Chapter 497: Hold my popcorn

After Penny’s quick visit to the prison, she briefly reflected on the exchange she’d had with her brother’s attacker. However, by the time she reached her office, she didn’t think much of it anymore. She had already gotten what she wanted.

While questioning the man and riling him up, Penny had obtained the answers she was after. All she really wanted to know was how and why the man claimed Slater had killed him. Though she didn’t get a full explanation, she had her suspicions.

It was likely one of two things: either Slater and the man had made an agreement, and Slater betrayed him, or the man had betrayed Slater, forcing him to defend himself. Either way, it didn’t matter anymore.

Letting out a shallow breath, Penny glanced at the couch in her office. "Third Brother, are you really planning to stay here all day until I go home?" she asked the person lounging on it.

When she arrived at the office, Slater was already there, waiting with packed lunches for her.

Slater lazily cast her a look. "Penny, are you kicking me out?"

"No, I’m just wondering if you have any other plans."

"Nope. I don’t have work." He sighed, turning his attention back to his phone. "Penny, I’m so bored. Let’s go do something fun."

"Do you think we’re kids and that I don’t have responsibilities? Can’t you see this mountain of paperwork? Even with Dad and Uncle Haines helping me, it’s still not enough."

Slater glanced at the stack of papers on her desk before looking away. "K."

Penny pressed her lips together, resting her chin in her hands as she continued to watch her third brother. ’He isn’t used to having nothing to do anymore, huh?’

A subtle smile crept onto her face as she stared at Slater longer than she had intended. After her encounter with the man who had tried to stab Slater, she felt a renewed sense of gratitude. If she hadn’t returned with the memories of her previous life, this third brother could have ended up in the hospital—or worse, dead.

"Hm?" Sensing her gaze, Slater looked up. "Penny, what’s up? Why are you staring at me like that? Are you thinking of kicking me out?"

"No." Penny smiled softly. "I’m just thinking about where we should go."

"Huh?"

"You said you were bored."

"But you also said you have a mountain of paperwork."

Penny smacked her lips and glanced at the papers on her desk. "That’s true, but another day of procrastination wouldn’t hurt, right? Besides, I can always finish them later."

"Really?" Slater sat up, his face lighting up. "You want to go out with me?"

"Not right now," she said, checking her wristwatch. "But in two hours, once I clock out, I’m free for the night."

"Okay!" Slater’s excitement was palpable. "I’ll start looking for places we can go!"

"Mhm."

With that, Slater returned to his lazy position, but this time, he scrolled through his phone with a sense of purpose. Penny could only chuckle at the sight.

’I’ve been taking him for granted,’she thought. ’I should give him more of my attention before I start staying at Renren’s place.’

In a few days, both the Bennet and Pierson families would be meeting. According to Zoren, Old Mrs. Pierson had been so excited about it that it was all she thought about, day and night. Penny wished she could say the same about her own family.

The Bennet family was probably preparing for the meeting, but aside from Allison, they weren’t doing it out of excitement.

’I still can’t believe I’m married to the man I love so much.’She smiled to herself, her eyes squinting with happiness.

*

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*

When the time came for Penny to finish work, Slater was all ready for their night out. To her surprise, he had managed to book a private theater for them to watch a movie together. She should’ve guessed it would be one where Slater had a cameo.

"Hehehe~!" Slater giggled when his face first appeared on the screen, giving Penny a proud look. "Penny, do you know who that guy is?"

She chuckled. "Mhm. He’s sitting right next to me."

"Hehe. Aren’t I amazing?"

Penny turned her eyes back to the screen, her lips curling into a smile. "You are amazing, Third Brother."

"When we were kids, we used to have movie nights where we’d all sleep together," he reminisced, bringing up a sweet memory from their past. "Who would’ve thought that after all these years, I’d be in one of them?"

"We should do that again," Penny proposed with a grin. "Another movie night, just like old times."

His eyes lit up. "Right?! Let’s do it! I’ll arrange everything! I’ll tell First Brother and Second Brother—wait, hold my popcorn."

Slater handed her the popcorn and immediately got to work, his enthusiasm making him look like an excited child. Penny couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Slater had always been like this—hardworking and diligent in his career but still a child at heart when it came to his family.

’I even checked out his fan forums,’ Penny thought, recalling how she had recently gone online to see how the public viewed her brother. The forums were filled with fans praising Slater not only for his good looks but also for his intelligence. He had a spotless reputation, free from scandal or controversy.

Penny had never been particularly curious about Slater’s fame, but after seeing how much effort he put into his work, she had started paying attention.

’I wouldn’t be surprised if his reason for doing these movies is because of our childhood movie nights,’ she mused. ’He really knows how to do the little things that tug at your heart.’

The two of them finished the movie, and to Penny’s surprise, it was actually a decent one. But the night was still young, and Slater had more plans in store.

Little did they know that while they were enjoying their night out, photos of them together were already being snapped for what would soon become the next big headline—likely the first "scandal" Slater would be involved in.