Chapter 556: It’s actually him that I’m watching.

"Penny, why are you even stopping for insignificant flies like him? There’s no need to indulge him," Slater remarked as soon as Penny reached him, and they began to walk away slowly together.

Penny glanced at him and let out a shallow breath. "Why are you here?"

"I got worried, okay? You were taking so long!"

"Haha." She let out a weak chuckle, shaking her head. "I’m fine. No need to worry about me."

As they walked away and chatted casually, Dean watched their backs quietly. When they were out of sight, he decided to take the same route. However, he didn’t plan on staying longer than he should. Just as Dean stepped out, he stopped, noticing a figure standing at the entrance.

He turned his head, his eyes landing on Finn. Finn slowly looked back at him and offered a smile.

---

"Have you been in there all along?" Dean asked as he marched toward the parking area, with Finn following behind him.

"I wouldn’t say I was there the whole time, but I did catch wind of your conversation." Finn shrugged. "It’s hard to go to the men’s restroom when there’s a fight."

Dean stopped, making Finn halt in his tracks. He turned around to face Finn, who smiled at him.

"Don’t worry, Dean," said Finn. "I’m not here to mock you; I’m just walking you out of courtesy."

"Whatever you heard... you better disregard it," Dean warned. "Especially Penny’s interest in Zoren Pierson’s affairs."

Finn raised his hands in surrender. "Alright."

"Don’t make me come at you," Dean added casually but with meaning. "If you heard what you heard, then you should know she’s off-limits."

Dean said that because he knew one of these days, Finn would change sides. After all, Finn was with Dean not out of friendship but because he currently benefited more from Dean than from shaking hands with any of the Pierson family members.

"Don’t worry, Dean," Finn sighed. "Believe me or not, I know what it means to protect someone."

Dean arched a brow slightly. "Nina Bennet... or rather, is she a Reed now?"

"Please leave my fiancée’s name out of this, or I might tease you about your unrequited love," Finn replied, grinning until his eyes squinted. "It doesn’t matter if she’s a Bennet or a Reed; it’ll all change in the future."

"Hah..." Dean let out a snort and shook his head. "I don’t care about her or anyone else."

Dean turned around and continued walking. This time, Finn didn’t follow him. But when Dean reached the driver’s seat, he stopped as Finn spoke again.

"If Penelope Bennet doesn’t care about you, then you should save yourself from all of this..." Finn trailed off, watching Dean look back at him. "Don’t let your feelings interfere with your judgment, because it wouldn’t end well for you."

For a second, the two stared at each other in silence.

"I’ll leave your fiancée out of this, so you leave whatever I had for Penny alone," Dean replied sternly. "The outcome might not be good for me, but I can assure you it wouldn’t be good for you either if you keep pressing the matter."

Finn shrugged in response, watching Dean open the door and slip into the driver’s seat. He remained where he was, observing Dean drive away recklessly.

"He shouldn’t be driving with that cast on," Finn murmured, watching the car speed away. "Oh, well... I warned him."

Finn rocked his head and slowly turned on his heel, gazing at the building behind him. He pressed his lips together and smacked them, sucking in air through his gritted teeth.

"What’s going to happen now?" he wondered to himself. "It seems like everyone is so busy with something else that they’re forgetting something very important."

---

Back in the venue hall, Penny and Slater lingered in a corner and hadn’t returned to their table. How could they, when there were children from the orphanage performing in the center of the venue hall?

While watching, Penny glanced at Slater quietly. "Third Brother, how long have you been in there?" she asked, noting his odd silence after their brief exchange.

"Hehe." Slater flashed her a smile. "Since the beginning."

"Huh?" Penny furrowed her brows, confused. ’I didn’t sense him.’

Was she really becoming so comfortable that she was getting reckless? Penny frowned at the thought, telling herself it was bad for her.

Looking back, she realized she had been increasingly surprised by people approaching her. Though she could still detect some before they entered her vicinity, it was still not good. This was a bad sign.

"I saw that guy walking in there earlier," Slater explained. "So when you excused yourself and I saw where you were headed, I followed. I didn’t want him harassing you."

"You saw him?" Penny crinkled her nose. "Third Brother, haven’t you been paying attention to the event?"

"I’ve been paying attention to the event and him in particular." He rolled his eyes. "After what you told me about him, I don’t like him. In a place where you and he are together, I don’t want to lower my guard."

"Third Brother." Penny chuckled, shaking her head. "I’m fine. That guy is just annoying, but he’s pretty harmless. At least, all he does is talk."

"Well, I don’t like him, and if I don’t like him, then I don’t like him," Slater shrugged, as if that made perfect sense. "Period."

"You know what? Sometimes I wish I could see the world from your perspective," she said playfully. "It seems like a better place through those eyes."

Slater smirked proudly while Penny chuckled, snapping her gaze at the performers and clapping for them. Meanwhile, Slater kept his focus on Penny’s profile before his proud smile faded.

’Actually, I’m not just watching that fly,’ he thought, shifting his eyes to catch Finn entering from another entrance. ’It’s actually him that I’m watching.’

Finn, walking along the side, halted when he sensed a gaze on him. He turned to see Slater staring. Finn smiled at him.

’I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve caught him looking at me,’ Finn thought. ’It’s like no matter where I go, he knows where I am. So scary!’