Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1174: Neither a friend nor a foe

The little girl looked up at Penny, her thumb pressed against the syringe.

"You-what are you-" Penny instinctively slapped the little girl's hand, yanking the needle from her skin. Her eyes widened as her pulse quickened.

Slowly, she gazed down at the little girl again, but before she could ask what was inside the syringe, her vision wavered. A sudden weakness drained her body, spreading rapidly all over her. Before she knew it, she collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.

Even as her vision blurred and spun, she could still make out the little girl standing over her, staring emotionlessly.

"Good job."

A woman's voice caressed Penny's ears before a figure appeared beside the child.

"Who..." Penny struggled to maintain control, forcing her spinning vision to focus on the woman. Her eyelids grew heavy, but she fought to keep them open. She couldn't lose consciousness. She repeated that to herself a hundred times.

She had to stay awake.

Finally, the little girl spoke in an innocent voice. "Is she going to die?"

"Hmm." The woman hummed softly, stroking the child's head. "No, she won't." "That's good," the little girl replied. "She looks like a good person."

"She is a good person."

"Then why do you want her dead?"

The woman shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe because I just want her dead for no reason?" A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she crouched beside Penny. Her dark eyes gleamed with amusement as she traced her fingertips along Penny's cheek. "Or maybe... her death will simply make things easier for me?"

"If so, shouldn't you have injected her with our new drugs?" the little girl asked curiously. "You said her drug is going to cause us trouble."

"Mhm," the woman hummed. "But if she dies... someone will be very, very sad." "Death is supposed to make people sad."

would mourn her death is a much bigger problem for us." The woman chuckled again, brushing her thumb over Penny's cheek. "How beautiful. It's a

no chance she'd join our

afraid that chance

"Why?"

"They shouldn't

"You mean her parents?"

"Mhm."

right." The little girl nodded. "She's better

choices and who you're dealing with before it's too late. Otherwise, things

Both she and the little girl watched as Penny reached down and pulled something from

the woman. "I think she just stabbed herself to stay awake. Did she

a smirk, watching Penny force her

face. There was life in her gaze-an unyielding fire. She reached out, grabbing the woman's

she rasped, her breath

I am is not important," the woman replied smoothly, peeling Penny's fingers from her arm. "But

paused, taking Penny's hand and pressing a small bottle into her

enemy nor your ally, Penelope Bennet. You have a different problem—a far greater threat than me." Lowering her head, she whispered, "Be very careful,

she turned to the child, offering her hand, which the little girl took. As they

solemnly. "They're going to kill her. And they won't stop until every last one of their mistakes is erased.

Penny breathed weakly. But the woman and the girl

the drug in her system was far more potent

darkened, her strength slippinet

weight pressed against her

her hand. With the last bit of her strength, she tried to open it. But her fingers

her grip loosening. "I'm

sent a fresh wave of determination through her. She didn't want to die-not here, not like this. There was no way in hell she would tet

ie'

wasn't enough to fight off a powerful drug. "Help..." she croaked, barely able to form the word.

head toward the darkness, the direction she