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

Chapter 1775: Who did it better?

If there were one word Penny would use to describe Jonathan, it would be: diligent. He hadn’t wasted his second life. He’d used it to plan, to manipulate, and to rewrite his fate.

And he did it in a quite clever way too.

Jonathan had leveraged his knowledge of the past to orchestrate an escape plan for a few dozen children, saving them from the orphanage’s dark dealings. In doing so, he gained a loyal group—children he raised, brainwashed, and turned into devoted soldiers.

But Jonathan had been just as young as the rest of them. To feed those children, he had to take on multiple side jobs. At first, they begged on the streets. That eventually turned into pickpocketing to survive.

Of course, that wasn’t enough.

From what Shawn had shared, Jonathan had done everything he could to keep them alive. He was their big brother—their father figure. But from Penny’s perspective, that role was exactly what Jonathan had cultivated to keep them dependent on him. To make them worship him. To make them listen without question.

And then, Jonathan made a deal with the devil to give those kids a "better" life.

That devil was none other than Nathalie Zorken.

Shawn didn’t know how Jonathan convinced Nathalie to take them all in, but she did. Their lives changed overnight. No more begging or stealing. They were taken to an island, where food and shelter were no longer problems.

Now, their only problem was training—and surviving it.

Their childhood was consumed by harsh, relentless training. Jonathan, of course, climbed the ranks faster than anyone. Nathalie trusted him. Others didn’t like him for the very reason Nathalie liked him, but even they couldn’t deny he was good at what he did.

Then came their teenage years.

One day, Jonathan gathered his "brothers" and "sisters" to propose a new escape plan. Not from the orphanage this time—but from Nathalie’s grasp.

subjected to grueling punishments and

advantage. With his position, he crafted excuses to

of those

ago. Ten years living a fabricated life so he could eventually infiltrate the Pierson Corporation. But the plan changed,

they were. Jonathan’s decade-long

the code, eliminate Nathalie Zorken, force the rest of the Zorken forces to submit, and claim everything," Shawn listed quietly. "And once he’s on top, no one will ever hurt us again. That’s

nodded slowly. "I don’t know if

"He cared for us... or at least, that’s what

belief until he met someone who

steps ahead. And he likes things out of control because it gives him room to

shrugging. "I bet he didn’t see your decision coming, did he? Otherwise, he would’ve had you killed instead of pressuring you

head. "I wanted to get the code for him," he admitted. "Every time I hesitated, I’d think of everything he sacrificed for us. Even this mission...

she echoed with a hum. "Or his

thinking about it. "He’s

absently.

of the plan," Shawn confessed. "The guy who did

"An orphan escapee?"

was meant to infiltrate Pierson Corp. That guy?

again as the bigger picture formed in her

discovered and accessed, I’m certain it was part of the plan. If someone uncovered something about him... it’s because

he

narrowed her eyes. "So those guys fell right