Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Nursery

"This is impossible." Penny looked at the marriage certificate in between her fingers. "Since when did I get married?"

Penny studied the printouts in her hand. The woman in the certificate was definitely her, but this man... Penny couldn't recall ever meeting him. The man in the certificate had a well-proportioned face with symmetrical facial features. He had a strong, defined jawline, adding a masculine look to him. His long, sharp, deep-set eyes were dark but very captivating.

As Penny wondered about this situation, her phone rang.

"Heya! How's the wedding?" asked the person from the other end of the line.

"Well, turns out I'm married."

"Congrats!"

Penny frowned, thinking Yugi didn't get what she was trying to say. "Yugi, can you look up this man named..." Her eyes veered to her 'husband's' name. "Zoren Pierson."

"Who's that?"

"That's what I want to find out. I'll call you again later." Penny ended the call and gazed at the certificate once again.

All her life, she had been waiting for this day to come. The day she could marry herself off and leave her household. It was no secret that Penny had been wanting to get out of the family. It was for the best for everyone, especially for herself. However, no one knew Penny had another big secret.

This wasn't her first life.

She promised that in this lifetime, she would live it on her own terms. But now, that plan was slightly shaken by the man registered as her husband.

"I don't know if this is a good thing, but what I know is I have to fix this," she whispered as her eyelids drooped. "I can't afford to make the same mistake I did in my first life."

Her first life ended in a tragedy. Thinking about it, Penny told herself she couldn't afford a mishap in this lifetime.

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[How her life ended and started.]

"I... didn't do it."

Penny looked at the man seated on the other side of the glass. The first thing she noticed was his untrimmed beard, his messy hair, and the dark bags under his eyes. This was her eldest brother, Atlas, the once-admired CEO of Global Prime Logistics.

"Brother, just this once... please." Penny planted her hand on the glass as her eyes brimmed with tears. "... please, believe me. I didn't do it. I'm innocent. It wasn't me."

Atlas slowly lifted his olive-brown eyes, the natural allure in them still present. However, it paled in comparison to the helplessness and hopelessness within them.

"Innocent?" he repeated quietly. "Penny, you wouldn't be behind that glass if you were innocent."

"No." Tears flooded her face as her entire body and voice shook in desperation. "I am innocent. Please... help me."

"Even if it's true, Penny, it's over." Atlas smiled wryly. "You did what you did, and now we're paying the price."

A whimper escaped her tightly sealed lips as she shook her head in denial.

"Hugo's dead, and Slater... his career's dead too." Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as he gazed at the once beautiful Penny, who seemed to have aged in prison just months after her trial ended. "Our lives are over, Penny. People see us as terrorists, enemies of the country, corrupt to the core. You proved that when you made your confession."

"But I only did that so they wouldn't arrest you too —"

"Enough!" Atlas slammed his hand against the glass between them, grinding his teeth angrily. "I know you hate us, but you... you took it too far. Even after being proven guilty, you still claim you're innocent."

"Because I am!"

"No! Shut up!" he roared, making her flinch. He drew a jagged breath as he leaned forward. "Penny, you listen to me. Just... tell me, why did you do it? I just... want to know."

Penny's heart sank as she bit her quivering lips, tasting her own tears and snot. Looking at her desperate brother, she didn't know what to say anymore. She had already told him everything from beginning to end, but alas, he wouldn't believe her. He never believed a single word she said.

"I'm already on death row..." she hiccuped, placing both her hands on the glass separating them. "And yet, I was still hopeful that for once... you would side with me, your real younger sister. Just this once."

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