Chapter 1504: Why was it so different from her first life?

[SHORT FLASHBACK]

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Penny breathed out, eyeing the officers across from her. "You’ve got the wrong person! Whatever this is, it’s not me! I don’t even know what you’re talking about! Terrorist? Really? All shipments go through customs for proper documentation!"

"Then will you tell us whose signature this is?"

A paper was slammed onto the table, the officer’s fingertips pressing down on it before sliding it toward her. Penny glanced at it, but before she could get a proper look, the officer asked again,

"Whose signature is this? Isn’t this yours, Miss Bennet?"

Penny’s breath hitched, her eyes slightly widening as they landed on the signature. Slowly, she looked up at them, her complexion pale. It was then and there that Penny realized these detectives weren’t there to uncover the truth.

They were here to confirm the truth they wanted.

One of the officers leaned closer to the table, turned toward the window, and made a chopping motion across his neck. A moment later, he looked Penny straight in the eyes.

"Miss Bennet, I just asked our colleague to cut off the recording," he said. "So, everything you say now won’t be recorded or used against you in court."

He tapped the document between them. "This case is very serious, and the charges against you and Global Prime Logistics are not to be taken lightly. If you didn’t do it, then... was it Atlas Bennet?"

"What?"

"Did he tell you to sign this paper and approve the shipments?" he asked, this time, more sternly. "It’s true all international shipments go through customs. However, this case is massive, and you’re not the only one being questioned."

In other words, they had arrested people from the customs department suspected of being involved in this large-scale operation. After all, for Global Prime Logistics shipments to pass undetected, someone in customs had to approve them.

"All of them are saying the same thing," the detective continued under his breath. "They didn’t know. They didn’t do it. They had no idea what was going on."

Penny’s lips quivered as she blurted out, "Then maybe that’s because we’re all being pushed as fall guys?"

"If you feel like you’re being framed, then tell us who’s really behind it," he returned, as if starting the interrogation all over again. "It’s not too late, Miss Bennet."

The other detective chimed in. "Does Atlas Bennet really have nothing to do with this?"

Penny darted her eyes between them. They were watching her intently. And at that moment, one thing became painfully clear:

They didn’t believe her — not even a little.

But they were giving her an option.

An option to implicate Atlas.

---

[PRESENT TIME]

Penny sat on the outdoor patio in the garden, stroking Renny’s back while Chunchun rested on her lap.

"I thought you hadn’t made it home."

Zoren’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked toward the entrance, where her husband was leaning casually.

"You’re home?" she smiled, watching him peel away from the doorframe and approach her.

Zoren’s gaze shifted to the wide couch, where Renny had sprawled across most of the space. Since Penny was seated in the corner by the armrest, he had no choice but to sit next to the panther.

"Are you okay?" he asked, turning to her. "It’s rare for you to be outside at this hour."

Normally, by this time, she’d be waiting for him in the living room.

"I just have a lot on my mind," she said.

"Cassandra Smith?" he guessed, catching the way she smacked her lips and shrugged.

"I told First Brother it wasn’t my business and that I’d stay out of it. And I meant it... but it still bothers me," she admitted. "Forget how the news brought back unpleasant memories — it’s the uncertainty that gnaws at me. What’s next?"

Zoren raised his brows, watching her, but didn’t respond. There was nothing reassuring he could say.

"In my first life, the news that dominated every tabloid — the one everyone was talking about — was my case," she said with a heavy sigh. "It makes me wonder... is this the replacement for that?"

She looked him straight in the eye. "Or is this just the beginning of something bigger?"

They stared at each other in silence. Zoren nodded slowly, understanding her sentiment. She had once mentioned that changing too much in the present could affect the future. And sometimes, stopping one bad thing could lead to something worse.

"Has it ever crossed your mind," Zoren asked, his voice cutting through the quiet, "that maybe, in this lifetime, you’re no longer the target? Assuming the people who framed you in the past don’t know what’s already happened — like most of us — their focus might’ve shifted."

He continued, "Penny, you’ve spent this entire life trying to stop your past from repeating. You’re no longer the neglected daughter of the Bennet family. You’re not the weakest link."

Zoren reached out, and though Renny lay between them, he managed to rest his hand over hers on the panther’s back.

"I want to believe that in this lifetime, you’re no longer the prey. You’re a force to be reckoned with. And most importantly, Nathaniel is no longer on their side."

Wouldn’t that make sense?

Why would the people behind the Bennet downfall target them now, when going up against them would be difficult — especially with Prime Group soaring at its peak? And the Pierson Corporation at their back?

"..." Penny pressed her lips together in a thin line and gave a subtle smile. "I want to believe that too, Renren. I really do. But then again... why the orphanage? Why Cassandra?"

She paused, her voice soft. "Why me?" — referring to her first life.

Back then, Penny had been sentenced to death for approving a shipment that allowed terrorists into the country — terrorists who killed many. That was why she had been labeled a traitor. This current case might be serious, but it was still nothing compared to what she had been accused of.

"It just doesn’t make sense to me."

The orphanage.

The lethal drug.

The miracle drug.

The baby swap.

Why was it so different from her first life?

What would they gain?