Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1275

Chapter 1275: Second life
Penny had always been the smart one. Grace could never deny that, even though Penny was a few years younger than her. After knowing Penny for years, Grace understood her inside and out.

Call it luck or fate, but that brief phone call had knocked Grace back on track.

She knew exactly what Penny would do and say if she found out about Grace’s condition. So, after that call, it wasn’t that Grace tried to forget about her health issues—rather, it gave her the push to act as if nothing had happened.

For months before Penny’s arrival in Anteca, Grace reminded herself to behave as she always had. Meanwhile, she continued her regular hospital visits. This became her routine. At first, it was tough to visit the hospital in secret, only to hear that her condition was not improving—though at least it wasn’t getting worse.

Eventually, she got used to it.

Did her feelings about her condition change? Not in the slightest. But Grace had accepted that her days were numbered. That was why she had been secretly training someone to take over Penny’s and her clients’ affairs, in case her doctor ever told her that the cancer was spreading.

She had also prepared everything for her mother in case she passed.

Grace arranged things carefully, even volunteering to look after Chairman Bennet. Although Penny was skeptical, she reassured her that no one would suspect anything. After all, Grace had been visiting the hospital regularly due to her condition. If anyone was watching the chairman, they wouldn’t see a connection just by looking at her medical records.

Grace had accepted the possibility of death. It wasn’t that she had lost hope—she just didn’t cling to it too tightly. For her, that was better than drowning in misery.

Life goes on.

And if she was going to die, she didn’t want to leave behind the few people she cared about without closure.

But then, something interesting happened.

On one of her secret hospital visits, Grace ran into a familiar face. Haines.

While filling out a form at the counter, she noticed a man limping into the hospital. She glanced at him, brows furrowing.

‘Isn’t that… Penny’s uncle?’ she wondered, her gaze falling to his leg as he leaned on a cane. A nurse was assisting him, and just as she remembered, he kept his eyes forward—never looking around. He didn’t notice her.

“Right…” she whispered. “He and Penny came back together.”

Curiosity swirled in her mind as she recalled the little crush she had on him when she was eighteen. She had met Penny when she was seventeen—just a few months shy of eighteen. Because of her circumstances, she had missed a few years of school.

Back then, Haines had been strikingly good-looking. And, to her surprise, over a decade later, he still was. He maintained his lean frame and stoic expression. A streak of white now lined the side of his hair, but rather than aging him, it only added to his allure.

Intrigued, Grace handed her form to the nurse with a smile but didn’t leave. Instead, she lingered in the lobby with a magazine in hand. Seeing him limp, she guessed he was there for a check-up on his leg.

‘Penny never told me what exactly happened to him—just that he had a bad leg,’ she mused, humming softly as she settled in to wait. It was her day off, after all.

After over an hour, she spotted him again.

Using the magazine to partially shield her face, she tracked his movements with her gaze.

It really was him.

A warm sense of admiration bloomed in her chest, and she smiled, recalling the stories Penny had told her about him. It wasn’t that she had fallen for him all over again or rekindled her old infatuation. She just found it nice to see him again.

Placing the magazine down, she stood up, about to approach him—when another familiar figure appeared at the entrance.

As soon as she recognized Charles, she quickly turned away.

She listened as Charles laughed, teasing Haines about his leg. Glancing discreetly at them, she watched them walk out of the hospital.

“That was close…” she muttered. If Charles had seen her, he would’ve asked why she was there. She could have lied without a problem, but she didn’t want to lie to Charles. He was like a father to her.

Watching them leave, she exhaled softly. “I guess approaching her uncle is too risky.”

Shrugging off the thought, she let it go. But after that day, she became even more cautious during her hospital visits. She might run into Haines again. Fortunately, she never did—or if she had, he never noticed her. He had always been the type to keep his eyes ahead, even back when she first met him.

Grace’s past crush on Haines had been a fleeting, youthful admiration—nothing serious. She had never truly considered it beyond that.

So why, after all this time, did she suddenly decide to pursue him?

It all started the morning after Penny’s five-day trip.

One hour before meeting Penny that day, Grace had gone for her regular hospital check-up. But this time, the results were different.

Her cancer was gone.

She had heard good news before—the doctor had mentioned that the treatment was working—but she never allowed herself to celebrate, knowing there was always a chance it could return. She had refused to get her hopes up.

But this time, the doctor was certain.

Not knowing how to process the news, she met up with Penny as planned, under the pretense of discussing Penny’s trip. Since Penny didn’t know about her condition, she had no idea what a momentous day it was for Grace. It was just another coffee meetup.

Then Penny said something… interesting.

“I don’t blame you. The day they finally get a girlfriend is the day I’ll wonder how they managed to scam her. In my eyes, my brothers all look like goofy-looking toes. But if you’re open-minded and don’t mind the age gap, Uncle Haines is still available.”

Grace blinked at Penny, momentarily surprised—before bursting into laughter.

Now that Penny mentioned it, it made her think.

Not long ago, Grace had believed she would live a long life—only to be diagnosed with cancer. After nearly a year of silent battle, she had won. Yet, she had never thought about what to do next.

Wasn’t this like getting a second life?

So why not do something… crazy? Perhaps, crazy would also make her just as happy as Penny after Penny’s crazy marriage. Besides, she had always found Haines appealing. Above all, she didn’t mind the age gap.

Grace smirked playfully at Penny and replied, “Then you better start calling me ‘Auntie.’ Haines might have a bum leg, but I find him very attractive. He aged like fine wine—sexy.”