Chapter 1719: I know where Nathalie is.

What Finn said wasn’t exactly false—but in this lifetime, that didn’t happen. The fake Naylani had died early in this timeline, so she couldn’t act on what she had done in the past.

But since Dean didn’t know that, Finn bit his tongue and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Now, he had to clean up the mess.

"Finn, you’re not the only one staying up at this hour." Before he could offer a reason for his slip-up, Atlas had already spoken. "Stop saying nonsense."

Finn looked up at Atlas, who was clearly doing damage control for him.

"Did you even listen?" Hugo frowned. "This reminds me of someone I know who doesn’t listen but pretends he did by talking about it—and ends up getting it all wrong. That person is me."

"Heh..." Finn forced out an awkward laugh before glancing at Dean. "In any case, Jonathan must’ve learned about his mother and thought he had a right to the Pierson Family."

Hearing this, Dean clenched his teeth. "Like any bastard I know. Tch."

"So, that concludes the four faces of the woman," Atlas chimed in, not dwelling on Finn’s mistake as he nodded. "One is Nathalie, Naylani, Noel, and then this fake Naylani who died prematurely."

Everyone nodded in agreement; that part was clear now.

"Now, assuming all three died and only Nathalie survived... what does she want?" he continued—because that was something they hadn’t uncovered yet.

They already understood the origins of Naylani, the Zorken Family, and the secret society lurking in the shadows of the world. But that still didn’t explain their current dilemma.

"Although we do understand that the Smith Family—Cassandra Smith—is being sacrificed as a scapegoat, orchestrated by Jonathan... what does that have to do with us?" Atlas added, purposely avoiding the topic of what happened to Penny in their previous life. "Let’s not forget that this lethal drug ended up in Stephen’s hands, and the first target was Chairman Bennet."

"From everything we’ve concluded so far, I think it’s because they were testing people to use as scapegoats." This time, Penny spoke. She raised a finger as she explained, "First, the Bennet Family was in the spotlight, mainly because of the piers they were connected to. It’s common knowledge that those piers were basically run by First Brother when he was CEO of Global Prime Logistics."

She paused and nodded. "By shifting the power dynamics within Global Prime Logistics, it would give them opportunities to manipulate it for their advantage. After all, they have businesses—massive ones—in various states across Anteca. Smuggling is one of them."

"I see." Charles, listening in on the call, nodded. "If they gain control of those piers, it’d be easy for them to smuggle things in and out of the country without detection."

Then Atlas chimed in. "But since Penny bought the Miller Company and the stocks of Global Prime Logistics plummeted, things haven’t looked great for them."

"Correct." Penny nodded. "Especially since Dad took charge of the Miller Company. He has stronger ties with customs and officials who legally authorize operations on those piers. On top of that, First Brother joined the Pierson Corporation just in time. So any liability from Global Prime Logistics would be hard to trace—because he’s now under Pierson Corp."

Atlas nodded. He’d already arrived at that conclusion, but he remained open to more.

"To back this up, Sven—the first person who fell into their trap—received a distinctive envelope that fueled his madness and amplified his inferiority complex toward First Brother," Penny continued knowingly. "However, while Sven may have been the first, he wasn’t the only one who received that envelope."

"Theo Miller also got one," she added, making Atlas’s brows crease.

"He did?" Charles blurted out.

Penny nodded, though her father couldn’t see her. "But Theo didn’t think much of it. He just brushed it off as a prank—which probably saved him from further trouble."

"As expected." Hugo exhaled, his expression firm. "By distributing those envelopes to people who already disliked First Brother, they were lining up candidates for the best scapegoat."

"And that probably applies to their other targets too," Finn added. "They initially tested the Bennet Family’s viability, but since you responded immediately, that may have taken you off their list. That could explain the other families on the board."

Everyone instinctively looked at the board Penny had assembled, which Finn had rearranged earlier.

"Considering the baby swap was unintentionally orchestrated by one of their ring’s willing victims, Uncle Haines’s affair with Noel, and Father-in-law’s involvement in her death... the Bennet Family really does sound like their first choice," he added.

"It’s like hitting a few birds with one stone," Penny muttered, making everyone frown.

She didn’t like the conclusion either—but it did make sense.

"Don’t forget Penny’s Miracle Drug research." Surprisingly, Dean still followed the discussion, despite the coldness he received from her brothers. "That drug poses a major threat to what we know is one of their highest income sources."

He shrugged. "So that’s not just a few birds—it’s four birds, to be exact."

A heavy silence fell as everyone processed the information. It was overwhelming. And even though it was well past midnight, none of their minds were ready to rest. Not yet.

"There’s one more thing." After a while, Zoren finally spoke again. "This group has been operating in Anteca, but it seems... a few of them have already infiltrated the Pierson Group."

"What?" Dean blurted.

Zoren let out a shallow breath. "I’ve already contacted Mint about it, and I’ve started an investigation into those involved. So, First Brother and I... and maybe even you, Dean, need to prepare for damage control. Once this blows up, it’s going to affect the Pierson Corporation in ways we couldn’t have imagined before."

Dean’s face darkened, while Atlas frowned at the thought of the mountain of paperwork heading for his desk.

"Also..." Zoren began again, only to be interrupted by Dean.

"Can you please say everything in one breath? Damn it! I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack at this rate!"

Zoren glanced at his nephew but didn’t react. Instead, he looked around the room.

"I know where Nathalie is."