Chapter 1034: Today… I’m officially a Pierson again.

Penny stared at the nothingness, her hair a mess. Her eyes were blank, with no thoughts in her mind, and it felt as though her eyes were about to drift apart.

Zoren tilted his head in front of her, his feet resting outside the bed. He was already in a suit, though his buttons weren’t done up.

"Good... morning?" he greeted, watching her blink and slowly refocus her gaze. "Penny, are you okay?"

Was she okay?

Penny looked at her husband before scrunching her nose. She bobbed her head, examining him up and down, and gasped.

Her husband was glowing; he looked more vibrant than ever! And here she was, her muscles aching, especially her nether regions sore from all that pounding last night.

Overwhelmed by the emotions, Penny slapped his shoulder. "You said you’d be gentle! What you did wasn’t gentle!"

Her action made him flinch a little, holding his shoulder. "I tried... but you were..." He trailed off, thinking back to last night. A smile crept onto his face as he remembered her moans, how her mouth parted as she gasped for breath, her brows crinkling in pleasure, and how her eyes rolled back while he pounded into her tight walls.

"Delectable," he whispered, only to earn another slap on his shoulder. Looking back at her, he saw her flushed face.

"I need to work today," she breathed, clutching the blanket to her chest as she dragged herself out of bed. "New rule! No more sex after midnight! Goodness — ack! My back, my legs... my hips..."

Penny continued to grumble, pausing as she rose to her feet. She kept the big blanket around her, glaring back at him, then resumed her steps toward the bathroom.

"Delectable..." she grumbled as she approached the bathroom. "My legs hurt all over..."

Her steps slowed as she pursed her lips to stop the corners from curving up. Despite what she was saying, her eyes gave her away. He was right—last night was fantastic. Penny couldn’t help but giggle to herself before grumpily huffing and continuing on.

Meanwhile, Zoren kept his eyes on his wife’s back with raised brows.

"Pretentious, that’s what her brothers said," he murmured, smirking as he pushed himself up. "It’s cute, though."

It was a good thing Zoren hadn’t buttoned his shirt all the way up. It made it easy for him to take it off as he followed his wife into the bathroom, "ambushing" her there for a quick round. After all, she had said there was a new rule—no more sex after midnight. The only way to make up for that was to start early.

Wasn’t that what she was trying to tell him?

*

*

*

Meanwhile, at another villa in Skyline Plaza...

Dean read the current news and affairs while sipping his coffee. However, his eyes showed displeasure as neither the news nor the coffee seemed to help. Soon, the newspaper crumpled in his hand.

"Jonathan Russel..." he hissed, dark energy seeping from his back as he thought about how Jonathan Pierson would be introduced as part of the family today.

Introducing Jonathan to the family and the company wasn’t the problem; that wasn’t what made Dean furious. What infuriated him was that he couldn’t do anything about it.

"That Zoren Pierson... what in the world is he thinking?" he hissed, growing angrier with every thought. "He should’ve just stepped down if he’s like that."

Dean huffed angrily, but then the doorbell rang. Deep lines appeared between his brows as he looked inside the house, even though he hadn’t been expecting anyone. However, considering that Old Mrs. Pierson was leaving the company, this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Some people from the First Branch—his parents included—would come to him to beg him one last time.

"I already rejected all of them last night..." he clicked his tongue, getting up from his chair to answer the door.

DING DONG!

"I swear to God, they’re all so annoying..." Dean trailed off, prepared to reject anyone at the door before closing it in their faces. However, when he opened the door, the last person he expected to see stood there. "... Belle?"

Belle smiled softly at him. "Can I come in?"

*

*

*

Happening at the same time...

"Finn, are you sure you’re going back to work?" Nina patiently buttoned Finn’s shirt as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You should be resting more, you know?"

Finn smiled subtly. "I told you. I have partnerships with the Pierson Corporation in exchange for their shares and a vote on the board."

"I know..." she sighed.

Seeing that she was just worried, Finn gently pulled her into a sitting position beside him, then adjusted his posture to face her directly.

"It’s work, but it’s not," he reassured her. "I’ll only be there to sit for a while and watch how things unfold. After that, I’m going home. It’s not that tiring."

Nina pursed her lips, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying anything. She hadn’t brought it up before because Finn had just woken up.

"What is it?" he asked, noticing that she was holding something back. "Nina, tell me what’s bothering you."

"Well, I had a brief conversation with Dean Pierson," she confessed. "He didn’t say it directly, but from what I could understand, it seemed that your association with the Pierson family is dangerous. Are the Pierson family dangerous people, Finn? Are they bullying you?"

Finn couldn’t help but chuckle, pinching her cheek lightly. "Isn’t Penelope a Pierson now?"

"Oh, right. She’s actually the wife of the big boss—I forgot about that."

"I can’t fully say that the Pierson family are saints," Finn said with a shrug. "In fact, they toe the line between gray and dark. But it’s manageable. I’m on the matriarch’s side, so I’ll be okay."

Nina’s shoulders drooped as she looked at his bright smile. "You miss work, don’t you?"

"Not as much as I miss you." His smile softened as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Then he rested his forehead against hers, his hand on her cheek. "I’ll come to you after work."

Nina closed her eyes, now smiling as she nodded. "Okay."

*

*

*

Meanwhile...

Jonathan buttoned up his suit in front of the full-length mirror. Once he finished, he paused, silently admiring his reflection. His eyes glinted with satisfaction. He turned toward the open drawer full of wristwatches. Despite the wide selection, Jonathan quickly chose one to match his suit.

Smirking in satisfaction, he walked out of the room. As he descended the stairs, he saw some older men seated in the living area. As soon as they noticed him, they slowly rose to their feet, their eyes fixed on him.

Jonathan smirked again, pausing midway down the stairs to nod at them. ’In this lifetime, I have most of Zoren’s most useful supporters. Today... I’m officially a Pierson again.’