Chapter 1290: Slander them to shreds

"... not when I married her alive this time."

By the time Jonathan recovered, he tapped the open button, but the elevator had already started going down.

"What did he just say?" he breathed out, staring at the doors in horror. "Did... he remember?"

His mouth fell open and closed as he stumbled back a step. Instinctively, he gripped the railing, his entire body throbbing as Zoren’s words replayed in his head over and over. He didn’t even notice when the elevator reached his floor and the doors opened—if not for them starting to close again.

What Zoren said had truly turned his world upside down, because if there was one person Jonathan knew who could ruin his plans, it was Zoren. No one else. Not Penny. Not Finn.

Why?

Because of one thing Jonathan knew that no one else did. And Zoren had just warned him—for the first and last time. There would be no further warnings.

Sitting in his cubicle, Jonathan remained motionless. His eyes were unfocused, his mind drifting farther away.

’Was this the reason... that woman is not in the present?’he wondered, but somehow, that question felt like a missing piece that had been nagging at him all along.

After all, in this lifetime, Zoren was an orphan. He didn’t have a controlling mother dictating his every move.

’But he wouldn’t have killed her as a child...?’

******

Meanwhile, Zoren remained leaning against the wall, still waiting for Penny. However, unlike earlier, his mind drifted to his brief warning to Jonathan. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes lingering on the closed elevator doors.

After a second, he looked away and dismissed the thought. What he had told Jonathan was a calculated move. He had been thinking about it for quite some time now. Penny was being too careful. Atlas had his own plans, but Zoren didn’t have the same patience. Hugo was investigating, and Slater had now openly begun helping them.

Finn, too, had grown paranoid about Nina’s safety—and that was all because of Jonathan.

For a while, Zoren had stayed on the sidelines, trying to maintain harmony within this complicated family dynamic. But today, he was not in the mood to play along. He wasn’t in the mood to be polite, especially to someone who should have been his responsibility.

Zoren’s eyes darkened as he cast his gaze downward.

At the same time, Dean’s car was slowly and quietly making its way into the parking lot. He had deliberately driven at a snail’s pace near Pierson Corporation, not wanting to run into Jonathan. Hence, the delay.

"Wow..." Penny was still in disbelief, shaking her head. "That’s really all he did?"

She snapped her eyes to Atlas. "First Brother, what do you think? Do you think he noticed us and just put on a show?"

"Possibly." Atlas nodded. "However, based on what we’ve seen, he seems very familiar with the children. I’ll look into the orphanage."

"Oh, it’s okay! I’ll do it!"

Atlas shook his head. "No need. I’ll handle it."

"But—"

"Shhh!!" Dean hissed, finally fed up with the back-and-forth. "Do you two ever shut up? Goodness! If I were your personal driver, I’d quit on the first day."

Atlas and Penny both fell silent—only to immediately ignore him.

"I’ll send someone to check the orphanage," Atlas reiterated firmly. "I’ll let you know what I find."

Penny pouted. "I’ll send someone else just in case."

"Do what you think is best."

Dean rolled his eyes and told himself to ignore them. They were already here, so he only had to endure them for a few more seconds. But just as he planned to drop them off near the elevator entrance and save himself a few moments, he changed his mind.

"Hey, drop us off already," Penny remarked, noticing Dean’s deliberately slow driving. "Don’t tell me you’re really going to abduct us?"

This time, Dean didn’t answer and continued toward his parking space. Penny frowned—only to feel Atlas’s finger tapping her shoulder. She turned to him, only to see him jerk his chin forward.

"Huh?" Penny instinctively looked out her window, her expression twisting as she spotted Zoren.

Seeing her husband was usually a blessing—a daily miracle she thanked the heavens for. But not when a metaphorical tropical storm was forming over his head, complete with thunder and lightning. The air around him was dark, and his lethal gaze made one thing clear:

He was mad.

Penny panicked and turned to Atlas for help. He merely arched a brow, utterly calm despite the ominous presence outside. Even Dean, upon spotting Zoren, naturally continued driving instead of dropping them off.

"What?" Atlas asked dryly. "Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?"

"First Brother," Penny blurted, desperate, "didn’t you say you wanted me to punish you?"

Dean wrinkled his nose at their odd sibling dynamic as Penny forced a sweet smile and grabbed Atlas’s hand, tapping the back of it. "Please cover for me this once, okay?"

"..."

"Say no," Dean whispered, like the devil on Atlas’s shoulder. "Don’t let her use you. How will she ever learn if you keep covering for her?"

Atlas sighed. "Why are you scared? It’s just Zoren." He exhaled. "Fine."

"Tch --" was Dean’s disappointed reaction.

"Yes!" Penny cheered, beaming.

Atlas was slightly confused, but Dean wasn’t.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, Dean caught sight of Penny’s pleased expression. And at that moment, a sense of familiarity struck him.

He had seen that smile before—the same one she wore whenever she threw someone else off a cliff to save herself.

And he was right.

*

*

*

"Huhuhu! My husband, my beloved, my one and only, I was so scared, you know?" Penny sobbed dramatically in Zoren’s arms, wiping her eyes against his chest. "I told First Brother I didn’t want to go, but he dragged me along, anyway."

Atlas and Dean stood in front of her, watching the melodrama unfold.

Just seconds ago, Penny had been all smiles. But the moment she stepped out of the car, she suddenly looked sickly—dragging her feet toward Zoren as if she were barely standing.

"Hey," Dean murmured, still staring at Penny while tilting his body toward Atlas. "How did she make herself look paler?"

"She put something white on her lips," Atlas answered, recalling how Penny had quickly pulled out a compact powder and dabbed it on her lips.

"Oh." Dean nodded in understanding. "So, are we just going to watch her slander us like this?"

Atlas didn’t answer and just shrugged before falling silent, listening as Penny sobbed and slandered them to shreds.