PAMPERED BY MY THREE BROTHERS: THE RETURN OF THE NEGLECTED HEIRESS

Moments before the aircraft exploded, Nathalie simply sat in her seat after one of her men closed the door. There were only a few of them on board: her and the two pilots.

Turning her head, she caught sight of the mansion through the window. Some parts of it were on fire, smoke ascending from all directions, and even from this distance, the scent of sulfur filled her nostrils. Her throat tightened as she stared at it, tears of anger stinging her eyes.

The thought of Butler Gilbert and everything she had worked hard for falling apart made her head spin. She gripped her hands on her lap tightly, her jaw clenched. Her chest heaved heavily as she looked away from the scene. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’I am going to come back,’ she promised. ’And end all of you.’

The Bennets, the Piersons, Jonathan, the Shadow Order—every single one of them. And she would not stop until she annihilated them all.

That was a promise.

This? This wasn’t a loss.

For her, it was just the beginning... or not.

Suddenly, the aircraft’s alarm bells began ringing. Nathalie perked up and looked around.

"What—what’s going on?" Panic laced her voice as she stretched her body to the side, gazing at the pilots. "What’s going on?"

Not hearing her, Nathalie unstrapped herself and walked toward the door. She peeked through the window, and her eyes instantly dilated. There, coming from the side of their aircraft, was a rocket.

At the same time, she heard the pilots speak, saying, "Incoming danger. 3 o’clock—"

She didn’t hear the rest because she could already see it. Her breath hitched as her eyes grew wider, in disbelief at what was coming at her.

And before she knew it, fire consumed them all like a beast in hunger.

---

[Mansion]

Penny, Zoren, Charles, Slater, Angel, and Mark just stared at the falling aircraft that was still on fire. The explosion was so huge and loud that even those fighting stopped for a moment. All they did at that moment was stare at it.

Penny and Zoren especially had their mouths wide open.

"Who..." he trailed off, disbelief gleaming in his eyes. "Who did it?"

His best bet was the Shadow Order, which was now under Atlas’s command, but he wasn’t sure. But that didn’t matter for now.

What mattered was that... Nathalie was in that aircraft. Considering the explosion, it would be a miracle for her to survive that.

"She... she’s gone?" he blurted out under his breath, and instinctively, he turned his head to the people with him on the rooftop.

Zoren, for some reason, held his breath as he scanned everyone. They were all just staring at the sky, as if trying to make sure Nathalie was gone. It wasn’t like Zoren didn’t know they were here. But now that he was looking at them at this very moment, he couldn’t help but realize.

They were right all along.

He was not alone anymore, because in this life, these people and everyone... fought this with him. And right now, they were all reclaiming peace in their lives together.

---

[Short Flashback]

Zoren stood motionless beside Nathalie, her blood flooding his feet. He just stared at her, emotions gone from his eyes. How easy it was to take her down, but then again, Nathalie was just human. Sure, she was horrible, but she was not immortal.

Yet, despite all the struggles before he came to this point, he felt... completely empty.

He was not happy, nor was he relieved. Just total emptiness in this losing war.

"Perhaps you were right," he whispered, dropping his gun to the side before he turned on his heel. "You won, after all."

Because even if Zoren got everything Nathalie wanted and was able to stop her, there wasn’t really a life he wanted to return to. There wasn’t a family he wanted to rebuild, didn’t even have a friend he could ask for drinks, or just anything.

And if he was going to be completely honest, he was in utter disbelief because it was over. He was in disbelief because it ended too soon.

Now, what was he going to do?

Penny’s name was cleared. Old Mrs. Pierson was gone. Mint? Gone. The Bennet Brothers? They’d suffered just as they deserved. Jonathan? Nina? Dead. Who else was on his list?

Just one—him.

He was the only one left.

The literal last man standing, and he hated it.

---

[Present Time]

Just as Zoren recalled his own victory moment in his first life, Penny’s weight suddenly pressed on him. Out of instinct, Zoren opened his arms while she wrapped her arm around his body.

Slowly, Zoren gazed down at her with wide eyes. At the same time, she looked up at him with teary eyes.

"We did it," she whispered, her lips quivering. Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes as the tip of her nose turned slightly red.

"We did it," she repeated under her breath. "We’re... free, Renren. You’re... you’re free."

And somehow, hearing those words, he felt the sound of chains unraveling from his soul. A lump quickly formed in his throat, staring at his wife, whom he couldn’t even have a single word with in their previous life.

Tears fell on the side of her cheek, her lips forming into a relieved smile. Her brows rose, as if waiting for his reaction.

But he couldn’t even say a word at this moment. His heart was filled with so many emotions, and before he knew it, a tear rolled down his cheek as he smiled.

"Mhm," he hummed. "We’re... we’re free."

Zoren finally wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly. Resting his chin on top of her head, he whispered,

"It’s over." He nodded, only to repeat it again. "It’s... it’s over this time."

She hummed, "Mhm."

Standing at the couple’s side, Slater pressed his lips into a thin line. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his eyes softening as he stared at his sister and brother-in-law.

The words, "it’s over," sounded so surreal.

Even Slater couldn’t believe it, but it was over. And watching his sister and Zoren—everyone survived this calamity named Nathalie—brought all these emotions he had barely dealt with.

Just then, a hand squeezed his shoulder as Charles draped his arm across his shoulder. Slater perked up and turned to his dad.

Charles grinned at him, nodding. He didn’t even say anything, but the second Slater’s eyes met his, his vision blurred.

"Damn it," Slater hissed, hiding his eyes with his arm.

"Haha," Charles chuckled as he shook his son’s shoulder. "Come on, normal child."

And just like that, he dragged Slater closer to where Penny and Zoren were. As they stopped, the couple turned to him.

"Papa! Huhuhu!" Penny jumped from Zoren to Charles, hugging her father while bawling her eyes out. "I know you said not to celebrate other people’s misfortune, but I’m glad she’s dead! Whoever did that, I’ll thank him a lot!"

"Haha..." Charles chuckled as he squeezed Slater’s shoulder while rubbing his daughter’s back with the other hand. He then turned to Zoren and moved his hand from Penny’s back to reach for Zoren’s shoulder.

"You’re fine, son," he said to Zoren, nodding at him encouragingly. "We’re all fine."

Zoren smiled subtly as he nodded. "Yes."

"Let’s all go home," Charles remarked, glancing at his children with relief and gratefulness. "Just don’t tell your mother I took you on a field trip."

He then turned his head to the aircraft, which had already fallen almost out of his sight. Not just him, but everyone slowly turned their heads in the same direction, watching it until it was gone.