Nosy

Charles hasn't brought up Professor Singh's offer yet; he simply enjoyed his time with his family over dinner. When they finished, he met up with Haines in the study room. 

"I'm sorry, Haines," Charles expressed. "I had to leave some important matters to you at a crucial moment."

Haines smiled and nodded. "It's alright. Family is most important, and you always said that."

Unlike many families, the previous generations of Bennet chose to keep their family small for less inheritance problems. Hence, Charles and Allison chose to have a big family so their children wouldn't be lonely when they grow old or could be each other's support.

"Don't worry. I'll call for an emergency meeting tomorrow," Charles reassured. "If this matter isn't resolved, then… we'll just have to drop it for now."

"Charles, this is a 500 million project," Haines wasn't pleased. "We only needed a little bit of time."

"I know, but that little bit of time will cost us another few hundred million." Charles sighed, knowing Haines had been working on this project, but was stuck with a problem. "Don't worry. That's our last resort. It's still a huge loss for us, but at the same time, we have to quickly recover the loss or it'll be bad for the business."

Haines didn't argue. "I'll review the presentation again and see if there's something I can do."

"Thank you, Haines." Charles appreciated it. "I'll also contact some people for help."

With that being said, the two men just shared a glass before Charles resigned to bed. Haines, on the other hand, stayed in the study and worked overtime.

*****

Penny happily lay on her stomach while watching her pets play. Her cat, Chunchun, looked a lot more plump since taking her in. It was only a few days, but she could imagine her getting more plump with her eating habits. Its white fur also started to thicken. 

Her rain frog, Tiana, on the other hand, was already plump. All Penny had to do was give this little princess the best possible environment condition for it to live a very long life. 

"Now that I think about it, would Tiana best prefer it if she's in the garden?" she wondered but was afraid Tiana would wander off. "Maybe Butler Jen could help?"

Looking at the cute rain frog, her smile brightened up. Since taking them in, Penny had been preoccupied and hadn't thought of other unnecessary things. They were more therapeutic.

"Is it safe to go to Uncle Haines now?"

Checking the time, Penny stayed idle in her room. She saw Charles meet Haines in the study room and she didn't want to disturb them. Those two were probably talking about some serious matters. 

Penny waited and played with her pets. She didn't notice the time until it was getting late already. 

"Uncle Haines will still be awake, right?" she wondered as she snuck out of her room, heading to the study first. 

Butler Jen told her Haines would often stay in the study and sometimes would fall asleep in it. As Penny made her way to the study, she didn't notice Nina coming from the kitchen and saw Penny. 

"Penny?" Nina tilted her head to the side. "Where is she going in this hour?"

****

In the study, Penny knocked mildly so as not to disturb anyone. When she didn't hear anyone, she carefully opened the door and peeked her head in.

"Uncle Haines?" she called, her voice was quiet and cute. "Huh?"

Penny carefully entered the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. She couldn't see Haines in the study, but she could see a pair of legs behind the desk. When she approached the wide desk, she caught Haines sleeping with his head in his arms.

There was a pile of papers underneath his arm and a pen was still clamped in his hand. It was as though Haines dozed off while working. 

Penny felt her heart clenched a little upon seeing Haines. 

'Uncle Haines surely works hard for the family,' she thought, remembering herself in the first lifetime. 

Back in her first life, Penny would also collapse due to fatigue. Thinking about it made her swell with disappointment.

'He's been going home late and leaving early. There's probably a problem in the company.' 

Her eyes inevitably averted to the papers on the desk and then to the computer in front of Haines. She didn't know what problems that could make Haines go the extra mile.

"Hmm?" Penny walked closer, picking up a presentation paper. She skimmed through it, understanding everything that was written on it. After she finished, the corner of her lips almost reached the floor. 

"This is stupid," she murmured, looking at Haines with pity. "No wonder he's been stressed out. Whoever wrote this is a big waste of space on planet Earth. Did they think our company has an unlimited source of money?"

Penny shook her head, picking up more available documents for her to understand the issue. When she finished reading, she reached for the monitor and tilted it in her direction. 

The light from the monitor cast a bright light on her round and innocent face. Her eyes went up and down, analyzing the file and the presentation Haines was working on. 

'Although this presentation is good, there's another missing solution to the main problem from it.' 

Penny glanced at Haines and felt sorry for him. Having two Ph.D.s in her first life and helping out the company even though she didn't work in it, Penny couldn't bear to watch her uncle suffer so many countless nights and days slaving away to a problem she resolved in her previous life. 

Hence, out of the goodness of her heart, Penny stood beside the sleeping Haines and worked on the presentation. The desk was huge, and the surface was almost above her chest. Her arms rested comfortably over the surface. Her naturally adorable face carried a look of enjoyment as if she was just playing. 

Unbeknownst to Penny, Nina was watching her through the gap in the door. 

'Is she playing on Uncle Haines's computer?' she wondered before a smile crept up to her face. 'Uncle Haines and Dad will be livid if she deletes important files! She should know being nosy in this family is not good.'