Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 413

Chapter 413: Out of spite
Penny huffed as she dropped her hand from her chest, putting on a fierce front upon realizing the person was just Dean.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in an unfriendly tone. “Stalking me again?”

Dean assessed her expression, hands shoved in his pockets. “Are you meeting my uncle?”

“Hmm?”

“Penny.” He took a step closer. “Are you meeting my uncle?”

Penny narrowed her eyes at him, noticing the countless unspoken sentiments swirling in his gaze. “Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “And so what if I am?”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” he clarified. “I’m not asking if you’re meeting him as a client.”

‘And my answer isn’t for that question either,’ Penny wanted to say that. However, Dean was still at the top of her suspect list, right behind Patricia.

Although she had connected Nathaniel by pulling the strings, she was almost certain he was acting under someone else’s orders. After all, selling information was Nathaniel’s business, and he was likely doing someone’s bidding.

Who it was, Penny was still unsure. However, Dean was definitely on that list of suspects.

“Are you meeting him as a man?” Dean stressed, his voice laced with eagerness and desperation. “Is something going on between the two of you?”

Penny slowly crossed her arms. “Yes,” she replied. “I’m meeting him as a man.”

“…”

Dean pressed his lips together, studying the sharp look on her face. Despite her answer, his shoulders relaxed. He took her words as something said just to anger him. “Trying to antagonize me now, Penny?”

“I never antagonized you, Dean. I don’t recall ever provoking you — not even once. However, it seems the longer we’ve known each other, the bolder you’ve become in provoking me. And the more comfortable you are crossing into my space.”

“I’m just asking.”

“You’re not asking. You’re interrogating me, like a cop to a suspect,” she corrected. “What makes you think you have the right to question whether I’m meeting your uncle or anyone else?”

She lowered her head slightly, arching a brow. “Do you still believe we’re together?”

“Penny, I’m just making sure you’re not taking the high road.”

“Coming into my territory and throwing questions at me — isn’t that taking the high road?”

“This is not your territory.” The corner of his lips curled up, a chuckle escaping him. “Anteca isn’t your territory, Penny.”

“And whose is it?”

Dean paused, batting his eyelashes ever so slowly. “It’s Zoren Pierson’s.”

“Oh?” Penny raised a brow, a little taken aback. ‘I didn’t expect him to say that. I thought he’d say it was his.’

“You’re smart, Penny,” he remarked. “We’re not together, but like you said, I’ll hold on to your promise that you don’t like complicated situations. Zoren Pierson is the epitome of complicated, Penny. I came here not because I believe we’re together, but because I still see you as a precious friend.”

Dean took a deep breath, pulling his hands from his pockets. “Stay away from Zoren Pierson. Our family is complicated enough, and everyone’s against him. Has it ever crossed your mind why everyone in the family, except Grandma, is fighting him? Just think about it, Penny. I’m not going to say more, but just think about it. Allying with him is never a good decision. His enemies are one thing, but Zoren Pierson is another. He’ll betray you the moment it suits him. He’s done it many times before, and he’ll do it again.”

“Anyway, it’s good to see you doing well, and congratulations on your successful start with this new branch,” he added. “I’ll see you around.”

With that, Dean took a step back, his gaze lingering on her longer than necessary. As he turned around and took two steps, he halted in his tracks when she spoke.

“I don’t need to think about it, Dean,” she uttered coldly, watching him look back at her. Dean frowned as their eyes met. “At the end of the day, Zoren Pierson is my client. I’m benefitting from him, just as he’s benefitting from me. It’s an equal trade; a win for both of us.”

She took a step toward him, stopping three paces away. “You said it yourself: I don’t like complicated. So, I don’t care why everyone’s against Zoren Pierson. If anything, I’d like to believe it’s because he’s… up here.”

Penny raised her hand between them, showing him a representation of Zoren’s elevated status before slowly lowering her hand. “The rest are all down here. So everyone on this level can only drag him down.”

“Penny…”

“I might be wrong.” She retrieved her hand and lifted her chin. “But Dean Pierson, I don’t care. Seeing you come in here, throwing questions at me, and acting as though you can decide for me is enough reason to keep Zoren Pierson by my side.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. “You think Anteca is his territory, right? I’d rather be under his wing than go against him. Bonus for me: it irritates you.”

“Let’s not see each other around,” she added, her smirk widening. “One more thing, Dean Pierson. Even if you think Zoren Pierson owns Anteca, he’s still my client. That makes him one of my people now.”

She stepped closer. “I advise you not to touch him and to stay as far away from his business as possible because, if not, we’ll be even. I won’t owe you my life anymore, and you know what that means, Dean.”

With that, Penny took a step back and strode off without another glance. Dean, on the other hand, remained rooted in his spot. Turning his head toward her retreating figure, his jaw tightened as his eyes blazed. His hands balled into fists, trembling with rage.

‘Penny…’ he clenched his teeth, his neck muscles taut. “Penny, this is not the time to do things just to spite me!”

His voice echoed through the parking garage, but Penny didn’t stop, nor did she look back. She continued walking, treating his remarks like nothing more than a bee buzzing in her ear.

Bold of him to think everything she was doing was out of spite. He didn’t even cross her mind most of the time.