Chapter 793: you know her?

Gasp!

The men in Penny’s group from the kitchen gasped, covering their mouths at the sudden turn of events. Meanwhile, the others in the kitchen, who were peeking from the entrance, froze in place. Their mouths dropped open, wide-eyed.

Everyone stood frozen, their dilated eyes locked on William’s body. Several red lights glinted off him, and they all knew that one wrong move would send blood spilling. Deep lines formed between their brows as the shock slowly subsided, replaced by utter confusion.

They could only wonder what was going on—until their eyes landed on Mark.

"Ack—" William’s breath hitched the moment he met Mark’s gaze. He instinctively pulled his finger back, but his face twisted when Mark yanked his hand away. Then, Mark’s voice cut through the air: "Keep your hands to yourself, William Pierson."

When Mark let go, William staggered back, clutching his strained finger. When he looked up at Mark, he gasped in disbelief.

"What’s going on here?" Dean muttered under his breath, darting his eyes between William and Mark. His gaze shifted toward Penny, confusion knitting his brows.

If not for Mark, Dean would’ve assumed all the security displays were Penny’s men. After all, Penny owned one of the largest security firms in the country and internationally. It made sense that her security would be as tight as any world leader’s. But the person near Penny wasn’t one of her men—it was Mark, Zoren’s original chief of security.

For some time, no one had seen Mark near Zoren. They assumed he was still stationed at Pierson Corporation’s small headquarters, located in a volatile country. No one had realized he had returned to the country. Well, no one had seen him around Zoren because Zoren had always been with this other new security guy from the Prime Group.

"What are you—" William’s loud voice abruptly faltered as he felt the red light brushing his right eye. He tilted his head, casting an aghast look at Mark. "Zoren, what’s the meaning of this?! Why is this woman in here?!"

When William turned to Zoren, he found the man casually reaching for a glass of wine. Zoren paused for a moment, pondering whether he should care or let things unfold as they should. After a beat, he decided he didn’t care at all. He took a sip of the wine, his indifferent action deepening the confusion in the room.

Why was he not reacting?

William’s anger flared as everyone exchanged uncertain glances. But before he could voice his frustration, his eyes landed on Penny.

"You—" His words faltered when Penny turned to face him. Gone was the naïve smile and innocent look she had earlier. Instead, the corners of her eyes creased, and her lips curled into a sly smile.

"What about me, William?" Penny fluttered her eyelashes, her tone sweet but her eyes sharp. "Still have something to say? What are you going to do? I’m done talking to you."

William’s breath hitched as his face flushed red. "This brat—" He stopped mid-sentence, his attention drawn to Mark, who was glaring at him. But it wasn’t just Mark’s stare that made his heart skip a beat—it was the panther, which had risen from its resting position, its eyes glinting with hunger.

Renny’s sharp gaze locked on William, licking its mouth as though it had just found its next meal.

"Penny..." Ashley’s voice was quiet, but it carried across the room. Mildred’s wrinkled face deepened into a frown. Everyone could only stare at Penny. Though her expression was still relaxed, there was a sharpness to her features now that hadn’t been there before.

They had been with Penny almost all night, and she had been carefree to the point of seeming foolish. But now, there was something different in her—she was still fearless, but fiercer. It was hard to explain, but it felt like they were staring at a completely different person.

The group’s thoughts were interrupted when Dean spoke up, his voice stern: "Penny, what’s going on here?"

The room went silent. Those in the kitchen exchanged looks as they processed the shift in his tone.

"He knew her?" one of the onlookers in the dining hall whispered. "I think I just heard him call her Penny... was I wrong?"

The person next to her rubbed her eyes in disbelief. "I don’t know anymore. Is this really happening?"

"What is... happening right now?" the young woman in Penny’s group murmured, her eyes wide as she assessed the situation. "First, those men appeared with guns, and then the young master of the First Branch... he knew Penny?"

"If they knew each other, why didn’t he mention it before?" another person wondered aloud.

Questions swirled in their minds, but there were no answers. Those in the kitchen had seen Dean earlier and had assumed he didn’t know Penny, especially with how little he seemed to care about her rude behavior.

But now it was clear: Dean did know Penny. And when they thought about it, it made sense—why would he let her rude behavior slide without a word? In fact, he hadn’t scolded her at all. What he did couldn’t even be considered scolding.

"You know her?" Lloyd, seated next to Dean, turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

Everyone’s eyes were on Dean now, full of curiosity.

Dean didn’t look at Lloyd but instead kept his gaze locked on Penny. "How could I not? We’re in the same internship under Professor Singh," he said flatly, though his tone offered little clarity. Still, it was evident that Penny had a sharp mind.

Dean was considered a genius in his family, a fact no one could deny. And Penny, who appeared to be about his age—or perhaps younger—was also working with one of the greatest scientific minds of their time.

The curiosity in the room reached its peak. Penny raised an eyebrow in response, but Dean wasn’t impressed by her antics.

"Penelope Bennet," he said her full name, his voice still steady as he held her gaze. "What in the world do you think you’re doing here?"