Chapter 1648: why didn’t anyone even ask?

Naylani Pierson was a name everyone had probably heard—but at the same time, she remained a woman shrouded in mystery.

One of those mysteries was how she had managed to capture the heart of a man like Enzo Pierson.

Her very existence was a taboo in the Pierson family—a woman who had allegedly tried to kill her own son out of jealousy. The same woman who had hung herself in her cell, unable to face the consequences of her actions.

Naylani Pierson had died decades ago.

But the woman who died during that special military operation—led by Charles—had died years before that incident.

It didn’t make sense.

The timelines didn’t add up. And yet... it was too much of a coincidence for both Charles and Haines to immediately recognize the woman by sight.

> "The person they recognized—the woman who died during that mission... and Uncle Haines’s former lover... is Naylani Pierson."

Penny’s words were soft and careful, but their weight crashed down like a thunderclap.

Zoren’s eyes widened in shock before narrowing in confusion. His mouth opened, then closed again—but no words came out.

"I know," Penny sighed, rubbing his hand gently. "It confused us too. That’s why First Brother and Second Brother are going to confront Dad and Uncle Haines directly. They’ll try to get as much information as possible... and I’m sure they’ll fill them in on everything that’s happened."

She squeezed his hand. "Meanwhile, Mint, Third Brother, and I will focus on getting information from Nina’s mother."

Her voice softened. "Renren... I didn’t want to tell you this—not like this. But you deserve to know."

After all, Patricia had been the perfect reminder of what could happen when you keep one fatal piece of information hidden.

"We’ll handle this for now," she promised. "I’ll keep you in the loop. You just focus on finding out what this ’Delro’ means. Jonathan said it for a reason... with his dying breath."

Zoren said nothing. He didn’t react. He only stared at her, his eyes dark and unreadable.

She could tell he hated this plan—but in the end, all he could do was nod.

"I’ll find out what Delro is," he said quietly. "And... maybe I’ll ask Grandma about Naylani. She might know something useful."

Penny managed a faint smile, squeezing his hand tighter. "I know this is hard for you... especially since it involves that woman."

"Not at all. I don’t care about her. And if..." Zoren paused, exhaling sharply. "If she has anything to do with all of this... I’ll make sure she stays dead."

"..."

Penny instinctively glanced at the door, as if half-expecting someone to have heard that. When her eyes returned to him, she leaned in and whispered, "Renren... maybe don’t say that out loud. That’s how you end up in jail."

Pfft—

For the first time that night, Zoren let out a quiet, stifled laugh.

He reached out, brushing her cheek gently with his fingers. His expression softened as he gazed at her, the image of her battered face from the case file overlapping with the woman sitting before him.

His heart clenched painfully. He let out a sigh.

"I’m sorry."

Penny blinked. "Hmm? What for?"

"That you had to go through all of that," he whispered, his eyes lowering. "I should’ve protected you."

"You were sick back then," she pouted. "You would’ve died before you could even try to protect me."

"True, but..." He leaned closer, his voice low and serious, stressing every word.

"I will never let that happen again."

Penny smiled softly, her lips pressing together. Even if he did nothing, she was sure she wouldn’t end up in that situation again. But hearing him say those words still brought her peace.

"I know," she whispered. "I know you won’t."

A quiet stillness settled over them as they held each other’s gaze. Slowly, Zoren leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. His hand stayed on her cheek, his eyes closing.

If only he could go back... he would have saved her from that pain.

But wishing for the impossible wasn’t going to help.

Instead, he made a silent vow. The real culprit would pay.

He might be late—but no matter what, he would bring justice for her.

---

Later that night...

The world had quieted, but none of them could find rest.

Penny and Zoren—despite a brief attempt at love-making to forget the world, even just for a moment—lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. Not a word passed between them, each lost in their thoughts.

It was the same for Atlas, who had returned to the Bennet Mansion hours ago.

---

Atlas had tossed and turned in bed, his mind refusing to quiet even as his eyes stayed shut.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and exhaled sharply.

"Damn it," he muttered coldly, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there for a moment, elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together.

Glancing at the clock, he shook his head.

It was only a few hours before his alarm would go off. And here he was, completely sleepless.

In just a few hours, he might learn something he wasn’t ready for.

That thought alone kept him awake—not out of anticipation, but because it bothered him.

Far more than he wanted to admit.

---

Meanwhile, the Bennet family weren’t the only ones struggling to find sleep.

Someone else lay awake, despite the sheer exhaustion of the past few days.

Dean.

Unable to sleep, he sat up and reached for his laptop. He’d been trying to keep his mind busy with paperwork, but it was all too easy—he could do it half-asleep.

So instead, he found himself scrolling through articles related to Cassandra Smith’s case... and more specifically, the orphanage.

The same orphanage that Jonathan had been visiting.

Tilting his head, Dean furrowed his brows.

"...How come no one from Prime Group was ever questioned?" he muttered. "If all the sponsors were investigated, shouldn’t the police have looked into him too...?"

He frowned deeper, leaning back.

"...Considering she was his fiancée... why didn’t anyone even ask? This is strange."