Chapter 1439: Something was wrong

Penny pursed her lips and instinctively cast a look at Mark and Angel. The latter two glanced back at her with slight sympathy. To them, it was either Zoren was displeased or just...horny. Either way, they wanted no part of it.

"I’ll just take these cakes to the dirty kitchen," Mark said politely.

Angel nodded. "Me too."

Without waiting for anyone’s approval, the two promptly walked toward the door leading to the separate dirty kitchen. Meanwhile, Penny forced a smile at her husband and nodded.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat, awkwardly placing the box of cake on the table. Seeing that everyone was still staring at her, she forced a grin. "First of all, I’m really sorry for making you all wait. But I guarantee you, this cake is worth it!"

Still, no reaction.

"Let’s eat!" She clapped her hands, now feeling the trickle of sweat forming under their unrelenting gazes. Another awkward laugh escaped her as she noticed that nothing had been served yet. "I’ll get us some food."

"No need." Hugo pointed at the cake in front of her. "I want to eat that."

"Me too! Me too! I’m already full from drinking so much water, so I’d rather eat cake first!" Slater added.

Atlas and Haines nodded in agreement before the latter rose from his seat. "I’ll help you set the table."

"It’s alright, Uncle Haines," Zoren raised a hand. "I’ll do it. Penny, stay put."

"But—"

"No buts," Zoren interjected, his tone unexpectedly firm. His sharp gaze locked onto her, expecting no argument. "Just stay with them."

"Oh...okay?" Penny furrowed her brows, taken aback by his authoritative tone. That was new. Was he angry that she had taken so long?

But knowing Zoren, he wouldn’t get upset over something like that.

Shaking her head, Penny sat down, deciding to focus on making sure her brothers and uncle weren’t upset either.

"So." She cleared her throat, her eyes darting between them. But instead of lightening the mood, she blurted, "Are you guys okay?!"

"The AC is broken!" Slater complained. "You should buy another one—no, I’ll buy you a new one. I’m an endorser for this appliance brand. They’ll give me one for free."

"Isn’t that convenient?" Hugo sighed, rubbing his throat. His mouth felt oddly numb and dry. "Now that I think about it, I should’ve just pursued stardom."

"Second Brother, if you had, what talent do you think you’d showcase?"

Hugo rubbed his chin before answering confidently, "I’d be an action star."

Everyone: "..."

Slater, Haines, and even Atlas tilted their heads slightly, as if trying to imagine it. Penny, on the other hand, looked at her second brother in sheer disbelief.

"Second Brother, how can you say that?" she mumbled. "Wasn’t becoming a soldier like Dad your dream?"

In both of Penny’s lifetimes, she had never heard Hugo regret becoming a soldier. If anything, despite his poor financial decisions, he was the proudest Bennet among them. Compared to Atlas, who had always set his sights on running the family business, and Slater, who had an artistic soul, Hugo carried their family’s legacy with the most pride.

And yet, here he was, saying he should have been an action star.

"It was my dream, yeah." Hugo nodded.

"Then why are you suddenly reconsidering it?"

Hugo thought for a second before shaking his head. "I’m not."

"Huh?" Everyone frowned in confusion. "But you just said—"

"I don’t care what I said," Hugo cut in aggressively, pointing directly at the unopened box of cake. "I want that cake. Now."

Once again, the room fell into stunned silence.

But Penny was the most confused of all.

’Something is weird with him,’ she thought before glancing up at Zoren, who was returning with plates and cutlery on a tray. Yet, instead of paying attention to what he was carrying, his eyes were fixed on her. And the longer he stared, the more intense his gaze became.

’And with him too,’ she noted warily.

"Ahem!" Penny cleared her throat, pretending not to notice. As Zoren passed around the plates, she carefully took out the cake, all while discreetly observing them.

’Now that they’ve stopped talking, they seem normal,’ she thought. ’Well, except for the fact that they all look ridiculously hot.’

Just then, she furrowed her brows.

’The AC is broken? But...it actually feels chilly in here?’

Turning her head, Penny’s eyes landed on the air conditioning unit. The temperature was set to the lowest possible setting, which explained the coolness in the room.

And yet, all of them looked overheated—like it was the middle of summer and the AC had been off for hours.

"Let me slice—"

"I’ll do it!" Penny blurted out, laughing awkwardly at Zoren. "I’ll do it, Renren. Just take a seat, okay?"

Zoren frowned, reaching out for her but stopping himself mid-motion. Instead, he clasped his hands together and withdrew. Penny noticed the hesitation immediately, her brows knitting together. But before she could say anything, Zoren had already turned his back and taken a seat—far from hers.

’That’s strange—hella strange,’ she mused while slicing the cake and serving everyone. ’What the hell happened while I was out fighting for this cake?’

Once everyone had their share, a rare moment of silence filled the room. No one spoke—they simply ate, nodding in approval.

By the looks of it, they all understood why Penny had been willing to wait hours for this cake.

It was, indeed, delicious. Perfectly balanced, soft, and flavorful.

Yet...

’I’m scared,’ Penny thought, her stomach twisting with unease. ’I don’t know why, but I feel like there’s something I should be scared of.’

Her intuition screamed at her that something was wrong. Deep down, she knew it.

She just didn’t know what it was yet.

Most importantly...

’Renren! Why won’t you look at me?!’ she dramatically wept inside. Not only had her husband refused to touch her earlier, but now, he wouldn’t even look at her.

’I take it back! I’ll never complain about you staring at me like you’re undressing me if it’s you!’