Chapter 1583: We’ll get her

"This is me and Uncle Haines. There is another way, true. But that doesn’t mean it’s a safer alternative."

Selfish? Penny must admit she was being selfish at the moment.

If she could, she wouldn’t put Nina in such a situation. If she had planned it from the beginning, she would’ve let Nina in on this from the start. However, with everything that had happened and Finn’s decision to drag Nina into this, Penny had to make a choice.

That choice was to seek progress.

"And this is what happened just because Uncle Haines didn’t want to let go of the investigation of the baby swap," she continued, her voice cold — almost harsh. "Another person was interested in the baby swap, wanting to profit from the information he could gather. That person is now in a coma, attacked in his own territory months ago."

"Another person, whom you both know, Mint — she’s currently healing from her injuries after being ambushed in a convenience store," she added, each word carrying more weight than the last. "Had it not been for Second Brother, the two of you might have been attending her funeral."

She paused, tilting her head a little. "Why? Because Mint has been investigating the same thing."

Another moment of silence fell on their shoulders as Nina and Finn’s breath caught in their throats. While Penny spoke, their eyes were fixed on the close-up photos of both Penny and Haines. If Penny hadn’t told them it was her, they wouldn’t have recognized her.

That was how serious it was.

Even Haines. Never in their wildest imaginations — especially Nina — did they expect to see Haines in such a state. Finn, on the other hand, stared at the photos with wide, unblinking eyes.

"This..." he trailed off, lifting his eyes to Penny. "... happened to you?"

Even though Finn and Penny had shared information about their previous lives, Penny hadn’t mentioned such an incident. Maybe she had mentioned it in passing, but downplayed it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this surprised.

Nina’s lips quivered, her fingertips trembling as she reached out for the file. A lump formed in her throat as she studied it, holding her breath as she braced herself to check the next page. As soon as she did, she shut her eyes and looked away.

Seeing this, Penny sighed before shifting her gaze to Finn. The latter’s jaw tightened, eyeing the printed photo of Haines’s leg, the injury that started the limp.

Now that I think about it, Uncle Haines didn’t limp in the first life, he thought. I’ve never seen him in person in my first life, but he appeared once on television, and he wasn’t limping.

Quite late for him to realize.

"Hah..." he sighed heavily, forcing himself to close the folder. Just a few pictures were enough for them to understand Penny’s point about bringing up this thing.

Finn snapped his eyes at Penny. "Penny, if this happened to you, withdrawing Nina’s security can —" he choked as the thought hit him. "I don’t want her to be the next person ending up in the hospital."

"The people who didn’t want anyone investigating the baby swap were responsible for all these incidents," Penny explained. "That woman, however, already knows the truth, as she was part of it. It won’t happen to Nina. Besides, I’m only proposing to withdraw those near her vicinity. There will still be people looking after her to ensure her safety."

Bitterness flickered in Finn’s eyes as he studied the unwavering resolve on her face.

His mind understood, but his heart?

How could he agree to this?

This was Nina they were talking about.

"I’ll do it." Much to Finn’s dismay, Nina suddenly spoke up.

Her remark prompted Finn to turn his head towards her. Nina offered him a weak smile, her hand clasped tightly in her lap.

"I’ll do it, Finn," she repeated, her voice still quiet but tinged with determination. She then shifted her eyes back to Penny, nodding at her. "If that’s the only way — the quickest and perhaps the safest way we have right now, then I’ll do it."

"Nina —"

"Finn." Nina turned to Finn once again, her jaw clenched and her eyes sharp. "Did we see the same photos just now?"

He didn’t answer.

"That’s Penny and Uncle Haines," she breathed out, the corners of her eyes reddening with emotions she couldn’t even discern. She then shifted her gaze back to Penny, her heart breaking as she imagined what Penny and Haines had gone through.

Haines always claimed his leg was just a bad bone. Something that came with age. And Penny never mentioned a word about this. At least, not to Nina. But she knew Penny might’ve told someone else, just not in detail. After all, if she had, things would’ve been different.

"I’ll do it, Penny," Nina declared firmly. "We’ll get her."

Penny pursed her lips, and for a brief moment, a different emotion, far from the sharp look she carried, peeked behind her eyes.

"Thank you," Penny whispered, nodding gently. "Don’t worry. There are still people who will ensure no harm befalls you. I promise."

"I know." Nina swallowed. "I trust you."

Finn clasped his hands tightly but didn’t argue further. Nina had decided, and once she decided, it would take a miracle to dissuade her.

****

Meanwhile, Zoren’s vehicle pulled up in Finn’s driveway. Looking at the entrance, he noticed a few bodyguards stationed around the place.

"Aren’t you getting out, sir?" Angel asked from the front passenger seat, glancing back at Zoren.

Zoren didn’t answer immediately, which wasn’t unusual. He kept his eyes fixed on the front door before finally tearing them away.

"There’s no need," he said. "I’ll wait for her here."

Angel studied Zoren’s expression before nodding in understanding. He didn’t say anything else as he looked away, his gaze drifting to the front door of the house.

Uncle Wild mentioned she requested files from that incident, Angel thought.

What is she planning now?

But what Penny was planning wasn’t the most critical part; it was what Zoren would do once he saw those files.