Chapter 1261: How had she forgotten about him?

Unlike what everyone believed—that Penny was the good-for-nothing daughter of the Bennet Family—she was actually part of the most elite research group in Anteca. Just because she didn’t talk about it much, people often overlooked the fact that she was frequently invited to events to speak about their research and give statements.

She didn’t make a lot of money, just like in the current timeline, but her name was well-known in the medical field. Even respected doctors recognized her work, read and follow her papers.

"Still, it doesn’t make sense," she muttered under her breath. "I was not the target, Second Brother."

Penny snapped her gaze to her side, where Hugo was standing, munching the last slice of pizza. "The target was First Brother, not me. It’s the Bennets they tried to take down, and I suspect it’s because of the piers First Brother was handling."

"I know." Hugo nodded. "But in the end, who went down in that scandal? The Bennets... and you."

Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyes returning to the board. "My head feels like it’s going to explode."

"That’s why I told you to stop thinking about everything at once," he remarked, his index finger tracing different connections on the board. "Trying to piece everything together is just giving us headaches. Let’s focus on what’s right in front of us."

He then cast Penny a sidelong glance. "I don’t get why it took you this long to tell me all of this. This isn’t a case for one person to solve."

"I didn’t think anyone would believe me."

"Zoren did," Hugo shrugged, looking away. "He did in the first life, and even now."

"That’s exactly why I didn’t think I needed to bring it up," she replied, eyes still on the board. "Someone already believed me... and that was all I wanted, after all."

Hugo stole another glance at her, but he didn’t linger on the complicated feeling rising inside him. He might have said he wasn’t someone who dwelled on the past, but knowing that Penny had been incarcerated unjustly, that their family had failed her—and yet, in this life, they were lucky enough to have another chance with her—wasn’t a comfortable thought.

Still, unlike Slater or Atlas, Hugo knew someone else had to pay for everything.

"That Miracle Drug..."

"I already told Mint it’s not going to work," Penny cut in before he could finish. "If it were possible, I would have succeeded after an entire lifetime of research. And then another one in this life. A drug that can cure all illnesses? It doesn’t exist."

"Still, according to reports, it was a success."

"That’s because it treated five patients with different diseases," she said, arms crossed. "But a miracle drug for all? Impossible. Those reports don’t mention how many healthy people got sick from it—or how many patients got worse."

"Did you experiment on people, Penny?"

"Of course not. It was a clinical trial with informed volunteers who knew the risks," she said firmly. "I’m not a monster. No matter how much I wanted recognition from my family back then, I wouldn’t let people suffer or die for it."

Hugo opened his mouth but changed his mind. Instead, he said, "And this research is funded by the government."

"With a few private sponsors," she added. "That’s why I left the research team in this lifetime. I did it for fun, to test some theories as a last attempt. Before I was arrested, I had ideas, but I couldn’t test them in prison."

"Besides," she continued, her tone sharp, "I didn’t like how they were burying certain reports about this drug. People praise me for my research, thinking this drug is a breakthrough, but they don’t know the full truth. Luckily, I published my papers under a different alias. I didn’t have to deal with all the attention."

"Money, then."

Hugo reached for another slice of pizza—only to realize he’d eaten it all. He glanced down at the empty box in dismay.

"My fridge is stocked," Penny said, noting his horrified expression. "Eat whatever you want."

"How does this place have food? I thought it was abandoned."

"It’s not abandoned. Uncle Wild snacks here. He hides his food, complaining someone keeps stealing from the pantry."

"Oh."

"So, I refill it. And if I get hungry, I just come up here." She shrugged. "What were you saying?"

"Ahem." Hugo straightened his back and grabbed a marker. On the side of the board, he wrote:

[Money.]

Stepping back, he studied the board, tapping the marker against his palm.

"Money," he repeated. "You dropped the research and walked away. Yet, the research continues, and the funding hasn’t stopped—just like when you were on the team."

"Second Brother, of course they’d continue. The facility is full of brilliant people."

"But you were the only one making real progress." Hugo tapped the reports. "These documents say the drug’s effectiveness has skyrocketed, and its dangers have decreased. That’s huge."

"The Miracle Drug aside," he continued, lowering his voice, "the lethal drug—the one classified as a weapon of mass destruction—somehow ended up in Stephen Bennet’s hands not long ago." He scratched the back of his head. "And then there’s Jonathan Pierson... and the Information Center."

Hugo trailed off and looked at Penny. "Didn’t you say you knew someone in the Information Center?"

"Yes, I was invited there."

"No, not them. The guy you mentioned from your previous life." His brows lifted. "The one you told to bury himself?"

"Oh." Penny’s mouth formed a small ’o.’ "I almost forgot he existed."

"Is he still living at your place?"

"I think so?"

"You said he betrayed you." Hugo gave her a pointed look. "Penny, why haven’t you interrogated him?"

"Because in this life, he’s not part of the Information Center."

"Then he should be," Hugo suggested, making her arch a brow. "He wants to be useful, but aside from gardening, he hasn’t done much. Send him back to the hell where he belongs. We need an inside man, and he’s perfect for the job."

A heavy silence settled between them as they stared at each other.

After a beat, Penny nodded in understanding.

Nathaniel.

How had she forgotten about him?