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

Chapter 1190: I remember, Penny.

[FLASHBACK]

The sound of glass shattering echoed in Penny's ears like a clap of thunder. However, that wasn't what terrified her. It wasn't the sound itself, but rather what would come after it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Slater's voice erupted in the room, filled with rage. His burning gaze flickered between his sister across the room and the shattered figurine on the floor. Clenching his teeth, he marched toward her.

"I-I'm sorry, Third-"

"Shut up!" Slater yelled, making her flinch. "I've told you so many times not to come into my room! And now, you're apologizing for breaking my stuff? Why don't you ever listen?!"

In a state of panic, Penny stuttered, "But-but-I didn't mean—Nina said—"

"I said shut up! I don't care what Nina said!" he hissed, his fists balling tightly. "All I care about is what I said, and you clearly don't listen!"

"Third Brother, I'll fix it!" Penny didn't hesitate and bent down to pick up the broken pieces. But in her rush, she cut her finger. "Ouch."

Instead of worrying about her injury, it only made him angrier.

"I said get out!" Slater's voice boomed, making her flinch again. She looked up at him with shaky eyes. "Look what you've done! Not only is it broken, but now it's dirty too!"

Penny froze, her heart sinking at the growing rage in his eyes. "Third Brother..."

Slater pointed at the door, his chest heaving. "Out. And don't ever show your face to me again."

Penny bit her lip, clutching her wounded finger as she picked herself up. The cut was small-something she could ignore. But the cut in her heart? That ran deeper. She walked out, crying as quietly as possible, while Slater continued glaring at her.

The figurine wasn't important. In fact, he had planned to toss it into storage with the rest of the gifts from his fans. He would have thrown them straight into the trash if not for his manager insisting he keep them for his image. But somehow, even though that figurine meant nothing to him, the fact that Penny broke it made him furious.

He had never liked her.

He couldn't say he outright hated her, but to him, his real sister was just... too annoying.

Penny didn't know how to dress well. She couldn't talk well. She was always putting people in difficult situations. Just like now-he had told her not to enter his room, but she didn't listen. And now, she had broken something. Slater felt no empathy for her.

She brought this on herself.

off harmless pranks to make her go away. But whenever he felt he had gone too far, Penny would somehow do something even worse-something that would not only reflect badly on her but on their entire

so pathetic that Slater's bullies used her against him, constantly comparing the two of them. And now, as adults, Penny was still

himself in the business world. Hugo had earned countless badges. Slater had built a successful career

And Penny?

one knew her for anything except being the real daughter of the Bennet family. Aside from that, Slater had never heard anything noteworthy about her. All

had heard anything big about her was when... she was arrested for a crime so big it destroyed

sister deepened. He had always believed Penny would be the family's downfall—he just hadn't realized how massive that downfall would be. The public

to help him that Slater realized how wrong they had

to regret. Too late to apologize.

and Atlas had gotten close to the truth, Slater was abducted. Atlas had an "accident." Hugo-he had died long before that, trying to prove

was anyone in the Bennet family who had been the harshest to

her for no reason. Done everything he could to push

do or say would

Because in the end...

execution wasn't

They did.

didn't break her. They

her constitutional rights, they had already locked her away-in a dark place with no hope of escape. They had starved her of understanding and compassion, and they

on her own. They

had stolen it decades before she ever set foot in

in her had simply been

before she sat

the ones who had

people she

had chosen

just like Benjamin said, secrets only get heavier. You might forget

start crawling

was a wake-up

quiet wasn't protecting his bond with Penny. He

Afraid of taking

at some point,

could happen, he found

[PRESENT TIME]