Chapter 314: Acknowledging the problem

Perhaps there were some things Penny had to reconsider about what Grace had told her. Initially, she expected the worst reaction from her brothers. Her mind raced far from reality, giving her a real headache.

But reality turned out to be different.

Her brothers weren’t angry or upset because a man had answered her phone late at night. They weren’t even disappointed. If anything, they were simply and purely worried about her well-being.

"I’m so disappointed in myself," Penny admitted, noticing how Atlas’s brows raised in surprise. "I thought you were going to scold me so badly that I’d end up hating you."

"Who said I won’t scold you?"

"But now, I think getting scolded is fine," she said, a smile stretching from ear to ear as Atlas shook his head at her. "I’m sorry about last night. I should’ve at least told you I wasn’t coming home."

"You didn’t even know you fell asleep," he replied. "You said you were too sleepy, didn’t you?"

She nodded. "Mhm. Very sleepy."

"Did you rest well last night?"

"Surprisingly, I feel recharged!" Her smile broadened again. "I realized I was more exhausted than I thought. It seems I’ve been pushing my body too hard since coming home."

Atlas leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. "You should lean back and relax. If you need anything, I’m willing to help."

Normally, Penny would outright refuse his help. Helping them was never a problem for her, but receiving help... that was an entirely different matter. Her brothers — especially Atlas — often offered their help, and she never once accepted it. The reason was straightforward: in case there was a falling out, they wouldn’t be able to remind her of what they’d done for her.

The only help she ever accepted from him was a simple task that anyone could do, just so it wouldn’t look like she refused their help altogether.

Was that why Atlas also didn’t want to bother her with his problems?

"Actually, I need help," Penny remarked, and much to her surprise, Atlas’s brows rose, his eyes slightly dilating in surprise.

It seemed like Atlas was shocked, as if he had just won the lottery. It was a subtle reaction, but she could see it clearly.

"What do you need?" Maintaining his usual poise, Atlas asked curiously, with a hint of willingness. "Tell me."

"I’m having problems with some guys from Smart Strategies Solutions..." Penny explained her dilemma to her brother, who had been in the business for quite some time. "Can you help me?"

Atlas fluttered his eyelashes tenderly and smiled, realizing this was the first time she had asked him for such an important favor. "Of course," he nodded. "Rest today and wait until tomorrow. They’ll shut up by then."

"Thank you," she giggled. "Then I’ll wait!"

"They wouldn’t have been giving you a hard time if you mentioned me or Dad," Atlas said with a slight sigh. "We know them."

"I don’t want them to say I’m a nepo baby and that I’m only succeeding because my family is capable."

"Aren’t we capable?"

"First Brother, I —"

"Pfftt —"

Before Penny could explain, Atlas burst out laughing. Her forehead creased as she looked at him in confusion.

"First Brother, why are you laughing?" she mumbled. "That’s not nice."

Atlas slowly recovered from his laughter. "You don’t have to explain, Penny. Everyone knows the reason."

"Huh?"

"You once said you wanted to become someone on your own," he reminded her, his eyes soft and understanding. "Although we want to help, we’re aware of what you’re trying to achieve since you accepted Professor Singh’s offer. Even so, I’m still glad if you come to me to make things easier for you. No one’s going to fault you — you’ve established Prime Group on your own, and a little bit of support from us won’t change that."

"Thank you." Her eyes softened as she nodded.

Grace was right.

Penny’s defense mechanism, developed since childhood, had grown over the years. She kept everyone close, but not close enough to feel her within reach. As a result, everyone was still careful around her.

If she hadn’t asked for Atlas’s help and tried Grace’s suggestion, she might never have heard these words from him.

’I do have a problem...’ she thought before another thought crossed her mind. ’...then, if I acknowledge this problem, what am I going to do about my attraction to Renren? It would be nice if he were in his fifties, though. That way, it wouldn’t feel so wrong.’

***

Outside Atlas’s office, some staff couldn’t help but talk among themselves.

"Sir Allen, is it really the CEO’s mistress?" one of the employees asked.

"How is that possible?"

"Should we cover this up? This information might reach people who want to bring the company down."

Allen sighed as he noticed the distress on the employees’ faces. He understood their dilemma but couldn’t help worrying about what was happening inside the CEO’s office.

"Well, just keep quiet for now," Allen ordered quietly but sternly. "Until we receive an order from the boss, don’t let anyone know that his... his mis — the woman is inside the office. We have to protect his image at all costs."

The employees’ eyes burned with determination as they nodded, ready to protect Atlas. Just as they agreed, Allen noticed a figure approaching.

"Uh, Sir Hugo!" Allen straightened his back to match the military aura of the incoming second brother. Even the employees cleared their throats and straightened up.

"I’m going to see my brother." Hugo offered them a smile, his steps slowing but not stopping. "He’s in his office?"

"Uh, yes, Sir Hugo..." Allen nodded, only to remember that Atlas was currently dealing with his mistress. "Uh, Sir Hugo, wait!"

This time, Hugo stopped. "Yes?"

"Uh... your brother is currently in a meeting," Allen explained while the other employees nodded, quietly cheering him on. "So, you might need to wait for him until he finishes."

"Ahh..." Hugo nodded. "I see. Okay, I’ll wait for him in the waiting room."

"Yes, yes."

Hugo took a step, but then he looked back at them. "Is my sister there too?"

"Sir?"

"My sister."

"Huh?" Allen furrowed his brows. "Sir Hugo, Miss Nina hasn’t come in today."

"I’m not talking about Nina, but our biological sister, Penny," Hugo explained, only to see confusion on their faces. "She’s about this tall, wearing a red dress, and has a huge ribbon hair clip."

Allen and the other employees exchanged confused looks. After a moment, their jaws dropped.

"That is... Miss Penelope!?"