Chapter 998: Would he… Mom?

"Hmm?" Charles let out a short hum as he drove through the driveway of Zoren’s home, noticing some people running inside the house. "What’s going on over there?"

He scanned the area, noticing that there were more people at the residence than last night. All of them were in uniform, giving him the impression that he was entering a different house. But then again, he was certain he had entered the correct residence. Otherwise, the gates wouldn’t have opened for their van without being stopped by the guards.

"Does Zoren Pierson have a guest?" he wondered aloud. "Is it a minister in Anteca? How come there are so many bodyguards?"

No one could blame Charles for being surprised, as Zoren had given an order that his men should stay hidden while his in-laws were here. After all, Zoren didn’t want to worry Charles and Allison, since having so many bodyguards would raise countless questions and interpretations.

"Those are Penny’s bodyguards and Zoren’s," Hugo answered in a knowing tone. "It’s a normal sight around here."

"Normal?" Charles glanced at the rearview mirror, only for Atlas to give him an answer this time.

"Zoren might be your son-in-law, but he’s still the head of the Pierson Family. Their family alone is considered the most influential, and he’s at the helm of it. Not to mention, he is statistically the wealthiest in Anteca and is part of the richest men on Earth." Atlas’s tone was flat as if he were simply giving a trivia. "If not for Penny, he’s someone out of reach. Not that I want to reach him, but there’s the idea and reality."

Slater pressed his lips together and darted his eyes between his brothers before shifting his attention to Charles. Surprisingly, Charles didn’t answer as he continued to drive at a slow pace.

"It slipped my mind," Charles admitted, nodding his head. "He does have that reputation. Then, how come I’ve only seen a quarter of his men before?"

"He probably didn’t want Allison to be intimidated." Haines chuckled. "By now, you should know that Zoren Pierson takes his wife’s parents’ opinions very seriously."

"Are you saying that so I stop saying bad things about him?"

"I’m just stating facts."

Charles frowned but didn’t reply any further. Instead, he kept his eyes on the people around the area. Although on the outside, the bodyguards weren’t armed, Charles knew very well that wasn’t the case. Underneath those suits hid some weapons—real, deadly weapons.

’It reminds me...’ he thought, slowing down as they were about to reach the front door. ’... if the richest man in Anteca is this powerful, then I wonder just how much more powerful those people are?’

He was referring to the people who had abducted him and tortured him. Those people could do anything they wanted because they knew they could get away with it. People who even the military would keep quiet about because they knew they couldn’t approach them recklessly. After all, this included life and death.

Charles’s thoughts halted when they stopped. His sons quickly hopped out of the van while he took his time unbuckling his seat. However, the moment Charles stepped out, he noticed a guard approaching Atlas and saying something to him.

"What is it?" asked Charles, noticing the change in his son’s expression.

When Hugo looked back at his father and Haines, a deep sigh escaped him.

---

Penny was biting her thumb as she paced back and forth in the bedroom. She bit her nails so hard that she didn’t notice she had bitten off the skin of her thumb.

"Penny." Allison clasped her daughter’s arm, her eyes gleaming with helplessness as she shook her head. "Your thumb is bleeding."

Penny blinked as her gaze moved toward the blood on her thumb.

"Calm down, Penny," Allison whispered, glancing at the people checking on Zoren’s vitals. "We should step out for now. I think they’re being distracted by our presence as well."

When Zoren coughed up blood, Allison vaguely remembered what had happened next. All she knew was that she had started screaming for help while Penny assisted Zoren. When Mark and Angel reached them, Mark quickly spoke into his bracelet, and they helped Zoren to the bedroom.

Penny checked his vitals like a maniac. It was why Allison had to step in and tell her daughter to let others take care of it. Penny didn’t want to, but Allison remained adamant.

Even if Penny was one of the best doctors out there, she hadn’t been practicing. Moreover, how could she treat Zoren when Penny herself looked like she might die first? Fortunately, there was already a medical team residing in the residence, and they arrived quickly. Penny listened to her mother.

"I can’t." Penny shook her head as her eyes fell on Zoren’s. "I can’t. He was just fine when he left me earlier... or was it the rain?"

Zoren had to stay in the rain because of her. She hadn’t thought much about how it could affect him. In fact, it had completely slipped her mind since Zoren had been doing well in the past months. His laboratory results and other test results had shown drastic improvements.

But she should’ve known that even though Zoren’s problem was psychological, the damage to his body and the illnesses he suffered were real. They weren’t just imagination. Therefore, staying in the pouring rain wasn’t safe for him.

"Penny..." Allison squeezed her daughter’s hand. "Penny."

Allison’s breath hitched as she saw a tear roll down Penny’s cheek while the latter blankly stared at the bed. Now, this was starting to scare her. Zoren, coughing up blood, had already been terrifying, but watching her daughter slowly crumble terrified her the most.

Penny was always bright, even as a child. Even when she first came into the Bennet Mansion, she was glowing. This was the first time Penny seemed so dim.

Without thinking, Allison pulled Penny into her embrace and hugged her as tightly as she could. "It’s okay..." Allison breathed out, rubbing Penny’s back with a trembling hand. "It’s okay, Penny. It’s going to be okay."

"Would... it?" Penny’s blank expression remained the same, her eyes on the bed where her husband was lying unconscious. "Would he... Mom?"

Allison almost choked but ended up nodding, breathing out, "Yes!" just to give her daughter even a tiny bit of relief, because she felt like she might lose her daughter if she didn’t say it. Allison didn’t want to lose her daughter.