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.

always picked on her. At first, it would pull 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

him, constantly comparing the two of them. And now, as adults, Penny was still the only one who

world. Hugo had earned countless badges. Slater

And Penny?

her for anything except being the real daughter of the Bennet family. Aside from that, Slater had never heard anything noteworthy about her. All he knew was that she was in some research

only time he 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 didn't just criticize

received anonymous tips and begged Slater to help him that Slater realized how wrong they had

then, it was too late to regret. Too late

the truth, Slater was abducted. Atlas had an "accident." Hugo-he had died

in the Bennet family who had been the harshest to Penny,

hurt her feelings. Scolded her for no

even now, he knew nothing he could do or say would ever

Because in the end...

execution wasn't what killed

They did.

didn't break

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

lost hope on her own. They had taken

it decades before

in her had simply been the

died long before she sat

ones who had

the people she called

Slater had chosen

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

until they start crawling back to the

night was a wake-up

his bond with Penny.

consequences. Afraid of taking

at some point,

he found

[PRESENT TIME]