Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1378

Chapter 1378: that jackass has known all along

Cracking the encrypted file was as easy as breathing for Penny. It didn’t even take her ten minutes. However, reading its contents took much longer. She was so engrossed that she lost track of time. If not for Zoren, she would have kept reading.

She learned quite a bit about the orphanage. For one, it was a legitimate institution with wealthy clients from all over the world. But something about it seemed off, prompting Penny to dig deeper and review the records of all the children who had been adopted over the years.

One particular detail stood out—Jonathan had once been among the children there. But what surprised Penny wasn’t his presence at the orphanage; it was the information about him.

According to the records, Jonathan was a runaway. That wasn’t shocking, considering that in this lifetime, he had the mind of an adult. However, what caught her attention was that he hadn’t escaped alone—at least ten other children had gone with him. All of them had vanished.

And his name wasn’t Jonathan.

It was... Nathaniel.

"Nathaniel," she whispered, her brows furrowing as she recalled the file in her mind. "What are the odds?"

Zoren, seated in the backseat with his wife, observed her closely. Ever since he had picked her up this morning, Penny had been preoccupied with the files she had read. Even now, on their way to her office, she barely spoke to him—just muttering to herself as if lost in thought.

"Having a different name as a child and receiving a new one after adoption isn’t unusual, Penny," he said, watching her as she turned to him. "Although it’s unsettling that he originally had the same name as Nathaniel the Gardener, I don’t think it’s something we should focus on."

Penny pressed her lips together, her gaze conflicted. "But, Renren, isn’t it suspicious that he’s the only one without any information about where he came from? Even the abandoned children left outside the orphanage had records. But his? It’s completely blank."

"You haven’t gone through all the records yet," Zoren pointed out. "We can’t say more right now. I’ll help you look through them."

A heavy sigh escaped Penny as she massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Seeing this, Zoren reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He waited for her to meet his gaze before speaking.

"If you need to take the day off, just say the word. I can handle your office for a day," he offered. "I mean, I’ll do the work in my own office, but I’ll cover for you."

"It’s fine, Renren." Penny waved a hand weakly. "I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." She gave him a reassuring smile. "But I do need your approval on something."

"What is it?"

"The engagement between Cassandra and Jonathan," she said. "I want to be a part of it."

"That shouldn’t be a problem. You’re my wife—you don’t need my permission for that."