Chapter 1434: Does she really need us?

"Unless, of course, you noticed something earlier or in the reports, then feel free to tell me. Even though I reviewed everything myself, there are probably things I missed. If there’s nothing, then I guess there’s no reason for me to ask questions."

Penny’s smile stretched as she wiggled her brows, giving them a knowing look. However, the four of them still seemed confused.

"Well, I guess I’m not the one who needs to ask a question," she remarked, putting down her chopsticks and leaning an arm against the edge of the table. "Come on. What is it that you want to ask?"

Her eyes lingered on Hayley, then Teddy, before settling on Shawn. "What is it, big guy?"

"Huh?" Shawn’s shoulders tensed before he cleared his throat. "Miss Penny—I mean, Boss—the four of us applied for the same position and got hired at the same time. It might be too early to ask, but... who got the assistant job?"

Their eyes lit up at the question that had been lingering in their minds.

Who got the job?

Although all four of them were hired, they knew that only one would become Penny’s assistant, working closely with her. The rest would stay in the CEO’s department, handling administrative tasks. Not that they minded, but the position they applied for was to be her assistant.

"Ah!" Penny nodded in understanding, scanning their faces. "Good question! Well, I thought about it before, and the answer is... all four of you will be my assistants in different ways."

"Huh?" They uttered in unison.

"What I’m saying is, I know you all applied for the same role, but each of you has distinct qualities that make you suited for different aspects of the job," she explained. Penny pointed at Teddy, then at Patricia. "For now, these two will be following me around."

"Then you, Miss Rogers, and Mr. Lowie will stay in the office for administrative roles," she added knowingly.

"Miss Penny..." Hayley’s smile faltered slightly. "I have nothing against your decision. However, am I not suited to be your assistant as well?"

Shawn frowned slightly but didn’t protest. He knew he was better suited for office work. Still, it sounded like he hadn’t even been considered for the role.

Teddy, on the other hand, shrugged. "I’ll do my best, Boss."

"Me too!" Patricia chimed in enthusiastically. "I’ll do my best! You’ll never have to worry about anything!"

Penny scrunched up her nose at Patricia before shifting her eyes back to Hayley and Shawn. "Logically, I might’ve picked you, Miss Rogers. However, after thinking it through, I need someone competent enough to be left in the office whenever I’m not around—or whenever Yugi isn’t there. You and Mr. Lowie will make a great team because a lot of people come into the office needing to be handled properly, even in my absence."

Aside from surprise visits from friends and family with personal problems unrelated to Prime Group, Penny also frequently dealt with unpleasant visitors—people frustrated about getting rejected by her or upset over waiting months for a response.

"So, you and Mr. Lowie will stay behind," Penny continued. "Prime Group may not be my life, but it’s very important to me. I’m trusting it to you. Don’t disappoint me."

"As for these two," she gestured to Teddy and Patricia, "I’m taking them with me because, one, I need a competent assistant who can handle business matters, and two, I want someone around for the fun of it."

Patricia blinked. "But Teddy isn’t funny."

The group turned to look at her with mixed expressions.

"What?" she said with a shrug. "It’s true."

"Never mind her," Penny dismissed with a wave. "Miss Miller needs experience, so I’m bringing her along as well. I hope there are no hard feelings and that we can all work as a team. You’re not competing with each other anymore. Remember that."

A moment of silence followed as they exchanged glances. Then, Hayley, who had initially been disappointed, smiled. If Penny put it that way, she would do the job well. Besides, she wasn’t a fan of constant travel—it was exhausting. It was only her ego that was hurt because, while she liked Patricia, she knew she was more qualified than her.

As for Patricia, Teddy, and Shawn, they nodded in understanding.

"Since that’s settled, let’s eat," Penny urged with a smirk. "It’s your first day, so don’t be too hard on yourselves. You’ll get used to this... just like I’m getting used to having more people around me."

And more people meant more responsibility. Penny didn’t mind, but she knew it would be a challenge for all of them.

---

Some time later...

After their lunch with Penny, the four of them returned to Prime Group to get some real work done. Penny, on the other hand, stayed in her office for the rest of the day. Even after she left, the four of them remained behind to do some extra reading.

But then...

"Sir Yugi said she reviewed all of this by herself," Shawn mumbled, disbelief evident in his voice, breaking the thick silence in the office. "And that she might’ve missed something..."

Teddy, without even looking up, shook his head. "Yet, everything is perfect. It’s... flawless."

Hayley pursed her lips, feeling a bit humbled as she read through the reports. Since she and Shawn would be handling office work, these tasks would naturally fall on them. But with how faultless Penny’s work was—even though she did it alone—she could feel the pressure settling on her shoulders.

"She’s perfect," Shawn muttered under his breath, lifting his gaze. "Sir Yugi was just being humble."

Yugi had said Penny wasn’t perfect and that she might have missed something. However, after spending half the day reviewing her reports, Shawn could confidently say that Penny was.

"Does she even need us?" Hayley blurted out, leaning back in her chair. "I don’t think I’ll ever be this perfect..."

Her voice trailed off when she noticed someone peeking into the office. As soon as she turned her head, she froze, eyes widening.

"Uh... who are you?" Slater studied the four of them, his expression souring the moment he spotted Patricia. "What’s that ugly thing doing here?"

Patricia clenched her teeth, glaring at him. "I work here!"

"Really?" Slater laughed. "Well, I guess you got scammed."

He cast a glance around the room. "Where’s Penny?"

Hayley didn’t answer, too stunned as she stared at Slater. She didn’t even blink, mesmerized by his beauty. He was already stunning on screen, but in person? Wow. He looked even better.

Shawn glanced at Hayley before Teddy finally responded.

"Miss Penelope already left, sir." Teddy stood up politely, knowing Slater was Penny’s third oldest brother. "She went home."

"Huh? This early?" Slater frowned, checking the time before walking off without another word.

"That—that—that’s... Slater Bennet," Hayley stammered, drawing everyone’s attention. She gasped and covered her mouth. "I think I have the best job in the world."

"Tch," Patricia clicked her tongue. "Slater Bennet is a narcissist. Haven’t you heard the saying ’never meet your heroes’? You’re going to be disappointed very soon."

But Patricia’s words didn’t seem to reach Hayley, who muffled a squeal, tapping her toes excitedly against the floor.

"Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you," Patricia muttered, shaking her head. Teddy and Shawn exchanged glances, slightly surprised to see this side of Hayley.

But well, only time could tell if Hayley would be disappointed or not.