Chapter 894: The mad woman

"Her special message was that if her brother’s team lost, her company would be sold, and everyone on the other team, along with those who bet on them, would get a portion of that money! All legalities have already been processed as of this moment! Therefore, our betting pool has reached a whopping two hundred billion!"

Lily’s announcement echoed more than it should have. For a moment, everyone could only stare at where Lily was making this declaration, wondering if she was so drunk that she didn’t realize someone’s life and company were on the line.

"Oh, shit..." one person from the crowd blurted out under his breath. The person next to him also breathed out, "Oh shit!"

Some of the audience quickly fell from their seats, wondering if they had heard this correctly.

"A... what?" someone in the crowd trembled. "Two hundred... billion?"

"Oh, my God."

"Now, I really want Max’s team to win."

"No shit..."

"Is this even legal? How can this happen on school grounds?"

"This match... just turned into something else."

Even regular betting pools wouldn’t be like this. Considering this was merely a fan club reunion—not even an official alumni reunion—this was something no one could have expected.

THUD!

Slater and Benjamin literally fell from their seats, their expressions pale and utterly shocked. Slowly, they moved their wide eyes toward a particular seat near them, their gaze landing on the person who had just poured fuel on the fire. Or rather, Penny hadn’t just poured fuel; she had shot an entire gas tank, instantly blowing it up.

Haines, on the other hand, slowly turned his head to the seat next to him. His complexion drained of color, his eyes wide.

"Penny..." Haines called under his breath, watching Penny casually look back at him. "You are... mad."

The corner of Penny’s mouth curled up into a smirk, her eyes glinting. "Don’t you know that already, Uncle?" she replied, making Haines pinch the bridge of his nose.

Haines should’ve known that Penny was the only person who scared him whenever betting was brought up. She scared him more than Charles when it came to this because Charles would only risk so much, but Penny would put everything on the line.

The Prime Group was something Penny built from her tears, sweat, and blood. Even though Penny had Haines’s and Yugi’s help, she did more work than they could. It was why she was the boss. Yet, this boss was not only risking her company but the livelihoods of hundreds of people and families.

"Penny... did you... is that true?" Nina stuttered, looking at Penny in disbelief. ’I can’t even gamble my spare money because I thought I could use it for something useful. But she...’

Slowly, Penny turned to face Nina and grinned. "But it’s more fun now, isn’t it?"

"Fun?" Nina scoffed, thinking Penny was more reckless than she had imagined. "Penny, how can you say that? Haven’t you seen how the first quarter concluded? Our team couldn’t even score with your husband even adding a score for their opponent!"

Penny’s smile turned into a smirk as she glanced behind her, only to see Benjamin staring at her with a gaping mouth. Everyone near Penny was looking at her with wide eyes and open mouths, but all they could see was an unflinching Penny.

"Close your mouth, Ben," she remarked, snapping Benjamin back to reality. As Penny shifted her gaze from Benjamin to Nina, Haines, and then Slater—who had fallen from his seat but was still gazing at her—she smirked at them. "Don’t worry. I never bet on a losing fight. Like I said, they will win. Just take a look over there."

Upon hearing Penny’s remarks, everyone slowly twisted their necks, eyes falling on the open court.

Even Mark rose to his feet, his wide eyes fixed on the committee’s desk where Lily was making her announcement.

"Did... I hear what I heard?" Mark blurted out under his breath, but he didn’t receive any response.

Deep lines slowly appeared between Atlas’s and Hugo’s brows as they tried to process what they had just heard. A part of them—especially Atlas—hoped he had misheard it. However, Atlas knew his sister to the depths of her being.

Something like this was something Penny would surely do.

"That... woman..." Dean ground his teeth, his face twitching, and his eyes glinting. "... she’s mad."

Jonathan, on the other hand, felt like he had just been splashed with a bucket of cold water. Moments ago, Max’s taunting had hit a nerve, and he was angry at what he had just been labeled. It irritated him more than anything. But after hearing this, he didn’t know anymore.

Perhaps Jonathan had to agree with the insufferable Dean for once. ’That woman... did she just put her entire company on the line? She bet it on a match that I can’t even call an amateur game?’

Out of curiosity, Jonathan turned his head toward the audience. His eyes scanned the crowd. It wasn’t that hard to find Penny, especially when the majority of the audience had their attention on either Lily or Penny.

"She’s not serious, is she?" Jonathan blurted out, only to realize Dean was also staring in Penny’s direction.

"That madwoman," Dean hissed bitterly, earning a quick look from Jonathan. "I can’t believe she would go this far."

Hearing this, Jonathan didn’t need confirmation anymore. What Dean said—and the fiery look in Dean’s eyes as if he had no choice but to do his best now—was enough proof that Penny wasn’t joking. Again, Jonathan shifted his gaze to where Penny sat, only to see her smirking smugly, as if she hadn’t just put everything on the line in this nonsensical match.

When Penny raised a brow and shifted her eyes, she quickly met Jonathan’s gaze. The corner of her eyes squinted, and her smirk stretched arrogantly.

Jonathan: "..."

Suddenly, the team heard Zoren’s quiet voice caressing their ears. "We need to win."

When Jonathan turned his eyes to where Zoren was, all he saw was Zoren running his hand through his hair, his eyes burning fiercely, and his aura emitting heat waves.

Zoren was on fire, and it seemed he wasn’t just ready to play properly, but ready to punch anyone in his way.