“Me? Why would you want to come?” Grace looked surprised.
“I’m bored at home, so I thought it would be nice to go with you,” Penelope explained.
Grace nodded, “Sure, that’s fine.”
Penelope bent down to grab her shoes, her heart beating faster. She felt like she had done something wrong.
There must be something she’s looking for at Phillip’s house.
Grace had obtained her driver’s license at eighteen and had been driving for three years, so she was a skilled driver. Being close in age, they found they had a lot in common.
“So, did you meet my brother at a lingerie show?” Grace asked.
“Yes.”
“It seems like he’s quite superficial,” Grace sighed.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s superficial. It’s all about aesthetics,” Penelope replied.
“You?” Grace turned her head to look at Penelope while driving.
Penelope replied, “Before I got pregnant, I was in great shape.”
Grace quickly glanced at her and commented, “Interesting.”
“….”
The word “interesting” can sometimes be the most unfriendly word in the world.
Grace appeared to be quite familiar with Phillip’s house, suggesting she came here frequently.
“Hey, what did you ask me to find?” Grace said into her phone. “A cup? What kind of cup? Is it made of diamond or gold?” She sounded impatient.
While following Grace, Penelope suddenly reached out and took a cup from a cupboard, hiding it under her clothes. She coughed a couple of times and said, “Let’s split up to search. There are plenty of cups here.”
Grace hung up the phone and grumbled, “She asked me to find a cup. There are so many valuable things here, and she wants just a cup?”
“Maybe it’s a token of love,” Penelope suggested.
“I went to the kitchen to have a look… Everything was okay, but why a cup? Shit!” Grace was depressed because a cup was wasting her time.
It was the first time she had taken on such a task; if it had been an antique vase, she might have felt better.
Penelope noticed Grace busy searching on her own. She secretly ran upstairs and went straight to the cloakroom.
“The cup… engraved with poetry? What aesthetic taste?” Grace looked sideways and noticed that Penelope had disappeared. She secretly laughed, “Did she go to the bathroom to look for it?”
Penelope moved quickly and searched one by one as fast as she could.
“Penelope, have you found it? Are you upstairs?” Grace’s voice came from downstairs.
Penelope shivered and answered loudly, “Not yet, you search for it downstairs!”
“Did he throw it away already?” Grace squatted down, inspecting a row of glass cups. She touched her chin and shook her head. “Uncle Phillip isn’t so narrow-minded. He wouldn’t…”
Penelope opened the last closet. She saw the black sweater folded at the top.
“For God’s sake…”
Grace pushed the door of the cloakroom and asked, “Why are you here?”
Penelope quickly put the sweater inside her coat, and her face flushed, looking unusually flustered.
“What’s wrong with you?” Grace asked.
“I’m just feeling a bit dizzy from bending over for so long,” Penelope replied, placing her hands on her stomach and trembling slightly.
Grace walked over, offering support, and said, “Let me help you go rest. We wouldn’t want to tire out my nephew.”
“Oh, well…”
Grace suddenly touched her stomach, and Penelope felt her forehead veins were about to explode.
“Is your stomach growing so quickly?” Grace exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes, it seems to be growing fast…”
“Let’s head downstairs,” Grace said, supporting Penelope. “I think we might not find the cup because Uncle Phillip probably threw it away. After all, Olivia can be quite ruthless.”
“You don’t seem to like her much. Why are you helping her?”
“She helped me once. I don’t like owing favors.”
“I see…”
As they walked downstairs, they heard movement near the door.
“Is it the maid?” Grace wondered aloud and approached the door.
The door suddenly swung open from the outside. Phillip, holding his suitcase, entered the house with his key. He looked up and saw the two unexpected “guests.”
“What are you doing here?” Phillip asked in surprise.
Grace remained composed and greeted him with a smile, “Oh, Uncle Phillip, we didn’t expect you to come back so early.”
“Yeah, our business was completed early,” Phillip responded.
Then, a familiar figure appeared behind Phillip. A long-distance flight had clearly tired him out, but his gaze remained sharp and penetrating. When his eyes locked onto someone, it felt as if he could see right through that person.
His gaze swept past the two women and landed on Penelope. “What are you doing here?”
Penelope shivered, feeling as though she was about to sweat through the sweater.
This was a situation she hadn’t anticipated, especially when his gaze immediately fell upon her slightly larger-than-usual stomach.
Grace might not have known exactly how big Penelope’s stomach should be, but Warren was well aware.
****
When Warren was at Phillip’s home, he didn’t say anything. However, as soon as they left the premises, his expression changed dramatically.
Penelope followed him into the car without uttering a word, and they headed home.
Upon arrival, Penelope bent down to change her shoes but remained silent. Then, with a loud bang, Warren forcefully tossed the front box onto the ground, causing it to land in a corner.
Mrs. Brown noticed their distressing expressions, but Penelope shook her head at her, signaling her not to say anything.
Warren had been suppressing his feelings for a while, but now he was beginning to calm down. He turned back and ordered, “Take the things out.”
Penelope hesitated, then reluctantly pulled out the sweater she had hidden inside her coat.
Warren had expected her to take something valuable, but it turned out to be an old sweater. He couldn’t believe it, and his frustration began to boil over.
“What’s wrong with you?!” He couldn’t help but start scolding her.
Penelope held the sweater awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.
“What have I told you before? I can overlook your past mistakes, but stealing from Phillip’s house? Are you out of your mind?” Warren’s anger was noticeable.
Penelope was startled by his furious tone, and for a moment, she couldn’t find her voice.
He reached out and seized the sweater, demanding, “Why did you take this?”