It was funny how Zoren was getting a lot of answers while investigating Penny’s case. Answers not just about her or the case, but also answers he didn’t know he needed.
Because aside from getting a clearer picture of Penny’s ongoing trial, Zoren finally understood why his mother had treated him like dirt. It was finally clear to him why Naylani would wish for him to die.
"Why did you turn quiet? Are you scared that I’d do the sa thing you asked to do to others... to your son?"
He watched Naylani’s burning expression pale as her eyes dilated even more.
Finally, Zoren squatted down in front of her. He rested his arms on his legs, staring her dead in the eye.
"What?" he asked under his breath, his eyes studying her without even blinking. "You look scared when you were so energetic in landing a hit on ."
He cocked his head lazily to the side. "You don’t want to see it? I’ve slit soone’s throat because of you. Have you forgotten? Do you think I won’t do it?"
"..." Naylani opened and closed her mouth as her shoulders tensed up.
Seeing her shift in reaction, Zoren was almost amazed by how the mood quickly shifted. One mont, she was shouting and cursing at him. And now, she was panicking quietly, as if she were trying to think of a way to get out of this.
Zoren’s eyes drooped as he took a shallow breath. "Naylani... or should I call you by your real na?"
This ti, she froze completely. Her shaky eyes didn’t dart anywhere else, just at Zoren.
"What?" she blurted out under her breath.
"Huh," Zoren smirked, chuckling as he ran his fingers through his sleek hair. "Damn..."
Naylani gulped as his laughter echoed. After a second, she crawled toward him and grabbed his arm.
"Renren, what are you talking about, hmm?" she humd with panic, and unlike her previous tone, it sounded more persuasive. "Why are you talking nonsense again? Didn’t you drink your dicine?"
Zoren glanced at the trembling hand on his arm before eting her shaky eyes. Naylani forced a twitchy smile, her brows rising in an attempt to look more innocent—very different from how she was one second ago.
"Do you think this will work?" he asked, his voice quiet but unforgiving. "That this... didn’t change anything?"
"Renren—"
"Get your hands off ."
Naylani didn’t listen, clasping his arm tightly. "No, no, Renren. Listen to Mom, hmm? It’s not like that. I was just upset because you locked in here! That old hag—it’s your grandmother’s fault! She was just twisting the narrative and saying I tried to harm her when I didn’t!"
"Renren, Mom is wrong, okay? I am wrong!" She slapped her chest as she nodded at him. "It’s Mom’s fault, so don’t get angry anymore, hmm? Mom is not well, so Mom—"
The rest of her words rolled back into her throat as Zoren shoved her hand away from his arm. He didn’t exert much effort, but Naylani still fell onto her buttocks.
"Ah—" she almost bit her tongue and slumped on the floor.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes and t him, who was already towering over her. His eyes were still cold, distant, and dark.
"What did my mother promise you to take her spot?" he asked, not dwelling on her begging, which he used to fall for and soften him in the past. "Did she tell you that you could have all the Pierson Family’s wealth if you took her spot?"
Her lips quivered as her eyes widened even more. She didn’t answer, but her expression said it all. Her eyes scread:
’How much did you know?’
His jaw tightened, wishing he couldn’t see this expression that confird everything. Because now, everything he had done for this woman and everything he had endured was nothing but Naylani’s thods of paving the way for Jonathan, her real son.
She asked Zoren to clean up all of the biggest competitors in the family, so once the ti was ripe, Jonathan could take it with ease. Had it not been for Zoren, Dean would’ve died a long ti ago as well. He could still rember how Naylani threw a tantrum when Zoren didn’t listen to her for the first ti, and instead crippled Dean’s support so he wouldn’t be a threat.
He did all of that to please this woman... who was never his mother.
A woman who never saw him as her son, but rather as an instrunt.
"Hah," he scoffed, his eyes glinting.
His mouth parted, but in the end, the words that tempted to escape his throat didn’t. Instead, Zoren huffed sharply and turned on his heel.
But just as he reached the door, he paused. "I’ll kill Jonathan slowly and painfully," he whispered, glancing over his shoulder. "I’ll do it the way you trained to do. I hope you won’t kill yourself because I would love you to watch everything."
"Renren—Zoren, please, please—" Naylani tried to crawl toward him, but Zoren didn’t hesitate as he walked out. "Zoren!"
Naylani picked herself up and ran toward the door, twisting the knob. However, it only rattled as if it were locked.
"Zoren!" she scread, banging on the door with her palms. "Zoren!! Don’t you dare touch him! ZOREN! I will kill you myself if you ever touch the tip of his hair!"
---
Outside the Door...
Naylani’s scream and banging echoed on the other side of the door. Zoren kept his back to it, listening to Naylani’s furious screams and threats. Yet, his expression remained stoic.
There wasn’t a sense of pleasure or amusent. If anything, his eyes were even emptier than they already were.
"Sir." Just then, Mark’s voice rang from his side.
Zoren didn’t react and just kept his eyes down. But he did listen to the banging behind him and how Naylani threatened him and cursed him as her pathetic attempt to shield Jonathan.
"So it wasn’t that she wasn’t capable of compassion," he whispered before a bitter and ridiculing laugh escaped him. "It’s just that... she could never do that for ."
Reviews
All reviews (0)