Chapter 1451: Maybe having a secretary wasn’t so bad after all.

"Where is she?"

Teddy, Hayley, Shawn, and Patricia looked back at Atlas, who stood by the entrance with a grim expression. It was almost intimidating, but Hayley managed to find her voice.

"The CEO left this morning," she explained, repeating the same excuse Teddy and Patricia had given to Hugo and Grace. She smiled and added, "I don’t think she’ll be back until it’s all resolved... whatever it is."

"She left without taking any of you?" he asked, unknowingly echoing Grace’s earlier question.

Hayley smiled slightly. "That’s our shortcoming—we weren’t mindful enough."

"This should be a lesson for all of you. She isn’t the one to follow you around, but the other way around. If you’re not alert or ready at any time, you might reconsider your position." Atlas studied their faces, each wearing a different expression.

After a moment, he sighed, turned his back on them, and left without another word. Still, he managed to leave an impression.

"Is he angry?" Shawn whispered. "I feel like he just started hating us."

Hayley shook her head. That feeling was familiar—it had been the same on their first day in this office. Teddy, meanwhile, refocused on the papers in his hand. Patricia, however, was getting more curious.

At this point, Hayley and Teddy had one shared thought: They needed to get used to this.

They should’ve realized it on the day they were hired—the same day they got a glimpse of their boss’s craziness. Their days here would never be rainbows and sunshine. But in a way, it was interesting. At least, their work wasn’t just a repetitive cycle.

Glancing at everyone, Patricia pushed herself up. "Bathroom break."

Hayley and Shawn barely acknowledged her, but Patricia had no intention of lingering. As soon as she stepped out, she picked up her pace, heading for the elevator. She glanced up at the floor indicator and caught it stopping at Yugi’s floor.

"That’s weird," Patricia mumbled, rubbing her chin. "Why would Atlas stop there?"

Curious, she stepped into another lift and pressed the button for that floor. She wasn’t there to interrogate anyone or uncover Penny’s latest mess—she was just curious.

When she arrived, she found Atlas and Hugo in Yugi’s office.

"What are they doing in there?" she muttered, immediately hiding around the corner. "Don’t tell me..."

Her brows arched as she peeked again.

"They don’t look like they’re planning to leave anytime soon either."

After a brief hesitation, Patricia grinned. Since everyone was busy trying to chase people away, she figured she might as well earn some brownie points in a different way.

Moving carefully, she tiptoed to the fire exit. The elevator was too risky—if she got caught, the Bennet brothers might assume Penny had sent her to spy on them.

She only went down one floor before switching back to the elevator and heading straight for the CEO’s department. As she neared the office, she stopped.

Standing by the entrance was Slater Bennet.

Patricia scowled, slowing her steps. ’Great. Just what I needed.’

Slater’s face was flushed, his clothing slightly disheveled. And yet, with that face of his, he’d still look good even in rags.

Hands on his hips, he barked, "Don’t hide her! I know you know where she is!"

"Sir, I’m really sorry, but we have no idea," Shawn said nervously, backing Teddy, who had been the first to tell Slater that Penny had left. Hayley, meanwhile, was completely useless—too starstruck to even breathe.

"Impossible!" Slater huffed. "You’re her secretaries! How can you not know where in the world she went?!"

Shawn slowly rose from his seat—only to flinch when Slater pointed at him.

"Why are you standing? You looking for a fight?!" Slater snapped. "Because I will fight you!"

Shawn visibly paled, while Teddy sighed. Before he could respond, Slater’s phone rang.

Annoyed, Slater pulled it out, ready to decline the call. But seeing the name on the screen, he clenched his teeth.

"If Penny comes back, tell her to call me. She’s dead this time!"

With that, he stormed off.

As he passed Patricia, he purposely bumped her shoulder.

"Ow!" Patricia hissed, glaring after him. "That—"

She bit her tongue, stopping herself from cursing him out. Slater had every right to be mad, and frankly, she didn’t care about him. He wasn’t the one signing her paychecks.

But before returning to the office, she paused. Out of pure curiosity, she rushed back to the lift and checked which floor Slater had stopped on.

Yugi’s department.

"So... they’re not letting this go." She rocked her head in understanding. It seemed Penny’s brothers had no intention of leaving until they found her.

With a smug smirk, Patricia turned on her heel and skipped back toward the CEO’s office.

When she arrived, she found Teddy giving Hayley a look of pure judgment. Shawn, meanwhile, was quietly enduring Hayley’s excited squealing as she repeatedly slapped his shoulder.

But Patricia wasn’t interested in that. She was here to be Penny’s effective assistant.

Walking straight to the desk where Penny was hiding, Patricia leaned over and peeked under.

"Shit—!" Penny, hunched over her laptop, nearly jumped out of her skin. Since Patricia was positioned upside down, her hair dangling toward the floor, she looked straight out of a horror movie.

For a second, Penny thought she had transmigrated into a horror film. She patted her chest, face twisting. "What the hell are you doing?"

Patricia grinned, her usual mischievous energy oozing. "Heh."

"What?" Penny’s eyes twitched with suspicion as Patricia pulled back, only to jump into the hiding spot beside her.

"Penny." Patricia, still grinning, leaned in closer and covered the side of her mouth as she whispered something in Penny’s ear.

Slowly, Penny’s brow arched. "Really?"

"Uh-huh." Patricia nodded. "One hundred percent. They’re going to ambush you."

Penny’s face contorted as she clenched her teeth. "It’s not even my fault, damn it!"

"You should hide somewhere else," Patricia advised, wiggling her brows knowingly. "I’ll be your lookout."

Penny shot her a look. Then, slowly, the corner of her mouth curled into a smirk.

Maybe having a secretary wasn’t so bad after all.