Chapter 1841: Slumber Party
Chapter 1841: Slumber Party
It took almost three days for everyone on the island to leave and contact the outside world. This was mainly due to the strange reception on the island. Their only contact was Yugi, who communicated with his father in a unique, coded way.
But Yugi had no time to inform everyone. After all, he had to connect the Anteca government with the situation and then fix the Prime Group’s current problems involving market manipulation.
So, after almost three days without a word from them, they were expecting quite a lot upon their return.
*
*
Riding in a van provided to them, Charles drew a deep breath as the gates of their home opened. With him were Atlas, Slater, Penny, and Zoren. Hugo would stay strapped in at the hospital in the city; the guy simply didn’t know the meaning of “staying put.”
“Uh…” Penny smiled nervously, seated in the front row with her father, while her brothers stayed in the back with her husband.
She turned to Charles, wearing her sweetest smile. “Dad, I told you my husband and I should just go straight home. You know, Chunchun and Blacky probably miss us.”
Charles kept his lips drawn into a thin line, slowly sliding his eyes to the corner. A part of him wanted to give in to his precious daughter, but then again…
He smiled—the kind of smile a schemer would give to the person they were planning to scam. “My beautiful princess, after everything that’s happened, it’s best if we just go home together and be grateful that we’re all coming here together.”
“…” Penny’s mouth quivered as the corners of her eyes reddened.
She shot everyone in the back a look, only to see Slater sporting a mocking expression. Atlas looked away to avoid her gaze. As for Zoren, he looked at his wife apologetically.
“How come Uncle Haines gets to go somewhere else?” she grumbled, looking away from them, sulking in her seat.
For some reason, the van they were in drove like a snail on the Bennet Mansion’s driveway. As the front of the mansion came closer, Penny and Charles stretched their necks, their eyes fixed on the windshield.
Their faces quickly paled, and their eyes shook.
There, standing on the porch, were Allison, Butler Jen, and Nina. The three angels in this household whose patience wider than the gap between heaven and earth. But right now, Allison had her arms crossed, tapping her feet irritably as if growing more upset about how the van was moving even slower than it should.
Butler Jen, on the other hand, stood beside her. His usually warm smile was gone, replaced by a cold frown.
As for Nina, she was just staring at their vehicle with mixed emotions.
And seeing this, Penny and Charles had a strong sense of déjà vu. Their faces twisted, and after a second, Penny reached out to the door to jump out. Heck! She’d rather go home for now and come back once her mother and Butler Jen calmed down. She could coax Nina, but that woman could be brutal sometimes when she wanted to be.
But just as she moved, Charles moved just as fast.
Holding the back of her collar, fire blazed in his eyes as an evil smile spread across his face. “Penny, you’re not going anywhere.”
“…” She pressed her quivering lips into a thin line, looking back at her father with teary eyes.
“Ha… ha…” For some reason, Charles let out a slow, villainous laugh. “You’re not just a kid anymore, Penny. So, help your father out this time.”
Hearing that, her breath hitched as she was reminded of that night over a decade ago. The night the father and daughter snuck out, only to go home with Haines, Butler Jen, and Allison waiting for them. Back then, Penny threw her father under the bus, using the excuse of, “But I’m just a kid.”
And here she thought Atlas’ vengeful nature was an anomaly, but it was now clear where he got that vengeful nature of his!
Her lips quivered as dramatic tears welled in the corners of her eyes. “NO!!”
But even as she struggled, her brothers helped their father keep her strapped in her seat to face the same wrath they were coming home to.
Once the van finally stopped, all of them walked out of the vehicle and somberly dragged themselves in front of Allison and Butler Jen. But before any word could even be heard, the five of them dropped to their knees and raised their hands in the air.
But Allison, Nina, and even Butler Jen didn’t budge. They just stared at the five, who hadn’t even reached out to them in the past few days. They didn’t even tell them where they went—they just disappeared!
“So?” Allison arched a brow, looking at them.
All she said was “so,” but that prompted everyone to point a finger at one person.
Penny raised her brows, turning her head, only to see that all fingers were pointing at her! Even her husband was pointing at her! They didn’t even say a word, but this was enough to show her the greatest betrayal of all time!
“N—no, no!” she exclaimed as she looked at the three judges standing on the porch, shaking her head profusely. “I can explain!”
But nope.
Penny didn’t get to explain because after that, Allison, Butler Jen, and even Nina took turns scolding her. And no, the other four didn’t get away from it even after putting all the blame on Penny. They had their fair share of scoldings and punishments.
Finn was also there, but he just remained on the sidelines, watching the heroes get their house chores for the week. But even when he was being quiet, all the men (starting from Charles, Atlas, Slater, and especially Zoren) glared daggers at him.
He gulped. “Come on, guys. You can’t just hate me because I’m staying out of trouble, right?”
Yet, in a way, Finn knew that even if he wasn’t punished, he still had to help them just for survival purposes.
****
[Cortez Household]
“Say, son,” Lester and Yugi walked quietly through their gates to their front door. “Did your mother ask about me while I was away?”
Yugi turned to his father, his exhaustion evident in his eyes. The incident had doubled the bags under his eyes. He might not have been present on the battlefield, but there were so many things to do back home. Even though Teddy helped him a lot, the work was still too much.
“Dad, wasn’t I hiding from her all this time?” Yugi blurted out. “I’m only coming home because you picked me up, and, well, I need sleep.”
Lester smiled and nodded, squeezing his son’s shoulder. “Proud of you, son.”
Yugi smiled back and nodded.
Both of them walked in the front door without any other worries, unlike the Bennets. It was late, so Jessa was surely asleep. They could just worry about her the next day. But as they came in, all the lights were shut as if no one was home.
So, Yugi was about to head upstairs while Lester turned to their room on the ground floor. Sadly, before they could even part, Jessa’s voice was heard.
“My son always avoids coming home because he thinks work is more important than visiting his mother. And my husband just left for whatever without a word.” Seated in the dark dining room, Jessa turned her head to the figures in the living area.
“What makes you think coming home is a good idea, hmm?”
Lester and Yugi gulped because they knew they were dead. Like dead-dead, for real. But before the two of them could explain themselves, someone came through the door.
Yuri yawned loudly, just coming home now from work. A step in, she paused and saw the figures in the living area and the one in the dining room.
Seeing her, Yugi and Lester’s eyes brightened up as if they had just seen their only hope… or not.
“…” Yuri blinked, and as if she didn’t see anyone, took a step back and went out. Once she closed the front door behind her, she shook her head. “That’s close. I’ll just go home once Mom finishes cleaning up their bodies.”
And yep, Lester and Yugi somehow survived, but they were kicked out.
In the end, the two of them took shelter in the Bennet Mansion and ended up joining the Bennet men (Zoren and Finn included) who were having a slumber party in the garage.