Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 436

Chapter 436: Mission failed
“That woman you’re recklessly firing at is Penny! Penelope Bennet, you idiot! Do you want to die?!”

The lines on Mark’s forehead deepened as he slowly became more aware of the situation. He stared at the face hovering over him, confirming it was the leader of the band of bodyguards Penny had sent to protect Zoren during his absence.

From what Mark had heard, these men were Penny’s best. Well, “best” was subjective. Still, Mark hadn’t felt Angel’s presence until he was tackled. With his heightened alertness, he should have been more conscious of his surroundings, not just his target.

But he hadn’t sensed Angel at all.

That wasn’t the most important thing, though.

“What did you say?” Mark asked, still in disbelief. “That… woman?”

Mark trailed off, turning his head toward Penny. She was climbing up to the second floor. “… that’s… Penny? Penelope Bennet?”

“Fuck,” Angel muttered, pushing himself away from the guy and sitting on the grass beside Mark. “Yeah, that’s her, unfortunately.”

Mark slowly sat up, narrowing his eyes as he noticed more people inside the first-floor windows. Seeing the men explained why Penny had chosen to climb to the second floor. He knew he should be going after her — he still had a chance to stop her.

“She’s up there… an easy target,” he murmured, eyes fixed on Penny. “What’s going on here? Explain, so I can understand if sitting here is something I won’t regret.”

He turned his gaze from Penny to Angel. “Because if stopping now is something I’ll regret later, I’ll kill you.”

“Kill me for all I care,” Angel responded, waving his hand dismissively. “But if you hurt her, I’ll kill you first.”

“What’s going on here?”

Angel sighed deeply. “She… she’s drunk.”

“???”

Angel ruffled his hair in frustration. “I ordered my men to retreat when I realized she was drunk, but some got the order too late. A lot of them are in the infirmary now.”

“I don’t care about your men,” Mark replied. “I want to know what’s going on, not whether she’s drunk.”

“That is what’s going on!” Angel snapped, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. But it was the truth, and he hated that he had to explain it. “She’s drunk, and when she’s drunk, my boss is… different. She turns into a completely different person.”

Angel’s gaze shifted to Penny, still dangling from the balcony like some kind of bizarre decoration. “For some reason, when she’s drunk, she believes she’s living in this crazy world she thinks is real.”

Mark was speechless. That explanation didn’t sound like a valid excuse. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t care whether you believe it,” Angel replied, his expression serious. “But shoot at her again, and I’ll fight you myself. That, you got to believe.”

Mark chuckled. “Acting cocky now, huh? When you couldn’t even stop her?”

“I can stop her,” Angel declared, his voice steady. “But hurting her to do it is another thing. Unless I know for sure that what she’s doing will hurt her when she sobers up, I’d rather let her wear herself out than see her dead.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?” Mark scoffed, glancing bitterly at his injured foot. ‘It hurts… I shouldn’t have stomped it like that. Now it’s even worse.’

“Don’t worry,” Angel reassured, watching Mark look at him again. “She’s not going to hurt Mr. Pierson.”

“Even if she wanted to, do you think she could?”

“Huh?”

Mark shook his head, smirking. “My boss’s health has declined, but you never saw him when he was in his full health.” He paused, his gaze drifting back to Penny, who was now crawling over the balcony railing. “She’s capable, I’ll give her that. But my boss is not someone to be underestimated.”

‘Wow…’ Angel almost applauded Mark’s faith in Zoren. He assumed Mark spoke so highly of him because he admired him, just like how Angel admired Penny.

Both men fell silent, watching as Penny gleefully leaped onto the balcony, celebrating her “achievement.” Angel smiled wryly and shook his head.

“Look at her,” Mark scoffed, seeing her jump with her hands in the air. “She’s practically dancing. I can’t believe that’s the same person I just fought.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mark glanced at Angel. “Did you fight her?”

“No.”

“Then why do you look like a wreck?”

Angel wrinkled his nose, studying Mark, who looked just as haggard. “Renny.”

“Ahh,” Mark nodded. “Now that explains it.”

Mark glanced at Angel’s clothes, noticing they were intact, unlike those other men who had gone up against the black panther. His view of Angel had improved slightly.

“Haha,” Mark chuckled, nodding approvingly. “Did you hurt him?”

“She’d kill me if I did,” Angel sighed, assessing Mark. “But she roughed you up pretty badly.”

Mark’s face contorted slightly, annoyed by the way Angel delivered that observation. But before he could say anything, he caught sight of a figure in his peripheral vision. Angel noticed it too and turned his head.

The two men, who had been idly sitting on the grass after testing their strength, saw Renny charging toward them.

“Uh…” Angel muttered, blinking. “Is this the part where we move out of the way?”

“Just you.”

“What?” Angel shot Mark a confused look, but Mark simply shrugged.

“You hurt the panther’s pride,” Mark explained. “He’s probably coming for you to mend his dignity.”

“Ah, shit—” Without another word, Angel jumped up and looked behind him. Seeing Renny closing in, he sprinted away.

Sure enough, Renny’s target was Angel. The panther leaped over Mark, who chuckled as he watched Angel bolt like lightning.

“He’s fast,” Mark whispered, before noticing a hand reaching down toward him. He looked up and saw one of his men offering to help him up. With a sigh, Mark clasped the man’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

“Tell the others to pull back,” Mark instructed, draping his arm over the man’s shoulder for support. “The strength test is over. She’s inside the manor… and the black cat will be there in no time. Mission failed.”