Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1189

Chapter 1189: Secret

Maybe it was because of what happened the night before that Slater, Benjamin, and Ray were oddly peaceful as they played chess on the other side of the garden. Slater had only arrived a little later, but for once, he didn’t nitpick at Ray. Ray, on the other hand, was trying to gain Benjamin’s favor to get on Mint’s good side.

It was a trio no one would have expected, but somehow, it worked.

"Wow! Another win!" Benjamin cheered as he checkmated Ray again.

"Benjamin, how are you so good at this?" Ray stared at the chessboard in disbelief. "I was so sure I was going to win this round."

Benjamin grinned. "I used to compete in chess tournaments when I was in middle school. I even represented our region in high school! I would’ve won if I hadn’t gotten diarrhea."

"This is cheating."

"Hehehe. Now, I’m hungry!" Benjamin announced cheerfully, darting his eyes between Ray, who sat across from him, and Slater beside him. "Third Brother, let’s go inside and eat. I think Miss Penny is awake by now."

Slater had been quiet even after joining them, lingering as the other two remained engrossed in their game. He hadn’t come here to watch chess—he needed to talk to Benjamin about last night. But since Benjamin was preoccupied, he stayed.

"Sure," Slater nodded. "I’m a bit hungry too."

"Are you okay?" Ray asked, tilting his head. "For some reason, you haven’t said anything to hurt my feelings. It’s a little concerning that we’re sharing the same space so peacefully."

"Don’t make me start," Slater hissed.

Ray clicked his tongue. "Fine, let’s go back in. My ex might be waiting for us."

Both Slater and Benjamin shot him a glare.

Ex—he meant Penny.

Since when did they have a relationship!?

"What a delusional prick," Slater muttered as he stood. "He really is meant to die young."

Benjamin could only shake his head. Even though Ray played chess with him, there was no way he would allow Mint to date the guy—he was crazy!

Sometimes, I really wonder how he ended up in this famous star section and still acts like this, Benjamin thought. Is it just because he’s the headmaster’s grandson? I’m getting kind of suspicious.

Either way, Slater and Benjamin kept their thoughts to themselves. Meanwhile, Ray happily skipped ahead, humming Penny’s name as if he hadn’t just been trying to pursue Mint yesterday. Surely, Benjamin and Slater’s feelings about him weren’t unfounded.

As they walked back to the main castle, Slater glanced at Benjamin. Ray had widened the distance between them with his skipping.

"Ahem." Slater cleared his throat loudly, catching Benjamin’s attention. "Uh, Benjamin, about last night..."

He trailed off as Benjamin blinked at him innocently. Slater opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. He didn’t know where to start. He had told Benjamin last night to fill him in later, but that never happened. The situation had kept them too busy to talk, pushing aside important matters. But he knew Benjamin would start asking soon—worse, he might harass him and take his chocolates hostage. He needed to deal with this now.