arranged on the table, covered carefully to keep dust or insects away.
“Didn’t she just visit not long ago?” Grace murmured, glancing around.
Assuming her mother was asleep in the guest room, Grace didn’t think much of it. She dragged herself through the living room and into her bedroom. But the moment she stepped inside, she heard water running in the bathroom.
She froze.
Her eyes locked on the bathroom door.
“Who…?” she whispered, then quickly ran back to the entryway.
On the shoe rack were Haines’ shoes.
“Haines!” she gasped and sprinted back to the bedroom, straight to the bathroom.
Just as she was about to knock, the door swung open from the inside.
Haines, fresh out of the shower, flinched in surprise. Luckily, he was holding the doorknob.
Grace stood frozen in place, wide-eyed. He was still half-naked, a towel wrapped around his waist, but that didn’t matter.
“Grace, I was just about to pick you—” he began, but she suddenly lunged forward and threw her arms around him.
Her embrace trembled as a tear slid down her cheek. She pressed her ear against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
She closed her eyes and exhaled in deep relief.
“You’re back…” she whispered, pulling away slightly to meet his gaze. The tip of her nose was red, her lips quivering. “Welcome home, darling.”
His brows rose before his expression softened. Gently, he wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb and smiled.
“I’m home… darling.”