Chapter 416: It’s humiliating.

Meanwhile, at the Bennet Mansion, the reason Penny hadn’t reached out to Zoren was because...

"Wow..." Penny’s eyes twinkled as she clasped her hands together.

Standing outside the residence with her were Charles and Haines, both smiling happily at her. Their eyes shifted to the sports car that had just stopped in front of them.

"Wow..." Penny repeated in awe.

Slater stepped out of the red sports car, his lips curving upward at the sight of everyone’s impressed faces.

"Hehe." Slater touched the tip of his nose, standing confidently in front of them. When his eyes landed on Penny, he smirked. "Penny, can you see my new car? It’s amazing, isn’t it?"

"Oh, my goodness..." Penny covered her mouth, her eyes almost teary.

Slater shook his head at his sister’s expression. "I know you want to drive it, but it’s brand new. How about I take you for a ride? Maybe I’ll change my mind and let you..."

Vroom!

Slater trailed off at the sound of another engine approaching. His eyes shifted toward the noise, landing on a big black motorbike pulling up in front of them.

"Wow!" Penny exclaimed as she rushed to the motorbike, where Hugo was taking off his helmet. Haines and Charles followed, smiling at Penny’s excitement.

"It came early!" she beamed, looking at Hugo, only to see him jerk his chin toward their father. Penny turned to Charles, her excitement uncontainable, and hugged him. "Papa! Thank you so much! I thought it would take months to arrive!"

The proud grin on Slater’s face vanished. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at his flashy sports car, opening and closing his mouth in disbelief. He had thought they were all there to admire his new car.

Who would have thought they were waiting for a mere motorbike?

Slater scrunched up his nose and huffed. "Penny! How can you ignore my new car over some motorcycle?!" He pointed a finger at them, interrupting the small celebration his family was having.

Still clinging to Charles, Penny turned her head toward Slater. Haines’s smile slightly stiffened, and Hugo tilted his head at his brother.

"Slater, what are you going on about now?" Charles frowned at his third son, who was once again throwing a tantrum.

Penny slowly released her father as they all faced Slater. "That’s your car?"

"Yes!" Slater jumped to the side, grinning proudly, giving them a better view of his car. "What do you think?"

"Wow..." Penny clapped halfheartedly. "That’s a pretty car, Third Brother."

Hugo nodded, his expression neutral. "Nice car, Slater."

’That’s a new car?’ Haines thought, unsure if Slater already had one like it or if it just looked the same.

"Slater, that is a super, duper, mega, hyper... great!" Charles exaggerated, emphasizing each word to hype Slater up while nodding in approval. "Good job, son. You never cease to make your father proud. Anyway, Penny, you should also thank your First Brother for this."

Slater’s proud expression froze as Charles continued talking to Penny. When Slater looked at Hugo, he was already focused back on Penny. He then glanced at Haines, who offered him an apologetic smile before returning his attention to Penny.

"Hah!" Slater gasped, placing a hand over his chest. He glanced at his new car, remembering how excited he’d been to show it off. Yet, their attention was all on that motorbike!

"I got this car so she could use my other one," Slater muttered, crossing his arms as he stared at his sports car. "They’re really heartless when it comes to me. I’m not going to talk to them."

He raised a brow and glanced back at his family. "I’m not talking to anyone!" he yelled, but they continued their conversation. "I’m really hurt! My feelings are hurt!"

"Oh, that’s why..." Penny nodded with a smile. "Well, I’ll thank First Brother for putting a priority order on my motor shipments. Still, thanks, Dad, for contacting your friend at customs."

"Ah, don’t mention it." Charles waved it off. "It was actually Haines’s contact."

"I just made the call, but he wouldn’t have agreed if you hadn’t persuaded him," Haines said modestly, not wanting to take all the credit when Charles had done much of the work.

Hugo chuckled. "Why don’t we celebrate tonight? Mama’s seems like a good place to celebrate Penny’s motorbike arrival."

"Hello?" Slater called out, trying to get their attention, but they continued planning. "It’s just a motorbike! Why do you need to celebrate it? It’s even dangerous for her to ride it!"

This time, everyone stopped and turned toward Slater. It wasn’t that they hadn’t heard him earlier—they had simply chosen to ignore his gloating.

"What do you mean, son?" Charles furrowed his brows. "We’re not only celebrating Penny’s motorbike arrival but also yours!"

Slater blinked. "Huh?"

"Didn’t you get a new car, Slater?" Hugo smiled kindly. "Unlike Penny’s old motorbike, yours is definitely worth celebrating."

"It’s the fruit of your hard work," Haines added with a smile. "It’s not about the vehicle, Slater. It’s about how you earned it. We’ve all seen how hardworking you are, so celebrating makes sense."

"He’s not going to believe that, is he?" Penny murmured as Slater’s expression brightened. "Oh my god, my brother is so gullible."

Slater smiled, slapping the hood of his sports car. "Hehe. That makes sense... Please, tell me more!"

"Let’s just head to Mama’s." Charles cleared his throat, raising a fist to his lips. "Slater, bring your car and show it to your mother." He was certain Allison would stroke Slater’s ego.

"Okay!" Slater grinned, pleased. "Penny, want to ride with me?"

"No, thanks."

"Dad?"

"My doctor says I should only ride in normal cars because it’s better for my heart, but thank you, son."

"Uncle Haines?"

"My leg is bad, Slater. I need more room, so I’ll ride with your father."

Slater then looked at his last hope. "Second Brother?"

Just as he asked, another engine sound filled the air. Slater turned to see a man on a motorbike. Before he could wonder who it was, Hugo spoke up.

"Sorry, Slater, but I’ve got my own ride," Hugo grinned. "But thanks."

"..."

No one in this family loved Slater, did they? He frowned, finding yet another reason to drink tonight. Just as he was about to sulk, a light beamed at them. Turning around, hope resurfaced in his heart as he recognized Atlas’s car.

"First Brother!" Slater rushed to the car, eagerly waiting for Atlas to step out. "First Brother, we’re planning to go to Mama’s. Do you want to ride with me? I got a new car."

"A new car?" Atlas tilted his head, scanning the surroundings. "Where?"

"That one — can’t you see?!" Slater pointed at his car, stepping aside so Atlas could see it clearly.

Atlas blinked, staring at the flashy sports car before flatly saying, "That... hurts my eyes. I’d rather drive a truck or get run over by one than be seen riding in that. It’s humiliating."

At that moment, everyone — Penny, Charles, Haines, and Hugo — heard something shatter. They all knew it was Slater’s heart.

"Poor guy," Haines muttered, shaking his head, and the others joined in. "Really... such a poor guy."