Danger.
That was what Mint felt the second she turned. The smile on her face quickly disappeared in the blink of an eye, her survival instinct kicking in. But alas, before she could even make a move, a hand suddenly grabbed the hand that was coming at her.
Mark stood between Zoren and Mint, holding Zoren’s arm. His grip was tight enough to stop Zoren, but he was certain it would at least leave a mark.
"Sir," Mark called quietly, squeezing Zoren’s arm to snap him back from his trance.
After a second, Zoren blinked, and the life in his eyes returned. He glanced at Mark, then at Mint, whose lips curled into a cunning smirk.
"There’s sothing in her hair," was all Zoren said as he put his hand down. "I was about to take it out since it bothered . It’s gone now, though."
"Uh... since when did he get there?" Jas blurted out under his breath, a bit confused since he hadn’t noticed Mark co between Zoren and Mint. "Also, is it just , or does it feel a little heavy in here?"
Allen was just as confused as Jas and Benjamin. Although Benjamin seed to have an idea, he didn’t think that split second could’ve been deadly. After all, he knew that Zoren and Mint got along, but not at the sa ti. It was a strange relationship.
As for those who had caught what had just happened, they stayed quiet. Penny darted her eyes between Zoren and Mint.
’Just now... was he planning to hurt her?’ she wondered to herself, a bit confused—not even worried. But when she glanced at Mint, her lips pressed into a thin line. ’And just now, I felt this nauseating aura she gave off.’
It was as though what Mint would’ve done could have been just as fatal as Zoren’s.
Normally, Penny would have conflicting thoughts. On one hand, Zoren was the first to act. But on the bigger picture, Mint taunted him. She should also be upset with Mint for upsetting her husband and even thinking of retaliating. Surprisingly, Penny didn’t feel that way, though.
She wondered why, especially when Ray used to fawn over her. But Zoren had never reacted this way; though he would throw Ray out and shun him.
’If Mark didn’t step in, I’d probably have a clearer stance on this,’ she thought, but this ti, she took the chance to slip her hand from Mint’s. Offering Mint a smile, she uttered, "I’m flattered by the proposal, but I’m married."
Penny took Mint’s hand, placing the ring in Mint’s palm. "I’m sorry, but I’m sure you’ll find soone else. Just not , because I’ve already found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with."
"..." Mint’s eyes fell on the ring in her hand and then back up at the smile Penny had flashed her. Her mouth fell open, staring at Penny in a daze. "I’m in love."
Penny’s smile twitched a little, moving carefully beside her husband. While keeping her eyes on Mint—who was giving her the sa Benjamin vibe, but in a more unsettling way—she hooked her arm around her husband’s.
Zoren glanced down at her before a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Now he felt better. He could now look back at Mint with a smug smirk on his face.
Mark, on the other hand, heaved a sigh of relief as he took a step back. However, he still remained within reach, just in case.
"Mint, are you crazy!?" Benjamin jumped in, tugging his cousin’s arm beside him. "Miss Penny, I’m sorry about her. Sotis, she just decides to leave her head at ho, and ends up functioning solely on instinct."
"Huh?" Penny arched a brow, while others scrunched up their noses.
"Please forgive her. She’s not usually like this, but she hit her head as a child," Benjamin laughed awkwardly. "So, don’t mind her too much."
With that, Benjamin tugged Mint’s arm again and scolded her quietly. "Mint, what are you still doing? Apologize to them."
"..." Mint frowned. "Why would I apologize when all I did was fall in love?"
"Gee!"
"Fine." Mint huffed and tugged her arm from Benjamin’s grip. She then took a step forward, stopping just a step from the couple. This ti, her gaze landed on Zoren first, her eyelids drooping. "Zoren Pierson, I guess you’re really recovering just as I heard."
The corner of her lips hooked up, leaning forward a little, her eyes glinting. "For a mont there, I thought soone was going to die. Scary."
"Sorry!" Unlike the sharp and intimidating look in her eyes, it was replaced with a wide smile when she leaned back. "Glad to have you back, Mr. Pierson. Though, you should smile a bit more since... that’s your signature."
Mint then snapped her eyes at Mark. "Still never changes, Mark. Keep it up."
"And..." she trailed off as her eyes landed on Penny. "I’ll see you later, Penelope. My proposal still stands, so in case you change your mind. Bye, my lady."
Having said that, Mint took a step back and smiled at Benjamin. "How’s that?"
"Goodness!" Benjamin scoffed, looking at his boss and Penny with an apologetic smile. "I’ll just give her a quick briefing. Please don’t wait for us."
When Zoren nodded, Benjamin tugged Mint’s arm and dragged her with him. Even before they could go, everyone could see and hear how he was scolding her in that quiet voice.
"What just happened...?" Jas blurted out under his breath, while Allen shook his head, saying, "I have no idea."
As for Zoren, Mark, and Penny, they kept their gaze on Mint’s back.
’She knew,’ Penny thought. ’She knew about the Phantom Circle.’
Out of curiosity, Penny looked up at her husband and then at Mark. Both of them wore grim expressions, as if they had known Mint was aware.
’That’s surprising,’ she thought again, snapping her eyes in Mint and Benjamin’s direction. ’Mint... for so reason, I can’t say I don’t like her. But sothing about her bothers .’
After all, Finn and Penny were on to this mystery about Zoren’s childhood.
"Was it her?" Penny whispered, which quickly faded along with the gust of wind.
---
anwhile, Atlas, Slater, and Hugo stayed where they were and watched the scene unfold. They watched Benjamin drag Mint toward their way, as her motorcycle was just a few ters from their vantage point.
"I don’t like her," Atlas remarked coldly. "She reminds of Allen, who also swings that way. They should be together."
His latter comnt was quickly ignored, as Hugo and Slater were focused on sothing else.
"She’s testing the waters," Hugo murmured, causing Atlas to arch a brow. "I know people like her. They like stirring trouble just to see how everything moves, and people like that just know where to poke."
His expression was solemn, eyes still on the grumpy Mint, as she was getting scolded by Benjamin on the motorcycle. "You don’t have to like her. You just need to know that she’s a dangerous ally, but a lot more dangerous as a foe."
Atlas slowly gazed at Hugo’s side profile while Slater snuck a peek at his brothers.
’He’s right,’Slater thought, shifting his eyes to where Mint was. ’I know since I’m her ally, but also once her foe.’
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