Chapter 415: Just what did this guy do?

"Why are you interested in him, by the way?"

"Just... because," Penny cleared her throat. "Uncle Wild, did you get anything else? Like information about his clients, where he works, and what scam he was running before he disappeared?"

"Yes, thankfully. I sent it to you," Wild replied. "Penny, how’s that brat Angel, by the way?"

"Your nephew is doing okay. I deployed him to the Piersons."

Wild’s face soured. "Tell me, seriously. Why did you deploy your best men to someone else? Do you have a death wish?"

"Uncle, I’m not in danger, so I don’t need my security at the moment," she smiled. "Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll check the files and—"

Penny ended the call before she could even finish her goodbye, sensing that Wild wouldn’t let her off so easily.

"He’s not always the easiest person to say goodbye to," she whispered, recalling how Wild had clung to her hand carry when she and Haines left for Anteca. Phone calls were no different.

Her phone rang again after a moment, but Penny simply put it on silent mode before hiding it in her drawer. She then faced her monitor, checking the files Wild had sent her. When she saw the picture of the smiley face on the wall, she paused.

"The specters," she whispered. "Why did they target Nathaniel in this lifetime?"

The Phantom Circle wasn’t a full-blown crime group, nor were they part of any government entity. They were more of a vigilante group — an elite vigilante group. What made them so frightening wasn’t their mysterious actions, but the fact that they weren’t afraid to take on anyone.

If Penny based everything on her previous life, Nathaniel should be approaching her anytime soon. Or rather, someone from the Bennet family. After all, this guy had no issues with the Phantom Circle in their previous life.

Nathaniel had lived a free life before the Bennet family’s downfall, and she assumed even after.

"What changed?" she whispered, backtracking everything she had done in the past twelve years. "I wasn’t associated with him, so he should’ve followed his usual way of life."

To be fair, Penny wasn’t even sure if the Phantom Circle existed in her previous life. She simply assumed it did.

"Just what did this guy do?" she muttered again, checking the rest of the files Wild had sent her.

She skimmed through Nathaniel’s bank details. A large sum of money had been deposited into his account around the same time Patricia had approached Zoren.

"That scam," she snickered. "She only paid him a small portion of what he was getting. I can’t believe Patricia didn’t ask for more."

But then again, Nathaniel had a knack for persuading people. Compared to the money Nathaniel and Patricia had received, it was nothing compared to what Patricia would get if she married Zoren.

"Now that I think about it..." she paused, her eyes narrowing. "Didn’t Benjamin tell me that Renren actually planned to marry Patricia just so he wouldn’t burden me anymore?"

Her lips curved downward. "What was going on in his mind back then?"

Penny shook her head, throwing that thought to the back of her mind to ask Zoren about later. For now, she focused on the files Wild had sent her, hoping something new would stand out. But alas, everything was clean.

"Nathaniel didn’t leave any traces behind with his client. His data protected the client from being tracked..." she murmured. "I kinda want to hire him."

Despite the anger she held for him, she couldn’t deny Nathaniel was a genius at his work. Even Prime Group would need time to crack down on Nathaniel’s client, who was also targeting Zoren.

---

Hours later, at Skyline Plaza, Zoren sat quietly in his study. His thumb caressed the phone screen as he wondered why Penny hadn’t responded. The last message he got from her was when she arrived at the office. No word since.

His brow arched when he heard the robotic voice from his phone.

[Incoming call from Mark...]

The excitement in his eyes quickly disappeared when he heard who was calling. It wasn’t what he had hoped for, but he answered nonetheless.

"Sir, we got him," was the first thing he heard. "However, we barely retrieved any information regarding his data because he was already being followed."

"Who was following him?"

"We’re still on it."

Zoren rocked his head. "His enemies or mine?"

"We’re not sure yet, sir. But most likely his. We left a mark to stop them from tracking us."

"I see," Zoren propped his jaw against his knuckles, distracted by thoughts of how long it had been since he’d heard from his wife. "Mark, about my marriage... have you found out anything?"

"We’re still on it."

Zoren arched a brow. "Still no word?"

"Whoever did it left no trace, sir. We assume it was done by professionals. We’re sorry."

"It’s alright," Zoren nodded in understanding. "Continue the investigation on your way back."

"And this guy?"

Zoren paused, reconsidering his next course of action. "Did you hurt him?"

"We roughed him up a little because he fought back. We knocked him unconscious."

"Bring him with you. I’d like to see him myself."

"Yes, sir. We’ll be there tonight."

The call ended, leaving Zoren in silence once again. He readjusted his seat, using the quiet to think about other matters before impatience could lead him to call Penny.

’Although I’m glad Penny is my wife, I’m worried about her safety,’ he told himself. ’The leaked diary and my marriage with Penny alarmed me. Not to mention, she daringly left herself open just to protect me.’

A subtle smile crept onto his face as he thought of her selflessness.

Zoren might be grateful that Penny was already his wife, and he was ready to start their life together. However, he couldn’t compromise her safety. Especially now, when it was rare for anyone to nearly catch up to them. It was a sign that others were rising and stepping up their game.

’I guess pulling them back for now is right... until I find out whose people are making waves in this field.’

Little did he know, the person behind the group that had reached his radar was the same person whose safety he was concerned about.