Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1365

Chapter 1365: Feels like shopping

Tap... tap... tap...

Penny’s finger tapped the armrest in a steady rhythm as she narrowed her eyes in thought. Finn had lingered in her office for a while, treating it like a personal lounge. Not that she minded—he was quiet and never disturbed her.

Even when he left, he didn’t announce his departure. Penny only noticed his absence when she finished a task for the day.

Now, on her short break, she was lost in thought.

"Cassandra..." she whispered, her mind swirling around that single name. "Finn said he went to Zoren first before coming here, so that would give Renren an opening if he’s finally in the mood to take care of Jonathan."

Cassandra’s involvement with Jonathan had always been a concern for Penny and Zoren. Not because of Cassandra herself or her family, but because of Finn. Penny was especially wary because she knew how hard Finn had worked to give Cassandra a different life this time around.

But alas... changing someone’s fate was a double-edged sword.

Penny had learned that at a young age. When she was still doing fortune readings in the Cortez neighborhood, she had "read" a neighbor’s future. Her accuracy relied on knowledge of the past, and in the first life, that neighbor’s house had caught fire—a blaze large enough to spread to surrounding homes.

The neighbor had listened to Penny’s warning and avoided the disaster. But even though they escaped the fire, they couldn’t escape fate entirely. The fire had originally been a pivotal moment in the couple’s marriage, strengthening their bond through hardship. Without it, their relationship crumbled, and they divorced two years later.

That was when Penny realized that stopping certain events—ones that should happen—could have unpredictable consequences. Good or bad. It was also why she was careful about interfering in her own life and the lives of others.

So, Finn’s news today didn’t entirely surprise her.

"If Cassandra Smith isn’t as innocent as she was in the first life, then..." She trailed off, weighing the situation—the future situation.

"...Hang on. What if it’s not Finn’s influence, but... Jonathan’s?"

What if changing Cassandra’s fate wasn’t the problem? What if Jonathan’s involvement in her life had altered her in ways Finn never intended?

"Hah." Penny huffed faintly, pushing herself up from the desk, grabbing her things, and heading out.

---

When Penny, Atlas, and Dean had followed Jonathan that day, Penny had asked someone to run a background check on the orphanage. Much to her dismay, nothing seemed out of the ordinary—it was just another home for children without families.

She had gone through every file, especially the one managing the place and their usual clients. But there was nothing. No red flags, no hidden secrets.

Even so, Penny found herself driving to the orphanage to see it for herself. Now that she was waiting for the contest preliminaries to end, it was the perfect time for a visit.

"Sister, thank you for accepting my request on such short notice," Penny said with a warm smile to the nun standing before her.

The nun returned the smile. "No need to thank me, Mrs. Granger. We’re thrilled to have you here today. Finally."

"Finally." Penny echoed the word, watching as the nun gestured for her to walk with her.