Chapter 851: are you sure we’re looking in the right place?

Zoren hadn’t fully realized until now that his eye problems weren’t enough to stop him from seeing some things. Like those dark thunderclouds hovering over his wife’s and Mark’s heads. Walking out of the front door with Penny and Mark for work, Zoren had to stop.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, watching Penny and Mark nod. "But I feel like it’s not okay."

Penny smiled helplessly, sighing. "It’s okay, Renren. Don’t mind me. I’m okay."

"Please don’t worry," Mark added in the same gloomy tone as Penny. "I’m also alright."

Having said that, the two of them continued walking toward their cars to head to work. Zoren, on the other hand, remained standing in the same spot and tilted his head to the side.

"Is this about the reunion?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Mark and Penny stopped at the same time. They looked back at him, and Zoren’s eye problems didn’t stop him from knowing that what he had just said made them feel worse.

"..." Zoren pressed his lips into a thin line, not attempting to cheer them up anymore. Even though Penny had told him about it the night before, it seemed it was only now that her feelings about the reunion had sunk in.

"Have a good day, you two."

Penny nodded helplessly before dragging her feet to her car. It was the same for Mark, but he was still able to open the door for her and jump into the front passenger seat. Zoren stayed near his car, staring at his wife’s car as it sped away.

"She usually is so reluctant to part ways," he whispered. "I guess she really didn’t want that reunion after all."

"Sir, is that about Miss Penny’s fan club reunion?" Suddenly, Benjamin leaned to Zoren’s side, his eyes on the moving car. "I guess it’s true, after all."

Zoren arched a brow. "True, what?"

"That Mark used to be in Miss Penny’s fan club!" Benjamin exclaimed. "The Third Young Master Bennet told everyone about it while he was here! Would Mark still wear the shirt with ’I Love Penny’ written on it?"

For a second, Zoren was rendered speechless as he looked at Benjamin. When he lifted his eyes to everyone around, all he saw were some of his bodyguards nodding at him.

"Everyone knows about it?" he asked, and Benjamin nodded profusely. "Mark’s going to be so devastated, for sure."

After all, Zoren was aware that Mark didn’t want that part of his "past" — according to Penny — to come out. Zoren initially felt regretful about it, making him think that Mark was taking such a good childhood memory for granted. If it were him, he would’ve framed all of Penny’s merchandise to preserve the memory.

"Don’t let him know that you all know about it," Zoren sighed deeply as he faced the open backseat door. "Give him some slack."

*

*

*

Penny’s reunion with some of her schoolmates was set to happen three days from now. That was why, when Lily told her about it, she almost collapsed on the floor. Lily had initially said she had an entire season to prepare, but what Penny needed was mental preparation for it.

Not that she was expecting them to flock around her and worship her like before, but what she dreaded the most was being surrounded by themes and decorations with her face on them. Lily had kept talking about them, after all.

"I don’t want this day to end," Penny grumbled, cupping her face, her eyes fixed on the mountain of papers she had to go through. "I don’t want it to end at all."

Others might find her shallow, but they just didn’t understand. The only consolation was that the person outside her office shared the same sentiments.

Outside Penny’s office, Wild was approaching when he stopped, noticing the heavy negativity coming from a particular direction. Turning his head, his eyes fell on where Mark was standing.

’Such energy...’ Wild shook his head. ’... Penny must’ve given him a hard time. I understand him.’

Wild briefly nodded to himself, sympathizing with Penny’s current head of security as he had tons of moments like him. However, he didn’t dwell on it and reached out to open the office door. Just as he did, he immediately felt a wave of gloominess concentrated inside.

His face twitched as his eyes fell on the stack of papers blocking him from seeing Penny.

"What happened here?" he wondered aloud, taking a step inside while closing the door behind him. "Penelope, if you’re depressed, go see a therapist. They might help."

Penny sighed the moment she heard Wild’s voice assaulting her ears. When she snapped her eyes up, her lips curved down as Wild already reached the side of her desk.

"Uncle Wild, what am I going to do?" she asked in defeat. "The reunion party for my fan club when I was thirteen is happening in three days."

Wild’s expression froze, having imagined her problems were so big they would affect everyone’s livelihood. "Penny, surely, you’re at the top of the world to have the energy to worry about such problems. If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Don’t make your life more complicated than it already is. It’s like pursuing a doctorate degree only to end up running a business that has nothing to do with it."

"I trained my men in medicine!"

"You could’ve hired someone else to do it."

"But I’m the best."

"Well—" Wild stopped and looked at her with a dead expression. "Fine, you are. Moving on, here’s the report you’ve been nagging me about."

"Oh." Penny’s mouth formed an ’o’ shape as Wild placed a thin piece of paper in front of her. "Did you find her?"

"I don’t think I can find someone who’s never been in prison or was in prison," Wild replied. "The person you want to find isn’t there. There were a few prisoners who matched your description, but none had the heart-shaped birthmark on their hand."

Wild paused. "Penelope, are you sure we’re looking in the right place?"

Penny pursed her lips, not replying as she picked up the paper Wild had brought her. Another shallow breath slipped past her before she looked up at him.

"I was sure, but now, I don’t think I am anymore."

Because now, her suspicion that Belle was Heart was a lot more solid. But then again, how come Belle wasn’t in prison?

’Did I get the date mixed up?’