Chapter 1698: the why, the how, the what, and the who.

"I heard that."

Finn gazed at the couple with a shallow breath before his eyes shifted to the papers and pictures plastered on the wall. He resumed his steps, approaching them. He stopped a few steps from Zoren, eyes still fixed on the wall.

"That’s... what Atlas and Dean found?" he asked, finally moving his eyes to the couple.

Penny rocked her head. "We’re analyzing it until they reach home."

"You might want to focus on that area," Zoren pointed in a direction. "That’s where the information about Nina’s bounty was."

Finn didn’t flinch, already aware of that. Well, Zoren had called him earlier and told him the general information. In other words, he was already aware of what they had found out. But then again, Finn knew that Jonathan wanted to harm Nina.

He approached the area Zoren pointed at, his expression cold at the information about Nina’s hit.

"Where’s my sister?" Penny asked, staring at Finn’s back.

"Home," he muttered. "All your bodyguards were on her, so she’s going to be fine. I didn’t want to wake her up."

He paused, looking back at her. "Today’s already long, Penny. Especially after she heard your conversation with Priscilla Reed."

"..." Penny kept quiet and then shrugged. "The men I placed to guard her are people I trust."

"And if you trust them, then I trust them as well." Finn then set his attention on the information. "What does this mean?"

He pointed at the note written on the side—although it was actually a photo of a note taken from the underground vault.

"It means you can’t change it," Zoren explained. "It’s a symbol an assassin group writes, which means even with the bounty, it’s not to be bought by someone else."

"It basically means it’s set in stone. And the one underneath it is the date of when this would be executed," Penny added.

The couple had been involved in the underground one way or another to know such lingo and gestures.

Finn’s expression hardened at the information. He drew a deep breath, eyes on the date underneath it.

"It’s going to happen in a week," he whispered, his eyes glinting. "One week."

His heart clenched at the thought, unsure if this was a good thing or a terrible one. It was good that they found out about it a week before the execution date. But then again, the stakes just rose from low-mid to high.

"I know... he made it clear that he’ll kill her," he whispered, his hands balling into tight fists. "But—"

Couldn’t Jonathan move on?

Finn and Penny had moved on, even with the bitter memories they carried from their past. Penny chose to forgive and live this life to the fullest, and Finn learned to be grateful and embrace the gift of today.

And yet, Jonathan...

"That bastard..." he hissed. "If he doesn’t die in that hospital bed, I’ll kill him myself."

Penny and Zoren exchanged glances but didn’t say anything for a while.

"I know you’re worried about that, but Renren already deployed some of his men to gather data about this hit," she explained, watching Finn look back at them. "If things are done well, then it could be settled. After all, even if it’s already tagged like that, the Phantom Circle might still be able to do something about it."

Finn shifted his gaze to Zoren, only to see the latter nod slightly.

"I called you here because I don’t want my wife to hurt her head too much," Zoren added. "Both of you remember your first life. Even though you’ve already exchanged information, it’s still better for you to see these from your own lens. Perhaps, it might remind you of an event that might not seem significant—but could be helpful."

Finn gulped, darting his eyes between the two of them. "It’s not that I forgot an event, big or small. Maybe I did forget a small one. However, I don’t think it’s something helpful."

"Zoren," he continued, his voice growing quieter and more solemn. "I told you during that trip, didn’t I? That I don’t trust you—and that’s not without reason. I held back at the time just because I didn’t think it was necessary. But now..."

"But now, I think it is," he said, looking at his wife’s bounty, his heart heavy. "Back then, you... you also wanted Nina to die."

Penny and Zoren’s brows rose slowly, eyes on Finn.

"You might’ve not ordered it yourself, but you knew—you knew she was meant to die." Bitterness filled Finn’s eyes as they narrowed, recalling that memory from the past he wished he could erase.

After all, those were the last hours of Finn’s life before he was shot in the head. After that, he didn’t know what else happened. But one thing was for sure: Zoren had ruined many people’s lives—including his own—on his quest to prove Penny’s innocence.

"Jonathan already put a hit on her before," he continued. "And you knew about it. So, you asked me to watch how it would go. And it did happen."

Finn then looked back at them again, his eyes settling on Zoren. "But somehow, the more I think about it, the more I suspect that it’s not Jonathan’s plans. The more I think about it, the more I’m driven to the conclusion that you’re the one who made it happen."

"Finn, what the hell?" Penny frowned. "I know Renren was involved in some very messy crap in the past, and you already said that. But why are you changing your narrative now?"

"I’m not." Finn moved his eyes to the wall, scanning it briefly. Just one look wasn’t enough to put the puzzle together. However, it gave him enough of an idea.

"I told you over and over," he muttered. "I know Jonathan—just as he claimed that he knew me."

He paused again and huffed, peeling his eyes from the wall to them. "And just looking at this reminds me of who Jonathan truly is. This is an act of revenge, Penny. Back then, he was loyal and would’ve continued to be."

"But now, he’s investigating the very organization he once trusted and protected. And if I’m correct, you two already guessed that he’s planning to turn on them," Finn shifted his eyes back to Zoren. "The whys aren’t the only questions now—but rather... Zoren, you need to remember what you did. Because you’re the only person in here who actually knows the why, the how, the what, and the who."