Chapter 968: Alliance formed

"The person who killed me is one of your brothers. That’s what I’m saying. Do you want to know which one, Penny?"

Another wave of silence descended upon the ward as Penny and Finn stared at each other. Unlike his previous calm demeanor, Finn’s eyes were bitter, and she couldn’t ignore them.

She knew it was real because she felt the same. If Penny were about to talk about the person who had enforced her execution and dragged her into that mess, she would also carry such bitterness and anger into her eyes.

But... was she ready to know who it was?

Which one of her brothers could do such a thing? Hugo? At this point, Hugo was the number one suspect, given his experience. No matter how much Penny twisted the facts, Hugo was a soldier. On the battlefield, it was life and death. If not Hugo, then someone else would spill their own blood.

For a brief moment, Penny lowered her eyes as she remembered her second brother’s gentleness. From the time he would share his favorite pudding with her, to standing up for her and taking the blame for eating Slater’s chocolates, those times when Hugo would train with Tiana on his shoulders, and his carefree laughter while bragging about her in front of the school basketball team.

Penny could remember all of those moments with her second brother. But at the same time, she remembered just how scary Hugo was in their first life. She remembered that time he beat her in their sparring match with just a few blows, and how he coldly turned his back on her.

Even so, Hugo died before anyone else.

"Not telling you who killed me isn’t to protect me, Penelope," Finn’s quiet voice finally pierced through the thick silence. "It’s not even to protect you, but to protect this alliance."

Penny slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "What makes you think I’d trust you now that I know one of my brothers killed you?"

"..." Finn didn’t answer immediately, noticing the sharpness in her eyes, as if one wrong word would make her cut him loose.

"Before this incident, you didn’t tell me anything to keep me invested. I might not trust you, but it’s a clever way to make me want you to live," she corrected. "But now, it seems you no longer have the reservations to do that. Finn Davis, if keeping the truth from me isn’t to protect me but this alliance, does this mean I’m no longer part of your survival plan?"

Again, Finn stayed quiet as her calm voice echoed in the room. "You are my last resort, Penelope Bennet."

"Finn Davis, first, you taunted me about the person who ended your life. And now, you’re telling me you still plan to cling to me? Which one is the truth, Finn Davis? I don’t have much patience for your games, and honestly, people have been testing it. So, it’s running thin."

Finn pressed his lips together, his expression just as sharp as Penny’s. "Before the accident... I made myself believe I could straddle two sides. So long as we shared a common enemy, that should be fine. Although I’m not planning to betray you, I can’t ignore the fact that he put a hit on me."

"What changed?"

"Nina." His tensed shoulders relaxed slightly as he thought of the woman who had filled him with warmth. The corner of his mouth curled up a little, gazing at his hand in his lap, his eyes softening. "She... wasn’t in my life back then. Or rather, she used to be in my life, but not exactly in the way she occupies so much of it now."

Slowly, Finn raised his head and met Penny’s gaze. "Compared to what I had in the past and what I have now, I can forget about everything in the past, Penelope. I can forget about my life, my vengeance, my goal, and even my killer — I’d forget all of them if it meant I could live in this life with her."

"Believe me or not, but if you truly care about Zoren Pierson, you’d understand what I mean," he continued, his voice breaking, but his eyes remained determined. "There’s nothing much to preserve or value from my previous life. But in this life, I can’t lose it and leave her with so much grief."

"If you could forgive Nina and change her life despite everything she did to you in the past, then I can also forgive the person who cut my pathetic life short," he added under his breath. "I’ve also realized that if I want to survive, I have to make my intentions, my past, and my goal clear to you. It’s nothing much, but at the end of the day, I’m still Finn Davis. That name alone should be enough to be a bargaining chip in this negotiation."

He paused to take a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "So, yes, Penelope. I can taunt you about who killed me because it’s not me who will be haunted by the truth. At the same time, I also want to cling to you so I can survive and live life for once."

"You’re not the only one whose patience is running thin. Do not forget that I almost died before I could tell Nina all the things I should’ve told her. Nor do I have all the time in the world to indulge in your doubts or anger." Finn slowly reached out to her, his expression hard, his eyes glinting sternly. "We’re in the same boat now, Penelope. Should we row it together, or should one of us jump off?"

Either way, Finn didn’t care anymore. Working with her would make things easier because Penny was undoubtedly reliable. However, that didn’t mean Finn had no other means to survive. Just like Penny, he also wanted to live this life on his own terms. Therefore, whatever her answer was, he would respect it.

No hard feelings.

It was better not to waste each other’s time.

Penny glanced at his hand before lifting her gaze to meet his eyes. "Put down that hand," she remarked calmly, easing the tension in her chest. "Let’s start... whatever this alliance is. You tell me everything I need to know, and I’ll tell you my ongoing plan."

Hearing her answer filled him with relief. He smiled and nodded at her. Hence, today marked the beginning of Penny and Finn’s alliance to take down the people who were threatening to ruin everything.