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24 Spread their wings 

Penny touched the side of her head as she sauntered to her bed. She could still feel Hugo’s warm hand from it. The side of her lips curled up, but when she realized it, she slapped herself awake. @ 

“What am I so happy about?” she muttered, jumping on the edge of the bed. “I only stood up for him because it’s the right thing to do.” 

She didn’t get along well with her brothers in her previous life, but she knew Hugo. She also knew how hurtful it was for him for Slater to say such words. After all, she had been in that situation before. 

“Goodness, that kid. I only argued with him for a few minutes, and I feel tired.” Penny collapsed on her back and bounced on the soft bed. 

She already did all of her plans for the day and she felt like taking a nap. But when she closed her eyes, she was reminded of something. 

“Right.” Penny rolled onto her stomach and sat up. She jumped out of bed and went to her study desk, opening her laptop, which she took from Haines’s 

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study room last night. 

Penny quickly opened some tabs, showing news 

articles and some trading platforms. She hadn’t cashed in her money yet, but it was best if she was up to date with the current events. 

Stock trading is a risky venture. It requires time and understanding about the market. If she wanted to earn big, she needed to set up her trading strategy ahead of 

time. 

In her first life, Penny didn’t care much about money. 

She focused more on the titles, achievements, and reputations – something that would make her family proud. She did it solely for the reason she wanted her brothers to see her, to accept her, and to be a real member of their family. It was the reason she ended up getting two Ph.D. However, even her best wasn’t enough. 

In this life, she understood money was an important thing. If she wanted to move out early, she had to make sure she could survive on her own and on her 

own terms. What was the use of having this second chance in life if she worked multiple part–time jobs just to survive? 

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Having a starting capital after thirteen years of getting exploited by Jessa and her husband should be worth 

1. it. 

While Penny busied herself familiarizing the current events, Charles and Allison were having a 

heart–to–heart talk in their room. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you immediately.” Charles sighed, holding his wife’s hand as they sat beside each other. 

Allison smiled. “I understand, Charles. I’m not angry with you.” 

“Then, should we tell Penny?” Charles felt a little 

worried. “It’s unfair if we kept this from her. After all, this is for her own growth. Penny is smart enough to resolve an issue in the company, so I’m sure she will think about this carefully.” 

“I know.” Allison sighed. “I’m not thinking of keeping it from her. It’s just that…” 

She trailed off as bitterness shone in her eyes. When she first met Penny, she felt this maternal instinct bursting in her heart like a Pandora’s box being 

opened. It was as though she simply wanted to pamper her and fill her with all her love. Even though 

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they were doing that, it still felt like it wasn’t enough. 

But now, her husband was telling her that Professor Singh wanted to take Penny as his apprentice. It was good news for Penny because that would be good for her in the future. Even so, as a mother, Penny was still a child. 

Even at thirteen, Penny was so small and cute like a toddler. How could they send her to the real world so soon? 

“Ali…” Charles squeezed her hand, waiting for her to look at him. “We’re not sending her right away. These things take some time. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and just enjoy our time with her.” 

“But what if she wants to go right away?” Allison welled up a little while Charles smiled. 

He also asked Haines the same thing. 

“Haines asked me before he left. He said, what is being a parent to me?” There was a tinge of bitterness in his eyes as he continued, “It got me thinking, what was being a parent to us, Ali? I kept thinking about it since earlier and only now did I get the answer.” 

“Letting our children spread their wings and venture 

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24 Spread their wings 

into the sky is also part of being a parent. We don’t break their wings just because we aren’t ready to let go,” he added. “Eventually, all of them will have their own lives. It just so happened Penny’s wings came out. sooner. It’s not our place to decide whether she spreads them right away or stays in the nest a bit 

more.” 

His words struck Allison. It was something she wasn’t prepared to do, but her husband was right. 

“What else can I say?” she sighed for the umpteenth time. “I’ll tell her about it later.” 

Charles nodded with a smile. 

As the two came to an agreement, Charles suddenly received a message. He reached for his phone and 

checked it. 

Allison immediately noticed his slight change of mood. 

Curious, she asked, “Who is it?” 

“It was… Penny’s auntie,” he sighed deeply. “She says 

she wants to see her real niece.” 

“Nina?” 

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24 Spread their wings 

Charles’s expression turned hard. One week after 

Penny returned to the Bennets, Jessa kept sending messages to Haines. When Charles found out about it, he insisted on dealing with her. 

“Does she want Nina?” Allison’s eyes swirled with worry. “But didn’t she say she wants nothing to do with 

her?” 

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. 

Even though Nina wasn’t their real daughter, they raised her as their own for the past thirteen years. Hence, they were worried about what Jessa was planning to do. After all, if Jessa fought for custody, she surely had a right because she was given full custody of the child when Nina’s real mother died during childbirth. e 

A woman like Jessa was to be watched out for. 

What if Jessa asked them to choose between Penny and Nina? Would they have to let go of the daughter they thought was theirs? Because surely, they couldn’t give away their real daughter. 

Again, the couple was struck with worry. 

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A/N: Chapters will be locked tomorrow or later today at the latest from Chapter 18 onwards. If you like this book, please do support this book by unlocking the chapters, buying privilege, leaving comments and reviews, and voting powerstones and golden tickets! 

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