Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1539

Chapter 1539: Your efforts will not be in vain

[SHORT FLASHBACK]

Slater stood under a tree, far from the burial ceremony. Half of his face was hidden beneath the hood of his hoodie as he quietly observed the gathering crowd.

That day, it felt as if the world itself mourned a great loss. The clouds slowly turned gray, and soon, soft droplets of rain began to fall, quickly escalating into a heavy downpour.

Yet the air remained still. Silent.

Until a man’s cry suddenly pierced the air. Slater couldn’t see who it was through the circle of people surrounding him, but he could tell from their body language that they were trying to console the grieving man.

"I told you! I told you!" the cry rang out. "I told you!"

I told you. _{freewebnσvel.cѳm}

Those were the only words that were heard, but the pain in them was undeniable—regret, grief, rage, all woven into each syllable.

Slater pressed his lips into a thin line, pulled his hood further down, and turned away.

I’m sorry, his heart screamed. It’s wrong... but I didn’t want to lose my family either.

Taking a life to save another — no matter the circumstance — was wrong from every angle. Slater knew this. It wasn’t that he didn’t care. He just didn’t have a choice.

No one would be happy about what he’d done. Not even Penny, if she knew. But standing in his shoes, he had been just as desperate. And so, no matter how bitter the cries were—how heavy they sat on his chest like a boulder no man should bear alone—he carried on.

Even so, as he walked away, Slater clung to a promise.

My cousin... he really likes this strawberry cake. Will you... send him one? He’ll cry ugly once he finds out.

Those were her final words.

The last words of the woman he killed.

That’s why Slater didn’t need to see who was crying. He already knew. It was her cousin—the last person Mint thought of before she died.

—

Even after the burial ceremony, after the final handfuls of soil were laid over the grave, Benjamin remained. One by one, people had left—some offering condolences, others words of comfort.

If he heard correctly, someone even told him: life goes on.

Life goes on.

"Hah," Benjamin let out a bitter laugh, his swollen eyes stinging from all the tears. "Life goes on."

Somehow, those three words enraged him in a way they shouldn’t have. He clenched his fists and stared at the freshly covered grave with fury and grief.

How could anyone say that to someone in mourning?

How?

Of course, life went on for them. But what about Mint? What about him?

This wasn’t life continuing. This was a life forever altered.

"Damn it, Mint," he muttered, raising an arm to cover his eyes as his lips trembled. "Damn it!"

He had warned her. Told her what she was doing would get her killed. But she didn’t listen. She laughed, boasted about her skills, her capability. She reassured him that nothing bad would happen.

She even smiled and told him that after this, she might finally resign.

That’s what she said.

And what he said in return was: "What if... there’s no after this?"