Chapter 1284: What made Renren want to forget everything?

[Short Flashback]

Finn stared at Nina lying on the bed, thinking about his next course of action. Saving Nina was not part of the plan, and he knew Zoren was unhappy about it. Thanks to his long affiliation with Zoren, the latter was letting him do what he wanted.

Still, Finn had no idea what he was going to do at the moment.

Lost in thought, Finn heard the door slide open behind him. Still seated, Finn was about to get up, assuming it was a nurse. However, just before he could, he saw the person’s reflection in the window. He froze on the spot before he felt a cold metal press against the back of his head.

"Hah..." Finn breathed out, only having one thing in mind. ’Zoren was right.’

The corner of his mouth curled up as his eyes landed on the woman lying on the bed. "It’s nice to see you, Slater Bennet."

BANG!

*******

[PRESENT TIME]

"Third Brother, are you the one who killed Finn Davis?"

Penny and Slater held each other’s gaze as the silence thickened. Even before he could answer, Penny’s heart already knew the truth. The quiet surprise in his eyes and the way his indifferent expression slowly shifted were a giveaway.

All this time, Penny assumed the person who had taken Finn’s life was Hugo. After all, Hugo was the most capable of doing that among her brothers. Not that she was saying Hugo was a cruel man, but he had held a gun before any of them. So, if anyone was capable of taking a life, it would be Hugo.

But now Penny wasn’t so sure anymore.

"How..." Slater trailed off, wondering if he had slipped up. After a second, he realized that wasn’t the case. Slater had been careful not to mention any names except Mint, because it was necessary. Although he had told them he had to take down a few people along the way, he didn’t name any of them.

Finn had been in the way, so... someone had to get rid of him.

"He remembers?" Slater blurted out in disbelief. Otherwise, there was no reason Penny would know that Finn was dead. They didn’t know each other, after all. "The informant you were talking about... is him?"

"Third Brother—" Penny stopped when Slater walked toward her.

He stopped in front of her and clasped her shoulder. "Penny, if he remembers, he can’t marry Nina."

"..."

"What makes you think he’s marrying her because of love, and not because he has ulterior motives?" His grip on her shoulder tightened, his shoulder trembling as his eyes widened. Slater shook his head slightly, keeping his gaze on her. "If he remembers, then..."

Slater paused, his eyes unblinking as he gazed down. "Nina’s going to be in trouble... because of me?"

"Third Brother, it’s not like that."

"Penny." This time, his tone was firm as he looked back at her. "Don’t trust him too much. Finn Davis is cunning — he’s Zoren’s ally for a reason."

"Would you be like this to everyone who remembers the past?"

"Yes." Slater nodded. "Like I said, Zoren had no qualms about killing people for whatever reason."

"Isn’t that the same as you? You killed people."

"I killed them for a reason!" he barked. "They, on the other hand... did it for no reason at all."

Another wave of silence fell between them as they held each other’s gaze. "If Zoren remembers the past, you should tell me, so I can watch him carefully. Otherwise, he might end up going on a ruthless rampage again."

"Third Brother, I gave you a chance," Penny breathed out in defeat. "And I’m giving Finn a chance. Why would he give me a hint of who killed him if he wants revenge?"

Even so, Slater wasn’t convinced. All he did was study his sister and her unbending determination in her eyes. After a second, his grip on her shoulder loosened. Penny was just too understanding and forgiving, even toward those who didn’t deserve it. Even if her brothers didn’t deserve it, or Nina, Penny forgave them and helped change them all.

However, that could be deadly, and people could take advantage of it.

"I’m going," he breathed out, releasing her and taking a step back. "See you tomorrow."

With that, Slater turned on his heel and walked away. Meanwhile, Penny opened her mouth but decided against speaking.

She only watched him leave in silence, sighing heavily. When Slater was out of sight, many thoughts raced through her mind. But in the end, she didn’t run after him.

"If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my brothers, it’s that... I have to let them be," she whispered to herself, turning around to face the board. "They don’t seem to understand me, just like how I don’t understand their reluctance to accept forgiveness."

Although she could logically understand their point of view, Penny couldn’t feel its purpose. After all, she chose to forgive rather than seek revenge. Even now, she wasn’t being vengeful; she was simply trying to avoid the disaster that could befall their family.

Her brothers, on the other hand, saw her forgiveness as a cruel punishment. She wouldn’t understand it because if she were in their position, she would rather be given a chance and forgiveness. Hence, Penny didn’t stop Slater.

After all, she had told Slater to find the meaning of forgiveness.

Perhaps, if Slater saw Finn’s change of heart, he would understand Penny’s standpoint. Hopefully. Besides, she knew Slater wouldn’t dare do anything harmful to Finn because, even in this lifetime, Slater liked Nina. Although Slater bothered Penny more, he would still constantly reach out to Nina and have coffee with her.

"Because those who forgave... granted us a reward we would never get if we didn’t," she whispered, approaching the board and picking up the pen. "Third Brother, I do hope you’ll learn another lesson today."

Penny then wrote Naylani’s name and another Jane Doe — the lady who was killed during a military exercise, which was led by Charles Bennet. Taking a step back, Penny pushed any thoughts of Slater and Finn to the back of her mind and focused on the board before her.

"A connection," she whispered, tapping her arm gently. "Would... it be selfish to wish Renren remembers his first life?"

After all, it seemed Zoren had all the answers for all the missing connections. But alas, aside from the fact that the Zoren Finn and Slater had talked about sounding like an entirely different person, remembering displayed just too painful for him.

"I wonder... why?" she whispered. "What made Renren want to forget everything?"