Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 457

Chapter 457: Cannon fodders

"Ouch..."

"Penny?" Hugo took a large step forward, grasping her arm as she winced and seemed to lose her balance. "Are you okay?"

Suddenly, the ringing in Penny’s ears stopped. She remained frozen momentarily, ensuring the pain had fully subsided. When it did, she looked up at him.

The worry in Hugo’s eyes was visible, his brows furrowed. "Everything okay?"

"Uh... mhm," she hummed, forcing a brief smile. "I’m okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm." Penny cleared her throat and straightened her posture, facing him squarely. "Second Brother, when did I say that again?"

"Ah, last night."

Penny pressed her lips into a thin line and sighed. "I don’t know why I said those things, but don’t worry. I don’t hate you," she reassured. "It’s probably the alcohol... or that I didn’t recognize you. Anyway, I think I’ll just return to my room and rest. I wasn’t feeling well."

"Oh."

Before Hugo could respond, Penny had already strode back to her room. Watching her leave, deep lines formed between his brows.

"Didn’t recognize me?" he whispered, confused. "But she called my name... or was I mistaken?"

In all honesty, Hugo was certain he hadn’t done anything to earn his sister’s hatred. What bothered him was the look in her eyes last night. It concerned him deeply, prompting him to want to clarify.

Not that he completely believed her without any basis, but from the look she gave him, he knew she was telling the truth.

"This only confuses me even more," he told himself, tilting his head. "It was easier to understand that look in her eyes last night if she hated me."

Hugo pondered over it for a long time until his head began to ache. To avoid a headache in the middle of the day, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind to deal with later.

***

Meanwhile, when Penny reached her room, she closed the door behind her. Her heart raced for unknown reasons, making her feel feverish. She didn’t understand the uneasiness in her chest, but she knew where it came from.

[Stay dead... Hugo.]

Her own voice echoed in her mind, along with a snippet of Hugo’s image standing before her. It was almost like recalling a dream, but a part of her insisted it was no dream. It was a memory—a fragment she didn’t know she had.

"Why... would I say that?" she asked herself, looking around her room. "First Brother didn’t tell me about that..."

She trailed off as another sharp pain struck the side of her head. Penny winced again, touching her temple as more snippets of memories flashed in her mind. They were mostly fragments from last night: Penny driving aimlessly in the city, hiding behind a bush, seeing the unconscious Nathaniel, and bits of last night’s fight.

The memories were brief and fragmented, offering little clarity. All she felt was an intense headache.

Her body still ached, and her muscles were sore. With her throat starting to heat up, Penny dragged herself onto the bed and collapsed. _{freewebnσvel.cѳm}

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