Was it anger Dean felt? Was it dismay? Or was he just utterly terrified?
The more Dean thought about what had happened tonight, the harder it was to pinpoint the exact emotion that was squeezing his chest. All he could do was continue to stare in the direction where Penny had left, even though the cars were no longer in sight.
Penny had only been in Anteca for a few months. It wasn’t even half a year yet, and she had just announced tonight that she was married.
"Impossible," he whispered, his eyes falling as he tried to find any loopholes in this. This could be just a play, and knowing Penny, it wouldn’t surprise him. Perhaps this was just a contract—an agreent Penny and Zoren had made for mutual benefits.
After all, it was too abrupt — too absurd!
Penny wouldn’t fall for soone so easily. She was the type of person who had the biggest trust issues. There was no way she would trust Zoren just like that. There had to be sothing more—there had to be more to the story, like... being Zoren’s Thursday Girl.
The sudden thought that had almost slipped Dean’s mind was akin to a bucket of ice water pouring down on him. For a mont, his face stiffened, and his entire body froze.
’Don’t tell ...’ his thoughts trailed off, his hand balling into a tight fist. ’... don’t tell she found out? They found out?’
When? How?
Then it hit him.
Back at the charity event, Zoren had denied knowing Patricia when she introduced herself as Zoren’s Thursday Girl. At the ti, Dean hadn’t thought much of it because there was no way Zoren would’ve fallen for that sche so easily. Even if Zoren did, he was smart enough to catch on.
Dean hadn’t thought much about Penny and Zoren’s relationship either, as it appeared to be mostly business. Moreover, Penny had already given up on her Thursday Guy a long ti ago. Dean was always watching Penny, and he knew she had lost all hope of eting her Thursday Guy again because he might be sick — or dead, who knows?
Was this the reason?
Had they found out that they had known each other for a long ti and rekindled their mories, leading to a budding romance as adults?
A myriad of thoughts swirled in his head, all centered around Penny and Zoren’s relationship. No matter how these ideas made sense to him, he wanted to deny them. Instead, he thought of another loophole that could redirect his reality elsewhere.
He couldn’t just accept this.
"Five years..." he whispered, snapping his eyes open slowly. "... that’s right. From what I heard, he’s been married for five years."
There was no way Penny was the real wife if Zoren had been married five years ago. Because five years ago, Dean and Penny were still working on a small project together, while Penny was focusing on her start-up company.
With this thought in mind, a fla of hope lit in Dean’s heart. He shook his head, convinced that there was more to this story than what it appeared. Even though the idea of Penny and Zoren discovering their shared history seed to make the most sense, Dean leaned more toward this assumption.
It was easier and more acceptable that way.
He turned quickly to head to his car and do sothing about it. But as soon as he did, he stopped upon seeing the person standing several steps behind him. Deep lines appeared between his brows.
"Belle?" he called. "Why are you still here?"
Belle pressed her lips together and, instead of answering, studied Dean’s face quietly. "You... like her?" she blurted out under her breath.
"What?"
"Is Penny the reason, Dean?" Her question sounded vague, but the two of them understood the entirety of it.
Was Penny the reason Dean wavered as the director of Pierson Corporation?
Even though Belle had married a man and cut ties with the Pierson family to start her own family, she was aware of the family dynamics that were brewing before she left. From what she rembered, everyone had been leaning on Dean to be the next head of the family. If Dean didn’t kick Zoren out, he would surely beco Zoren’s heir.
But after many years, everything had changed.
Instead of Dean, William had grown bold enough to try to lead the family eting tonight. Although William ended up embarrassing himself, it was too little to affect his standing in the family. Even so, Belle had seen tonight that Dean’s support wasn’t as strong as it once was. If she’d heard correctly, it was because Dean had shown a lack of interest in the power play—or in participating in the power struggle—resulting in the loss of confidence people once had in him.
"This isn’t like you," Belle whispered, an ominous feeling creeping into her heart. "Slowing down... backing down... or wavering isn’t like you at all."
The corner of his mouth curved down. "Belle, this isn’t your business. You should go ho and rest. Be grateful you didn’t have to go through what you expected tonight."
Dean clicked his tongue and turned on his heel, planning to go in another direction to avoid dealing with Belle. But just as he turned, Belle spoke again.
"She’s married, Dean." Her words quickly halted his steps. "If you’re doing all of this... removing yourself from the spotlight of this power play because of her, then do it without asking anything in return."
"Belle." A huff escaped Dean, rolling his eyes before eting her gaze. "Shut up."
"I’m scared for you—"
"I said shut it," he hissed, the fire in his eyes burning. "You left the family a long ti ago, and although I still sympathize with you, that doesn’t an you can just approach and tell all the things I don’t need to hear."
He arched a brow as he swallowed the tension in his throat. "You have no right to act like a big sister now when you already left without any consideration for anyone else. Keep your opinions to yourself and live your life the way you’ve always been without getting on my business." After saying that, Dean resud his steps, leaving Belle to watch him
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