Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 564

Chapter 564: Thank you for being my friend.
[FLASHBACK]

“Penny, you shouldn’t let your own family do that to you.” Nathaniel reclined, resting his hands on either side of him. He gazed up at the bridge not far from the short slope where they were drinking beer. “Why do you even stick around when you know they wouldn’t appreciate you?”

He cocked his head back, snapping his eyes at her. All he saw was her smile as she hissed after chugging down the cold beer.

“You’re drinking too much tonight,” he pointed out. “I knew it. Something happened tonight, didn’t it?”

Penny looked at him and scrunched up her face. “Do I drink when things go south?” she clicked her tongue. “I’m drinking because I feel like celebrating.”

“Why? What are you celebrating, huh?”

“Well.” Penny shrugged, looking away from him, smiling. “My brother told me I did a good job.”

“Huh?”

She smiled, almost as if she was suppressing a giggle. “He even patted me on the head.”

“…” Nathaniel crinkled his nose in disbelief at watching her so gleefully after getting a pat on the head. “I can pat your head too, and it wouldn’t mean anything to me!”

“Who said it would mean anything to me if you did?”

He frowned at that quick change in her expression. Just moments ago, she had been giggling in happiness after receiving a pat from her brother, but now she was looking at him with disdain.

“This world is unfair!” he expressed angrily, earning a laugh from her. “Goodness. Why do you do that to your brothers, huh? Are they your gods or something? It seems to me you’re almost—no, you’re legit worshiping them!”

“So what?” she mocked. “Even if I worship them or this beer, does it matter to you?”

“Of course!” he blurted out, making her brows rise.

“Why would it matter to you?”

“Ah…” Nathaniel opened and closed his mouth, watching her blink at him innocently. “Well… ahem! You’re my friend—of course, it matters to me! Your family abuses you and discarded you a long time ago! There’s no need to please them or win their hearts.”

Penny pressed her lips and tilted her head to the side. After a moment, she shook her head and looked away from him.

“My family doesn’t abuse me,” she answered, smiling. “I abuse me.”

“What the hell is that about?”

“I mean… I’m letting them.” Penny smacked her lips as she looked up. “I love my family even though they do not love me back. I always find myself giving up many times, but I still find myself running back to them whenever they need me.”

“Isn’t that abuse? Taking advantage of you?”

“But when they need me, I feel like I have purpose.” Penny smiled as she faced him squarely, with no trace of anything but innocence and purity. “Today, I feel like everything was worth it.”

Despite the lack of light in the surroundings, her smile was so bright that one could easily overlook the remnants of exhaustion on her face. Her face was small, and her cheeks were a little hollow. Penny was petite—almost malnourished. However, she didn’t look pitiful at all.

“You…” Nathaniel relaxed his shoulders, sighing as he stared at her foolish smile. “You’re foolish.”

“I never said I’m not,” she replied proudly, looking away from him again. “I know I am foolish. Matter of fact, I know my strengths and weaknesses. That’s why even if people say bad things about me, I don’t feel affected that much. Of course, sometimes it gets to me, but it doesn’t last that long.”

Nathaniel huffed faintly, shaking his head as he listened to the foolish things a foolish woman would say. He relaxed his body and kept reclining, shaking his feet that were spread on the grass.

“Penny, you should leave your family,” he said after a long silence, earning a look from her. “You’re worrying me.”

Penny frowned. “I just told you that my brother is being nice to me.”

“I know.” Nathaniel slowly looked back at her, meeting her gaze before he added, “But I think you should value yourself first before anyone else.”

“I value myself.”

“But not as much as you value what they’d say or think of you,” he argued back, peeling his gaze from her. “Do yourself a favor and just… leave.”

“Huh?”

‘I hope you disappear,’ was what he wanted to tell her, lowering his gaze. ‘Disappear and never show your face here ever again.’

“Hey, what’s with the sudden change of mood?” Penny blinked. “I’m still sober.”

His lips hooked up as he turned to her, opening his mouth to say something. But before he could, he felt his phone vibrate. He fished his phone out of his pocket, his face contorting slightly.

Meanwhile, Penny tilted her head to the side. “Is everything alright?”

“Huh?” He looked up at her and shut his phone, offering her a smile. “Mhm. Everything’s okay, Penny. Anyway, my boss just texted me. Time to do some extra work!”

“You should find a better job,” she casually commented as he jumped to his feet.

Nathaniel clicked his tongue as he gazed down at her. “If you leave your family, maybe I will. Until then, you’ve got no right to tell me to find a better job. Find yourself a better family first.”

“Gee.”

“Tsk. Well, I’m off now!” he waved dismissively, turning and climbing up the slope to the flat surface.

Penny watched him, pressing her lips together and then smiling. “Tantan,” she called, watching him look back at her.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “For being my friend.”

She didn’t see how his face twisted and how hard it was for him to return her smile. In the end, Nathaniel just nodded and played it cool.

“Why are you thanking me? Goodness. Go home on your own!” he remarked, making her giggle. “Don’t stay out here for too long—it’s nighttime! Even if you’re ugly, maniacs wouldn’t care about that!”

“Mhm.” She hummed, watching him storm away. Despite his nagging and added insults, she still smiled. “I found a good friend.”

When he reached the surface, she looked away and inhaled the night breeze. Appreciating life more than she ever did in the past. Tonight, it felt like everything was going her way.

Little did she know that when Nathaniel reached the surface, he turned to her. The look on his face changed somberly, his lips curving down. His eyes swirled with regret and guilt, his hands clenching into tight fists.