In the middle of the meal, Atlas excused himself as he finished his pea-sized dinner. Hugo followed him right after, but before the second son left, he called Nina to come with him.
The couple could only sigh as they watched their other children leave except Penny. The only consolation they had was watching Penny eat her fill. Although they felt a little worried the food wasn't enough, it didn't matter.
When Penny finished, she was licking her fingertips.
After that, it was already getting late. Allison decided to delay the house tour for tomorrow and led Penny to her room.
"Big room!" Penny exclaimed as she shamelessly jumped on the big, fluffy bed. "This bed feels like clouds."
For a moment, she forgot that her mother was standing beside the bed.
"Do you like it?" Allison asked with a satisfied smile, making Penny snap her eyes open.
Penny forgot she hadn't been in this room yet. The food she ate made her want to sleep.
"Ah." She slowly sat up, smiling, which made the dimple in her plump cheeks resurface. "I like my room! It's very pretty!"
Allison smiled affectionately and sat down on the edge of the bed. Although she didn't even see Penny pay attention to her room and went straight to bed, she didn't dwell on it.
"I'm happy you like it, Penny." Her eyes softened, and the more she stared at her small and plump daughter, the more she felt sentimental.
For 13 years, she had raised and taken good care of another person's daughter without knowing it, while her real daughter was being exploited by a gambling addict. It wasn't like she didn't love Nina with all her heart; even though there was always this strange feeling in her heart, she treated and loved Nina as her own. Nina was still her daughter in her eyes.
However, she lost 13 years with Penny, her real daughter, because of a nurse's mistake. She didn't know how would she make up for their lost time, but she knew a room this big wasn't enough.
"Mommy?" Penny's round eyes twinkled with curiosity.
Seeing that her mother was about to tear up again just like last time, Penny moved closer to Allison and cupped her face. Penny sported the most genuine smile she could, making her appear adorable like a baby.
"It's okay, mama," she reassured so Allison won't cry again. "It's not your fault."
Penny's attempt not to make an emotional mother cry failed miserably because large tears formed in the corner of Allison's eyes. It looked even worse than how she remembered it.
"Haines told me you are very smart, and he is right." She smiled, but the tears in her eyes streamed down her face. "My baby, I'm so sorry mommy didn't find you earlier."
Seeing Allison weep slightly softened Penny's stone-cold heart for this family.
To be fair, Allison wasn't bad to her. However, as a mother of five — Nina, included — she had to make sure her other children wouldn't get jealous of the other. With her frail body, she tried. The only reason she ended up neglecting Penny was that Nina knew how to snag attention, was good at framing Penny, and was meticulous in taking advantage of their brother's affection; Penny wasn't good at all of that.
What Penny was good at was not attracting attention at all. It was a skill she learned in Jessa's household, which she ended up applying in this household as well.
'I never hated her,' Penny thought as she wiped Allison's tears with her plump fingers. 'If anything, I was just… angry.'
Bitterness swelled in Penny's heart, thinking it would've been nice if any of them took her side. Or perhaps, tried to understand her even though she was stuttering her words while explaining her side of the story.
"I'm sorry." Allison sniffed hard and forced a smile through her tears. She cradled Penny's hands, looking at the cute little girl before her. "I'm just happy that you're finally here with us. Your brothers will probably need some time to adjust and accept this setup, but Mommy will always be here for you."
Penny smiled but didn't say anything.
"Anyway, I know you're tired from the long journey. If you need anything…" Allison prattled on and on, giving her some notes since Penny wasn't used around the house yet. "And if you get hungry at night, Haines arranged for some people to be on duty at night."
Uncle Haines did?
Penny briefly raised her brows in surprise when she heard that. Haines didn't do such a thing in the past, but thinking of all Jessa's nonsense prattle about Penny, she probably mentioned her eating habits.
"Anyway, I'd better get going now." Reluctance showed in Allison's eyes as if she wanted to stay longer. However, Penny pretended not to notice and waved at her.
When Allison left after one last reluctant look, Penny could finally heave a sigh of relief.
"I survived the first day," she mumbled, looking around this huge room.
She didn't feel it earlier because of her heavy stomach. But now that she was all alone, in this very room that witnessed her growing jealousy and deepening sadness throughout the years, it brought back many unpleasant memories.
"Hah…" Penny collapsed on her back, making the bed creak a little because of her weight. She had her arms and legs spread on the wide mattress, gazing at the high ceiling she used to stare at whenever she couldn't sleep at night.
A weary smile appeared on her round face as she remembered the Penny she once was. She could try to change her family's mind just like how she did in Jessa's household, but Penny had no such plans. She did her best in her previous life, and she didn't want to be disappointed this time.
Penny wiped her eyes with her sleeve before she slapped her cheeks until they were red. Her lips stretched broadly.
"It's not all just bitterness," she told herself. "Since I've been planning to move out of this household since the day I was born, I should start making money early on."
And so, burying all the complicated emotions she felt in the house, Penny got up from the bed and started planning on how to build her wealth as soon as possible.