289 Always ten steps ahead, remember?
Knowing that Zoren Pierson, the man Penny was married to, was the same boy she had special ties with in the past, was a shock. But the surprise quickly fadedpared to the heaviness in
her heart.
The information she had read about him now stirred emotions far deeper than mere sympathy.
It felt… personal.
Dragging her feet back home, Penny swallowed for the umpteenth time, but the lump in her throat remained. The thought that someone had approached Zoren<b>, </b>seemingly pretending to be her, caused a tight knot of tension in her heart.
God knows how much self–control she exercised just to stop herself from jumping out of that car and removing that woman from Zoren’s personal space. But Penny was always mindful of the consequences, big or small, of her actions if she acted rashly.
<i>‘I </i>can only hope that Renren isn’t foolish enough <i>to </i>believe her,‘ she sighed for the umpteenth time. That <i>fool</i>. <i>If </i><i>he </i><i>goes </i>there every Thursday, <i>then </i>he shouldn’t dare <i>get </i><i>fooled</i>.”
Penny pressed her lips into a thin line as another bubble of sorrow rose in her heart..
“Chunchun, would he be sad… if he finds out that Mouse and Tiana are… she trailed off, her eyes brimming with sadness as she gazed at the cat in her arms. “He will be sad, won’t he?” =
Meow.
A shallow breath slipped past her nostrils as she shook her head. “Should I put you down, Chunchun? I feel so down that even though you don’t weigh <b>much</b>, I feel like I might crumble.”
“Chunchun, you should walk, you know? You haven’t walked much, and now you want to be carried. Is being physically old that much of a burden now?”
Penny paused as she noticed a car ahead. ncing up, deep lines appeared between her brows.
<i>“</i><i>What </i>is this guy <i>doing </i>here?‘ she wondered, putting a halt to the emotional rollercoaster she was riding <b>on </b>inwardly.
“What are you doing here? Dean, I’m getting annoyed with you now”
Her voice caught Dean’s attention, making him leave his vantage point and approach her.
“Why are you getting with me? It’s not like I’m following you,” he quipped, stopping in
annoyed
front of her. “I know where you live, and I’m just dropping by.”
“Wow… so because of that, you think you cane here anytime?”
“Penny, I felt like ourst conversation… it weighed on my heart. I reflected on my actions, and <b>you </b>were right. I should <b>trust </b>you. After all, <b>we’ve </b>known each other for a long time, and no matter what, we’ve shared many memories over the past twelve years. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.
While Dean exined his reasoning, Penny couldn’t help <b>but </b>study <b>him</b>.
<i>“</i>The ce <i>where </i>I first met him…‘she thought<b>, </b>recalling all the memories she had with this guy.
L3
200 Alwayston steps ahead, romember?
… and the time he appeared was… <i>right </i>after Renren left.”
Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to maintain a calm front despite her heart rate increasing. When his eyes shone with curiosity for <b>an </b>answer, <b>she </b>blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“What did you cat today? You’re saying so many strange things.”
Heughed charmingly. “Whatever you need from my uncle, I’m staying out of it.”
“Good.”
“Anyway, Penny, there’s another reason I came here. Here.”
Slowly, Penny gazed down at the present he was handing her. “And what is that?”
“A fish toy
Happy Birthday, Chunchun”
For a moment, Penny just stared at him, her lips parting slightly. Myriads of thoughts crossed <b>her </b>mind in a split second.
It was no secret Penny disliked Dean for <b>reasons </b>she couldn’t quite exin. It wasn’t as if he was entirely unlikable or irredeemable. In fact, many people liked Dean because he was sweet, kind, smart, and funny.
He might not have been <b>an </b>important person in her life, but Dean was someone she owed. And Penny was someone who liked returning favors because she hated being indebted to anyone but herself.
But if Dean had something to do with her problems–whatever they were–he couldn’t me Penny for cutting all the webs of lies he might have woven around her. She could only hope she was mistaken because, at the end of the day, she was hopeful the problem between them was
her and not him.
<i>‘</i><i>Annoying </i>as he <i>may </i><i>be</i>, he’s actually a smart person. <i>A </i>very smart <i>person</i>, she reminded herself. <i>I </i>have to be careful<b>.</b>‘
The corner of her lips curled up. “Nope! Haha! It’s for your own safety”
“Ahh… your brothers, <b>huh</b>? How will you date if you’re always thinking of them?
“Well, don’t bother. Dating is not part of my ns for now.”
“Do you always n everything?”
Slowly, she lifted her eyes and held his gaze before she said meaningfully, “Of course. Otherwise, I’d be in trouble. <i>Always </i>ten steps ahead. That’s my motto, remember?”
That was her warning
“So?” He raised his brows and stared at her with anticipation. “Should I walk you home?”
If he was ying a game, then she would beat him at his own game. “You brought Chunchun at present, so just this once.
“Really?”
213
299 Always ten steps ahead, remember?
“No… I didn’t.”
Penny yfully chuckled while secretly sizing him up. He did seem genuinely surprised. Well, she could understand since she never told <b>him </b>yes before.
After their brief banter, the two walked home quietly. Penny nced down, weighing her options. Another moment passed before a genuine question slipped from her lips.
“How did you know me?”
Penny continued walking even when he stopped. She held her breath for a moment before facing him, listening to everything he was saying, and detecting some truths mixed with lies.
“But I stuck around because I thought… you were <b>fun</b>.”
“Huh?”
“You’re a good person,” he said, smiling. “And I ended up liking you.”
That was her cue to stop. <b>“</b>Alright! Time to go!” She quickly turned around, but as she did, a sharp glint flickered across her eyes. 2
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