Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 679

Chapter 679: Sigh of relief
For a moment, Zoren and Mark studied Penny with confusion. Although Zoren couldn’t see her clearly, he could feel the relief that overtook her. Confused, they ended up casting each other a look, only to gain nothing from it.

They were clueless.

They were expecting everything else but this reaction. Yet, the reality was far from their expectations.

Was this really something Penny should sigh in relief about?

“I was worried that you’d lie to me,” Penny confessed with a slight giggle, looking at Zoren while smiling. “I didn’t know you’d be this honest.”

Zoren didn’t answer, making sure this wasn’t a trap. “You were honest with me,” he said. “Moreover, I’m quite certain that you already know the answer even before you asked me.”

“Hehe. That’s right.”

“Miss Penny?” Mark furrowed his brows, studying her, but all he could see was Penny’s relief. It wasn’t fake, nor was it for show—he was certain of that, which made him even more baffled. “You’re… okay with this?”

Penny blinked. “You think I wasn’t?”

“Naturally.” This time, Zoren spoke his mind, making Mark nod in agreement and tip his head in Zoren’s direction. “You’re the owner of Prime Group, who is connected to the military and all other influential people. So, I’m sure you’ve heard about the Phantom Circle.”

“And by that… all the good and bad,” Mark added in a knowing tone, letting Penny know that her reaction was unnatural.

“That’s right.” Penny nodded at them. “All the good and bad, but I also know that it’s something that is out of my control. If you were expecting me to be disappointed, well… I should be. But then again, like you mentioned, I run a security firm and have heard a lot to make my own judgment beforehand.”

“Oh…” Mark’s lips formed an O-shape while Zoren smiled in satisfaction.

The only reason Zoren hadn’t informed Penny about this was that it hadn’t come up yet. Moreover, he was reconsidering retiring soon. Not that he was considering letting it go completely; he knew the Phantom Circle would always come in handy.

“God…” Mark huffed under his breath, patting his chest a little as he felt like they had just unloaded a heavy burden.

Now, not only did Penny know about the Phantom Circle, but she was also okay with it. His relief, however, didn’t last long when Zoren spoke again.

“However, Penny, please know that even though there’s a Phantom Circle, its world is completely different from the one we have right now,” Zoren reminded her, even though he was certain she was aware of it. “Many groups are rising, alliances are being formed, and the shift of power is a constant battle.”

Zoren looked into her eyes, his expression serious. “What I’m saying is that there are certain things we’re careful about. After all, not long ago, someone almost caught us.”

“Huh?” Penny tilted her head to the side.

“There are certain groups that seem to be interested in us,” he confessed, casting Mark a look. “It’s going to be troublesome if people like that get too close next time.”

“Oh…” Penny blinked again, staring at him innocently. ‘Why does this sound a little familiar?’

Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, narrowing her eyes as she caught the solemn look plastered on their faces.

“Uhm… this group you were talking about…” Penny hummed a long tune, thinking of the right words to say until she got their full attention. “Do you mean those guys who arrived at Nathaniel’s apartment the night of his abduction?”

Her question quickly formed question marks in Zoren and Mark’s thought bubbles.

“Miss Penny, how did you know that?” Mark blurted out, realizing that Penny was already aware of their involvement in the Phantom Circle. “Don’t tell me even that reached your ears?”

Just how much information goes through the Prime Group if even that detail was something Penny had heard about?!

Penny chuckled awkwardly, darting her eyes between the two. “You guys didn’t ask me how I found out you have something to do with the Phantom Circle. It’s Nathaniel.” She raised her brows meaningfully. “As you already know, I know him… and I was looking for him. But the night my men almost got their hands on him, he was gone. All they got was… a smiley face, the Specter’s signature.”

“Then I found him here!” Penny clapped, trying to lighten the mood. “How was that possible, right?”

Mark and Zoren stared at her, rendered speechless. Mark opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out. All they could do was stare at her in disbelief.

“So… all this time…” When Mark was able to recover his voice, he didn’t know what to feel. “… the people we’re trying to get away from is… you?”

The people they had been trying to evade, and those they were trying to figure out had been with them all along?

“Well, it seems that’s the case?” Penny shrugged.

Again, a moment of silence fell in the study room until Mark closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Even Zoren sighed in relief, smiling at her with a short smile. Penny, on the other hand, sported a conflicted look.

“All day, I’ve been thinking that I’d be the only one sighing in relief, but it seems all of us are meant to do that tonight, huh?” she blurted out, earning an airy laugh from both of them.

“It seems that’s the case, indeed,” Zoren mused. “I guess we don’t need to worry about that now, Mark.”

Mark nodded, looking at Penny with newfound admiration. “That’s one less worry for us, sir.”

“Hehe.” Satisfied, Penny smacked her lips before she cleared her throat. “Now that that’s all cleared up and we have one less worry, I’m afraid I have to add something to replace it.”

“A replacement?” Mark blurted out, watching Penny place down a photo. It was the same photo she had been staring at all day.

“This guy.” Again, the air around Penny shifted, her fingertip resting on the photo. “This is Jonathan Pierson. He goes by the name Jonathan Russel… and he is trouble.”