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

Chapter 1778: My life is really good

On a hill full of armed people waiting for Penny, one man stood frozen, staring at the large explosion in the sky. A moment later, pieces of the aircraft slowly began falling from above.

For several long seconds, no one spoke. Silence blanketed the entire hill, with every pair of eyes reflecting the fire still burning overhead.

Thud.

Charles, still wide-eyed, fell to his knees. His face had gone pale. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the flames.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head gently. Every piece of falling debris felt like a piece of his heart. "No... Penny."

And with that name—Penny—spoken aloud, it was like a bell rang through the silence, snapping everyone out of their daze.

Penny.

Right... that was the aircraft she had been in.

"No." Hugo stepped forward, slinging his rifle across his chest before breaking into a jog toward the edge of the slope. "No, no, no—PENNY!"

His scream tore through the air, his heart sinking at the thought of losing his sister. Atlas, too, felt the weight—but unlike Hugo, he stood frozen, eyes wide, head bowed.

"No," he murmured, turning to the others. When his gaze landed on Angel, he said firmly, "Prepare the boat. We’re leaving now."

But Angel didn’t move.

Like the rest, he remained fixated on the sky, watching debris continue to fall through thick smoke.

"Angel," Atlas called again, louder—but still, no response.

He walked over and grabbed Angel’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.

Angel blinked, snapping out of it as his eyes met Atlas’s panic-stricken ones.

"Let’s go," Atlas repeated. "We’re leaving now."

"Uh..." Angel stood there for a second, watching Atlas walk away like nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just seen his sister’s aircraft explode. When Angel looked around, he realized the others were still rooted to the spot, unmoving.

he

of sight. Zoren stood utterly still, wearing a blank look on his

finally shouted. "We’re

chaotic, unbelievable. But someone had to

eyes, Angel wiped them away with his arm and yelled

across

rouse the others. One by

alert,

distant look in Zoren’s eyes. When he got no response,

the sky, Adam’s apple bobbing. Then, slowly, his gaze dropped to

murmured, his voice barely audible.

hand resting on Charles’s

his voice firmer now, though it wasn’t clear if

slowly, hearing the same

can’t be in there," Zoren repeated again.

the helplessness in Zoren’s eyes. He wasn’t saying it to believe it—he was saying it, hoping someone

whispered again,

lips parted, but no words came. Instead, he

said. "She loves living so much, she’d throw her own father

knew he was feeding their shared denial, but he couldn’t afford to break down. Not when Zoren was holding on

Charles repeated, slapping a hand on Zoren’s shoulder. "She

now, his

"and check if

looked directly at

brother. Make sure he doesn’t do

him, still processing—but Charles was already moving

about the search—we’ll search even the bottom of the sea. Just do

her lip, trying to hold

Charles gave Zoren’s back a solid pat. "You go with

and Atlas still have somewhere else

but in the end, he

his men