Chapter 1062: Cheers to the Bennet Family

Stephen fell off the couch as he dropped the tablet onto the table. If anyone had seen him, they would have thought he had seen a ghost. But what he saw was even more shocking and baffling than any ghost.

Slowly, Stephen reached for the tablet, his hand trembling uncontrollably. He gulped, tipping the tablet to read the article. Maybe he had just seen it wrong... or maybe not.

"Ah!" Stephen tossed the tablet away again, wide-eyed. "What... what in the world?!"

He gasped, instinctively covering his mouth. His dilated eyes shook as he tried to absorb this absurd information.

How could this happen?

What was going on?

What kind of insanity was this?!

A multitude of thoughts surged in his mind in a brief moment. When he finally recomposed himself, Stephen pulled himself back onto the couch. He gulped again, picking up the tablet—this time, with no intention of tossing it away.

"I need to see this," he breathed out. "I need to know what in the world is going on right now."

Stephen forced himself to stay calm just to read the article. Once he had prepared his mind, a fire of determination blazed in his eyes as he read on.

The headline already said it all, and the content gave a summary of the new leader of Anteca’s most powerful family. It didn’t answer the other questions in Stephen’s mind, as all it mentioned was the Pierson Corporation’s future endeavors with their newly elected president.

"This isn’t right," Stephen mumbled. "This is the Pierson Corporation. How could he get in there—I just kicked him out! He should be unemployed and depressed right now!"

Stephen scrolled further, finding more articles about the new president of the Pierson Corporation. He skimmed through them, but most of them were about "what the new president of Pierson Corporation is like," "what he’s known for," and "all the other projects Atlas contributed to."

Even though he didn’t read all of them, anyone would be impressed by the long list of Atlas’s achievements. They even mentioned his accomplishments as a student, explaining why Atlas had managed to get into the Pierson Family and secure such a high position without needing marriage or connections.

"He’s basically just second to Zoren Pierson," Stephen gasped again, utterly stunned by the situation. "Wait. Does this mean... is this the reason Charles is the one buying the Miller’s Company, even though he’s already retired?!"

Once again, he found himself covering his mouth in surprise.

This was insane.

’As far as I can remember, we just started planning!’ Stephen’s eyes shook, unable to look away from the article he was reading. ’Yet, they seemed to have already done... so much...!!!’

Now that he thought about it, Charles and his children had been incredibly efficient during their first and last meeting. They wasted no time discussing important matters, throwing ideas around, and splitting tasks—just like any good team would do.

"If... if... if I didn’t tell them," he breathed out, gulping nervously. "... is this how they would screw me over?"

No, this was not how they’d screw him over. If this were a real situation where Stephen had betrayed Charles, things could’ve been much worse for him. Penny even had to purposely reduce his losses and damages, because otherwise, Stephen wouldn’t be idling in his office right now. He would be pulling an all-nighter.

"Oh, God. This gives me goosebumps." Stephen rubbed his shoulders as he shivered. "This—this Atlas Bennet! Is he crazy?! I kicked him out, but instead of fighting me fair and square, he just jumped ship to the Pierson Corporation! How would I even fight him there?!"

How could he reach him?!

His head throbbed, overwhelmed by the news. Stephen leaned back and rested for a bit, closing his eyes while massaging his brows. When his headache eased a little, he slowly reopened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling.

"I..." A shallow and airy scoff escaped him. "... lost, didn’t I?"

Now that he was calmer, Stephen finally realized what to focus on. Initially, he just wanted to go along with the plan and proceed from there. But before today, a part of him had been scared by Charles’s warning, and at the same time, curious to see if he could handle the role.

Could he do the CEO job just as well as Atlas and Charles?

Was the chairman’s decision to put Charles and Atlas at the head of the family justified? Or was it out of favoritism?

Stephen now had his answer.

It wasn’t because Chairman Bennet simply favored Atlas and Charles, nor was it because he was overly confident in his biological son and grandson. Those two... they had proven themselves. It wasn’t about family connections, but rather their skills, minds, and even their charms.

A short laugh escaped Stephen, shaking his head. It was followed by another short laugh, which slowly grew into a continuous and amused one.

"Hahaha...!" Stephen peeled himself off the couch, resting his arm on his legs. His mouth stretched from ear to ear, his teeth showing.

Pouring himself another glass of whiskey, he picked it up and swirled it leisurely.

"Those jerks..." he scoffed, laughing between breaths while shaking his head. "Ah... they really are a pain in the neck. I wonder if they realize just how exhausted everyone here was today."

His expression softened as his mouth broadened, causing the creases on the sides of his mouth and cheeks to deepen. "But overall, it was a fun day. It’s still a win... for all of us."

Surprisingly, Stephen didn’t feel bitter at all now that the reality had sunk in. If anything, he felt a sense of pride.

Who wouldn’t?

These were the people he was up against, even though it was all an act. And sometimes, even though one loses, the fact that they were up against someone so amazing and admirable was enough to build one’s confidence.

"Cheers to the Bennet Family," he whispered, raising his glass before chugging it down. While drinking, his eyes shifted to the table and skimmed through the other articles. He almost choked when he saw the next article, which featured Charles, Mr. Miller, and Theo Miller, with a gigantic headline above it:

[HEADLINE: THE NEW MILLER’S COMPANY’S STOCK REACHED AN ALL-TIME HIGH, EXPECTED TO RISE EVEN FURTHER AS INVESTORS AND CLIENTS SHOW INCREASING INTEREST...]