Chapter 1430: Have I seen him somewhere?

"I am not happy with this," Zoren expressed, seated in the backseat of the car with Atlas. His mouth curved downward as he recalled how Penny had insisted he ride with Atlas while she traveled separately with her new hires. "I think they’re going to be a hindrance to our happy ending."

Atlas, sitting beside Zoren, acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He simply stared out the window, watching the passing scenery, though there was nothing particularly interesting outside.

"First Brother." Zoren snapped his eyes toward Atlas’s profile. "Should I make them go away?"

"I want you to go away," Atlas replied flatly, still gazing out the window.

"..." Zoren studied Atlas’s face before looking away. "They’ll screw up in the future. I’ll make them go away then."

Atlas shook his head mildly, dismissing Zoren’s dramatic words. He often wanted to make people disappear too, but instead, the world just kept getting more crowded.

Had he complained?

Zoren was certainly being dramatic. Must be Benjamin’s influence.

"By the way, First Brother," Zoren raised a brow and looked at Atlas. "Someone reported that your car is overweight. Apparently, a few presents even fell out in the parking lot. Do you need extra storage for your gifts for Penny?"

Atlas paused, this time casting a sharp look at Zoren. "You better not breathe a word about this."

"I know. That’s why I haven’t mentioned anything—yet. Do you need extra storage? From what I heard, the two you already rented are full."

"..." Was Zoren spying on him? Atlas didn’t dwell on the thought and simply nodded. "Give me one. My car’s completely packed—I can’t even sit anywhere but the driver’s seat."

The corners of Zoren’s mouth curled up as he nodded in understanding.

Zoren knew Atlas wasn’t just busy handling Pierson Corporation’s affairs—he was also busy buying gifts for Penny, his version of peace offerings. Ever since Atlas learned that this was her second life and realized how terribly he had treated her before, he had been buying anything that remotely caught his eye.

Yet, for some reason, Atlas hadn’t given Penny a single one. Zoren didn’t know why, but what he did know was that Atlas had already filled two storage units with gifts for her—and now needed a third.

It was also why Atlas hadn’t been using his car. It was full.

---

Meanwhile, in the van driving ahead of Atlas and Zoren...

"Are you sure about taking those two with us today?" Yugi, seated beside Penny, turned to her. "I don’t think they’re the type to enjoy this kind of event."

"I heard they’re preparing a huge budget for our next product, so I’m giving them ’family privilege.’" Penny’s face brightened, her eyes gleaming like dollar signs.

Seeing this, Yugi’s expression twisted in exasperation. He knew Penny was obsessed with money, despite the endless flow of cash in and out of the company. But right now, she looked like she was already calculating a price way beyond their original target.

"’Family privilege’ means giving them a discount," he pointed out.

"Yugi, business is business. Do you think those two—whose egos are bigger than the world itself—would even want a discount?" she replied shamelessly. "Though, I swear I’m not thinking about adding a couple of extra zeroes to the target price."

’But that face tells me you just did,’ Yugi thought but kept his mouth shut. Instead, he glanced at the seats behind them.

Teddy, Shawn, Patricia, and Hayley sat quietly. Aside from Patricia, none of them were even using the ride to look out the window. Not that there was much of a view, but still.

"This is a one-hour ride," Yugi said. "Relax."

Raising her brows, Penny also turned to glance at the four before flashing a smile. "In case no one’s told you yet, Prime Group is hosting its first-ever cyber security competition. The preliminaries have been ongoing, and today is the last day before the main event. It’s nothing major, but make sure to take notes."

She then cast Yugi a knowing look, making him chuckle and shake his head. With that, the two engaged in a more significant discussion about the event, though they barely touched on anything truly important—while their passengers behind them listened attentively.

---

An hour later, Penny’s group, Atlas, and Zoren arrived at the event venue.

Though this wasn’t the main event, the place was already bustling with people. They entered through the back door—avoiding media attention—and headed straight to the VIP lounge on the second floor.

From behind the tinted glass, Penny, Yugi, Atlas, and Zoren stood watching the competition floor below, where a large crowd had gathered.

Five long tables filled the space, each seating at least twelve competitors. Every participant sat in front of a computer, their fingers moving tirelessly across the keyboards and mouse, their expressions focused and determined.

"They just look like they’re playing," Hayley whispered from the other side away from her boss and the event’s sponsors, observing the competitors. "Playing a game they’re all losing."

"And this is just the preliminaries," Teddy added, keeping his expression unreadable—he couldn’t afford to mess up here.

"So many people..." Shawn muttered in quiet amazement. "Wow."

"What are they even doing?" Patricia blurted out, frowning. The other three cast her a look at the same time. "What?"

Teddy sighed, shaking his head, while Hayley offered a small smile.

"They’re trying to crack one of Prime Group’s cyber security prototypes," Hayley explained, eyes fixed on the competition. "Those who succeed will move on to the next round."

"But by the looks of it, either they’re not competent enough, or this prototype is ridiculously hard to crack," Shawn added, his voice mild but thoughtful.

"But it’s just a prototype. It’s meant to be cracked," Patricia pointed out.

"That’s the point," Teddy replied, his demeanor cool but forthcoming. "This code is meant to be broken. But still..."

Just as he trailed off, a loud buzzer rang through the hall. At the same time, most competitors either slammed their hands on the table in frustration or hung their heads in defeat.

"Out of sixty players, only five got it," Teddy noted, his eyes on the successful participants. "If a prototype is already this tough to crack, imagine how secure the final product will be."

Hayley and Shawn nodded in agreement, feeling a mix of awe and pride. Patricia, however, glanced from Teddy back to the competition floor.

Her brows furrowed as she scanned the five remaining players. Her eyes lingered on one of them.

Nathaniel.

’He looks... familiar.’ Patricia frowned, tilting her head slightly. ’Have I seen him somewhere before?’