Penelope took her baby’s photo back and wanted to show it to Mrs. Brown and the butler. However, she found that she couldn’t recognize her baby.
“Oh my god! Is my face blindness acting up again?” Penelope panicked, looking carefully at the photo.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s as small as a bean. It is normal even if you can’t recognize it.” Mrs. Brown tried to comfort her.
“But, this is my own child. How can’t I recognize it?” Penelope looked at the picture meticulously. She has to find it!
Mr. Brown laughed and went to prepare food.
After dinner, Penelope walked around in the garden with her hands behind her back.
The sound of the car comes from the corner. Penelope’s eyes lit up, and she retreated aside.
The headlights of the car sweep past Penelope. Surrounded by light, she called Warren. She doesn’t seem as disgusting as before, Warren thought.
“Why are you staying outside on such a cold day?” Warren got out of the car and watched her trotting to him.
Penelope took a picture from her pocket and showed him, saying expectantly, “Do you know where the baby is?”
He pointed to a small black ball and said, “Don’t you know?”
“Hahahaha, how could it be possible? I’m testing you!” Penelope laughed, guiltily patted his shoulders, and said, “Not bad! You are a qualified great uncle.”
Warren slightly raised his eyebrows and said, “I mistook it just now. It’s here.”
“…” Penelope glared at him.
“It seems I am a qualified great uncle, but you are not a qualified mother.” He chuckled and walked past her.
The cold wind poured in from all directions and slipped into her neck.
Penelope thought of the famous lyrics, “Let it go, let it go… the cold never bothered me anyway.”
“Mr. Duncan… Now that’s my type of guy!” Penelope licked her lips and savored his contemptuous smile, refreshed.
She rushed into the house with the picture excitedly. “Mrs. Brown, I know where the baby was!”
Penelope ran past him like a whirlwind and threw herself into the kitchen like a shell. After a while, there comes ceaseless babbles of talking, like the larks chirping in spring.
Warren went upstairs with his coat, and he tried to convince himself that it was just background music.
Penelope stretched out her head from the kitchen and asked Mrs. Brown behind her. “Does he always go to bed so early?”
“No. Mr. Duncan preferred quiet surroundings. He is likely to be reading books upstairs.” Mrs. Brown answered her while her hands were busy.
Reading books…? She also loved to read.
****
Christmas is coming. Mrs. Brown began to decorate rooms two days in advance.
On the morning of Christmas Eve, Penelope found herself surrounded by a Christmas atmosphere when she opened the door of her room. Garlands and socks are hanging on the door, and a decorated Christmas tree is in the living room. The Santa dolls everywhere are telling her that Christmas is coming.
Penelope leaned over the balustrade on the second floor with mixed feelings.
The door next to her opened, and Warren walked out in a brown sweater. He is tall with a fit body like a model and sexually attractive. In addition, he always has a cold face, like a god from Greek mythology, noble and elegant. Mortals only have the right to look up to him.
Penelope is dangling her head to cosplay the Lion King. Warren stood beside her, saying, “Why are you rolling around?”
“I’m not rolling around.” Penelope looked up, her face covered with her hair as if she were talking with the back of her head.
“The paint on the balustrade will be worn away by you.”
“The balustrade already has a little bit of paint loss from typical use, and it has nothing to do with me.” Penelope straightened up alertly and kept away from the balustrade right away.
“You are not happy about Christmas, are you?” Warren is observant. It is a challenge for this “hyperactive” girl to lean on the balustrade quietly.
Penelope shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t say ‘unhappy.’ For me, there is nothing memorable to celebrate on Christmas. I’ve forgotten how to celebrate it.”
Warren glanced at the decorations downstairs, saying, “So what Mrs. Brown did is in vain.”
“Don’t tell her, please. I do not want to hurt her feelings.” Penelope quickly added.
He nodded and walked downstairs.
Penelope followed him and asked, “Do you have a date today?”
“This is not something you should care about.”
“Can you accompany me today if you don’t have one?” Penelope stopped there.
Warren halted his pace and turned back, “Accompany you?”
“On festival occasions, we will think of our loved ones far away more often than ever. Get it?” Penelope smiles, considering herself as degage.
While in Warren’s eyes, she looked like a fawning dog, which was staring at him with her watery eyes for fear of being rejected.
He turned back and continued to go downstairs. He said, “I have an appointment. You can come with me.”
“Man or woman?” Penelope is curious.
“Man and woman.”
“Oh… Is it a party?” Penelope got the answer. And then she asked, “Why didn’t you just invite me? Would you have gone on your own if I didn’t ask you?”
Warren put his teacup aside, saying, “If you don’t want to go, it is not too late.”
“I want to go!”
At four o’clock in the afternoon, Warren went out with Penelope.
The Christmas atmosphere on the street is very intense.
The car is parked in front of a white house. Surrounded by fences, it looks very warm.
The host is out to meet him. He smiled and patted Warren’s shoulders. He ushered them, “Thank you for joining us today.”
Staring at the two men, Penelope said, “You two look very similar.”
Warren lifted the corners of his mouth; then, the host explained, “You don’t know? I’m Phillip Duncan, the younger brother of this icy man.”
“Icy man…” Penelope shook her shoulder and said, “I could really use an icy right now!
Warren and Phillip look at her simultaneously.
Penelope chuckled, “It’s not funny? Forget it.”
Warren walked into the house, leaving her behind.
Phillips said, “You’re Asher’s girlfriend? You don’t look like his type.”
“Am I not beautiful?”