Chapter 1369: Let them rest today

[PIERSON CORPORATION]

"Mr. Bennet, this is nonsense! How can you just reject this project when it has nothing to do with your office?!"

"This is an abuse of power! If not, then why are you meddling in a negotiation we’ve been working on for years?!"

"This negotiation is being handled by Director William and our office! How could you intervene and stop it?! We need a reasonable explanation for this!"

Atlas sat motionless in his office, staring at the three men roaring across the desk. They had barged in unannounced, shouting about something he had done. Surprisingly, William was not among them, even though Atlas had expected him to come and be buried alive under the weight of his own mess.

Well, William probably wasn’t ready for his burial yet.

Without a word, Atlas pulled open a drawer and retrieved a document. Rising from his seat, he stopped upon noticing the three men instinctively take three steps back.

Was that a trauma response?

"Wha—what are you going to do, Mr. Bennet?!" one of them stammered. "We came here with a reasonable concern about the company!"

"That’s right! Intimidation won’t work if that’s what you’re planning!"

"Mr. Bennet, we need answers right now!"

Atlas blinked slowly before murmuring, "I woke up today and chose peace. Please don’t make me change my mind."

He pressed the telecom button, connecting to Allen’s desk. "Can you ask the legal team what charges I could consider aside from slander?"

"Got it, sir."

"Huh?" The three men snapped their heads toward Atlas in disbelief. Had he just ordered his assistant to find a legal fault in the three minutes they had been here?

"The lead department for this project is Director William’s office. So if there’s anyone I owe an explanation to, it’s him," Atlas said in his usual flat tone, raising the document in his hand. "Please reach out to him after I deliver this to him in person. He’ll explain everything to you."

With that, Atlas shoved one hand into his pocket, walked past them, and left his office—leaving the three men standing there in shock.

They exchanged bewildered glances before shooting the door a frustrated look.

---

[PIERSON CORPORATION: William’s Office]

William smirked, rubbing his chin as he gazed at the documents in front of him. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he chuckled to himself.

"I knew it," he muttered. "That brat, Dean Pierson, is up to something. Hmm... what should I do with this?"

According to the report from the private investigator his lackey had hired, Dean had been following Cassandra Smith for quite some time now. Considering Cassandra was one of Jonathan’s key pawns in strengthening his position within the Pierson family, William could easily see what Dean was trying to sabotage.

"That Jonathan..." William mused, narrowing his eyes. "Even if he’s been a disappointment for some time now, he’s still useful one way or another—"

BAM!

William nearly jumped out of his chair, his heart slamming against his ribcage at the sudden noise. His shaky gaze snapped to the source of the sound.

Standing at the entrance of his office was the ice king himself, the man who acted as if he had been conceived by heartache, disappointment, and resentment—Atlas Bennet.

The moment Atlas stepped in, William panicked and hastily dragged a document over the investigation report.

"A-Atlas!" William frowned deeply, his expression dark with irritation. "How can you just barge into my office without permission?"

Atlas stopped in front of the desk, eyeing William with his usual disinterest. As he placed the stack of papers down, he arched a brow slightly, catching a glimpse of the document William had just tried to hide beneath the pile.

"Ahem!" William cleared his throat loudly, pressing his arm over the papers. "Mr. Bennet, you are becoming increasingly rude. Even if you are the appointed COO of Pierson Corporation, you should know better than anyone the importance of respect."

"My father used to say respect is default," Atlas replied, locking eyes with William, making the older man flinch. He slowly tapped the stack of documents on the desk. "And disrespect is earned."

"What did you say?"

"Director William, I didn’t get a good night’s sleep because of this project. And yet, I still woke up choosing peace," Atlas continued, raising a brow. "Are you trying to change that decision?"

William nearly bit his tongue. ’Now that he mentions it... he didn’t say a word to me when I bumped into him earlier this morning.’

Considering how Atlas usually monitored his every move to the point that he was practically camping outside William’s office, today had been unnervingly peaceful.

Atlas took William’s silence as agreement.

"This documentation explains why the project is being postponed. I am not shutting it down—our company has already invested too much money. However, the other party needs to address their shortcomings," Atlas said, straightening his posture. "Report back to me once you’ve read these documents and fixed the problems. Otherwise, you might find yourself clearing your desk and packing your staff off to prison. The materials being used are substandard."

"Unless, of course, you were aware of this," he added coolly. "In which case, that would be an entirely different problem... For you."

He leaned in slightly. "Fix it before it reaches Zoren Pierson’s ears."

Having said his piece, Atlas turned and walked out, leaving the office door wide open. William sat there, exposed to the eyes of every employee outside his office.

His face flushed red with anger as he clenched his fists. But before he could lash out—

"Medic?" Dean Pierson’s voice rang from the door, peeking his head to look at him. His lips curling into a smug smile. "Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll call your personal nurse to check your blood pressure. Just take deep breaths while I make the call."

Then, with a smirk, he shut the door before William could react.

"That brat—!" William’s breath hitched, his nape stiffening as his fury boiled over. He held the back of his neck, groaning. "That brat... How does he have so much free time—ugh, happy thoughts, happy thoughts!"

Meanwhile, outside, Dean chuckled as he turned away. He noticed some employees staring at him like fools.

"Don’t worry about him," he said casually. "Director William said he’s fine, so let’s all leave him alone. Otherwise, he might lash out at you. It’s best to give him space. You’re welcome."

With that, Dean strolled away with a satisfied grin, making no move to actually call the medical team for William. His uncle could just die because of him, and he would still laugh about it.

"Poor guys," he muttered to himself. "They’re not his personal slaves. Let them rest today."