Chapter 396: what did I do that you want to ban me from drinking?

Penny sat down behind the desk to start her day. But before she could truly begin, her phone started ringing. Glancing at the screen, her face twisted slightly.

It was Atlas.

"Second Brother is right," she mumbled, reaching for the phone. "It’s better to get this over with rather than prolong the suffering. What a busy morning, indeed!"

With that thought, Penny took a deep breath and answered the call. The moment she put the phone to her ear, Atlas’s calm, cold voice greeted her.

"Zoren Pierson," he said. "You didn’t tell me your date’s name is Zoren Pierson, Penelope Bennet."

Deep lines formed between her brows; this wasn’t what she expected to hear. "Uh... didn’t he introduce himself?"

"I heard him say Zigzag Pierson," he explained, assuming Zoren also has a speech problem.

"..."

How was that her fault now?

"And the Pierson family isn’t the only one with the Pierson name," Atlas clarified. "How was I supposed to know your date is the head of such a complicated family?"

"Haha, First Brother," she laughed awkwardly. "I thought you’d figure it out when you heard his name. After all, aren’t you supposed to know the people you shouldn’t mess with?"

"He’s not on that list, and he doesn’t interest me."

Wow! Her First Brother was surely fearless—just like her. After all, Penny herself didn’t know who Zoren Pierson was until she saw her marriage certificate. Then again, Zoren was only known in the deeper circles of the upper echelon, and even there, his name was rarely mentioned. Most articles about the Pierson Corporation focused on the company as a whole, not him.

"Well." She cleared her throat. "Now you know. How did you find out?"

’Don’t tell me you saw us last night?’ she thought but decided to stay on the safe side first.

"How?" Atlas raised an eyebrow. "You haven’t heard?"

"Would I ask if I had?"

"Your intel is bad, then."

"First Brother, are you teasing me?" she replied, a little annoyed. But when she heard Atlas’s explanation, she realized he wasn’t.

"Zoren Pierson sent his best man, Mr. Benjamin Vitt, to my office with a golden invitation," he explained. "If you don’t know what it was, a golden invitation is a card that shows Zoren Pierson’s sincerity to the recipient."

"Oh."

"Now, all our phones are ringing nonstop because people are looking for me or trying to propose business deals," he continued in his usual flat tone. "While this is good for the company, I understand his intentions. Did he really think he could bribe me with a simple card?"

Unlike Atlas’s concern, Penny had a different thought.

"Did you accept it?" she asked, curious.

"I couldn’t exactly refuse with the chairman and his beloved grandson gawking at it, could I?"

She tilted her head. "Why were they there?"

"They heard about the proposal I sent to Ito Motors."

"Ah."

"Now, they don’t seem to care about Ito Motors... or even Prime Group. Penny, I feel like your company is an insect compared to Pierson Corporation." Her face scrunched at his concern. "You should work harder so that man doesn’t hurt your pride like this. I feel sorry for you."

Was it her pride that was hurt or his?

"Anyway, I called to ask about last night," he said, clearing his throat and shifting the topic. "How was it?"

"Uh... okay, I guess?"

Atlas raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

"Yes?"

"Where did you spend the night?"

"In a good place," she replied, making it sound like she didn’t want to tell him so he wouldn’t know her hiding spot next time. To her surprise, Atlas didn’t seem to care where she stayed, as long as it wasn’t on the street.

"You didn’t sleep in the street, did you?"

"First Brother, why would I do that?"

"And did you wake up clean?"

"Huh?"

"No sign of... you know, strenuous physical activity?"

Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, now completely confused. "First Brother, what are you talking about? I didn’t do anything strenuous last night. I found a place and slept peacefully." If he asked about this morning, though, she had no control over that.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Good to hear."

"First Brother, why are you asking such strange questions?" she finally asked, unable to hold it in.

"I thought you were too drunk last night and somehow escaped," he explained, though that didn’t clarify anything at all.

She blinked, waiting for more, but he didn’t elaborate. "So? What if I was drunk? I wasn’t, but why does it matter? It’s not like I look for trouble when I am."

"..." This time, Atlas was the one left speechless. "You really don’t remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Five years ago, when I visited you and we had a drink," he said. "You still haven’t recovered your memories from that night?"

"No?" Penny furrowed her brow, trying to recall every memory she had with Atlas. But so much had happened since then that she couldn’t remember everything right away.

Atlas, on the other end of the call, shook his head. "Never mind. Just don’t drink next time, so I won’t worry."

"First Brother, what did I do that makes you want to ban me from drinking?"

"Why don’t you remember?"

"Can’t you just tell me?"

Atlas paused, his expression souring. "No. I need to get back to work. Call Zoren Pierson and tell him he’s welcome. See you later."

With that, Atlas ended the call, leaving Penny staring at her phone with a puzzled expression.

"What was that about?" she mumbled, but didn’t dwell on it as she turned her gaze to the mountain of paperwork in front of her.

Her second brother had given her a pile of documents to review, while her first brother had given her something to mull over.

"They... surely love me, do they?" she whispered, before quickly picking up her phone and blocking Slater temporarily. She didn’t want to deal with yet another brother right now. After blocking him, she sent Zoren a message to discuss something important.