Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 485

Chapter 485: I was a victim too!
Penny opened and closed her mouth. However, her attempts to break the ice and lighten up the mood were quickly shunned. Hence, she ended up zipping her mouth.

The silence in the ward was unmistakable, and neither of the Bennet brothers nor Zoren seemed to have planned to break it. Penny cast Slater a look, wondering where his complaints and rude retorts had gone. She was only saved from this stifling silence when her parents and Haines arrived.

“Oh, my Penny!” Allison’s worried voice pierced through the thick silence, almost making Penny weep. “My baby, are you okay?”

“Mom…” Penny quickly welcomed her mother’s embrace, tears welling in her eyes.

“Penny.”

She peeked at the person standing beside her mother and reached out. “Dad.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Charles’s face was ashen as he took both his wife and princess into his arms. His touch was cold, and his hand was still a little shaky and sweaty. He was shaken, but it was clear he didn’t want to show it, especially with his wife already in tears of worry.

“Are you okay?” asked Charles as he released the two of them.

Penny managed a small smile and nodded. “Fortunately.”

“My princess.” Charles stroked her head, sighing in relief that she was fine. But when he looked away from her and his eyes landed on his third son, Slater flinched.

“Dad!” Slater jumped away from his seat and hid behind Zoren, clasping the back of his chair, eyes wide at his father. “Dad, I’m sorry, okay?! I didn’t mean for her to get hurt—I was a victim too!”

“You brat… even if that is the case, you should be the one to protect your little sister, not the other way around!”

Upon hearing Charles yell, Atlas and Hugo simply shook their heads, not wanting to get further involved. Haines sighed while looking at Penny.

As for Zoren, caught between Slater and Charles, he was rendered speechless.

Zoren: “…”

Even though Zoren knew that Charles’s glares weren’t meant for him but for the person behind him, it was an awkward position to be in. So he just sat still while Slater and Charles yelled at each other.

“You little—come here and I’ll teach you a less—”

“Charles.” Allison’s stern call stopped Charles from approaching Slater. She waited for her husband to look back at her before she emphasized, “This is not the time for this.”

“Mom’s right, Dad! This is not the right time for this!” Slater backed up hurriedly, only to receive a glare from his mother.

Zoren quietly rose from his seat and moved the chair closer to his in-laws. “Madam Bennet, please take a seat.”

Allison pressed her lips together and glanced up at her daughter’s husband. Until now, she had been in disbelief that Penny got married without telling them. Even so, she wasn’t angry at Zoren—she simply hoped they had sought their permission, or at least informed them about it.

“Thank you,” she said with a short smile as she took the chair.

At the same time, Charles arched a brow at Zoren, who had already swiftly dragged Slater’s chair closer. Zoren offered a brief smile before Charles let out a sharp “hmp!” and took the chair beside his wife. Haines remained standing on the other side.

Since the elders had arrived in a hurry, Zoren chose to stay in the corner with his wife’s brothers. Atlas glanced at Zoren, quietly pulling out a magazine from the side of the couch. His action brought a small smile to Zoren’s face, knowing it was Atlas’s way of indicating that he could sit with him.

But alas, just as Zoren was about to take a seat, Slater jumped into the vacant space.

“Heh,” Slater smirked proudly, looking up at his unwanted brother-in-law. He didn’t say anything, but his taunting face screamed, ‘I got your seat. What are you going to do about it?’

‘Wasn’t he the role model of anti-bullying?’ Zoren wondered, but expecting such behavior from Slater, he smiled.

Just as Slater thought he had won, he saw Zoren approaching. Slater leaned closer to Atlas’s side when Zoren squeezed in beside him.

Slater gasped in disbelief, his eyes turning to Zoren’s side profile. All he got in return from the latter was a kind smile.

And just like that, the entire family gathered in the ward for Penny.

After the casual questions about her situation and well-being, the parents shifted into nagging mode. Allison, Charles, and even Haines took turns scolding Penny for letting herself get hurt. Not that they didn’t understand her—if it hadn’t been for her, Slater would likely be in this hospital bed—but they just couldn’t help it.

Well, it was normal for parents to nag their children.

“Tsk.” Charles clicked his tongue after their constant admonishments, turning to Atlas, who was squeezed into the couch with Slater and Zoren. “Atlas, did you settle the matter? What happened to the person who did this to your sister and brother?”

“He’s being detained now.” Atlas snapped his eyes to his parents, his expression neutral. “I already pressed countless charges our lawyers could file against him. Slater will also press charges…”

He paused and shifted his eyes to Penny. “You too, Penny. You have to press charges. I reached out to Grace.”

“Mhm.” Penny nodded, having no objections. “That person tried to harm my third brother, and if he had succeeded, I can only imagine the worst.”

The air in the room grew heavy and thick at the mention of the culprit. Despite pressing charges, there was a lingering feeling that it wasn’t enough. Even Slater, who usually avoided reading the room or ignoring such heaviness, couldn’t help but turn quiet.

Scanning their faces, deep lines appeared between her brows. Except for Allison and Slater, there was a strange look in everyone’s eyes, as if they were worried about one thing.

‘What is it?’ Penny wondered, catching the same look on Haines’s face. ‘There’s something they aren’t telling me, is there?’

Being loved and protected by her brothers was all nice and dandy—until it wasn’t. One of the downsides of being doted on by them and being the only girl among the siblings was that they were overprotective. No matter how capable Penny proved to be, she would always be their little sister, whom they wanted to protect from anything—even if it meant keeping her oblivious to some things while they settled it without bothering or worrying her.

Understandable. Their intentions were good and pure. However, Penny wasn’t the type to want to stay in the dark.

Because at the end of the day, it was she who returned in time. She knew her fate and everyone’s fate except Zoren’s.