Chapter 471: Third Brother, did you say your morning prayers today?

Last night, when Penny hung up on Zoren, she was too flustered by her wild imagination. Who wouldn’t be? That guy’s eyes might not have been working properly, but she could’ve sworn his gaze was undressing her piece by piece! Feeling embarrassed, she ended the call.

Penny couldn’t even finish her skincare routine after that conversation. She threw herself onto the bed, rolling from one corner to another. Only when she finally exhausted herself enough to quiet her racing thoughts did she lie still, a smile on her face.

At the end of the day, she’d had a great one!

With that thought in mind, she decided to sleep early so she could start the next day fresh. Penny fell asleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. Unfortunately, her glass was empty, forcing her to make a quick trip downstairs.

That’s when she got reeled into today’s trap.

Penny turned lifelessly to the man beside her in the celebrity van. "Third Brother, I need to go to work," she mumbled. "I have a company to run."

"I know, that’s why I called Uncle Haines."

"Huh?"

Slater smirked proudly. "You promised me last night that you’d help me if you didn’t have work. So I asked Uncle Haines and Dad to help out today! They’re already there — don’t worry."

"..." Penny stared at him, her expression dead. ’Why did I even pity him?’

Last night, when Penny had gone downstairs to get a glass of water, she found Slater sulking in the living room. Penny, in her good mood, decided to console him. From what she remembered, Slater had a lot of issues to sulk over.

Had she just ignored him, she could’ve been back in her room within ten minutes. But she’d let her good mood get the better of her. An hour later, her glass was still empty, her mind was sizzling from listening to her brother’s woes, and she was exhausted.

In her impatience, she told him she would help him. To ensure he let her go, she even said he could always rely on her. They were siblings, after all — who else would help him if not her?

Oh, if only she had known how quickly that would backfire. She would’ve gladly stayed up all night listening to him.

"Ah, god," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. ’I know it’s asking a lot, but can you please take me back to last night? Not an entire lifetime, but just one night.’

"Penny, if you’re still sleepy, you can nap a little longer," Slater said kindly, handing her a folded blanket. "Here’s an extra blanket for you."

Penny glanced at him and forced a smile.

"Don’t worry," he added. "Being my assistant isn’t that hard. All you have to do is follow me around and make sure everything is set. Here’s my schedule — you’re smart, so I’m sure you can memorize it."

Slater continued to ramble on, giving her a rundown of his day. Meanwhile, Penny stared at him with a deadpan expression.

Last night, Atlas had warmed her heart so much that she couldn’t stop smiling. Atlas had healed the lingering anger in her, but this guy seemed determined to remind her that there was still more rage buried deep inside.

"That’s it! Easy, right?" Slater beamed, his charm shining as if the air around him glittered.

"Third Brother, did you say your morning prayers today?" she asked, her voice flat and emotionless.

Slater blinked. "Why do you ask?"

"Because if you didn’t, you better do it now. Pray that you’ll be covered in His precious holy blood... or else I’ll cover you with your own."

"..."

"Tch." Penny clicked her tongue, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath.

Not that she was bragging or trying to belittle her brother, but she’d been juggling work and advanced studies while this guy was still learning the basics of life! She had set herself ahead, handling critical tasks that impacted many people’s security.

She didn’t go through all that to become her brother’s errand girl.

Penny face-palmed, spreading her fingers to peek at the tablet Slater had dropped on her lap. She briefly scanned it, and her face twitched.

Slater’s schedule was packed — his only breaks were during travel time. He had endorsement shoots, contract signings, a brief trip to the music studio, a mall show, and more. Just looking at it made her tired.

’I know he’s busy, but this... is insane.’She shifted her eyes to Slater, sighing heavily. He was already settled comfortably, smiling from ear to ear as if he didn’t have a punishing schedule ahead of him.

Even Atlas didn’t have a schedule this packed.

"Third Brother," she called, making Slater open his eyes slightly. "Your manager... who is he again?"

Slater blinked, the spirit of sleep slowly overtaking him. "It’s James. Do you remember him?"

"Mhm."

"Don’t worry. He’ll meet me at the contract signing. He just had a few things to take care of. Why are you asking?"

Penny smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "So I know who to end later."

---

Meanwhile...

"Achoo!" James, who was in a conference room with his managers, sneezed. He smiled apologetically, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his nose.

Straightening up, he smiled again. "Sorry about that. As I was saying — achoo!"

The people in the conference room exchanged glances. One of them couldn’t help but ask, "Are you okay, President?"

"Yes, yes, I’m fine." James raised a hand in reassurance, still smiling. "It’s nothing. I’m okay — hic!"

This time, James stiffened as a sense of dread crept up his spine. He didn’t know why, but it felt like someone was cursing him or out to get him.

’Why do I feel like I’m in danger?’ he wondered. ’Don’t tell me Slater’s bad-mouthing me because I didn’t approve his leave due to prior commitments?’

The thought that Slater might be talking about him sent a shiver down his spine. Little did he know, it wasn’t Slater cursing him — it was his former boss, the one who had introduced him to the true meaning of hell.