Chapter 1731: Red string theory

"Miss Penny, why don’t you stay inside?" Butler Hubert came out of the residence, where Penny was seated on the hood of her car. "I’ve prepared tea for you as well."

Penny beamed at him. "It’s alright, Butler Hubert. I don’t want to get scolded by Grandma as well."

"I think the Old Madam’s fury has been quenched," he reassured. "I just delivered tea to them, and she’s calmer now."

"It’s alright." Penny smacked her lips and gazed at the entrance of the residence. "I don’t want to meddle with something so important for my husband."

Butler Hubert’s brows rose, tilting his head a bit. He studied the smile on Penny’s face, unsure of what she was talking about. All he knew was that Old Mrs. Pierson had asked him to retrieve some old documents, after all.

He then followed where Penny was looking, catching Zoren stepping out of the residence. Butler Hubert smiled, noticing a book in Zoren’s hand, until Zoren joined them.

"Young Master, you’re leaving now?"

Zoren turned to him and nodded. "Thank you for taking great care of Grandma, Butler Hubert."

"You do not need to thank me, Young Master. I’m simply doing my job."

"She’s calmed down a bit, but I think she’ll still need a pair of ears to listen to her vent," Zoren returned kindly. "I’m sorry for troubling you, but I’d appreciate it if you stayed with her for a bit."

Butler Hubert chuckled. "Very well." He paused and then gave Penny a look. "Please take care on your way. I’ll be going in now."

"Thanks, Butler Hu!" Penny waved at him, watching the butler leave.

Once Butler Hubert was walking back inside the residence, she snapped her eyes back to Zoren. She studied his face and aura before the corners of her mouth hooked up.

"I don’t know what happened, but by the looks of it, everything went well?" she guessed, her smile stretching. "I’m glad it worked out."

Standing before her, Zoren smiled back at her. He came here alone and left his wife with her family back home. However, Penny still went after him—perhaps out of worry.

He hummed and nodded, smiling.

"Me too," he said, reaching for her hand as he clasped it gently. "I’m glad I came today. Although I think my shoulder is swelling a bit. I deserved it, though."

Penny chuckled before she jumped off the hood. Standing in front of him, her face brightened.

"Let’s go home?"

"Won’t you ask me what happened there?"

"I already know," she said, beaming. "Although I’m not sure about the entirety of it, I’m sure Grandma would not let you think you’re not her family. You are her grandson, and no one else will change that."

His eyes softened, gazing down as she took his hand with hers.

"Let’s go home?" she muttered. "First Brother has already left for the office with Dean and Finn. Then, Mint and Second Brother left to prepare for the meeting. They told us to keep us in the loop, so there’s nothing much now."

"I think Dad and Uncle Haines stayed for a while because they wanted to talk to Priscilla. I don’t know if they’re still home, but well." Penny shrugged. "Let’s just go to continue our next plan."

With that, she turned with her hand still holding his. But then, Zoren spoke.

"I was wrong."

"Hmm?" She looked back at him, confused. "You’re wrong about?"

Zoren smiled. "He’s my father," he whispered. "Enzo Pierson... is my father. Grandma showed me proof that I was."

Her brows rose slightly as her eyes widened a bit. She walked back to him, stopping a step from him.

"Really?" she asked, and he nodded.

His eyes and smile softened. "And I’m glad you’re already here to know the truth as soon as possible."

"Renren!" Penny intuitively wrapped her arms around him, leaving some space between them to keep looking at his face. "Really?"

"Mhm," Zoren let out a shallow breath. "I was foolish to believe Nathalie’s words back then."

Or maybe Zoren wasn’t just in the right state of mind. It could be that he believed her because Old Mrs. Pierson was gone at that time, and Nathalie’s words somehow weighed heavier than the silence. Either way, he now understood Nathalie’s dying breath in his previous life.

Nathalie won, not because she had already killed everyone around him.

She won because she made sure Zoren would live the rest of his life believing he was just a child lucky enough to get swapped. She was cruel and cunning—even after death.

Penny smiled happily as she embraced him.

"I knew it," she whispered, tightening her embrace around him. "I knew it!"

"Haha." Zoren hugged her back, resting his chin on top of her head.

He was happy, but at the same time, Old Mrs. Pierson had knocked some sense into him. A piece of paper wouldn’t determine whether they were family, nor would anyone’s words.

What made them family wasn’t just blood or a shared surname.

A word from an outsider weighed nothing against the love of those who mattered to him.

Compared to Old Mrs. Pierson’s conviction, Nathalie’s words weren’t even worth the weight of an insect’s breath.

And somehow, Zoren was glad to finally gain closure on this matter. It took him an entire lifetime and a half, but he was grateful for the chance to face his fear—and be rewarded for it. Most importantly, his wife was with him to share this moment.

As the couple hugged each other in front of the vehicle, those inside stared at them with blank expressions.

"I..." Angel opened his mouth, then closed it again. His face crumpled with a mix of emotions, none of them pleasant.

He turned to Mark in the driver’s seat. "Mark, do you always bring your earplugs with you?"

"Mhm." Mark’s expression was dark, staring at the couple through the windshield. "I now believe in red string theory. It’s right here—wrapped around my neck."

"There’s no escape from this, is there?" Angel scoffed, turning his eyes back to the windshield. "Should we bring sleep masks next time too, just in case?"

Because surely, earplugs wouldn’t save their eyes from this public display of affection.

"Still, I’m glad Atlas Bennet didn’t join us today," Angel added. Mark nodded before Angel could even finish.

"Otherwise, he’d probably ask us to run them over."