Chapter 801: I felt like I would trust him

Because of Zoren’s reassurance and flattery, Penny found herself melting in his arms. A smile was cemented on her face as she giggled every once in a while. Her frustrations over that epic failed entrance had already disappeared, knowing that, in her husband’s heart, eyes, and mind, she was the coolest.

Besides, Zoren was surprisingly pleased by her surprise. That was the most important part.

"Will he be fine?" Out of nowhere, Zoren raised a question she didn’t expect.

Looking up at him from his shoulder, her brows raised slightly. "Dean Pierson?"

"Mhm." Zoren gazed down at her, worry evident in his eyes. "Will he?"

"Of course." Penny slowly peeled her head from his shoulder, facing him squarely. "Why wouldn’t he?"

Zoren tilted his head slightly. "Don’t you really know?" he asked out of pure curiosity, reading the air around her.

A shallow laugh escaped him, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "I thought you were joking, but it seems you really think he will be fine."

"Of course he will be. Dean Pierson is Dean Pierson. There’s no way he won’t be fine just because I’m married."

"He likes you."

"No, he doesn’t."

"He does."

Penny frowned. "Renren, why are you arguing with me about this? I know him. What he said back there... is true. Whether or not I want to admit it, we kind of grew up together. So, I know whether he’s going to be okay or not."

"..." Zoren rocked his head, no longer arguing with her. Not that there was a problem with it. Dean could be fine or not; it didn’t matter because Zoren would never let another man touch his wife. Even so...

"Why are you worried about him?" she asked out of pure curiosity. "I thought you two didn’t get along."

"We don’t get along, but I don’t hate him either," he shrugged. "In fact, I kind of like him."

Penny huffed and clicked her tongue. "Why do you like someone like him?"

"I should ask you that question as well," he returned. "Why do you not like him? Even as a... friend? You can’t like him as a man because you already have me, but as a friend or a colleague... it makes me curious."

Although the two of them had been together for quite some time now, they rarely talked about Dean. They would mostly discuss the Pierson Family, and sometimes, a little bit about Penny’s relationship with Dean. However, they never delved deeply into it.

"Well..." Penny shrugged, leaning on the seat, eyes on him. "I don’t know?"

Zoren raised a brow, doubtful. "Are you sure?"

This time, Penny didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes slowly fell, her eyelids drooping as she kept her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Initially," she clarified, "at first, I didn’t know why I felt repulsed by his presence. When I first met him, I instantly didn’t like him for a reason I can’t explain. Back then, I kept telling myself that maybe that kind of feeling just exists."

She paused, snapping her eyes up at him. "The feeling that you don’t like someone for no reason at all? All I know is that he makes me uncomfortable, but when I get to spend time with him, he annoys me. But after that episode with the drunken me, I realized I didn’t just dislike him for no reason."

"I didn’t like him because..." she added with a wry smile, "he reminds me of someone. Someone I trusted with all my heart, only for that person to betray me."

Nathaniel.

How Nathaniel approached Penny was almost like how Dean approached her in this lifetime. Although they were two different people, Dean’s overly friendly demeanor rang all the alarm bells in her mind. So, even before she realized it, all the nerves in her body were telling her to stay away.

’I also felt like I would trust him,’

"Knowing and seeing through him after learning all the lessons I learned in the past added to that," she continued in a quiet voice. "I know for a fact that he approached me with ulterior motives, so why would I like or even give him the chance?"

Zoren went quiet, nodding in understanding. "Now I understand," he whispered. "It’s to protect yourself."

But there was one question Zoren wanted to ask her, but didn’t have the courage to.

What if Dean approached her without any other intention?

Would things change between her and him?

Given that Penny didn’t give Dean the chance solely because she knew he had a motive, there was a high chance she would somehow open up if not for that. She was able to trust others, so for sure, she could trust Dean as well.

Zoren stopped thinking about what could’ve happened since it never did. It was best to avoid giving himself a problem.

"Besides, Dean doesn’t like me," she asserted with confidence. "He just likes the idea of two great minds together, but it’s far from love. I’m sure of that."

Zoren returned her remarks with a smile. ’I doubt it. Even with these eyes, I know he likes you more than you expect. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wavered when he found out that you were getting yourself involved.’

Zoren was a man, and as a man, he understood just how lovely and wonderful Penny was. He didn’t have to see her just to know that. Her presence alone was enough to brighten up the room, and her personality was something that would leave anyone in awe.

Unaware of Zoren’s thoughts, Penny smacked her lips and smiled. "Does that answer your question?"

"The majority of it, yes." He nodded. "Would you like me to answer your question now?"

Penny hummed a tune and rubbed her chin. "Wait, let me decide if I care enough to know," she quipped, making him chuckle in a low tone. "Hehe. Yes! I’m curious, my dear, but what I’m more curious about is something else."

"Like what?"

"You wouldn’t be able to answer it."

Zoren blinked while Penny pursed her lips playfully. She leaned forward and whispered, "What do you think your relationship with Dean was in your life back then? I mean, in my first life?"