Chapter 752: Is it possible?

Zoren stared at his palm as he sat in the back seat, heading to his last meeting before taking a few hours of rest before tonight’s party. The Pierson Family gathering had never been something he looked forward to, especially not today after his session with Doctor Tan’s colleague.

’What was that about?’ he wondered, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. ’What a strange memory to remember.’

He knew some things about his mother, though only fragments of her. After all, he was young when the incident with her happened. Then, shortly afterward, his father’s fatal accident had taken place.

In other words, everything before his father’s death was vague. That included his mother.

The doctors said it was due to the trauma and shock he had endured. It wasn’t as though Zoren had ever tried to recall those memories. He didn’t want to remember his mother at all. In his mind, she was better off dead.

Vengeful? Zoren could be called that. His mother had tried to kill him, stabbing him, and then locking him in their home before setting the house on fire. The scar she left him remained, even though it had happened decades ago. He saw no need to remember a memory filled only with pain and disappointment.

’But why...?’ his thoughts trailed off, replaying his brief, troubling trip down memory lane. ’Why did I have to see that?’

Why did his memory carry such a distorted image of himself?

It was strange.

Zoren planned to see if there was anything he could do to recover his vision. His eye problems had started with his last accident — long before he’d even met the adult Penny. The accident was partly to blame, but he was certain his growing helplessness around meeting his "Thursday Girl" heavily contributed as well.

’I only planned to go back to that memory,’ he told himself, his jaw tightening. ’But I went too far.’

Straightening his back, he leaned back and closed his eyes, steadying his breathing despite the lingering sense of unease.

Meanwhile, Benjamin kept glancing at Zoren in the back seat. Since Zoren had left Doctor Tan’s office, he had been unusually quiet.

"Sir, are you okay?" Benjamin asked quietly, trying not to bother him too much. "You don’t seem well."

Zoren’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he replied, "Mhm. My head hurts a little."

"Ah. Okay. Good thing there are still plenty of pills Miss Penny gave me, just in case." Benjamin quickly checked the compartment, pulling out an emergency medicine organizer containing all of Zoren’s essential medications.

He took out a pill and held it out to Zoren. "Sir, you should take one to ease the pain."

"I’m alright."

"But Miss Penny said you should take these medicines she prepared for times like this."

Zoren opened his eyes and looked at the front passenger seat. Without another word, he reached for the pill and checked it in his palm, then took a bottled water. As he swallowed it without complaint, Benjamin exhaled in relief.

"Sir, are you sure you’re okay?" Benjamin asked again, still concerned. Zoren hadn’t looked well since leaving Doctor Tan’s clinic. "Did something happen that I should know about?"

Zoren gulped down a mouthful of water and shook his head. "Nothing. I just need to rest."

"Okay." Benjamin nodded, knowing it was pointless to push Zoren further. If anything, it might only worsen his headache. He stayed quiet and watched as Zoren leaned back, closing his eyes.

"I’ll leave you be, then. But please let me know if anything feels off," Benjamin said, receiving only silence in response. He glanced at the driver’s seat, where Angel was now.

Ever since the family meeting had drawn near, Angel had been assigned as Zoren’s driver to stay close in case anything unforeseen occurred. Angel only shrugged at Benjamin, as they were both in the dark about what more Zoren had discussed with the doctor.

As silence enveloped the car, Zoren kept his eyes closed, but his mind was anything but calm. He couldn’t stop thinking about the young Zoren he had seen in the mirror before he woke up.

’Now that I think about it...’

Naylani had looked at him as if he were some sort of demon, a monster she feared. From what he’d heard, his mother had been jealous of him and couldn’t bear competing for his father’s attention.

It was what he had believed all this time.

His mother’s obsession with his father was what led to the tragedy that involved them. She had hated her own son so much that she would do something so cruel to him.

Slowly, Zoren reopened his eyes, glancing out the window. ’But why did she look at me like that? Those eyes... didn’t look like they harbor hate.’

Despite her words and actions, her eyes had shown only fear. There wasn’t the hateful gaze or look of repulsion one might expect. She hadn’t looked at him as competition, either. She had looked terrified, as if she were afraid of him — afraid for her life.

How strange.

’Is it possible that what I saw was just a product of my imagination?’he wondered. Considering his imagination, it wouldn’t be surprising. ’Is it... possible?’

He mulled it over, deciding not to dwell on it too much. It could be as he thought, or it could be the truth. Either way, he had learned that delving into his mind was a double-edged sword. He was just relieved that, despite the risk he had taken, his vision remained unaffected.

Just then, Zoren arched a brow and touched his temple. "My headache’s gone," he murmured, making Benjamin turn to look at him.

"Sir, the medicines Miss Penny gave you are effective, especially for headaches. I always take them when I have one," Benjamin said, sighing in relief as Zoren’s complexion slowly returned to normal. ’It was probably just the headache,’ he thought. ’Maybe I’m overreacting.’

"Don’t overdo it," Zoren replied before feeling his phone vibrate on his chest. He checked the caller and frowned. "Why is Grandma calling right now?"

Even so, he answered, only to hear Butler Hubert’s frantic voice delivering the reason for the call. "Young Master, the Old Madam requests your presence at the Old Residence... immediately."