Jonathan Pierson.
One of the people who had spent an entire lifetime trying to take down Zoren and the Pierson family. He was also the man responsible for Penny’s fate in her first life, having watched her get electrocuted to death.
And just like Penny, Slater, Finn, and Lola... Jonathan Pierson also remembered the memories of his first life.
Most importantly, this man had worked for — or with — Nathalie Zorken, the mastermind behind everything.
When Nathalie died, Jonathan was arrested and locked up in a maximum-security prison cell. Since unanswered questions lingered in Zoren’s mind, he had taken extra precautions by hiring more people to protect — or watch — Jonathan inside.
He had always felt that, one way or another, someone would come after this man.
And it happened, six years later.
Actually, there had already been attempts on Jonathan’s life, but they were random and rare. Nothing enough to set off alarm bells in Zoren’s head, but enough for him to keep tabs on. Lately, however, the attempts on Jonathan’s life had grown more frequent. Hence, the increased security around him.
Seated in a large room, Zoren looked at the man across from him.
Jonathan had changed a lot physically.
Unlike the young, dashing man he used to be, Jonathan’s hair had grown very long. It was tied neatly into a low ponytail. His trimmed beard had grown out, and he looked more gaunt than the last time Zoren had seen him — about six years ago.
However, there was a faint sense of peace on the man’s face.
Peace he had never worn, even when he was out there with all the freedom in the world.
"I heard there have been quite a lot of attempts on your life," Zoren broke the silence between them. "And that you were stabbed recently."
Jonathan smiled faintly, his eyes fixed on Zoren. "I’ve forgiven him."
"..."
"The Lord has forgiven me for my sins," he added, his voice mild and his eyes soft. "So who am I not to forgive those who did me wrong?"
Yes, Jonathan had not only changed physically, but spiritually as well.
Zoren had heard that the man had been baptized and had accepted God into his life.
"Zoren," Jonathan called softly. "I am glad to see you after so many years. I thought I’d never see you again."
He sighed and looked him in the eye. "I was worried I wouldn’t have the chance to tell you... please remove the people you’ve assigned to protect me."
"I know you wanted me to live a long life to pay for my crimes, and I plan on living a long time to atone for my sins and... to serve others in the name of God," Jonathan explained. "With more attempts on my life, it puts your men in equal danger. I heard someone was hurt during the last attempt."
"I’ve hurt a lot of people with the freedom I had, and there’s no amount of apology that would make up for that," he added with a shallow sigh. "I don’t want more people getting hurt because of me anymore."
"My brother is going to get hurt because of you," Zoren returned, unfazed by this man’s change of heart. "Jonathan, I didn’t come here to listen to how much you’ve changed. I came because you’re the only one I know who has close ties to Nathalie Zorken."
Jonathan’s brows slowly rose.
"That woman is dead, but the problems she left for my family to deal with still linger," Zoren added calmly, though his expression darkened. "What else do you know about her?"
Jonathan pressed his lips into a thin line until Zoren slammed his palm against the stainless-steel surface of the table between them.
"You do not want others to get hurt because of you, and yet your silence is hurting more people."
"Zoren," Jonathan whispered. "Even if I want to answer that, I don’t have an answer."
"Nonsense."
"Believe me or not, I worked for Nathalie Zorken. However, she is not someone who would trust me with critical information because she never trusted me." Jonathan smiled wryly. "And she had every reason not to."
Even if Jonathan looked back at himself, he wouldn’t trust himself either.
A moment of heavy silence filled the room as Zoren just stared at him. It wasn’t like Zoren came here expecting an immediate answer. However, trying wouldn’t hurt.
For him, he had to do what he could to help Atlas.
Manpower was something Atlas already had at his disposal. However, even with all that manpower, information was crucial. It was useless if they didn’t know who they were fighting.
Slowly, Zoren rose to his feet, his eyes still on Jonathan.
"Jonathan, you will keep hurting people simply by existing," he said calmly, yet harshly. "And it will stay that way. There is nothing else you can do."
Having said that, Zoren turned on his heel and walked away. He had barely taken a few steps when he paused and spoke again.
"Jonathan," he said, looking over his shoulder, eyes glinting. "If something bad happens to First Brother because you kept your silence, I will make sure everything you’ve gone through since you entered this place will feel like nothing compared to what’s coming."
With that, Zoren resumed his steps.
As for Jonathan, he kept his eyes on Zoren’s figure until the latter reached the door. Zoren had just reached for the knob when something crossed Jonathan’s mind.
"The Secret Society..." Jonathan’s voice stopped him, making Zoren look back. "Zoren, I am telling the truth when I say I knew nothing about Nathalie. I may have worked for her for years and grown up under her care, but she never trusted me with anything."
"That being said... it just occurred to me that she did trust someone," he added. "That butler who was always by her side. She may have made a lot of decisions, but most of them were influenced by the butler."
A shallow breath escaped him. "The butler died that night, but I think... it’s worth looking into. With Atlas’s resources, I’m certain he could find something."
Zoren studied Jonathan but said nothing as he left.
The moment he stepped out, he pulled out his phone and relayed this clue to the people who needed it.