[Pri Group]
Patricia flinched when the office door flew open from the inside.
"Patricia." Holding the door open, Penny looked at her in disbelief. "Can you tell which part of ’I don’t want visitors today’ you didn’t understand?"
Patricia sighed, having seen this coming a mile away. "Penny, I swear to God, I did my best to block them. But your First Brother looked at like he was burning my soul, and your Second Brother flexed his muscles — it was disgusting."
"And they said it was important — like soone’s dying kind of ergency," she added in a knowing tone. "Please don’t be mad anymore."
Just as those words left Patricia’s mouth, three lunch boxes landed on the reception desk. "I brought you these."
"You think you can keep bribing ?" Penny scoffed, eyeing the lunch boxes before arching a brow. "What are those, anyway?"
"They’re homade. My mom told to bring them to you."
"And you’re just giving them to now?"
"Hehe." Patricia chuckled awkwardly. "My Spidey senses told to wait for the perfect ti."
"Tch." Penny clicked her tongue. "You can’t bribe this ti."
But as she turned and closed the door, she muttered, "Heat them and send them to ."
Click.
Patricia’s face lit up, and she giggled, ntally thanking her mother for making those homade dishes that morning. Fortunately, Mrs. Miller knew how to curry favor with people in power — it was how she’d survived in this vicious world.
anwhile, Mark shook his head in disbelief. Though he wasn’t sure what stunned him more — Penny’s lack of pride when it ca to food or Patricia’s sheer luck.
But the longer I stay here, the more I think she actually suits that position.
---
Inside the CEO’s Office
Penny shut the door behind her. Sitting inside were the exact reasons she’d been scolding Patricia — her First and Second Brothers.
Atlas wore his usual indifferent expression while lounging on the couch. Hugo, in contrast, was grinning.
"I kinda like her," Hugo nodded approvingly. "Free food!"
Penny crossed her arms under her chest, tapping her foot irritably. "So, you’re telling Second Brother is staying in my penthouse for the ti being, huh?"
"I don’t think I said anything else," Atlas replied monotonously. "Since we’re keeping his hospitalization a secret from our parents, he can’t go ho yet."
"My God..."
"Penny, it’s fine if you don’t want to!" Hugo clicked his tongue and flopped back on the couch. "I already told him I’d just live with you guys. Zoren said Go for it."
"You can’t live with them because everyone in the mansion hates you right now," Atlas replied in the sa flat tone. "And Renny still hates you too."
"First Brother, how would you even know that?" Penny and Hugo asked in unison.
"I showed the two piglets your picture before I picked you up," Atlas said, his expression unchanged. "The mont Renny saw your face, he started growling. Chunchun, on the other hand, tore it apart. They even pissed on it."
Both Hugo and Penny stared at him, faces twitching in disbelief.
"Seriously?" they asked again, simultaneously.
Atlas nodded. "Yes."
Hugo groaned, already dreading the idea of begging for forgiveness. He’d even kneel on salt if it would help Renny and Chunchun forgive him. He didn’t care about the human bodyguards, though.
Penny, anwhile, couldn’t help but judge Atlas’s thods — effective but cruel. She knew her First Brother always had his way of confirming things before making decisions.
"But First Brother, can’t you offer him your place instead?" she asked. "I know you’re staying at our parents’ ho, but you’ve got your own place to offer."
"Penny, the more you suggest things, the more I think you don’t care about Hugo at all."
"Excuse ?"
"My place isn’t available — it’s under renovation," he said. In reality, he just didn’t trust Hugo not to trash the place. Sure, Atlas had been staying at their parents’ ho since Penny arrived, but knowing Hugo was in his apartnt? He wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
"Besides, Slater is moving back into his condo because of his schedule," he continued. "I asked him, and he plainly said no. He said he’d rather die than have Hugo ss with his things."
"You guys... You’re making it sound like I’m a ss," Hugo muttered, scrunching his nose. "Is this what brotherhood is?"
Ignoring his comnt (and feelings), Penny scoffed. "So why ? Third Brother said no, so I can say no too, right?"
"You’re the youngest," Atlas said flatly. "It’s the burden of the youngest."
Penny puffed her cheeks and narrowed her eyes at him. Atlas simply shrugged. As for Hugo, this whole conversation only reinforced how unwanted he was.
"Fine!" Penny finally rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat. She shot a glare at Hugo. "But Second Brother, I’m warning you — don’t eat Yugi’s and Uncle Wild’s snacks. There’s plenty of food in the fridge, so just eat what’s mine in there."
Hugo collapsed onto the couch and shrugged. He wasn’t thrilled, especially after hearing all that, but he knew he had no one to bla but himself. Butler Jen had seen how many things Hugo had broken — accidentally or not — back at the mansion.
"If that’s all, then go," Penny sighed, walking back to her desk. She sat down with a yawn. "I’ll inform my people so they don’t stop you when you show up at the penthouse."
"Penny, why do you keep yawning?" Hugo asked as he and Atlas rose from their seats.
"Huh?" Penny looked up at them and smiled faintly. "I’ve been studying lately. Working two jobs isn’t easy."
Again, Penny yawned as she refocused on the work she was doing before her brothers ca in. As for Atlas and Hugo, their brows rose as they studied their sister. They exchanged puzzled looks, but neither of them had any idea what to do.
Even so, they didn’t dwell on it and simply bade her farewell. They left the office with Atlas not bothering to take Hugo to the penthouse, while Hugo took the other lift to the penthouse.
****
[Pierson Corporation]
Allen stayed at the end of the hallway, his head peeking out. His eyes studied Benjamin’s figure, sighing heavily.
"Until now, he’s been very quiet," he whispered, wincing as he looked away with a heavy heart. "He’s really not in the mood for anything."
Allen felt a strong bitterness creep into his heart as he ntally wept.
Who am I going to gossip with about one of our colleagues’ divorce because her husband cheated on her with her sister?!
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