Chapter 398: My poor uncle

"Did you feed her, at least?" Zoren asked the person on the other end of the line.

"Sir, Renny is guarding the guest house," replied the servant who had stayed behind to clean. "No one can get close."

"Ah." Zoren rocked his head slightly. "Then leave her food at a distance where you feel safe. Hopefully, Renny will serve it to her."

The servant scrunched her nose, thinking Zoren must really dislike the woman in the guest house. After all, he knew Renny would never do that. The moment Patricia opened the guest house door, she’d likely become his lunch.

"For now, let her be. She deserves it. She won’t die if she fasts."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Zoren placed his phone down and smirked. It wasn’t that he had completely forgotten about the woman named Patricia, but he was in such a good mood that part of his mind shielded him from the thought. Even so, he didn’t want Penny to worry too much.

’Though she might be shocked if I told her Miss Miller is kept in the guest house,’ he mused, leaning back. He glanced at his phone again but quickly reminded himself not to disturb Penny.

Zoren was just happy that he and Penny had reached a mutual understanding. However, there were still many things she didn’t know about him. Despite knowing each other for a long time, twelve years of separation was more than enough time for people to change or develop new traits.

Zoren, for instance, wasn’t quite the same as the "Renren" she once knew. If she realized how he handled certain things, she might have second thoughts.

"Never mind," he muttered, shaking his head as he lifted a document in front of him. "I still can’t read it."

Though his vision had improved, he still couldn’t make out the smaller text. Even when he brought the paper closer, the words blurred into unintelligible lines. Zoren closed his eyes and sighed, stretching his neck from side to side.

"Read the document, page 54," he commanded. Immediately, a robotic voice began reading the document that Benjamin had already run through the system.

***

Today felt longer than usual for Zoren. Typically, he and Benjamin would work late until Benjamin reminded him of the time. Zoren didn’t have any meetings today, thanks to Benjamin keeping them to a minimum.

"Benjamin, what time is it?" Zoren asked as soon as he heard the door open. He was still reclining in his chair, eyes closed, appearing quite relaxed.

Benjamin looked around, amused, wondering if Zoren had a "Benjamin detector."

"What time?"

"It’s almost six in the evening, sir!" Benjamin replied as he tiptoed in. "Sir, how did you know it was me?"

"It smells like you," Zoren replied as he slowly opened his eyes. "What’s my next appointment?"

"Nothing, sir." Benjamin walked up to the desk and placed a folder on it. "I just brought these papers for you to review. Everything’s in order, so you only need to listen to the data."

"I see." Zoren peeled himself away from the chair, eyeing the stack of papers in Benjamin’s hands.

Seeing Zoren’s reaction, Benjamin quickly moved to put the papers away. "Sorry. Force of habit. I’ll put them in your briefcase right away."

Ever since Zoren’s eyesight had deteriorated, he hadn’t stayed in the office as much. Instead, he’d either go home early or end the day with a business meeting. But after years of working tirelessly, Benjamin couldn’t shake the habits he’d developed.

As Benjamin sorted the documents for Zoren to review later, Zoren stood up from his seat.

"I’ll wait for you in the car," Zoren said before walking out of his office without hesitation.

"Uh... okay? I’ll be quick," Benjamin mumbled, already used to Zoren waiting for him in the car.

***

As usual, Zoren headed straight for the elevator. His difficulty was reading, and not watching where he was going, so no one had noticed his eyesight problems.

Standing alone in the executive lift, Zoren raised an eyebrow when it suddenly stopped just one floor down from his office. His eyes narrowed slightly as the doors slid open, revealing Dean.

"Uncle," Dean greeted with a short smile as he stepped inside, holding a folder.

"Dean."

Dean chuckled softly, glancing at Zoren’s side profile. Both men watched the doors close in silence.

"I noticed you’ve been coming home early lately, Uncle," Dean said after a pause, his tone kind. "Is everything okay?"

Zoren didn’t respond, keeping his gaze on the door.

Dean clicked his tongue, rocking his head. Taking Zoren’s silence as a sign he didn’t want to talk, Dean refrained from pressing further. Still, he glanced again at Zoren’s profile, smirking subtly.

"Oh, I almost forgot—I need to stop by my other uncle’s office on the twentieth floor," he said, pressing the button for that floor. As he did, he glanced at Zoren again. "Uncle, I heard you finally used your golden invitation and invited Atlas Bennet."

Once again, Zoren didn’t respond, treating Dean like an insignificant fly. Yet, Dean’s smile didn’t falter.

"You made the right choice," he commented just as the elevator dinged. "This is my stop. Take care, Uncle."

As Dean stepped out, the folder in his hand slipped, the papers scattering across the floor.

Zoren arched a brow, his eyes falling on a photograph near his foot.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," Dean laughed, bending down to gather the papers. "Sorry, Uncle. I’ve been getting clumsier these days."

Zoren didn’t pay him any mind and simply picked up the photograph near his foot. When Dean finally straightened his back, Zoren handed the picture to him. Dean’s brows lifted as he glanced at the photo in Zoren’s hand, then back at Zoren.

"Isn’t this yours?" Zoren asked coldly. "Take it."

Dean smiled, accepting the photograph. "Thank you, Uncle," he said, placing a foot in the door to stop it from closing. "I’ll be going now. Take care."

With that, Dean stepped out of the elevator and turned to face Zoren. He watched the doors close before looking down at the photograph in his hand. It was a picture of a younger Penny and himself during their internship with Professor Singh.

"He should have recognized her," Dean whispered, chuckling as his eyes flicked back to the elevator. "My poor Uncle. Even his eyes are betraying him now."