PAMPERED BY MY THREE BROTHERS: THE RETURN OF THE NEGLECTED HEIRESS-Chapter 1785: Stick figures

"So... are we just going to stay like this?"

Meanwhile, in a small hut right in the center of the island, Slater, Shawn, and Penny were lounging outside. The three of them crouched down, with Penny absentmindedly drawing circles on the ground with a stick, looking a bit bored.

Shawn and Slater, seated on either side of her, turned to look at what she was drawing.

"Is that...?"

"Blacky," Penny muttered with a frown, underlining the stick figure of an animal with her stick. "And this is Chunchun, then Mouse, and Tiana."

"They look like insects," Slater commented, while Shawn bit his tongue. Shawn had the same thought as Slater – the animals she was drawing did resemble pests.

"Shut up," she retorted, then pointed her stick at the stick figure at the end. "And this is me – see, I’m wearing a skirt."

"Your body is all skirt."

Again, Penny glared at him and clicked her tongue. "I’m drawing you." With that, Penny drew an unflattering stick figure a palm’s length away from her original drawing.

"Hey! Why am I so far away!?" Slater protested.

Another exasperated sigh escaped Penny as she stared him down. "Weren’t you scared of my babies? I’m just keeping you safe."

Back when they were kids, Slater often kept his distance whenever her pets were around. His face twitched as he snatched the stick from her.

"Forget that! I’m an adult, and why do I look so ugly!? Everyone’s smiling except me and I don’t have bunny teeth!"

"Hey! This is my stick! If you want to draw your own, get your own stick!"

As the two wrestled over the stick, Shawn watched the siblings in disbelief. He found himself shaking his head, thinking of Hayley. Hayley had been Slater’s biggest fan. Shawn knew that not only because Hayley would easily get starstruck around Slater, but also because most of her accessories were Slater’s merch. She even showed him a photo of her collection of Slater’s merch at her home.

The way Hayley described Slater was as if he were some kind of angel. Well, Slater did have a certain angelic quality to him, mixed with a bit of sass. It wasn’t just his voice but his entire demeanor.

What Shawn hadn’t expected was to see Slater acting a bit... childish. And he couldn’t help but think about that, not just because of how the public perceived Slater, but because of what Shawn had witnessed tonight.

As Shawn watched Penny and Slater tug at each other’s hair over a stick, he thought back to how the three of them had ended up in this hut.

---

[Earlier...]

"Shawn, my life is really good... and I don’t regret anything."

Shawn’s brows shot up in surprise as he listened to Penny’s words. What she said shouldn’t have surprised him, considering how Penny had always lived life on her own terms. Yet, it still caught him off guard.

Penny turned her head forward, a smile on her face as she spotted a smaller helicopter heading straight towards them. She had meant every word she said. Her life was really good, and she regretted nothing – not trusting again, not opening her heart, and not forgiving.

In doing so, she had not only freed herself but had also given herself a chance to be loved and cared for, just as she had always wished.

On top of that, she had given everyone, including herself, a chance at redemption.

"Slater," she whispered, finally catching sight of the pilot of the helicopter approaching them.

Her whisper made Shawn raise his brows as he looked ahead. When they drew closer, he saw Slater signaling to them, pointing downwards.

Shawn nodded in understanding, pushing the lever down with Penny’s help. Meanwhile, Slater’s helicopter ascended, narrowly avoiding a collision with theirs. Given the size of the chopper Slater was using, he easily maneuvered in the air and headed towards Penny’s aircraft.

Once he spotted it descending onto one of the islands, Slater quickly followed suit. However, unlike them, Slater didn’t have the additional floaters. As a result, he landed on the smaller island nearby while Penny’s chopper floated on the ocean.

"Slater!" Penny called out as soon as she opened the door, her eyes fixed on the cliff where Slater had dared to land.

Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she jumped out of the chopper and swam towards the shore. Slater, on the other hand, slid down the slope, nearly tumbling over a protruding rock. Luckily, he managed to steady himself and soon reached his sister.

"Penny!" Slater panted, coming to a halt in front of her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, studying her from head to toe.

Relief washed over his face as tears welled up in his eyes.

"You’re safe," he breathed out, his lips trembling as he watched her smile.

"Of course I am," she laughed, raising her hand to give him a thumbs-up. "Perfect 10 out of 10. Would do it again."

As she raised her hand, Slater noticed the dry blood on her hands. He grabbed her arm, eyes widening in alarm.

"It’s not mine," she said, nodding in a direction. "I treated the guys who abducted me. Shawn shot them—well, I shot one because Shawn’s a bit reckless. He could use some therapy."

Slater didn’t immediately respond as he examined his sister. Once he was sure she was unharmed, he shifted his gaze to the chopper floating on the ocean.

There, he saw Shawn standing by the open door.

When their eyes met, anger flared up in Slater’s eyes as he clenched his teeth. "That jerk..."

"Oh!" Penny raised a hand to his face and pushed him gently. "Don’t get mad at him right away; he’s on our side now."

"Penny," Slater frowned, brushing her hand away. "Your hand is covered in blood."

"It’s not going to kill you, but let’s focus on the situation for now," she suggested nonchalantly, only to pull her head back as he suddenly leaned closer to her. "What... what are you doing? Please don’t kiss me."

Ignoring her protest, Slater leaned back, brow furrowing. "Are you drunk?"

"Nope."

"Then why are you..." He trailed off, studying his sister, who was acting as though she hadn’t just experienced being abducted. He thought she might be trying to cheer everyone up by acting cheerful during their brief call earlier.

But now, Penny was behaving oddly—not just behaving oddly, but reacting oddly. And when she was like this, it usually meant she was drunk. Calling his name the way she had been should have been a giveaway.

Penny blinked. "Nope, not drunk, but I was knocked out."

"That jerk!" Without a second thought, Slater hurried toward the shore to confront Shawn.

Meanwhile, Penny hugged Slater’s waist, trying to restrain him. "Slater, stop! It’s all a misunderstanding; don’t hurt him! Mercy — mercy! You’ll get wrinkles!"

Meanwhile, Shawn stood in the doorway, watching the siblings.

’Why is... Slater Bennet here?’

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