Chapter 519: Punishment

Thanks to Penny’s brothers, she turned her mood around and eventually relaxed. They idled at the gym for quite some time, just talking. They were mostly shocked at her revelation, connecting Zoren and Ray.

Slater and Hugo—especially Hugo—disapproved of Ray passionately. Slater doesn’t like Zoren because he is Penny’s husband, but his dislike of Ray is different. The same went for Hugo. If they could curse the man—not with indecent words, but with a curse involving witchcraft—they would have done it.

Overall, it was a good decision to invite Hugo, and having Slater in the mix wasn’t all that bad. Throwing Ray into the pit saved her a lot of trouble. Surely, Ray was useful.

That was how Penny parted with her brothers.

Stopping in front of the Bennet Mansion, Penny froze as she gazed at the gates before her.

"Why did I..." she trailed off, laughing to herself, realizing just how distracted she was. Or perhaps it was a habit that compelled her to drive herself to her parent’s home instead of Zoren’s.

As she laughed at her silliness, she squinted at the light that beamed from behind and reflected in her rearview mirror. When the lights dimmed, Penny glanced at the rearview mirror again, only to see Atlas stepping out of the car.

"Here we go for the big boss," she whispered, winding down the window even before Atlas could reach her.

"What are you doing here?" asked Atlas as soon as he stood beside the driver’s seat, lowering his head to see Penny. "If you’re here, why don’t you go in instead of blocking the gates?"

Penny grinned, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "First Brother, I didn’t mean to come here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Habits," she shrugged. "Anyway, I gotta go. My husband must be worried sick about me."

Just as she abruptly rolled up the window, Atlas slipped his hand on top of it to stop her. Seeing his reaction made her stiffen a little, and she reluctantly pressed the button to roll down the window.

"First Brother? What is it?" she called, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. "Did I do something wrong, perhaps? Why are you stopping me?"

Atlas bent over slightly and looked at her. His silence and prying eyes made her feel even more nervous for no reason.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head mildly. "Go home."

Her brows rose. "What’s that about?"

"Nothing. Go." Atlas tapped on the door as he pushed himself away. "I just met with Zoren today, and I thought he already told you about what we discussed."

"What... you discussed??"

Atlas nodded, making her perk up a bit. "That’s right."

"What is it?" she inquired curiously. "First Brother, why did you meet Renren today?"

Did she cause more trouble?

"We had some unfinished business to discuss. Don’t worry. It’s nothing. I’m just checking if you’ve already heard about it. That’s why you’re here. It seems I was wrong."

The lines between her brows deepened as her curiosity grew. "First Brother, what is it?" she yelled, sticking her head out of the window while Atlas walked back to his car. However, Atlas didn’t stop and simply waved dismissively without looking back.

"Tsk. Checking if I’ve already heard about it, and that’s why I’m here?" she repeated in confusion, pulling herself back into her seat. "Why would I be here because of whatever he discussed with Renren?"

To save herself from the bother of the questions in her mind, she sped away to go to where she should have been.

Meanwhile, as she drove away, Atlas watched her car speed off and shook his head.

"I thought I could finally ask her why she did what she did to me five years ago," he murmured to himself. "But I guess she came here before she even got to her new home."

The corner of his mouth hooked up as he sighed. "That troublemaker," he said, a smile on his face, as if he was pleased to see her come here as a habit—part of herself—rather than immediately adapting to her married life.

********

[Zoren’s Place]

When Penny pulled up the driveway, she couldn’t help but furrow her brows. Stepping out, her eyes landed on the people jogging in a straight line as if they were soldiers in training.

"Why are they still training?" she wondered, recognizing that these men weren’t her bodyguards, but Zoren’s. She glanced at her wristwatch, her face contorting. Looking up at the men again, she cocked her head to the side. "They look exhausted."

Penny watched the men for quite some time before she shrugged. They were probably just hard workers, she thought. With that in mind, she made her way to the entrance, where a few of her men were standing.

"Welcome back, Boss," Rowin—one of the bodyguards who went with her to the restaurant to follow Zoren—greeted her with a smile.

Penny stopped and glanced at him, arching a brow. "What are those guys doing?" she asked casually, pointing her thumb over her shoulder.

Rowin slowly shifted his gaze to Zoren’s men before looking back at her. He smiled but didn’t say anything. After all, whatever he would say would earn him another question, and he knew he wasn’t in the position to answer.

"Right." Knowing what that smile of silence meant, she nodded in understanding. "I’m not your boss right now."

"Yes, boss, you’re not."

"Very well." Penny shrugged, walking toward the door and tapping his shoulder. "Good work."

Rowin smiled in satisfaction as he lowered his head, turning slightly to watch her enter the house. When Penny stepped inside, he straightened his back and turned his head in the direction of Zoren’s men. A shallow breath escaped him as he shook his head mildly.

"They just recovered, but they’re already being punished," he muttered to himself. But then again, he couldn’t completely sympathize. "Although I know it’s not entirely their fault, but they used guns to chase down my boss, who is also my employer’s wife. That shit was dangerous."