Chapter 1237: How did you get into Homeland Security?

"That is low, you know?" Penny hugged Renny and Chunchun on the couch, glaring daggers at Atlas. "You didn’t have to use my children to stop me. Gee!"

A huff escaped Penny as she sulked on the long couch with her pets. Before she and Mark could leave the residence, they saw Renny and Chunchun running toward her. Mark naturally stopped—he didn’t want to hurt them, even though Renny could easily trash their little sedan if it wanted to.

With them around the car, Penny didn’t have the heart not to open the door for them. They showered her with love and kisses, which was nice—until Hugo and Atlas dragged her into Zoren’s study for whatever reason.

"I haven’t had dinner yet," she whimpered. "Should we eat first? I feel like I’ll get indigestion if we talk before eating."

"This is where we’ll eat," Hugo happily chimed in, though his eyes were on Renny and Chunchun cuddling with Penny on the couch. Chunchun was small, but with Renny there, Zoren had to sit on the armrest to make space.

’Damn it! I want a pet too!’ Hugo mentally hissed, drowning in jealousy as he had no pet to cuddle with. ’Grandma Pierson gave me a collar so I could choose my own pet, but until now, I couldn’t find The One.’

With a deep exhale, Hugo shook his head.

"Uh..." Slater, who had been ambushed by his brothers earlier and dragged to the skyline plaza, cleared his throat. He hadn’t been outside the residence with them for one reason.

Atlas had grounded him.

"I agree with Penny," Slater blurted out. "Let’s have dinner first."

Hearing this, Penny arched a brow and glanced at her third brother. "Third Brother, I didn’t realize you were here."

"I’ve been here." Slater frowned. "They ambushed me at the agency."

"Huh?" Slowly, Penny shifted her attention back to Atlas and Hugo. "First Brother, Second Brother, what is this all about?"

Atlas glanced at her before a shallow breath slipped past his lips. "We... all of us need to talk and clear everything up."

"What do you mean, clear everything up?" Penny and Slater returned in unison, feigning ignorance. "Everything is pretty clear to me."

"We didn’t really get to talk about everything on the plane," Hugo answered this time. "You wanted to drink first to explain everything, but then you passed out. Or rather, you faked passing out. And then things happened—the hijacking, and then that thing. After that, we were just too shocked by what happened to say a single word."

Atlas rocked his head. "Although I already got a gist of it, there’s so much more to discuss. Not just the rebirth itself, but also what you know about our previous life and why Slater ended up in Homeland Security."

For a moment, Penny and Slater could only stare at their brothers in utter silence. Hugo and Atlas were right. They had mentioned the situation but never fully delved into it. If anything, the incident on the plane had saved them from a long explanation.

"I knew it," Penny mumbled. "This discussion is gonna give me indigestion."

"I thought my day was finally over..." Slater whispered, teary-eyed.

Hearing this, Penny shot him a look. "Long day?"

"The longest I’ve ever had. You?" he returned, mirroring her expression.

"Same." The two of them nodded at each other in pity before setting their attention back to their brothers. But alas, their puppy-dog eyes and teary pouts didn’t work this time. Hugo and Atlas didn’t budge.

"First Brother, I already told you about it," Penny said after failing to gain their sympathy. "You were mean to me—you, Second Brother, and Third Brother. Then, I went to prison for a crime I didn’t commit. I was sentenced to death, and then bam—I was a kid again!"

Atlas and Hugo didn’t react, just kept staring at her.

"I would never be mean to you," Hugo replied after a moment, shaking his head. "I would never hate you."

"Well, surprise—you did in my first life. You hated me the first time you met me, and then you disliked me more the longer I stayed around," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Then how come I didn’t hate you when I first saw you at home in this lifetime?" Hugo tilted his head. "I might’ve been a little distant because I didn’t know you yet, and I just didn’t want you to rely on me too much."

"That’s why I didn’t," she muttered, shifting her gaze to the corner.

Hugo blinked, brows furrowed. He had heard some details from Atlas. Their eldest brother had told him they used to be mean to Penny for no reason—hence why Penny initially hated them. Even so, Hugo just didn’t understand why he would hate her. Not that he didn’t believe it, but he felt like there had to be a misunderstanding.

After all, if they were really that heartless—if they truly couldn’t accept their real sister just because they had grown up knowing a different one—then how come they didn’t treat Nina differently when their relationship with Penny became better? They still tried to be merciful to Nina, even when she had grown increasingly annoying and difficult to understand.

"It’s a long story, but there’s that!" Penny clapped her hands. "Let’s not dwell on my trauma anymore because, you see, I don’t like crying too much. My husband has helped me through my inner healing. I’m not saying I don’t want to talk about it, but instead of focusing on our family dynamic, I think there’s something much more important to discuss about the first life."

Her brows rose as her lips stretched from ear to ear. She cast Zoren a wink—she hadn’t had time to flirt with him yet, and she wanted to get this over with just for that.

"You’re right." Atlas rocked his head. "I already promised to help you plan my murder, so that’s settled. Now, let’s move on—fill us in about your incarceration and anything else about the family."

"Okay!" Penny clapped again, then happily turned to Slater. "But first, how about we start with Third Brother?"

Slater gasped as he watched his sister’s eyes squint, her grin turning positively evil.

"I agree," Hugo nodded, while Zoren rocked his head. "The past is a long story, but Slater’s present is very concerning. I’m worried about you, little bro. Tell us—how did you get into Homeland Security?"