Chapter 1033: More and harder

[SKYLINE PLAZA: ZOREN’s]

"Got it."

Penny slowly lowered the phone, her expression unlike what Angel had imagined. Her brows crinkled, her heart thudding in her chest. A slight tremor ran through her hand as she thought about what had happened to Patricia.

’That woman...’she mentally hissed. ’If I hadn’t had her followed, she would’ve gotten herself killed.’

Although Patricia wasn’t very significant in Penny’s life, she was the epitome of a hassle. The type of side character who wouldn’t add value, but at the same time could ruin everything with a single mistake.

"I’m back..." Suddenly, Zoren’s voice cut through the air, trailing off when he caught the look on his wife’s face. He slowly walked toward her, taking her arm and snapping her out of her thoughts. "Is everything alright?"

Penny looked up at him and smiled. "Mhm. Everything’s alright."

"But it looks to me like it’s not."

"It is alright. It’s just that..." Penny hummed before smacking her lips. "Sit down, and I’ll do your eyedrops."

"Mhm."

With her hand holding his, she led him to the chair near the window. As he sat down, his eyes followed her movements as she went to the bedside table, opening the drawer until she found what she was looking for. Penny flashed him a brief smile before walking back, sitting on the left armrest while he leaned back.

"You don’t want to tell me?" he asked again, watching her position herself with the eyedrops in her hands.

"It’s just Patricia Miller."

"What about her?"

Penny carefully placed the eyedrop in his eyes, telling him the situation as she did so. "She almost got herself killed." She then moved on to his other eye. "And I was thinking, if I hadn’t had her followed, she’d be dead for sure."

"Ahh." Zoren closed his eyes, letting the liquid do its work. "That’s why you borrowed Angel from me."

"Mhm."

"If she’s alive, then she should be thankful." Slowly, he reopened his eyes and met his wife’s gaze. "Or do you feel sorry for her?"

"I don’t... I don’t feel sorry for her," she replied quietly. "Just a little alarmed."

"Of?"

"This." Penny sighed heavily as she shifted her position. "I asked Angel to follow her because I was sure she would do something stupid. I was also hopeful that following her would eventually lead me to whoever was giving her instructions."

"But..." she paused, thinking about the situation. "I didn’t expect it to be like this."

"Neither did Patricia," he replied, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her down to sit on his lap. "If anyone expects this to happen, why would she let it happen? She owes you her life for sending Angel to her. Moreover, if you’re truly scared that this didn’t happen in your first life, then look at the brighter side. It only means you’re already far away from how your life turned out."

Her brows rose slowly, surprised. "How did you know I was thinking about that as well?"

"I’m your husband." He winked and smirked charmingly. "Of course, I’d know."

"Goodness." A shallow laugh escaped her, narrowing her eyes at him. The brief worry in her heart quickly dissipated, as if it wasn’t there in the first place.

Resting her hands on his shoulders, Penny looked him straight in the eye before her lips stretched from ear to ear. Her mouth opened and closed, but her words wouldn’t come out.

[Good news, Renren. You aren’t actually a nobody in my first life. You’re my husband!]

[Yep. You married me even though I was too dead to consent. But hey, cheer up! At least, we got married before rigor mortis set in!]

[We were connected, after all. Isn’t that... funny? It’s like we’re meant to be.]

These were just a few things she wanted to tell him, but Penny hadn’t had the chance. Or maybe it was the lack of time, or just the thought that, even though there was good news, there was also bad news. For instance, one of her brothers might’ve killed him for reasons she didn’t know.

The smile on her face faded a little as she gazed at his face, making him tilt his head to the side. "I’m scared," she blurted out under her breath without even realizing it. She only realized what she had said when he replied.

"What are you scared of?"

Penny pursed her lips, wondering why she suddenly blurted that out when she hadn’t planned to tell him about it for now. Until she was sure... or maybe she didn’t plan to tell him because it was no longer necessary.

Zoren and her brothers at least had a decent relationship. She couldn’t say they were all close, but it was decent. It was peaceful. But a part of her heart felt... guilty. And she was scared she would have to break their promise of transparency and honesty by keeping it a secret.

"Renren, what if I told you... you died in the first life?" she asked hesitantly, watching him blink curiously. "Not because of an illness, but because someone... did it?"

"That shouldn’t be surprising," he shrugged. "Just tonight, someone was following me and we were speeding. Benjamin kept throwing up after that."

What he was saying was that having someone try to kill him wasn’t new to him. His own family members did that on a weekly or monthly basis. However, it never fazed him.

"What if it’s one of my brothers?" she followed up, and at this point, they both knew she was trying to be subtle but not entirely.

This time, Zoren didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at her. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as she pinched the sleeve of his shirt.

The corner of his mouth hooked up as he casually replied, "Then I probably did something very bad for him to do that."

"Huh?"

"Did one of your brothers kill me in the first life?" Instead of going along with her inquiry, Zoren delved into it directly.

Hesitation flickered in her eyes as she kept her mouth pressed into a thin line. She knew the answer could break her brothers’ and Zoren’s relationship, but she wanted to trust in this marriage and Zoren. "Just a possibility."

"I see." Zoren rocked his head before a shallow laugh escaped him. "That’s good then."

"What?"

"That means none of my family members succeeded," he quipped. "Surely, they are inefficient and ineffective. Both first and second life. How disappointing."

"..." For a second, Penny’s face twitched as she studied her husband’s reaction. "Renren, aren’t you mad about it? Or at least, hurt?"

"I would feel hurt if they did it in this life. Back then, I didn’t have any relationship with them. But now... if they did that, they’d break your heart, and that would break mine." He shrugged. "Above all, the person who succeeded in killing me is now on my side. I’m safe."

Zoren winked as his mouth stretched into a grin. Penny, on the other hand, laughed airily before she melted into his chest. It was a good thing her husband was optimistic.

"Goodness, that scared me," she sighed in relief, looking up at him appreciatively. "I thought I had to keep that secret for the rest of my life."

"I was even more worried that it was something else." He brushed the side of her cheek with his fingertips before squinting as he smiled. "The doctor told me that if we’re careful and gentle, it’s safe."

Penny’s smile stiffened, as it seemed her husband had more immediate priorities than the current conversation. "Renren, I just told you that one of my brothers possibly killed you in the first life. And who is this doctor you’re talking about? I am the attending."

"But I can now see you clearly." He leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. "I want to see your face when we’re being intimate."

"Uh..." Penny slid her eyes to the corner, reminding herself that he could now see her. She couldn’t let him see just how eager she was all the time. Without thinking much, she quickly pushed herself away, but to no avail.

Zoren grinned from ear to ear, his eyes squinting even more as he held her still, not planning to let go. "I’ll be gentle, I promise."

And for the first time in his life, he broke his promise to her because now, he wasn’t just relying on the sounds she made. He could see her reaction. All of her expression just screamed "more" and "harder" to him. So, he happily obliged.