Penny blinked multiple tis, staring at her husband with a blank expression. Zoren’s face remained neutral despite just dropping a bombshell on her. It took her a mont to gasp, jumping up on her bean bag, looking at him in disbelief.
"What did you say?" she gasped again. "Finn Davis... is on your side?"
Zoren nodded, blinking ever so tenderly. "I put him in Dean’s office."
"..." Again, Penny was rendered speechless, placing a hand on her chest. It would be a lie to say she expected this. However, she didn’t. She knew Zoren was capable and had control over the Pierson Corporation and the Pierson Family, but this was not the control she anticipated.
Today, she saw her husband in a new light.
Dean often warned her about Zoren, telling her all sorts of things. Although she didn’t disregard them, it seed Dean’s warnings carried more aning and weight now.
Anteca was Zoren’s territory. He proved that when the nightclub where the fight occurred was closed down the next morning, and the owner was suddenly tied to a troubleso controversy. Now, Finn, whose very existence had been troubling her since yesterday, turned out to be reporting to Zoren.
"Oh, my goodness..." she trailed off, covering her slightly gaping mouth, her eyes wide with shock. "Really?"
Zoren nodded. "You were honest about everything," he reasoned. "So I thought it was only right to tell you this. Or was it too early for to say it?"
"No, no." Penny waved her hand, shaking her head. "Tell . What’s the relationship between the two of you? I an, I need to know the full context of this."
"Okay." Zoren nodded and summarized everything.
According to Zoren, his relationship with Finn wasn’t what one would expect. It was unlike his relationships with Mark or even Benjamin. They were connected through equal interest and benefits. It was no secret that Zoren was keeping an eye on certain people in the Pierson Family.
And by "keeping an eye," he ant planting so people in their circle.
Zoren found it easier to look for certain candidates to be his eyes rather than hiring soone new to enter the circle he wanted to monitor. That was why he and Finn had secretly struck a deal; their relationship was purely business, where they would both gain benefits.
Zoren would know Dean’s movents while Finn would reap the benefits of sticking with Dean while having immunity from Zoren. It was a win-win situation. This didn’t an, however, that betrayal wasn’t on the table.
"Anyti, he can always forget about our deal and turn his back on ," Zoren added in a knowing tone. "Nothing personal. I would understand if he did, and I’m sure he’d understand if I saw him as an enemy."
Nothing personal.
"Wow..." Penny’s mouth parted, rocking her head in amazent at her husband.
All this ti, she had seen Zoren as a sickly man being constantly targeted by the very people who should protect him. Initially, she sympathized with him because she had been in that situation. She knew what it felt like to have a family that, instead of protecting her, was the first to bring her down.
Not that she planned to dwell on it, but that feeling initially connected them. It was the feeling she felt before she saw Zoren on that street on a Thursday night, waiting for her.
Even though she was certain Zoren had proven himself smart and capable enough to hold his ground in the Pierson Family, Penny hadn’t fully delved into how he handled his affairs. In other words, hearing just the tiny bits of how he was handling the family and business was eye-opening.
Penny felt the need to apologize. How could she have underestimated Zoren?
"This is more complicated than our family drama," she blurted out in dismay. "At least all I have to think about are my greedy grandparents and insecure cousins."
Zoren let out a chuckle. "Focus."
"How can I focus when my ally is..." she trailed off, slowly cupping her face and fangirling. "My ally is so smart and reliable~! I feel so safe with you here~! Now that I think about it, I guess getting electrocuted wasn’t so bad at all~! I would get electrocuted ten more tis if that ans I’d get to marry you ten more tis~!"
"..." Zoren watched his wife, catching the pink dust and hearts sprinkled around her. He opened his mouth, planning to tell her that they should focus on the matter at hand, as he wasn’t done yet. However, he ended up smiling and chuckling.
He told her this just to give her so context of what it was like in the Pierson Family. After all, even though Penny was already a mber of the Pierson Family—recently added as an official mber and his next of kin, and the only person in his last will—she hadn’t been involved in Pierson Family affairs.
It wasn’t like she needed to be. As long as he was around, Penny wouldn’t need to worry about the Pierson Family and could live her life the way she wanted.
"I thought you wouldn’t like it," he mused, putting a stop to her fawning. "I thought you’d find the Pierson Family affairs... disdainful."
Penny pouted and energetically leaned over. She lay on her stomach, cupping her face and looking at him. "It’s complicated, and I won’t say I like it, but hearing that you’re executing everything so perfectly puts my heart at ease. Besides... hehe, I don’t feel stressed at all."
"Finn is my ally, but he could’ve done this deal with for a reason."
"But at the sa ti, you can keep a close eye on him, right?" She batted her eyes beautifully. "That’s one less problem for . This list is getting shorter — now, I’m only left with the woman at the funeral and the young man with her."
Unlike how she kept thinking about these things yesterday and until this morning, Penny felt less stressed now that she was able to talk about it with him.
"I found a good ally in this lifeti — a handso protector." Her eyes squinted as her mouth stretched from ear to ear. "Now I feel like my chances of going back to prison are lower as long as you’re here."
Zoren’s smile softened as he reached out to touch her face. "Of course," he said, brushing the side of her mouth with his thumb. "As long as I’m here, that’s not going to happen."
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