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.

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

the two of them. And now, as adults, Penny was still the only one

name for himself in the business 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 program that no one cared

heard anything big about her was when... she

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 her; they criticized all of them, even their

to help him that Slater

by then, it was too late to regret. Too late to apologize.

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

if there was anyone in the Bennet family who had been the harshest to Penny, it was

had deliberately hurt her feelings. Scolded her for no reason. Done everything he could to push

nothing he could do or say

Because in the end...

wasn't what killed

They did.

didn't break her. They

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

own.

it decades before

her had simply been the final

had already died long before

ones who

people she called

had

secrets only get heavier. You might forget

until they start crawling back to the

was

wasn't protecting his bond with Penny.

consequences. Afraid of taking

knew... at some point, Penny would

he found himself

[PRESENT TIME]