Chapter 452: Can I see your marriage license?

Meanwhile...

"Hmm..." Penny and a few of the men with her held the menu up to their faces. She slowly peeked over the top, squinting as she eyed her first brother and Zoren.

From the looks of it, Zoren and Atlas were casually talking. Her lips formed an "O" shape, a little surprised at how peaceful both men appeared. It was as though they were just friends catching up over tea.

"Miss Penny," one of the men whispered, his head lowered until his chin was almost touching the table. "I don’t think we should be here now. They seem to be getting along well!"

Another peeked over the menu before ducking back down. "I think we should go."

Their location provided enough cover, but if only they acted normally, they would have looked less suspicious. Alas, because of Penny, the two men with her couldn’t help but attract more attention than intended.

"This is suspicious," Penny muttered, squinting as she lowered her head until her chin was almost touching the table. "They shouldn’t be getting along."

"Huh?" Both men looked at her in disbelief. "Miss Penny, what do you mean by that?"

"Don’t you want your brother and lover to get along?" one of them asked.

Penny shook her head. "That’s not it. I do want them to get along."

"Then why—?"

"Because that’s my first brother, alright?" she explained, noticing their even more confused expressions. She sighed and cleared her throat. "Here’s the thing: I’m the only daughter of the Bennet family. So, my father and brothers are overly protective of me."

"So?"

"So, whoever I date, they’re not going to like him or approve of him easily. Even if he’s an archangel sent from heaven."

The men furrowed their brows, their faces soured. "But Miss Penny, shouldn’t you be more worried about your father?"

"I mean, as a father, he’d be the one to fight for you and break your suitor’s morale."

"That’s right." Both men nodded in unison.

Penny shook her head. "My dad would try to do that, but I’m afraid he’d faint or have a heart attack before he could even cock his shotgun. So, that job falls to my first brother."

"Not to mention, I still have two other brothers. My second brother is the least of my worries, but the third one? He’s the one I’m really terrified of," she added with a heavy sigh.

Hearing this, deep lines appeared between the men’s brows. They had worked for Penny for a long time, but since they had been based in another country, they rarely heard much about her brothers. Even so, from the little information they have about her family, they knew Atlas and Hugo weren’t to be underestimated.

Haines and Penny only had praise for them. But the third brother? Penny rarely mentioned him.

"Miss Penny, isn’t that third brother the celebrity?" one of the men asked. "The handsome one?"

"Yes, that’s Slater," Penny nodded. "That narcissistic and vain guy we see everywhere."

"Oh..."

The other man, Rowin, leaned forward. "Is he dangerous?"

"You could say that." She nodded. "So, do you understand my dilemma now?"

Rowin and Miguel stared at her, blinking. "No."

"Aish! Goodness, you two!" Penny raised a hand as if to smack them, but stopped herself. Clicking her tongue, she shook her head in disappointment. She had hoped they’d grasp her worry after all she said, but they clearly didn’t.

Clearing her throat again, she rested her arm on the table, looking at them seriously. "Okay, here’s another thing," she began, darting her eyes between their faces. "Renren told me something odd earlier today."

"Miss Penny, if this is about him professing his love for you, please, I’m not interested," Miguel said, almost pleading.

"I’m also not interested."

She deadpanned. "You guys are getting cheeky," she muttered, but deep down she knew her men had always been like this. She let it go with a sigh. "That’s not it. Zoren told me he wants to meet my family because he’s ’taking his wife home.’"

"Huh?" Both men scrunched up their noses. "Isn’t that just another way of professing his love?"

"Shut up." Penny grumbled, glaring at them. "This isn’t the time for this, alright?"

When Zoren had said those words earlier, Penny was confused. When she asked what he meant—because she didn’t want to assume he was asking for her hand—Zoren had simply flashed her an innocent smile.

She was now unsure if he meant he was literally taking her home to live with him, or if he was asking for her hand so her family wouldn’t be shocked to learn she had already been married for five years.

"What a headache," she grumbled, freezing when she sensed an ominous presence standing nearby.

Not just Penny, but Miguel and Rowin also froze as they felt a deliberate stare from their side. Slowly, the three of them looked up, only to see Zoren and Atlas standing right beside their table. They awkwardly smiled.

"Hehe..." Penny chuckled nervously. "Hi, Renren... First Brother?"

To her horror, Atlas returned her smile with one of his own. Everyone knew that Atlas smiling was far more dangerous than him frowning. Her heart raced as she saw the look on his face.

Atlas didn’t say anything to her. Instead, he turned to Zoren. "Zoren, I’ll take Penny with me. It’s a good thing she’s already here."

"First Brother—" She stopped and turned to Zoren for help, shaking her head to signal him to intervene. Unfortunately, her husband didn’t get the message.

Zoren smiled understandingly at Atlas. "Take care on your way." Then, he turned to Penny. "Call me when you get home."

Penny: "..."

"Let’s go," Zoren urged the men with her, turning to leave. Miguel and Rowin quickly followed, eager to escape Penny and her brother’s wrath. Penny jumped from her seat.

"Wait—" she stopped when Atlas clasped the back of her shirt collar. Facing him, she forced a nervous smile. "First Brother... hehe. What is it this time?"

Still smiling, Atlas said only one thing: "Penny, can I see your marriage license?"