Chapter 455: What a situation she got herself into

A little part of Atlas wanted to believe that his sister wouldn’t marry a man on the brink of death. He wanted to believe she wasn’t crazy enough to take advantage of a dying man. That’s why he asked for the marriage certificate—he didn’t want to believe Zoren.

But this little document in his hand, confirming Zoren’s explanation, made it clear: Penny’s most dangerous poison was alcohol.

"Ah..." Atlas ruffled his hair in frustration, unable to stop glaring at her again.

Penny flinched a little, frowning. "Sorry for not telling you, First Brother," she said pitifully, hoping Atlas was calm enough to hear her out. "I swear, I didn’t know at first. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you. You already have your hands full with the Bennet Family and the company."

She studied him, hoping her explanation would calm him down. When she noticed that Atlas only gave her a deadpan look, she cleared her throat.

"I wanted to investigate it first, okay?" she continued. "After all, neither Zoren nor I knew we were married until the day of my supposed sham wedding. That’s where our story began, and things just went from there. It’s not like I wanted this to happen."

’Not wish for this to happen?’ Atlas scoffed inwardly. ’You caused all of this!’

He huffed, then sighed. Although shocked by the news of her marriage, he still remembered Zoren’s last remarks. Even though both men already believed the drunken Penny’s statements, it wouldn’t hurt to confirm them. Thus, Atlas held off on telling her about her troublesome drunken side until he heard from Zoren again.

It shouldn’t take long.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked after a long silence, massaging the space between his brows. He peeked at her, only to see her pursing her lips. "What?"

She puckered her lips and murmured, "I already told you that I’m investigating."

"That’s not what I meant—this woman—ahh..." Atlas pounded his fist against his shoulder. "What I’m saying is, what are you going to do about Mom, Dad, and our brothers? What are your plans now?"

"First Brother, what do you mean, ’what are my plans?’ Isn’t it obvious?" she replied recklessly. "Ignorance is bliss. They don’t need to know I’ve been mysteriously married, and..."

Whatever else she was about to say died in her throat when she saw the deadly look on Atlas’s face. Penny sighed helplessly, pinching the bridge of her nose in distress.

"I’ll tell them, okay?"

"And when is that?" he asked. "Penny, if it weren’t for Zoren, I wouldn’t even know you’re married to him!"

Well, if it weren’t for her, Zoren wouldn’t know either.

"I’m still trying to figure things out," she conceded, her shoulders slumping. "First Brother, I swear I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. If Zoren hadn’t turned out to be someone I liked, I would’ve gotten a divorce already."

"And if you had gotten a divorce, you still wouldn’t have told us, would you?"

Penny pressed her lips together and shrugged. "Well, I was planning to tell them I got married just to avoid getting married off to the Ito Family."

Things would’ve been less complicated if Penny and Zoren hadn’t gotten romantically involved. They probably would’ve gotten divorced long ago. But now, there were other factors to consider—one of them being Old Mrs. Pierson.

If not for Old Mrs. Pierson, Penny and Zoren might not have ended up together. Or maybe they would’ve, considering their history.

"First Brother, can we not tell them just yet?" she asked. "I know you want me to tell them immediately, but I can’t just drop this bomb on them. Especially Dad—he’ll panic!"

Atlas shot her a look, wanting to say that they had plenty of money to send Charles to the hospital if needed. But even with all their wealth, he feared their father might not survive the shock. Despite his tough exterior, Atlas wanted their parents to live long, healthy lives.

"Penny, you..." he trailed off, staring at her, still at a loss for words. "What am I going to do with you?"

Penny sighed, feeling bad for him.

For a while, silence fell between them. Atlas kept glancing at his phone, hoping the marriage certificate would disappear. But no matter how long or how many times he checked, the truth remained.

She was married.

"Fine," he finally said, casting her a stern look. "I’ll let you handle it your way and wait until you’re ready to tell them. But, Penny, I have to remind you—this is no small matter. The elders in the Bennet Family might be thrilled when they hear about this—they’d probably brag about it."

"I don’t have any grudges against Zoren Pierson," he continued in the same tone. "But his family is another story. I did some digging when he sent me that golden invitation, and let me tell you, their family is way more complicated than people realize."

He paused, turning to face her directly. "I’m not trying to talk you out of this relationship, but I want you to think about it very carefully. There’s a rumor going around that he had an accident recently, just as the Pierson Corporation’s board meeting was approaching."

"You’d be dragged into all of this, whether you want to be or not. Even if Zoren shields you, it’ll still be tricky if he’s being attacked from all sides," he added. "I know you’re capable, but this worries me more than anything right now."

If Atlas was already bothered by the internal politics of his own family, he could only imagine what Zoren was going through. That man probably had it much worse.

What a situation she got herself into.

The mere thought of it forced Atlas to glare daggers at her again. This time, Penny simply lowered her head in defeat, ready for another round of vicious scolding.

"Goodness!" Atlas shook his head, only this time, she finally spoke up.

"First Brother, I understand your sentiments and although I’m worried about revealing this to our parents and brothers, I don’t mind the complicated situation of the Pierson Family," she expressed quietly. She waited for him to look back at her and meet her eyes before she said, "I like him. I like him very much. So..."

She paused and smacked her lips. "I’d make sure we’d both be fine with all the incoming attacks coming from all directions. I upset you about the marriage, but I’ll be okay. Do you believe in that?"

Atlas stared at her pitiful look before another deep breath escaped him.

"No, I don’t," he said. "I don’t believe that you’d both be fine or stay unscathed. However, I do believe in you."