Chapter 496: Never gonna be on that other side again

Days passed, and as time continued without pause, things slowly returned to normal. Penny went back to the office two days after the incident. Though she had already been given permission to return to Zoren’s home, for some reason, she hadn’t done so.

One of those reasons was that she didn’t want Zoren to know about her interest in someone. That someone was...

Seated on the other side of the glass, she heard a piercing buzz from the other end of the room. She watched as the metal door opened, revealing an officer escorting an inmate inside.

The inmate was the person who had attacked Slater — the same person who claimed to have lived an extra lifetime, just like Penny. After the brief ceremony of the officer removing one cuff from the man, only to attach it to a bar on the side, Penny glanced at the officer and blinked slowly. Without a word, the officer lowered his head and, instead of staying in the room to keep watch, he stepped out.

"Hah." The inmate sneered as the officer left, glancing over his shoulder before locking eyes with Penny. "It’s you."

Her brows lifted, but she said nothing.

"You’re the one who ruined my plans. That’s you," he clarified, laughing with a twisted grin. "What’s your name again? Something like... Panffle? Peter? Pinty? Ah, whatever. It’s Miss Bennet. The first name doesn’t matter."

He faced her again, still grinning. "What matters is that you are going to be doomed."

"I’m not the one on the other side of the glass," she remarked calmly. "Between us, your doom is closer than mine."

"Haha!" His laughter was eerie, enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. "Oh, Miss Bennet. How foolish you are."

He wheezed, but Penny remained silent, letting him talk. She wasn’t planning to reveal that she believed him. Besides, she was here to learn what he knew.

In retrospect, there were things Penny had overlooked in her first life. She sometimes wondered how useful it would have been to know someone else knew about their first life. Though this wasn’t what she meant by that, it wouldn’t hurt to get information from him now.

"Want me to read your fortune?" the man asked, his eyes gleaming with both excitement and malice. "In the future, you’ll find yourself sitting on this side of the glass."

Penny’s expression tightened as she watched him giggle.

"And when that time comes, you’ll regret ever protecting that brother of yours. He’s not worth it, Miss Bennet. They’ll all turn their backs on you, just like Slater Bennet turned his back on me!" Suddenly, the man slammed his fist against the steel surface, the sharp noise echoing off the walls. "He’s better off dead."

Penny’s expression remained unfazed, despite confirming that this man knew things only someone who had gone back in time, like her, could know. ’It does seem like he was reborn, just like me,’ she thought. ’How else would he know I’d end up on the other side?’

"I feel sorry for you," the man continued, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "You were innocent, but no one believed you. Even until the day you died, you were hated by everyone — your family, your friends, your colleagues, the entire nation! Hah! What a horrible fate you have!"

Penny’s jaw tightened as she clasped her hands in her lap, but she maintained a dignified front.

Everything he said was true. Penny had been hated even before she claimed to be the culprit to save her brothers. In the final moments of her first life, she was despised—not just by her family and the world, but by herself most of all.

"Is that so?" she finally spoke, her calm voice cutting through his maniacal laughter. "Well, that’s sad."

"It’s horrible."

"It is."

The inmate smirked and shrugged, but before he could say anything else, Penny continued.

"Mister, what did my brother do to you?" she asked, getting straight to the point. "You claim to have been reborn, and though that doesn’t make sense to most people, I’d like to hear it. It might even save you from adding more years to your sentence."

"I told you! That Slater killed me!"

"And why did he do that?"

The man opened his mouth, but no words came out. He leaned back slightly, sucking on his cheek.

Seeing his reaction, Penny smirked. "Haven’t thought through the next part of your story?" she quipped. "Need help with some inspiration? How about this: he killed you because if he didn’t, he would’ve been the one to die?"

"You don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Bennet," he hissed.

"I might not understand your claim of being reborn, especially since your story has so many holes." Penny leaned back, still challenging him. "But if you were reborn, how did you end up so pathetic? I did some background checks, and frankly, I was astounded by how pitiful you are. Two lifetimes... and you still end up as a pathetic loser in the second one."

She trailed off, her mouth twisting into a mocking smirk. "...You should’ve just jumped off the bridge when you had the chance."

"You—!" the man slammed his hand against the glass, but Penny leaned in closer.

Her eyes blazed, unflinching as she met his gaze. "Now, let’s talk about my brother. You attacked him with a knife, aiming for his throat, claiming you did it because he killed you in your fantasy first life. Even if that were true, isn’t it even more pathetic? He killed you once; what makes you think he can’t do it again?"

"Hah..." The man gritted his teeth, seething. "They’ll do the same to you."

"Until then, I don’t care," Penny said. "I’ll decide my own fate, not you."

Slowly, she rose from her seat, looking down at the man on the other side of the glass. "Mister, I don’t believe you, but you wasted the second life you claim to have. You had a chance when you were reborn, but instead, you tried to hurt my family. That alone is enough for me to make sure you’re ruined."

Her eyes blazed with cold fury as she spoke. There was no trace of forgiveness or mercy.

"Your life isn’t the result of just one decision, but many," she continued in an icy tone. "Now, you’ll face the consequences. And you’d better pray to the heavens for peace, because if you’re reborn again, I’ll be there to hunt you down in every lifetime."

Penny picked up her purse and cast him one final glance. "Enjoy the rest of your second life in this place, because you’re not getting out—ever." She turned around and walked away.

"You..." the man trembled in rage, watching Penny leave. "...you bitch! Get back here! I’ll kill you first!"

His shouts echoed as Penny paused for a moment at the door. She glanced over her shoulder, reminded of herself when she had been on the other side of that glass. But the memory was fleeting, and she looked away, leaving the room without a second thought.

She wasn’t going to end up on the other side of that glass again. Never.