Chapter 1428: It’s part of the job

"Yes. I wanted to brag. See? They look capable. I told you!"

Penny beamed, grinning from ear to ear. Zoren, Atlas, and their secretaries slowly turned their heads toward Penny’s assistants. All four of them studied the newcomers, making the latter gulp a little under their scrutinizing glares.

’Why do I feel like we’re being hated on?’ Shawn wondered, swallowing hard as he caught Atlas eyeing him. He quickly lowered his gaze the second he met Atlas’s sharp eyes. ’That’s Atlas Bennet. I don’t want him to think I’m glaring at him.’

Shawn knew that Prime Group had its own rules. After seeing how Penny had "punished" Cassandra, he had a good grasp of what kind of person Penny was. However, if it were the Pierson Corporation, Penny might have reconsidered and kicked him out just because Atlas Bennet didn’t like him staring back.

Hayley and Teddy held their heads high, but they didn’t maintain eye contact for long. They simply nodded in greeting before looking away. Teddy, however, locked eyes with Benjamin, since the latter was clearly glaring at him.

"Penny." After what felt like forever, Atlas’s monotonous voice sliced through the thick silence. He cast her a casual look and said, "Just because someone looks capable doesn’t mean they are."

The three assistants quickly flinched at Atlas’s blunt remark. Patricia was the only one who remained still, as she knew she wasn’t in a position to argue with any of the Bennets.

Zoren and Benjamin nodded in agreement, while Allen scrunched up his nose.

"Are you belittling my people?" Penny scoffed, making her new recruits raise their chins slightly.

"I’m not, but if you’re basing it solely on appearance, then my point still stands."

Penny frowned. "When you hired Allen, I didn’t say anything so aggravating."

"That’s because there was nothing to say," Atlas shrugged. "Besides, even before you said anything, he had already heard all sorts of criticism from me."

"That’s not something you should be bragging about. You’re hurting Assistant Allen’s feelings," she spat out. "He might look like a weak character, but I’ve always known he is a reliable person."

"Even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have a choice." Atlas remained unfazed. "Also, I’m not the one hurting his feelings—you are, with what you’re saying."

"..." Allen pressed his lips into a thin line, darting his eyes between the siblings. ’You’re both hurting my feelings!’

"Miss Penny, Sir Atlas is just reminding you," Benjamin chimed in with a humble smile, "but I’m sure you made your decision based on the fact that they were the best among all the applicants." He tilted his head slightly. "Of course, I’m not saying there weren’t better candidates out there. I mean, if they mess up, there’s always a replacement!"

"Benjamin, that’s kind of hurtful, you know?"

Benjamin smiled, portraying himself as a saint. "I’m just trying to save you from any future disappointment, Miss Penny. I would have done more, but I’m still working for him."

"..." Penny blinked, finding Benjamin’s overly righteous demeanor suspicious. However, she didn’t dwell on it and simply shook her head—only to catch her husband smirking. ’He still hasn’t let go of this despite our morning exercise?!’

Meanwhile, the four recruits (Teddy, Hayley, Shawn, and Patricia) weren’t sure what to feel. Even Patricia could tell that Atlas wasn’t impressed. Or rather, none of these four men were happy about their hiring.

’As long as I don’t screw up, I don’t care what they think,’ Teddy thought, keeping a stoic face. That didn’t mean Atlas’s and Benjamin’s remarks weren’t insulting.

As a victim of power-tripping, Teddy didn’t appreciate what Atlas was insinuating. He could only hold on to the fact that Penny wasn’t fickle—and that the Pierson Corporation had no say in Prime Group’s decisions.

Hayley’s eyes sharpened. ’I’ll make them eat their words,’ she vowed, burning with indignation at their audacity.

’This conversation is very unpleasant to hear,’ Shawn thought, lowering his gaze. ’It’s only our first day, yet these people, who have nothing to do with us, are saying all sorts of things.’

’Gosh...’ Patricia rolled her eyes internally. ’Penny’s First Brother is insufferable. Then again, all her brothers seem to be competing for who’s the worst.’

"Get used to it." Suddenly, Atlas spoke again, his eyes now on the four recruits. "The people you’ll meet while working with her have even less of a filter than me. Or perhaps, they just have a lot more guts. Either way, it’s part of the job."

Surprised, the four of them raised their brows at Atlas while Penny smiled.

"He’s not testing you—he’s just like this," Zoren finally broke his silence. Though he disliked these four for many reasons, he still decided to share some advice. "But what he said is true. You’ll soon find yourselves being tested, simply because people will want to identify her weakest link. Don’t be the weakest link."

Benjamin narrowed his eyes at his pretentious boss. ’Are you saying this just so that when you bully them later, they’ll think it’s a test?!’

He knew his boss well—Zoren never said things like this without ulterior motives.

"They probably just said that to change the subject," Penny chuckled, waving her hand to lighten the mood. "But it is true. Hearing unpleasant things is part of your job. Don’t let it get to you too much."

She then clapped her hands together. "Right! By the way, let me introduce you to these two first."

"This guy right here is Atlas Bennet." Penny gestured toward Atlas, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Her grin stretched until her eyes squinted. "He’s my First Brother."

Shawn, Hayley, and Teddy: "..."

For a second, the three of them just stared at Penny’s bright smile before their mouths fell open. Their eyes widened, Penny’s words echoing in their minds.

Did she just say... Atlas Bennet was her brother?

"You wouldn’t know that because there aren’t any articles about me." Penny laughed it off. "But yeah, he’s my brother. So be extra patient with him. It’s still unclear whether he was an accident child or not, so he can be quite bitter sometimes."

"..." Atlas shot Penny a death glare, but she just laughed.

Meanwhile, the other three still hadn’t recovered from the bombshell she had just dropped. Her last comment barely registered. But before they could process it fully, Penny turned to Zoren.

"And this man right here is Zoren Pierson." Penny gestured toward Zoren. She didn’t bother addressing Patricia, as the latter already knew.

"Zoren... Pierson?" Shawn blurted out, biting his tongue as soon as he realized he had spoken aloud. ’What did she mean, Zoren Pierson? As in... that Zoren Pierson? That man—!!!’

The three of them held their breaths, staring at Zoren with wide eyes. Seeing their reaction, Benjamin smirked.

"Yes," Benjamin’s chest swelled with pride. "The one and only CEO Pierson of the Pierson Corporation."