Chapter 1004: Tell him to breathe…!

"What I’m trying to say is... forget uttering such deadly poisons."

Sometimes, the Bennets wondered if Atlas saw everything as a competition. Zoren was already intense, but Atlas just had to be more intense. The thing was, they knew Atlas wasn’t trying to compete. His level of intensity was just unnecessarily leveling up.

"No way!" Penny gasped, squeezing herself to Zoren’s side. "Why would I forget the very words that are not even close to expressing my feelings for my husband?"

Zoren’s subtle smile stretched a little more, his lips pursing to stop himself from smiling like a fool. Atlas, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at Zoren. Atlas had to admit that Zoren’s gleeful reaction was disappointing him.

"There were other ways or phrases to express your feelings. Don’t be lazy. Be creative," Atlas suggested nonchalantly. "If you don’t believe me, then go ahead and kill your husband."

"Atlas, don’t say such things!" Allison scolded. "Stop using such violent words, please!"

"Just how intense can you be?" Charles wondered, concerned about something else. Even though Atlas lectured these two, Penny would never listen to him. Moreover, after observing his daughter and Zoren over the past few months, he had to secretly admit that his daughter was a bad influence between Penny and Zoren.

That was a secret discovery he planned to take to his grave. In other words, even if Zoren honored Atlas’s lectures, Penny would still influence him. His eldest son was just wasting his breath.

"I didn’t know saying I love you could kill," Hugo muttered, his face relaxing as he felt at ease. He giggled and turned his attention to his father. "I love you, Dad—ack!"

"Hugo, telling your father you love him with such intention—Is this how I raised you?" Allison huffed, her palm throbbing after smacking her son’s head. Who would have thought Hugo’s head was so hard? She hadn’t even put much effort into the smack, but it seemed like her son had trained whatever muscle or nerve that was surrounding his skull.

Hugo scratched his head, only to see Charles smirking at him.

"My second son, don’t worry. As a parent, even if you wish for me to die, I wouldn’t mind," Charles said, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and squeezing it until Hugo’s face twisted in pain. "I love you too, son—ack!"

Charles gasped, looking back at his wife in disbelief. "Allison!"

"Is this what you’re teaching your sons?" she replied, clearly displeased by Hugo and Charles’s humor.

How could they joke about this?!

Meanwhile, Penny ignored her second brother and father, as she was already used to it. Instead, she focused her attention on looking at her husband appreciatively.

"Don’t listen to them, Renren," she cooed, her face beaming. "Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get used to it because I’ll say it every day, starting today — I love you!"

Her face brightened, leaning in to place a quick kiss on his cheek. But when Penny drew back, the smile on her face faded slightly as she noticed Zoren’s face slowly turning red.

"Tell him to breathe," Atlas commented, peeling his back from the chair, as it seemed Zoren was choking. "Penny...? Tell him to breathe...!"

The sudden panic in Atlas’s usually flat voice stopped everyone, making them look at Zoren. When their eyes landed on him, Hugo gasped as tiny red drops dripped from Zoren’s right nostril.

"Hah..." Hugo scoffed in shock. "This is why we should listen to First Brother. He’s never wrong."

"Is he a pervert or what?" Charles gasped in dismay. "I’m getting a little uncomfortable with this progress."

******

Meanwhile...

"What are you doing here?" Haines asked Slater, putting down the cup of coffee he had been enjoying. "Shouldn’t you be there with them?"

Slater hummed as he gobbled down his bowl of cereal. "I’m okay. They don’t need me there."

"Slater, do you... sometimes feel excluded?" Haines’s question made Slater pause. Haines sighed.

He wouldn’t be surprised if that thought occasionally crossed Charles’s youngest son. After all, it held some truth. Many things were happening in the Bennet family, and everyone was aware except for Slater and Allison.

Charles and Atlas had agreed to keep them in the dark, assuming it would only make things more complicated. They couldn’t make Allison worry every second of every day. As long as she was protected, she didn’t have to carry such anxiety in her heart.

As for Slater... they simply believed it was best for him. It was also safer for them because sometimes—most of the time—Slater had a big mouth. He had spilled quite a few secrets in the past, all of them slips of the tongue... which was worse than deliberately spilling a secret.

"I can’t say much, but I’m sure your parents and siblings don’t mean harm," Haines explained, even though he knew this wouldn’t make Slater feel better.

"Uncle Haines, thank you!" Slater grinned. "Don’t worry. I don’t feel bad at all. I also know my parents and siblings have a lot on their plate, and there were situations where I had to remove myself."

"Do you feel like this situation doesn’t require your presence?"

This time, Slater didn’t answer, merely keeping a short smile. By this point, he had already finished his bowl of cereal.

A shallow breath escaped Haines as he realized Slater didn’t want to talk about it anymore. "Then do you have plans today? I can go with you if you want."

"It’s okay, Uncle Haines!" Slater flashed him a grin while cleaning up his bowl. "If my mom comes looking for me, please let her know I’m off to meet with James."

"Okay."

Haines remained silent, continuing to enjoy his coffee as Slater washed his bowl and spoon. Once Slater was done, he flashed his uncle another smile before walking away.

’I have to admit, sometimes Slater is a lot more mature than he appears. Instead of thinking badly and nurturing envy in his heart, he tries his best to understand his family.’ A short smile turned up on Haines’s face as he appreciated Slater’s maturity—until Penny’s voice suddenly thundered across the residence.

"SLATER BENNET! HOW DARE YOU?!"

Haines flinched, only to see Slater stop and shiver from head to toe.

"..." For a moment, Haines was rendered speechless until he saw Slater turn around and flee to the back exit of the kitchen.

"Did he remove himself not because he knew he wasn’t needed, but because he knew his sister was going to kill him?" Haines wondered, a little disappointed that he pitied Slater, only to remember what Slater had done to his sister’s face while Penny was asleep.

"I guess he’s fine," Haines shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee and ignoring the powerful gust of wind created by Penny’s figure as she sprinted past him. "And she’s fine as well."