Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1280

Chapter 1280: I didn’t kill him
For a second, Penny’s mind went blank as she stared at Slater standing by the door. Instinctively, she hid her phone behind her back and cleared her throat. This felt like getting caught red-handed.

Much to her surprise, Slater, still holding his phone to his ear, slowly lowered it. His eyes shifted to the board behind her.

‘The board!’ She perked up, realizing she could use it as an excuse for the message she had just sent. “Third Brother, you’re… here! How did you know I was here?”

Slater kept his eyes on the board before answering, “Yugi.” He then slowly peeled his gaze away and walked toward her, stopping at her side. His eyes scanned the meticulous investigation map she had.

“Did you do this?”

“No. Second Brother did,” she said, secretly exhaling in relief as she turned her focus back to the board. “Even I was surprised when he showed it to me. It’s very detailed. I don’t think we’d ever get lost now.”

Slater nodded in understanding, still staring at the board in silence. His lack of response piqued her curiosity, making her steal a quick glance at his side profile.

“Uh, Third Brother, what are you doing here?” she finally asked.

Her question seemed to pull him back to the present. He turned to her. “Penny,” he called, his voice unusually serious. Her eyes widened slightly, shimmering with innocent curiosity. Slater hesitated for a second, visibly discouraged.

“Last time we talked…” he trailed off, steadying himself. “When I said I told you everything… it was a lie.”

“Huh?”

“I told you I had two targets and that to identify the second, I had to eliminate the first—Mint,” he admitted, his lips pressing into a thin line as his fingers trembled slightly. “But the truth is, I already knew who the second target was.”

Deep lines formed between Penny’s brows. She looked at him, her emotions a mix of confusion and disbelief. “Third Brother, how could you not tell us back then?”

“Because the second target was there.”

Penny’s breath hitched, her heart thudding in her chest. For a brief moment, Finn’s voice echoed in her mind, teasing her with a cryptic hint about his killer.

Finn had given her a clear clue: it was one of her brothers.

“The second target… is Renren?” she whispered, barely audible.

Slater neither nodded nor shook his head. He simply held her gaze, his expression unreadable.

A heavy silence fell between them. Her lips parted, but no words came out. It felt as though anything she said now would carry the crushing weight of an unbearable truth.

After a beat, Slater placed his hands on her shoulders. “I didn’t kill him,” he reassured her.

Penny’s knees nearly buckled at those words. “Really?” A flicker of hope ignited in her chest — only to see the solemn look in his eyes.

“If not you, then who?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Slater clenched his jaw, locking eyes with her before finally uttering, “First Brother.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what happened,” Slater said. “But after completing my first mission, I was ready to move on to the second. Just when I thought I had a chance, Zoren caught me. His men—Mark did.”

A deeper furrow formed between her brows. Confusion swirled in her mind, but she held back her questions and listened.

—

[Short Flashback]

Slater lay on his stomach on a rooftop, a sniper rifle in his hands. He peered through the scope, watching Zoren play golf with a few business associates.

From his vantage point, he had a clear shot. But every time he tried to pull the trigger, someone would step in the way.

Eliminating Zoren was proving to be far more difficult than Mint. Ever since completing his first mission, Slater had noticed the growing pile of bodies left in his wake. He was determined to end this once and for all.

Kill him.

‘I just need a clear shot,’ he told himself, peering through the scope again. “Come on…”

Zoren remained in view, but someone stood between them. If Slater took the shot now, he’d hit the wrong person — alerting Zoren and giving him time to escape. If that happened, Slater would have no choice but to fight his way through.

“There… there…” he muttered, tracking the person obstructing his target. As soon as they moved aside, Slater steadied his aim.

Penny’s execution was only a week away. Time was running out. If he didn’t finish this mission, she would die.

This was the first and last thing he wanted to do for her.

But just as the obstruction cleared, Zoren suddenly turned his head.

He was still wearing that businesslike smile — the one that never reached his eyes. But then, his dark gaze lifted.

Straight toward Slater.

Slater’s breath hitched. His entire body tensed. ‘No way… he can’t see me… can he?’

Slater was positioned far from the golf course. From that distance, it was impossible for Zoren to detect him. Besides, Slater had made sure to cover the sniper with something so it wouldn’t deflect light.

Yet, Zoren was looking directly at him.

Slater’s finger trembled on the trigger. ‘Pull it.’

End it now.

But he couldn’t. For some reason, he just couldn’t.

Zoren held his gaze for a moment longer before casually looking away and walking off. Slater tracked him through the scope until he was out of sight.

Slater froze, peeling his eye away from the rifle scope.

“I should’ve…” he muttered, turning toward the golf club. He pressed his lips into a thin line. “Next time.”

Maybe he’d try again tonight, once Zoren was home. Slater had been tracking his movements long enough to know that there were brief moments when his security was lax.

Tonight would be the perfect opportunity.

Determined, Slater quickly disassembled his sniper and packed it into a duffel bag. He rushed to the rooftop exit, ready to leave.

But the moment he opened the door—

Multiple armed men were waiting for him.

“Hands in the air!”