Chapter 401: Heart of Stone

"Miss Miller, there’s no Jonathan Pierson in the Pierson family registry."

"W — what?" Patricia’s face went blank, her heart sinking. She stuttered, "But... that... that’s impossible. He told me his name is Jonathan Pierson!"

However, at this moment, Patricia realized the man only introduced himself through a call. Therefore, she had no idea if his name was even true.

Zoren shook his head slightly. "Whoever sent you clearly doesn’t care about your life. However, you’re still useful to me." He slowly rose from his seat, his eyes cast down on her. His gaze showed no trace of emotion as he coldly said, "Miss Miller, the moment you accepted this gig, your life was forfeited. The only reason you’re still breathing is because I allow it. Keep playing the game."

"Mr. Pierson..." Patricia lowered her head, her forehead hitting the ground. "Thank you, Mr. Pierson! I understand what you’re saying! I’ll report to him and tell him the date went well! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!"

Zoren cast Angel a look, and the latter lowered his head in understanding before Zoren strode off.

---

Zoren stood by the window, watching as the bodyguards escorted Patricia out of the property. At the same time, he heard a knock on the door before it opened.

"Sir," Angel said as he entered the study room. "She’s telling the truth."

Angel slowed as he approached the small round table near Zoren and placed a USB drive on it. "She’s telling the truth, sir. A man named Jonathan Pierson did indeed email her several nights before she approached you. I’ve saved the file and run it through the system Mr. Vitt provided."

"Did you track the IP address of this Jonathan Pierson?" Zoren asked, still looking out the window.

"Yes, and we even tracked Miss Miller’s activities before meeting you. We didn’t see her meet anyone else." Angel lowered his head. "Moreover, the address was traced to Pierson Corporation."

Zoren raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to look at him. "I see."

"We’ll continue investigating," Angel reassured him. "I’ll assign someone to follow Miss Miller and see if she’s being monitored."

"Good work." Zoren nodded in satisfaction. "Leave it there."

"Sir, do you have any suspects who might be behind this?"

"I have a long list if the IP address leads to Pierson Corporation. After all, most people who want me gone are associated with it or go there every single day."

Angel pressed his lips into a thin line, staring at Zoren’s back. "Should we make a move?"

"Not yet." Zoren peeled his gaze from the window and approached the table, picking up the flash drive. "The board meeting is this week, followed by the family meeting. Focus on that first."

He lifted his gaze to Angel. "Keep an eye on William Pierson. He’s most likely to make a move."

"What about Dean Pierson, sir?" Angel blurted out, not regretting it. "He’s your biggest competitor. He might seize this opportunity as well."

"Don’t worry about him." Zoren shook his head. "Dean isn’t as reckless as the others. Though he may be bold, he’s meticulous and cautious. He’ll watch this time... especially because your boss is involved."

"Huh?"

Zoren smiled subtly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Penny and Dean Pierson were colleagues, weren’t they?"

"Well..." Angel cleared his throat, knowing he wasn’t in a position to disclose this matter, even if Zoren already knew. "I’ll give out the orders tonight."

With that, Angel didn’t idle and walked out of the study. Zoren remained where he was, only moving to his desk once the door had closed. He connected the flash drive to his laptop and put on his earplugs to listen.

*****

Meanwhile...

Contrary to her excuse to Zoren, Penny didn’t go straight home. Instead, she headed to one of the bars in the city.

[Heart of Stone Bar]

"Hello," Penny greeted the bartender as soon as she sat down on a stool at the bar counter. She smiled, watching the bartender slowly shift his gaze to her. "We meet again. What a coincidence!"

The bartender—the same one from the bachelor’s party—offered her a kind smile. "Miss, I didn’t expect you’d drop by so soon."

"I didn’t either." Penny shrugged. "Please, something light."

"For an occasional drinker, of course." The bartender swiftly mixed her a drink for the night. When he finished, he slid the cocktail to her with a kind smile. "I made it lighter this time."

"Thank you." Penny smiled, watching him move to tend to the other guests. She cast her eyes down as she picked up her drink with the napkin underneath it. Without lingering, she walked away.

Checking the napkin, Penny found a small card hidden beneath it. Seeing the card, she turned toward the restroom but walked past it, heading instead to a door marked "Unauthorized."

When Penny opened the door, she found herself in the kitchen. However, her presence didn’t seem to concern the staff. She moved slowly but smoothly, dodging the kitchen workers until she reached the other end, where a server stood near the fridge.

The server looked up at the woman before him, only to see her raise a card between her fingers. The server glanced at the card and then looked around the kitchen. When he was certain no one followed her, he reached for the large fridge and opened it.

Inside, the fridge was stocked with meat. The server pulled out a rack and pushed it again, revealing a hidden entrance.

Penny was almost in awe, though she kept her expression neutral. She quietly walked through the cold space until she reached the other end of the fridge. Before she could say anything, the secret door behind her closed.

"Hah..." she scoffed, her eyes scanning the secret bar inside. Unlike the front bar, this one was quieter. Even so, there were far more people than she had expected.

"Miss, do you need anything?" A short man suddenly appeared at her side.

Turning her head to the balding man, Penny studied him from head to toe before showing the card the bartender had given her. Seeing the card in her hand, the man smiled and stepped aside.

"This way, please."

Penny nodded, and she quietly followed the man without saying a word.