Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1742

Chapter 1742: Safekeeping

"Of course they have twisted beliefs. Bottom line: who the hell do we put in charge of the Zorken Family so our families don’t get obliterated?"

If they were going after Nathalie, they had to consider the aftermath—assuming the plan succeeded. After all, fighting Nathalie was already dangerous. The thought that another force might come after those responsible for taking her down meant not only their lives were at risk, but also the lives of those close to them.

Even so, choosing an heir for the Zorken Family was a problem in itself.

They needed someone they could trust. An ally. Someone who wouldn’t turn on them even after gaining such power.

"I can’t hold the code because, first, I haven’t married Penny," Mint remarked. "And if I got a hold of that, I’d definitely abduct her so she could marry me. Then we live happily ever after."

Penny’s and Hugo’s expressions twisted as they stared at Mint, who had no qualms about declaring her greed. Zoren, on the other hand, merely glanced at her. He didn’t react, didn’t move, didn’t flinch.

Mint then snapped her eyes to Hugo. "You should use the code. You’re the only person I trust to hold that now."

"I can’t do that," Hugo replied, rubbing his chin. "If I fail the Zorken Family in the economic area, they’ll kill me. Then my family. Then my friends. Including you."

"You’re right." Mint didn’t even take a second to agree. "I don’t think even a financial advisor will help you with that."

So the two of them looked at Penny and Zoren. Those two were good candidates—but that also meant they’d be living within a hidden society. And with how family-oriented this book was, it was doubtful they’d want that.

Zoren still had Old Mrs. Pierson. He could bring her with them, but she loved her home—where the memories of her husband and son remained.

As for Penny, she had a company to run but loved her husband deeply. If he worried about her, she wouldn’t do it. Besides, neither of them would dare to take the other away from family and friends.

Silence settled over them as they all weighed the tricky decision of who could be placed in that seat.

"Now that I think about it..." After a long pause, Hugo hummed.

Everyone turned to him, raising their brows.

"What?" Mint asked. "Any suggestions?"

"No, not that." Hugo waved dismissively. "I’m just thinking... isn’t it possible that Jonathan already knew about the code?" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Even Zoren furrowed his brow.

Zoren didn’t remember Jonathan knowing about the code, but it was possible. After all, Jonathan had been deeply entangled with Nathalie in both their past lives and this one.

"And that he knows where it is?" Hugo added. "It just occurred to me—if he knew about the code and its rules, doesn’t that mean he’s been after it all along?"

Penny and Zoren fell silent, reconsidering it. After a beat, Zoren nodded in understanding.

"It could be," Zoren said. "If he knew of the code’s existence, and assuming, he eventually tracked it down..."

That would also explain why Jonathan chose to introduce himself as Zoren’s half-brother and Enzo’s bastard. In their previous life, Jonathan had been William’s bastard. But after Zoren regained his memories, he remembered it was all arranged by the fake Naylani and William.

Naylani had offered William a bigger share in the company just to have Jonathan declared his bastard.

Without that balance, one would fall hard. Especially since not all of the Zorken Family’s income sources were public.

"Then we still need to move it," Hugo insisted. "Even if they succeed in getting to Zoren, they can’t get the code."

Mint nodded, and although Penny disliked how he phrased it, she agreed.

"Then who should hold it for now?" Penny asked. Everyone turned to her. She raised a brow and pointed to herself. "Me?"

"Hugo and I will be busy, and we all suspect we’re being watched by a mole," Mint explained. "So it’s obvious. Between us three, if Zoren hands the code over, they’ll expect it to go to me or Hugo. If they don’t find it on Zoren, they’ll come after us."

Penny blinked. "But isn’t it even more obvious they’d come to his wife first? I mean, I’m closest to him."

"Does dad tell mom everything? Especially the dangerous stuff?" Hugo countered, silencing Penny on the spot. "I don’t like this either, but you should hold it for now. Besides, with all the scandal around you right now, it’s the perfect cover."

"Temporarily," Zoren stressed. "I don’t feel good about this. The code is dangerous. If someone finds out she’s holding it—"

"It’s okay!" Penny said with a smile. "I’m just surprised I’ll be holding it. But don’t worry. Worst-case scenario, I’ll fight. Still, I don’t think it’ll come to that since it’s temporary."

Zoren met her gaze, then sighed in surrender.

And so, they agreed: Penny would hold the code for safekeeping—for now.

What they didn’t know was that somewhere hidden in the office, a small device blinked red, recording or even listening to everything that had just been said.