If Penny were to describe Mint based on the hours of observation with her, she would say Mint wasn’t a bad person. Mint was a little weird, but Penny was used to weirdness. Atlas had numbed her in many ways.
So, when everyone adjusted to this new person in the group—who seed to have plans to stay with them until the end of this trip—things started to return to normal. Mint also began to get along with everyone, though it might not have been what others thought "getting along" ant.
*****
In an open bar and restaurant, where everyone agreed to have so fun until late at night, Penny rested on the bar’s front porch. The bar was more like a hut by the beach, where one could have drinks and chill outside on bean bags, feeling the sand beneath their feet, or sit inside the bar, or simply enjoy the small front porch.
Penny leaned against the railing, watching her husband and brothers start the fire by the beach. Lily, Nina, and Ginnie were there to help, though the help Lily could offer was limited to cheering for the boys.
"Hey there." Suddenly, Penny heard Finn’s voice from behind her. "Not helping out there?"
Penny glanced at him as he stood beside her. "You should help them. It’s good for recovery."
"I’m recovering from injuries from the accident, not from a psychological breakdown that ruins my body," he quipped. "The extracurricular activities might be good for your husband, but they could be straining for . It’s why I missed a lot of those boat rides."
"It’s a good thing you didn’t hold Nina back from enjoying herself."
"This is my relaxation, but also my fiancée’s ti to forget about work." Finn slowly turned his gaze to where his fiancée was standing. The corner of his eyes squinted a little as he smiled. "I’m glad we could do both things at the sa ti. I guess eting you all here isn’t all that bad. There are a few who stay behind, so I’m not alone, and there’s the extre team who goes on all these adventures."
Penny studied Finn and still couldn’t fathom how this guy spoke. "You’re scary."
"But not as scary as you." He smiled back. "Anyway, I’ll go join them and set up the bonfire."
But just as Finn turned around, he stopped at Penny’s call.
"Wait," she waited for him to look back at her. "Stay with for a mont. I need so answers to so things."
"Sure." He returned to his original position. "What is it?"
"That woman, Mint, do you know her?"
"Yes."
"Is she also present in that lifeti?"
Finn smiled back at Penny, but instead of giving an imdiate answer, he leaned on the railing and humd. "Mhm. She’s also there, and I guess her relationship with Zoren Pierson is the sa."
"How is it the sa?"
"The sa. She still sees him as so sort of rival or competitor in everything," he shrugged. "I think it started because of Mr. Vitt. After all, the Vitt family worked for the governnt. But Benjamin Vitt decided to be your husband’s assistant instead. If you’ve already noticed, Mint is quite fond of Mr. Vitt—just like how your brothers are fond of you."
"I see." Penny nodded, only to hear him ask her a question.
"Why are you suddenly interested?"
"Well, she felt a little strange to , but not because of her antics. Rather, because... I feel like she’s a dangerous person and that she knows more than she appears to."
"How is that surprising coming from the chief of Holand Security?"
"Holand Security?"
"You don’t know?"
"How would I know? I haven’t had the ti to ask Renren."
Finn maintained a smile and sighed. "She works for Holand Security. I’m certain you’ve heard of them, since your business has an interesting connection with their scope of work. And yes, she’s a dangerous person. She might be a little weird, but she’s really good at her job."
"You want to hear another fun fact about her?" he added, wiggling his brows knowingly. "She helped him with your case."
"Huh?"
"I’m not sure what sort of agreent your husband has with her because he doesn’t fully trust anyone—he never trusts even himself. So, I don’t know the details. But I think she did play a huge part," he explained indifferently. "After all, there’s plenty of dirty business in the background, and she was carrying out these clearing operations. Just like how Holand Security should—policing the police and other governnt agencies."
Surprise was an understatent when hearing this. After all, Penny had only t Mint a few hours ago. So it was surprising that the person she had just t had helped with Penny’s case in the first life.
"Why did you ask that question, by the way?" Finn asked, this ti giving in to his curiosity.
"I was... suspicious of her," Penny answered after a mont of silence, her eyes still on her husband and the others. "We were suspicious that, if not Renren or that woman, soone else had returned in ti with their mories intact. I thought it was her."
Finn’s mouth opened, then he shook his head. "That’s impossible, though."
"And why is that?"
"Because the change happened even before Zoren Pierson knew Mint." Finn shrugged. "I would’ve thought of her too, but the tiline doesn’t match. Why do you think I’ve been taking so long to find the answer if it was that easy?"
Penny pressed her lips together and exhaled heavily. "I don’t know, but it’s still not bad to consider all possibilities."
"I know." Finn tapped her shoulder lightly. "Take it easy. There are two... three of us, your husband included. With three brains, I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually. For now, let’s focus on this trip."
"Just leave and join them." Penny jerked her chin in their direction, laughing as she watched Finn walk off. "Goodness. People do change."
She idled there for a mont before deciding to join the group. But just as she pushed herself off the railing and turned on her heel, she stopped. She caught a figure from the corner of her eye. There, standing outside the entrance of the bar, was Mint.
"Hey there," Penny greeted Mint with a smile. "Co join us. They’re trying to make a fire, but obviously failing. A little bit of encouragent or a small bet might give them motivation."
Having said that, Penny resud her steps. This ti, she stopped again when Mint uttered sothing.
"They’re gonna kill you."
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