CHAPTER 185: GIFTS FOR HIS PENGUIN

This Chapter is dedicated to WhoDis. Hey WhoDis,thanks for the golden ticket babe. I love you!

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The soft hum of the centrifuge filled the lab, mingling with the faint scent of disinfectant and something sweet Penny couldn’t quite place.

She was scared at first when she stormed in, but seeing Osvaldo standing under the overhead lamp in his lab coat, the silver light pooling on the broad lines of his shoulders.

His hands moved with a precision that made her wonder how a man who can turn mad at any moment would be so calm the next.

Penny felt relieved seeing him this way. She had thought the overdose would do something bad to him.

"Osvaldo." She called softly when she saw him and Osvaldo raised her head to look at her. His eyes filled with warmth as a smile graced those lips.

"You’re awake?" Penny nodded. She had stayed awake to watch him only to end up in the bed. Her cheeks turned pink at his question.

"What are you up to?" Penny asked.

"Mixing herbs and trying new experiment." She stared at the misxure before him baffled. In all her years of work, she has never seen one mad do this things Osvaldo had in this life. And it would also be the first time she was seeing him work this way in the lab.

Osvaldo never mixes chemicals when she’s around.

Penny leaned against the counter, chin in hand, watching him bend over a row of test tubes. His dark hair fell forward, shadowing those cold, unreadable eyes.

Only when he glanced at her did a flicker of warmth break through, a quiet softness he gave to no one else.

"You’re staring, Penguin," he murmured without looking away from his work.

"And you’re ignoring me," she replied, lips curling.

"I’m working," he said, tone flat but faintly amused. "Besides, the circus is outside."

Penny tilted her head. "Circus?"

"The gift I prepared for you." Osvaldo nodded toward the security monitor. On the black-and-white screen, headlights cut across the long driveway of the Adkins estate.

Car after car rolled up like an obedient parade, each carrying someone who had tried and failed to cross him.

The stupid people that think they could mess with his penguin and go free.

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That evening, several cars arrived at the Adkins estate, sleek doors opening to reveal some of the wealthiest, most untouchable families in the country.

Wealth and power were driving into the Adkins estate again and then it was just the Peterson’s behind all of the charades.

Prince Raphael of Epidermis stepped out first with his wife dressed in a sapphire dress and adorned with blinding jewels. Raphael was dressed in a formal navy suit, a polished gold fishbowl cradled in his hands.

Inside, a single shimmering golden fish flicked its tail.

Behind him came David and Maybelline Willard, faces pale but tight with forced dignity, carrying a temperature-controlled crate of imported herring, the finest delicacy for a "penguin."

Darla’s parents, Gutter and Elise Montrose, had gone more extravagant, a refrigerated trailer hitched behind their SUV, packed to the brim with flash-frozen salmon.

Faith’s father, Minister Lawrence Carter, and his wife Evelyn had opted for a crate of fresh squid, the smell hitting the air like a slap.

Alicia’s mother and stepfather, Beverly and Charles Jones, came last, bringing an actual luxury pet house shaped like an igloo, complete with silk cushions, clearly meant for an exotic bird.

And then just behind them, in a portable jeep car were the Peterson’s. Now reduced to nothing in the society. But they tagged along still.

They saw this as their chance to speak to Penny and the Adkins lawyers. They’ve learned their lessons and wanted their positions back in the Adkins family again.

It’s not like the mad heir was fine. Their contract was to stay till he was better. Penny has no right to kick them out.

And since when did the Adkins ever own a penguin. They felt like this was one of her trick to punish Ariana and them all.

The other families all knew why they were here. The Adkins had demanded an apology gift for "the Penguin," and their children’s safety depended on it. No one dared ask questions, and no one dared call the police. The law didn’t protect anyone from the Adkins family. Not even presidents meddled in their affairs.

When you get in trouble with the Adkins, death is your only saviour. Not even the devil can save you. That’s how much power they had.

Though all of these died with Dewitt, they had no idea why the rules were slowly coming. The people have managed to convince Dewitt to destroy those rules before.

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They were met not by Osvaldo himself, but by three immaculately dressed men in dark suits. Timothy, Willy, and Treadwell. The Adkins’ lawyers.

Their calm, professional smiles didn’t reach their eyes.

Timothy was the first to speak. "On behalf of Master Adkins, we acknowledge receipt of your... offerings." He glanced over the gifts, the polite expression on his face never wavering.

Willy, holding a clipboard, began ticking boxes. "One golden fish... perishable. One crate of herring... perishable. One refrigerated salmon trailer... perishable. One crate of squid... perishable. One penguin igloo house..." He paused, lips twitching. "...decorative."

Treadwell’s voice was smooth as glass when he spoke next. "Unfortunately, all gifts are hereby rejected on the grounds of gross insult to Master Adkins’ Penguin."

The families froze. Their faces slowly contouring to disgust.

Prince Raphael’s brows pulled tight. "Insult?"

"Yes," Timothy replied, tone cool but cutting. "Your implication that the Penguin is... an animal or a fish is both inaccurate and offensive. You have, in fact, just insulted a person of great importance to Master Adkins."

Maybelline Willard’s mouth fell open. "A... person?"

Willy closed the clipboard with a soft click. "You will be informed if Master Adkins chooses to forgive this... misunderstanding. Until then, your children remain at his discretion."

Silence. Heavy. Suffocating. No one dared protest.

Inside the lab, Osvaldo set down his pipette and smirked. "Told you it would be entertaining."

Penny smiled, though she couldn’t hear a word they said, the look on everyone’s face said otherwise.

Osvaldo had said they brought gifts for her, but it seems like they were all forced to do so.

"What do you think about the gifts Penguin?" Osvaldo asked. He had been too focused on his work to really check the gifts brought.

"All I see is fish. The last thing I want to smell like is fish." His golden eyes met the screen and he frowned.