Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1531

Chapter 1531: Married him for the money?
Meanwhile…

Hugo and Mint exchanged a quiet glance, as if daring each other to speak first. For some reason, they’d ended up in the same ward after Atlas had the two of them transferred. But sharing a room wasn’t really the issue.

“Fine!” Mint huffed, rolling her eyes. “I’ll ask then. Stop staring at me like you’re waiting for me to say something.”

She cleared her throat, the swelling on her face starting to go down. “Who the hell is that?!”

She pointed not at the coma patient, but at the figure hiding awkwardly in the corner of the room.

“They’re our free lunch,” Hugo said proudly, grinning. “I was worried no one was looking after them, so I had them brought here. Now their police protection and your police protection are the same. We’re officially untouchable, Mint.”

Mint deadpanned, her expression flat. “I don’t care about that. I’m asking about that guy. Why is he hiding?!”

“He’s a felon—heh.” Hugo laughed awkwardly, then snapped his eyes to the man. “Hey, stop hiding already! You’re making yourself even more suspicious!”

The man peeking from behind the bed offered Mint a sheepish smile and raised his hand slightly in greeting.

“You’re protecting a felon now?” Mint asked, giving Hugo a suspicious look.

“I’m protecting a witness, for your information,” Hugo corrected. “Remember that raid your team led? That’s the boss—the original one. And this guy here? He’s a member who thought I had abducted his boss, and so he tried to sneak him out. Almost got himself killed in the process.”

“Ah…” Mint nodded slowly.

During the raid, most of those arrested kept their mouths shut. Those who were willing to talk ended up dead in prison. Mint clearly remembered that the Information Center they raided was supposedly under a different leader—according to intel, at least. Worse, while the raid was successful, the big players behind it weren’t caught—not the previous boss, nor the current one.

“We suspected some sort of power struggle,” she murmured. “That’s why the leadership changed.”

“Impossible!” the man blurted, only to bite his tongue when Mint shot him a look.

Hugo nodded. “It’s not just infighting, Mint. It’s more complicated. Why don’t you tell her?” He gestured for the man to speak.

“Ahem.” The man cleared his throat and climbed onto a chair. “The Information Center might’ve sold sensitive data—stuff that could ruin reputations—but we weren’t what the authorities made us out to be.”

His face darkened with bitterness.

“I’m not saying what we did was right, but it was all just business. And even then, our boss never sold Anteca to anyone. We dealt in information, not murder.”

He looked down, his voice quieter. “But then our boss got obsessed with a certain piece of information, and that’s when things started to fall apart. He was attacked… thankfully, Sir Hugo was there.”

He glanced at the coma patient. “He may be in a coma now, but at least there’s still hope he’ll wake up. That’s better than him being dead.”

Hugo turned to Mint. “This guy thought I was the one who hurt his boss, so he tried to sneak him out of here. Got himself attacked too. I can’t say ‘fortunately,’ but… that misunderstanding kept him close.”

“How many others still believe that story?” Mint asked, her reddened eyes narrowing. “If he thinks you’re the enemy, there could be others just waiting for the right time.”

Hugo smirked. “Don’t worry. I’m not just some side character in this story.”

I need more screen time, he thought with a grin.

Mint studied him for a beat before nodding. “Just asking, just in case.”

“Thanks.” Hugo leaned back. “But that’s the story. I’m sure you already know some of it—Homeland Security gets more intel from Central Intelligence, right?”

“Trust me, they’re not always helpful when it really counts.” Mint leaned back and glanced at the man. “So, he’s been stuck here since he tried to sneak his boss out, only to get attacked?”

“Basically, yeah.” Hugo nodded. “But hey, someone’s got to care for our sleeping beauty.”

“Why did you have them transferred here, though?” Mint cast him a side-eye. “If they were already under police protection, what’s the problem?”

“I told you—free meals!” Hugo frowned. “Mint, the portions they serve here are tiny. I need at least two to feel even slightly satisfied.”

“Damn!” she cursed under her breath. “I envy you.”

She winced as she touched her swollen face. Eating had become a painful chore, and her injuries had basically put her on a diet. Hugo, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine. She narrowed her eyes.

“Second Brother, why is your face not injured?”

“What a weird question, Mint.” Hugo blinked innocently. “I do have bruises, just not on my face. In a fight, why go for the face when there’s a whole body to hit?”

“Uh… because hitting your face would be fatal?”

“They’re dumb,” he said smugly. “And I protect my face because Penny would cry if she saw me looking like you.”

Mint frowned. “Why didn’t she cry when she saw me then?”

“Why would she?” Hugo snickered. “Mint, stop dreaming. Your job’s dangerous, you’re broke, and you make terrible financial decisions. My sister loves money. If you want to steal her from Zoren, you’d better be just as rich.”

“You saying she married him for the money?”

“No, but I think she’s staying for Renny, Chunchun… and yeah, the money.”

Mint clenched her jaw and balled her fists. “After this case, I’m going to become the richest man alive and propose to her again!”

“Good luck with that!” Hugo cheered, grinning widely. Not because he hated Zoren, but because watching Mint chase his sister was always amusing.

“By the way, Mint,” Hugo said, clearing his throat. “Since you’re stuck here until you recover, can you keep an eye on these two?”

He gestured toward the coma patient and the guardian. Mint raised her brows.

“I’m getting discharged tomorrow,” he explained. “Knowing my sister and my brothers, they’ll definitely pick up the case I left behind. I don’t like the idea of them poking around in dangerous places.”

His smile softened. “Don’t worry about Ben either. I’ll keep looking after him, even if Zoren already is.”

Mint stared at him for a moment, then exhaled, nodding faintly. “I guess I really do need to recover fast as well.”

After all, this job was meant for her and Hugo. They were trained for it. They’d carried burdens others wouldn’t dare to, held lives, and witnessed deaths. They might not have had the money to fix everything, but they had the heart and strength to shoulder what most couldn’t, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t.