Chapter 625: Just a matter of priority

If only Mark had foreseen that this would be the cost of respecting Penny’s request, he would have stayed stubborn. But earlier today, despite how authoritative her tone was, it sounded as if she desperately needed it.

"I see." Angel nodded in understanding, casting his eyes at the door. "So, that’s what happened."

Now, it made sense to Angel. For a moment, he thought that if Mark didn’t have a good explanation, he would take it as an offense. However, Mark was also just following orders, and as someone who had been working with Penny, Angel understood what it felt like to be in Mark’s shoes.

Penny, after all, rarely made requests. Thus, when she asked for one, her people would often grant it without making a fuss. Even Wild wouldn’t have the heart to say no to her when she needed some time to think and reflect.

"Where did she go, then?" Angel blurted out, keeping tabs on Penny’s schedule despite being deployed to Zoren. "As far as I remember, she didn’t have any other important meetings today or this week because of Uncle Wild."

Mark shrugged. "Wherever she went today, it’s probably a place she didn’t want people to know about."

Thus, a question arose not just for Mark and Angel, but for everyone:

Where did she go that she would even ask Mark to withdraw the people Zoren planted in her shadow?

Mark was initially hopeful that Angel would have the answer. However, Angel and all of Penny’s men wore looks of confusion. They didn’t know what their expressions were conveying.

Unbeknownst to them, Penny had simply gone to a psychiatric clinic to get herself checked. As for why she ordered Mark to withdraw everyone around her, the answer was simple: If the people guarding her were Angel and her men, she wouldn’t mind keeping them around. But she wasn’t as comfortable with Mark and Zoren’s men as she was with Angel.

And if there was someone who should tell Zoren where she had gone today, Penny preferred that it would come from her.

"How angry was he?" Mark’s voice sliced through the thickening silence in the hallway after a while. He glanced at Angel, knowing he had been there with Zoren when all of this happened. "What did he do?"

Angel’s face twisted slightly as he recalled Zoren’s actions. "He asked me for a butcher knife, sentencing the person who harmed her to death."

"Did he kill him?"

"Do you think I’d let him become a murderer under my watch?"

"I see." Mark heaved a sigh of relief, nodding his head. "Good for him."

"But I don’t think his anger has quelled," Angel remarked matter-of-factly. "Calling you here was his first order; the death sentence was the second. You see the priority order?"

"I’m in trouble."

"You’re quite relaxed for someone who knows he’s in trouble."

"He trusted me with his life, and I let him down," Mark said quietly, standing still and gazing at the door with mixed emotions. "I deserve the punishment."

Angel shook his head, staring at Mark’s side profile. After a moment, he shrugged and sauntered over to the bench to sit down.

"Well, it’s not my problem anymore," said Angel as soon as he plopped down on the bench. "Whatever he does to punish you and everyone else, I’m out of it. I understand that you simply listened to her order, but this could have easily turned for the worse."

"Tonight, she had a head injury. I don’t even want to think about what could happen in the future," Angel continued. "Things are complicated, so as part of our job, we have to make decisions despite the complexity. You’re still lucky this is all she got."

Mark didn’t speak any further, understanding and appreciating Angel’s response. Like Zoren, Mark was certain Angel wasn’t pleased with the situation. After all, Angel had been guarding Penny before she sent them to Zoren, and even under Zoren, he was doing his job efficiently.

Zoren hadn’t had any accidents since the Prime Group took over his security. Not that Mark and Zoren’s other guards were incompetent, but sometimes, Zoren would purposely leave himself open when he wanted to experience life without restriction.

"We’re lacking..." Mark whispered, thinking that Zoren probably was giving Angel the same request he would give Mark. However, Angel didn’t seem the type to listen to his boss if the request was nonsensical.

"No, you’re not," Angel replied flatly, watching Mark look in his direction. "We’re just different because we’re coming from different places. I might not understand your desire to fulfill your boss’s wishes, but fulfilling hers wasn’t my goal, nor was it to make her happy."

Angel blinked as he said all of that with a straight face. "Her life and safety were my priority, and even if she hates me for it, I’m not letting her do something so reckless that might cost her her life."

In all honesty, Penny and Angel would always argue back in the day. They would argue to the point that it would end in a friendly match. In hindsight, Penny might prefer Mark as a bodyguard because she had more freedom with him around, while Angel might be better suited as Zoren’s bodyguard.

"It’s just a matter of priority," Angel simplified, knowing Mark wasn’t as incompetent as he had claimed. If Mark were, he would have fallen when he fought Penny while she was in a drunken state. Therefore, this matter wasn’t as simple as giving reckless opinions and criticism.

"Thank you for your kind words." Mark lowered his head a little. "However, that wouldn’t matter because, at the end of the day, it’s not you or me who will decide what’s going to happen now."

"Fair enough." Angel nodded in agreement.

Both of them shifted their eyes to the shut door once again, wondering what was happening inside and how Penny was. Even though Mark hadn’t seen Penny yet, he knew from what he had heard that things weren’t fine.

Consequences would ensue tonight, not just for the person who harmed Penny, but for everyone involved, starting from the person who let Aiden walk into the nightclub to the ones who let everything happen.

That was how Zoren operated.