Chapter 698: Tears of joy

How did Haines get his leg? Because he was digging into the baby swap. It was only recently that Hugo and Atlas found that out—if not for Zoren coming into the Bennet Mansion.

It seemed that the theory they had was true.

Anyone who tried to dig into that information would warrant death.

"Hah..." Hugo took a step back, letting Merrick go.

"Man..." Merrick let out a deep exhale, looking at this madman. "I’m not even safe with you, am I?"

Hugo didn’t say a word, hearing a siren not far away. "Let’s go first. We have a long night to talk... free of charge. I’m broke as hell."

"Huh?" Merrick’s face soured, but before he could say anything, Hugo continued.

"What? Do you think saving your life isn’t worth that much?" Hugo tilted his head slightly to the side. "If so, should I just kill you right here and now?"

Merrick clicked his tongue. "Why are you so hot-blooded?! I said fine! I will talk." He huffed, looking toward the end of the alley. "I won’t let those motherfuckers get away with everything they’ve taken from me."

"And the footage from last night?"

"It’s clean," Merrick hissed. "They cleaned it up."

"So, all this time, you’ve been... their puppet?"

"How are they supposed to keep my clients if they kill me?"

"Then why are they trying to kill you tonight?"

Merrick pressed his lips together, about to answer Hugo, when they heard someone approaching. "We should go. Don’t worry. I’ll tell you everything you want, alright? Just not now because, as you can tell, we’re on the run."

"I am not." Hugo shook his head, taking a step as he grabbed Merrick by the back collar. "Come on. Let’s get out of here..."

BANG!

Hugo trailed off as he heard a gun go off, stopping in his tracks as a thud followed the echo of the gunfire. Turning to the side, his eyes fell on Merrick. Time seemed to tick slower than usual as he watched Merrick clench his teeth and slowly fall onto his stomach.

"Mer..." he paused, lifting his gaze to see a figure on the other end of the alley, holding a gun aimed at him. "Ah, shi—"

BANG!

*******

[Skyline Plaza]

Penny skipped her steps inside the mansion happily, knowing her husband was already waiting for her at home. And she was right. The moment Penny entered, the first person she saw was Zoren, seated on the couch.

"I’m home!" she announced, jumping as Zoren turned his head in her direction.

The corner of his mouth hooked up immediately as soon as he saw her skip toward him. He followed her with his gaze until she jumped onto his side.

"You’re in a good mood," he pointed out, making Penny smirk.

"And why wouldn’t I be in a good mood when my husband is a genius?" Penny squeezed against him, hugging him tightly. "Hubby, I put the software in the auction."

"So quick?"

She grinned. "I don’t need to waste my time, right?"

"I’m glad to hear that." He nodded, pleased that Penny felt more relaxed and confident now compared to earlier. "By the way, I heard you bumped into Dean when you left the office?"

"I always bump into him whenever I come into your office."

"Oh?" Zoren raised his brows. "Anything I should be concerned about?"

Penny shook her head mildly. "Jealous?"

"No, I’m asking if he was harassing you," Zoren clarified, unknowingly making Penny feel a little embarrassed by her assumptions. "Even if he doesn’t know yet, I can discipline him if he steps out of line. You are my wife, her auntie, and the matriarch of the family."

"Don’t worry about him." Penny winked at him. "I can handle him, but I’m more curious about your lab results. They should’ve come back today, right?"

"Mhm." Zoren reached for the papers on the table in front of them, handing them to her. "Here."

"Great!" Penny didn’t waste a second checking the lab and test results Zoren had received earlier this week. Her eyes busily scanned everything, focusing intently so as not to miss a single word. Although Penny could have skimmed through it, she read it carefully just to be sure.

As she concentrated on the test results, Zoren kept his gaze on her.

"You have a mole here..." he whispered, pressing a finger on the end of her cheekbone.

Penny paused, raising her brows and then looking at him slowly. "Huh?"

"This one," he said. "Is it a mole?"

Instead of answering, Penny suddenly grabbed his hand. She held her breath, looking at him, her lips falling open.

"You can see it?" she asked under her breath, hope shining in her eyes.

His smile grew softer as he nodded.

"Really?" Penny clasped his hand, guiding it to her face. "What else can you see?"

Zoren studied her face, smiling, as it was clearer than what he was used to. Back then, all he could see was a blur and nothing else. The only features he could discern on her face were her eyebrows, which were a different color, and her eyes. But now, he could make out her nose, her cheeks, and the contours of her face.

"It’s still blurry," he confessed under his breath. "But not as bad as when we first met."

A thin layer of tears coated her eyes, and she smiled despite the urge to cry out of relief. Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, nodding at him.

"I can see... that you’re..." he trailed off, his thumb reaching the corner of her eyes. "Tears. I can see them."

"They’re tears of joy," she clarified. "So don’t think that getting better will only make me cry, hmm? Just continue to get better and better, okay?"

Zoren smiled and nodded in understanding. He was about to say something when Mark suddenly approached them.

"Sir, you got a call."

Zoren glanced over his shoulder. "I’ll take it later."

"I think you should take it now."

This time, Zoren picked up on the seriousness of Mark’s tone. Zoren offered Penny a brief smile before opening his palm, where Mark placed the phone.

Seconds after placing the phone to his ear, Zoren slowly turned his gaze back to Penny. The latter’s brows rose, confused by the look on Zoren’s face.

"Got it." Zoren ended the call, facing his wife squarely. "Penny."

"Hmm?"

He pressed his lips together as he took a deep breath before saying, "Your second brother is in the hospital."