Chapter 795: It’s a little late, but… hi?

"William, didn’t you hear what I said? I didn’t try to poison you. If poisoning you was my plan, you wouldn’t even know it, even after you died!"

What a bold thing to say.

Everyone could only stare at Penny with wide eyes, speechless as they watched her giggle right after making such a remark. Although the Pierson family was well-versed in wordplay and politics and were no strangers to veiled threats, they had never encountered anyone so bold as to say something like this directly. In front of everyone.

Penny wasn’t outright admitting she was capable of poisoning someone to death, but the way she said it made people think twice. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire; it wouldn’t hurt to take her words with a grain of salt.

"What did you—what did you say?!" William seethed, his anger flaring. "An outsider crashing into this family and threatening me? How bold, Miss Bennet!"

He raised a finger, pointing at her while shaking his head. "I don’t care that you have a company of your own. Miss Penelope Bennet, I will not let this slide. Zoren may protect you all he wants, but no one is above the law! I won’t overlook this attempted murder!"

"Okay, whatever floats your boat. Good luck," Penny shrugged, waving at Mark dismissively and then turning toward the window, where the red laser lights that had been on William. "It’s fine now. No need to give him the spotlight."

"You! You’re unbelievable!" William felt he might choke on his own anger, only to realize the red laser lights on him disappeared in an instant. Mark also stepped back, bowing his head to Penny before finding a place behind Zoren’s seat.

"Are you really this arrogant?!" William exclaimed angrily, clenching his fists. "Zoren, how could you let this woman act however she pleases at this intimate family dinner? Letting her in here was one thing, but can’t you see that she keeps disrespecting the people here? Such a rude person; it shows just how terrible her upbringing was!"

"Lloyd, is she disrespecting you?" Zoren, who was calmly observing the scene and admiring his wife while giving William hypertension, cast Lloyd a casual look.

Lloyd, who was completely bewildered by everything he was witnessing, snapped back to the present. His eyes shook slightly as he returned Zoren’s gaze.

"Personally, she hasn’t done anything to disrespect me," Lloyd said, clearing his throat, his voice faltering slightly. "However, I do think Miss Penelope is being rude by coming here and causing such a scene. This dinner should be solemn, but she’s clearly provoking William for some reason."

"So?" Zoren raised his brows, tilting his head to the side. "Your answer to my question is?"

Lloyd took a deep breath nervously as William’s frown deepened. "No, she’s not."

"If there’s one thing I’ve learned from her, it’s that respect is always given by default," Zoren said, pleased with Lloyd’s answer as he scanned the room, his gaze settling on William. "... but disrespect is earned. If you feel insulted and disrespected, then you probably earned it."

Zoren then looked at Dean. "Am I right, Dean Pierson?"

Dean sighed, huffing before nodding. "As someone who practically grew up with her, yes," he said with a hint of reluctance, using this opportunity to mock William. "Uncle William, sometimes you should engage in a little self-reflection. While age might make one feel entitled to another one’s respect, the real world doesn’t work that way. Don’t you agree?"

"You—" William clenched his teeth, glaring at both Dean and Zoren. ’They’re doing this on purpose to mock me, aren’t they?!’

If not, then there was no way Dean and Zoren would be saying these things. It was obvious that Penny was trying to rile him up—she was trying to kill him! Even if she wasn’t using poison, she might just kill him out of sheer anger!

Zoren and Dean were going along with her because it suited them. What a group of hateful, ungrateful jerks.

Meanwhile, Belle’s brows furrowed as she darted glances between the three of them—Zoren, Dean, and Penny. She could barely process that Penny had turned out to be such an influential individual. Penny certainly didn’t look the part.

Most people would expect someone of her standing to be far more... serious. But here she was, clearly pushing William’s buttons to see which one would light up. Yet that wasn’t the most pressing issue.

The real question that kept replaying in Belle’s mind was: why weren’t Zoren and Dean doing anything about it?

’At this point, Uncle William has a point. Even if Penny is respected in the security industry and has made a name in business, she’s crossing the line,’ Belle thought. ’She’s not part of the Pierson family. Even if she handles Zoren’s security, she has no right to act like this. Basic decency and courtesy would demand otherwise.’

Was Belle the only one who thought this way? Obviously not. Everyone was thinking the same; even the kitchen staff, who were still peeking from the entrance, wondered how this would end.

"She’s crossing the line!" William huffed, his fist trembling with rage. "This is unacceptable!"

He instinctively raised his hand, but stopped when he heard a low growl a few steps away. Looking down, he spotted the black panther standing nearby, eyeing him. William hadn’t even intended to reach for Penny—he’d already seen the consequences if he tried. But the panther looked ready to pounce!

"Goodness." Penny frowned, placing a hand over her stomach, which was growling even louder than the panther. "I’m really hungry."

She frowned deeply, feeling her energy drain. But as William continued his tirade, Penny cast him a disinterested look.

"William Pierson, didn’t you say you wanted a word with my husband?" she mused, moving toward the table, casually grabbing a piece of fruit, and sitting on the armrest of Zoren’s chair. "If you still want to speak with him, then tell him your complaints."

Penny then glanced around at everyone and grinned. "As for me, I’ll join my new family for my first family dinner as a Pierson. It’s a little late, but... hi?"