Chapter 473: Good, good!

Unlike Hugo and Atlas, Penny had to admit that Slater wasn’t the big brother type one would expect. He was dramatic, gullible, and often acted like the youngest of the Bennet siblings. He wasn’t the person who would give Penny good advice; instead, he was the big brother who would fight with her over chocolates or a minor scratch on his car.

But despite all of that, Slater had the biggest heart among them. He might be arrogant, vain, and annoying, but sometimes, he could touch her heart like no one else.

"Haha." Slater laughed, watching her tear up and wipe her eyes. "Penny, those tears are from guilt, aren’t they? Tsk tsk tsk. Bad sister."

Penny dramatically wiped her eyes with the side of her finger, casting her third brother a look. "You fool! Why are you tiring yourself out for me?! Who said I might need you in the middle of the night when I’m always asleep?!"

Slater flinched as she yelled, lecturing him for being foolish.

"If you can’t come home next time, just don’t force it! What would you do if you got sick?! Who would take care of you?! Also, look at this schedule! Even Brother Atlas would burn this calendar if his assistant handed him something like this!" She continued hysterically. "If I need your help, I will ride my motorbike wherever you are! It doesn’t matter if you’re at the end of the world! I will come to you and rant until your brain is fried!"

Penny went on and on out of frustration and guilt. She had been taking him for granted, sometimes even tricking him and ignoring him on purpose. Knowing that he had been coming home despite such an insane schedule just for her brought out all these emotions in her heart.

Even this morning, she had been angry at him and kept throwing threats his way.

"But I want to," was all Slater replied, blinking innocently. "Dad once told me that giving your free time to someone and making time for them despite your busy schedule are two different things. I want to make time for you."

Penny pouted, looking at her brother somberly. Slater smiled in satisfaction, winking at her charmingly.

"I like making time for you," he said. "So, even if you ignore me, it’s fine. It’s not like I’m asking for anything in return."

"Third Brother..." She pressed her quivering lips together, almost feeling like a little child about to bawl her eyes out.

Surely, Slater was the only person who could make her angry to that extent, but he was also someone who could make her cry a river.

"But you should unblock me!" he added, clicking his tongue this time. "Do you know how many messages I wanted to send? Look!"

Slater suddenly pulled out his phone, showing her their message log, which looked like a feed. There wasn’t even a single reply from her. Seeing the messages on the screen, which required a lot of scrolling to see the top, made her face contort.

"Oh!" he scoffed, catching the reluctance in her eyes. He pointed a finger at her, incredulous at how quickly her reaction changed. "Penny, you’re so fickle! You just said you wouldn’t block me anymore! Why are you giving me that look as if you want to keep me on your block list?"

Because that was exactly what Penny had in mind.

"Third Brother, did I really say I wouldn’t block you?" she replied nervously. "I think you’re hearing things."

"Hah! Penny! What the hell? You liar... what are you even crying for?!"

"Fine, fine!" Penny sighed as she reluctantly took out her phone. "I’ll unblock you now, okay? Just stop bombarding me with your nonsense."

"Penny, everything I sent you carries meaning," he argued matter-of-factly. "Unblock me now!"

"Here, I’m already doing it," she sighed, unblocking him with a heavy heart.

Slater’s actions might have moved her to tears, but just the thought of the coming days scared her. Even so, this was the least she could do for him. After all, she truly felt guilty and bad for how she had been treating him.

"Done!" she announced, and to prove it, she showed him her screen.

Seeing this, Slater smiled in satisfaction. "Good, good!"

Just as those words rolled off his tongue, Penny’s phone started pinging. All the messages Slater had sent her over the previous days came flooding in. There were so many that her phone lagged. Penny had to put it in silent mode for her sanity.

"Penny, you should read everything I sent you," Slater muttered, watching her put her phone on silent mode. "I’m sure it’ll brighten your day and make you less grumpy."

"I’m not grumpy."

Slater shrugged. "If you say so, but everything I sent you is positive. You should be thankful you have me as your brother. First Brother won’t even send you any messages for days, and I doubt Second Brother even knows how to use a smartphone."

"Yes, yes... I will do that," she conceded, knowing she wouldn’t bother reading his messages in the future. Not that Penny was completely ignoring his messages; most of the time, she would skim through them.

"If you’re going to do that, do it now."

Her face contorted. "Now?"

"Yes. Now."

"Third Brother, is this how you treat your assistant? Are you a tyrant? Is that why your assistant is sick?"

Slater frowned. "My assistant is sick because he has been through a lot of personal problems. You said you feel bad for me."

"Third Brother, tell me the truth." Penny faced him squarely. "Are you coming home just to tug at my conscience?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Penny studied his face and sighed, shaking her head. "Nah, you’re too simple to think like that." She leaned back and snapped her eyes up at him.

"Fine, fine, I will check your messages now so we’re even," she said, knowing she didn’t have anything to do on the way anyway.

Slater smiled in satisfaction. "You should eat too. Wait, let me heat it for you."

Without further ado, Slater jumped out of his seat and picked up the packed lunch in front of her. He then quickly went to the back of the van, heating her food in the microwave.

Watching him, Penny shook her head and sighed. She then shifted her focus to her phone. Thankfully, the messages stopped coming after a while. Not that Penny planned to read every line he had sent—just enough to grasp the gist of his messages.

But as Penny kept scrolling, lines appeared between her brows.