Chapter 552: I have plenty of unmarried cousins.

"Who are you?"

Everyone could easily count the number of words Zoren had spoken since he arrived, but these last three caused another wave of silence to sweep across the event hall.

His words, "Who are you?" were spoken so casually and quietly, yet for some reason, they echoed to the farthest corners of the venue.

"Who... are you?" Benjamin repeated in disbelief, his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he processed what his boss had just said. ’What is going on here? Am I dreaming? Please don’t let this be a dream!’

Just like Benjamin, everyone else stood shocked and speechless. But as for the Bennetts, they all tilted their heads in confusion.

’What did he just say...?’ Penny’s face twisted in disbelief, tempted to tap her ear to make sure she hadn’t misheard him.

Wasn’t Zoren supposed to keep Patricia involved in all these schemes to anticipate what his enemy had in store for them? Why deny her existence now?!

For a brief moment, Penny’s mind went blank as she tried to make sense of what was going through her husband’s mind. Normally, Penny and Zoren were always in sync, almost able to read each other’s thoughts.

But now, it seemed she had lost that connection — or perhaps it was Zoren who had.

Little did she know, Zoren had two reasons for this: one, he couldn’t stomach acknowledging such a relationship both in private and public and two, he knew deep down that even if Penny explained the situation to her brothers, they wouldn’t understand.

They would kill him.

Zoren’s relationship with his in-laws, especially her brothers, was more important than knowing his enemy’s next move. He could always anticipate what was coming if he remained diligent. And so, he chose diligence.

"What..." Mrs. Miller was rendered speechless, her mind blanking out. She gazed up at Zoren, utterly confused. When she turned to her daughter, all she saw was the ashen look on Patricia’s face.

"Patricia," Mrs. Miller called, her voice trembling. "What... what’s going on?"

Patricia opened and closed her quivering lips, looking at her mother with teary eyes. ’I don’t know either, Mom’, she failed to voice her thoughts.

But part of her knew exactly what was happening.

It could only mean one thing: Zoren no longer saw her as useful. And so, he was discarding her in the most ruthless way, leaving her with a humiliation she would never forget.

"Goodness," someone in the crowd snickered. "Don’t tell me Patricia Miller was lying all along?"

"Wow, she’s bold! Of all the people to lie about, did she actually choose Zoren Pierson?"

"No wonder she looked so timid, sneaking through the crowd like that."

"I thought I was the only one who noticed. I mean, if I were in a relationship with Zoren Pierson, I’d be the first to greet him!"

Many women in the crowd laughed, relieved to learn that Zoren was still on the market. Some didn’t care if he already had a woman; if given the chance, they would eagerly pursue him.

This was, after all, Zoren Pierson.

As for most men, they could only scoff in disgust at the Miller family. In their minds, the Millers no longer seemed like trustworthy business partners. Even if they weren’t good people, tonight had exposed their incompetence. Theo Miller picking up the Bennetts’ mess and then being escorted out was enough to prove Theo’s inadequacy.

Mrs. Miller’s shoulders shook as she looked around. When her eyes landed on her so-called "friends." All she saw were them staring back at her with disdain — some even with glee, as if they were reveling in her downfall.

"This isn’t true! Mr. Pierson!" Mrs. Miller exclaimed, turning to Zoren in desperation. "I’m sure you’re only saying this because you want to keep your relationship with my daughter private! But denying it now, after taking her home for a few days — isn’t that a bit much? You even gave her a black card and sent her many dresses just like this dress she’s wearing tonight!"

Zoren arched an eyebrow as Mrs. Miller grew more frantic. He stood still, watching as she reached out to grab his arm.

"Mark," Zoren called quietly. Instantly, someone grabbed Mrs. Miller’s wrist, stopping her hand from touching Zoren’s suit.

For a moment, everyone was stunned. They hadn’t even noticed the man’s arrival, but now he stood between Zoren and Mrs. Miller, firmly holding her wrist.

"Ahhh! My hand!" Mrs. Miller shrieked as she felt Mark’s grip tightening, almost as if he were about to break her wrist. Yet Mark didn’t budge, pushing Mrs. Miller away until she collapsed onto the floor.

"Mom!" Patricia cried out, rushing to her mother’s side.

"My boss just sanitized his hands," Mark said coldly. "Please, keep your hands to yourself."

Both Patricia and Mrs. Miller stared up at the man in fear, then shifted their gaze to Zoren, still clinging to a shred of hope that he might change his mind. But Zoren showed no interest in rescuing them.

"Mrs. Miller, is that your name?" Zoren asked calmly. "It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. The Pierson family is large, and we all share the same last name. I have plenty of unmarried cousins. Perhaps the man who took your daughter home was one of them."

Everyone almost choked upon hearing Zoren’s remarks. Mentioning his unmarried cousins only told them whoever took Patricia home was one of those old, unmarried, and insignificant men in the Pierson Family. After all, Zoren was the youngest among the "generation" he was in. All his direct cousins were at least ten or more years older than him.

Zoren took a step forward, then stopped, casting one last glance at the Millers. "As for that dress... it’s not something I would choose for my woman. Not even from a brand I’d consider."

With that, Zoren turned away from them and strode toward the middle of the hall. After a few steps, he stopped in front of Penny and offered her his freshly sanitized hand.

"It’s a lovely evening," he said with a smile as if nothing had just transpired. "May I have the honor of greeting you tonight, Miss Penelope Bennet?"

A shallow sigh escaped Penny before the corner of her lips curled as she placed her hand on his. "It would be a pleasure."

Zoren smiled and bent down, gently kissing her knuckles while keeping his eyes on her.