Chapter 1578: Pride doesn’t feed me. Acting cute does.

Penny hadn’t realized it until Wild questioned her about any involvement with the current scandal. What was it? The question itself.

Even though Wild knew Penny had nothing to do with the sudden eruption of the scandal, he still had to ask. Meaning, even for Wild — someone who trusted her — the circumstances were suspicious enough to spark doubt.

Simply put—

"It’s a trap?" Mark furrowed his brows, seated across from Wild while Penny perched on the one-seater couch. "You’re saying the encrypted file was planted for someone — Miss Penny or any of her men — specifically to take?"

"Most likely, yes," Penny nodded, pressing her thumb to her temple. "The attempt on Jonathan Pierson’s life, in its own way, could tie into a dramatic narrative. Gosh. How did I not see that coming?"

Wild frowned deeply, casting her a sharp look. However, he chose not to nitpick — not yet.

"I didn’t leave behind anything that could be traced back to me," Mark said solemnly. "Even if it was a trap, there’s no evidence that would point at me or Miss Penny."

"That’s not the point." Wild sighed heavily. "A story doesn’t have to be true — just believable. A believable story alone can hurt the company and Penny’s integrity. Add in her little fight with Cassandra Smith before the arrest? It’s easy to twist things and paint her as reckless. Perhaps, envious or just pure evil, using her power to trample another beauty."

Penny rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought things through — she just hadn’t expected Cassandra to be arrested so quickly. To be exact, she didn’t expect Cassandra to get entangled in all of it at all.

Mark went quiet, mentally retracing his steps. This wasn’t his first covert mission, so he’d been meticulous — avoiding the orphanage CCTV cameras and even the surrounding area. He’d enlisted help from his people to make sure the job was clean, too.

"How would they trace Miss Penny’s interest in it?" he asked again. "Even if someone combed through CCTV footage within a hundred-meter radius, they wouldn’t know I was there."

His brows rose when he noticed Wild rolling his eyes. The older man then shot Penny a glare, prompting Mark to shift his gaze to her.

"Well..." Penny scratched her cheek with her index finger. "I might’ve told Jonathan I’d seen his records."

Might have?

Mark wisely kept quiet, knowing anything he said would make things worse. Wild, on the other hand, threw his hands in the air.

"See? Reckless to the bone!"

Penny frowned. "In my defense, I was drunk, okay?"

"Why are you even drinking these days — Oh no! Don’t tell me you were the one who drank my juice?!" Wild gasped, scandalized. "I was preserving it for my woman!"

As expected, Penny quickly defended herself, as though that were the most pressing matter at hand.

Mark said nothing. He wasn’t sure whether to be amused or frustrated by the nonsense that somehow crept into even the tensest situations. But then again, this was Penny and Wild. There was no need to be surprised about it.

"I can..." Mark started, then trailed off, watching as both Penny and Wild turned to him. "If it really is a trap meant to drag Miss Penny into a scandal, then I think it’s a good thing we caught it early — before it could blindside us."

Wild cleared his throat and tugged at his suit jacket, sitting up straighter. "Exactly. Better now than when the officers come knocking."

"I told you," Penny sighed, frowning. "I’ll fix it."

Wild arched a brow while Mark blinked.

"How exactly are you planning to fix this?" Wild asked skeptically. "Or are you going to ask me to clean up another mess?"

He wasn’t wrong. Wild had done plenty of damage control for Penny over the years. Without him, Prime Group might never have gotten off the ground. Penny, after all, had a talent for getting in her own way.

Penny grinned. "Watch and learn."

She picked up her phone and held it out like she was about to perform a magic trick. Puffing her cheeks, she pouted, making both men visibly recoil.

Why was she suddenly acting cute? It didn’t even suit her naturally sharp features.

She pressed a speed dial, placed the call on speaker, and set the phone on the coffee table.

"Hello?" came Zoren’s calm voice.

Despite his voice, neither Wild nor Mark took their eyes off Penny, who had clasped her hands and started tapping her index fingers together like a bashful child.

"Renren," she cooed, "I think... I’m in trouble."

Her voice was small, cutesy — painfully so.

"Remember when I asked Mark to steal that file from the orphanage? I think it was actually a trap to frame me. And... I might’ve accidentally told your fake brother I’d seen the file."

Penny fluttered her lashes at Mark and Wild’s horrified faces. "Can you help me?"

A long pause followed. Then Zoren said, simply:

"Done."

"Yay~! Thanks, my love~!" Penny cheered. "Mwa! Mwa! Mwa! You’re the best~!"

"Don’t worry about it anymore."

"Heehee~!" she giggled. "I’m sooo lucky~!"

Zoren chuckled. "Anything else you need help with?"

"Nope! Just showing Uncle Wild and Mark a magic trick!" she laughed — the cutesy voice suddenly gone. "Anyway, I know you’re busy. Call you later!"

"Mhm. See you later."

CLACK.

As the call ended, Penny leaned back with a proud grin. "Problem solved."

"That... that was your solution?" Wild finally found his voice, still reeling from what he’d just witnessed.

"Uncle Wild," Penny said seriously, "what’s the point of marrying a rich, powerful man if I don’t take advantage of it? My hands are full. I don’t have time to cook up another scheme when I already have a dozen brewing."

Mark and Wild opened their mouths... then shut them again.

Honestly? She had a point.

What was the point of marrying the richest man in Anteca if you weren’t going to reap some benefits?

"You’re smart," Wild admitted with a sigh, while Mark simply shrugged.

Then, in a tone laced with reluctant awe, Mark added, "Miss Penny, sometimes your utter lack of pride is... strangely charming."

"Heh," Penny smirked, tapping her nose. "Pride doesn’t feed me. Acting cute does."