Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1600: Where... did this picture come from?

When Penny arrived at the laboratory, she didn't idle-she got to work immediately.

But alas...

She froze as soon as she reached her spot. Her eyes fell on the countless open books and notes scattered before her, then on the whiteboards covered in scribbles. She didn't need to guess whose handwriting it was, nor who had the habit of leaving such a mess. Well, compared to her, this mess was nothing. She even considered it clean writing.

"I told him not to poke his nose in my business," she grumbled under her breath.

Still, she leaned closer and studied the equations on the whiteboard. For others, these were nothing but random writing, but for her, it was a coherent thought process in writing.

Her jaw tightened like a vise. She didn't like what those equations were telling her. Most of them were theories she had toyed with during late nights but hadn't recorded here. Moving to the open notebooks, she noticed the other theories- Dean's notes.

"When did he do all of this?" she whispered, flipping through the pages.

The more she read, the grimmer her expression became. After several minutes, only one conclusion formed in her mind.

"He's saying... there is no antidote?" she murmured, frowning. "How is that possible?"

Her lips curved downward as she glanced at the books on the counter. Unwilling to accept Dean's theory, she began checking the rest. Yet every solution she considered had already been tested by Dean. Still, she persisted.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Dean-it was just that she couldn't accept anything until she saw it for herself.

With that thought in mind, Penny got to work. She began scribbling a few of her own ideas in a fresh notepad, determined to test them. However, just before she could finish writing, the door suddenly flew open from the outside.

"Wait a second!"

Penny jolted, eyes darting toward the entrance. Dean entered hurriedly, stopping across from her.

hell?" she hissed, immediately catching the dark circles around his eyes and his pale complexion. "You look like crap! Have you

and reached for one of the nearby notebooks. Penny arched a

just

Still, he didn't respond.

until he stopped on one. He

surprisingly, stayed quiet.

his gaze. "Not when it's

he dragged over a stool and sat across from her, flipping

at this theory," he said, pointing at it. "It doesn't share the same properties as the Miracle Drug. We're missing another, almost indistinguishable component. But with this additive-if we combine it

voice carried a

by turning attention to himself and Atlas instead.

she turned to

work and see if

time in a long while, Dean and Penny worked together on an antidote. They didn't bicker. They didn't

just worked-silent, synchronized-as if nothing else

long-lost time. A quieter past where Penny had been a short, chubby

was

[BENNET MANSION]

and spotted Butler Jen and a few helpers packing Slater's belongings. Slater would be moving out over the weekend, and the household staff was already

wonder if this was just pure help, or if this action was out

Jen asked

a casual nod. "I'll be back later, just picked up some

would." Butler Jen smiled and dipped his head

his eyes on the boxes being carried out. Several had

Jen a disapproving look. "Slater's the one