Chapter 588: Come back or I’ll come to you

Deep in Atlas’s heart, when Penny was talking about a terrible dream, he knew it wasn’t just a dream. She was speaking about it in her drunken state—that was his theory. Although he couldn’t understand why she thought he was mean when drunk, what he said back then would always remain true.

"Mhm." A sound escaped Penny’s closed mouth. "You’re mean."

Atlas smiled helplessly. "Is that so?"

"When..." she trailed off, recalling that she had confused her family quite a few times tonight. She didn’t plan to add more because Atlas was a sharp one.

Penny cleared her throat and snapped her eyes back to him. "You’re mean, and I don’t like you. You better behave because I’m putting you somewhere that is worse than a cage if you don’t."

"..." Atlas secretly clenched his teeth, observing her. "You remembered that?"

"Of course, I do!" she clicked her tongue irritably, glaring at him and tempted to kick him in the shin. "So, you better stay away, okay? I’m in a good mood! Don’t ruin it."

Having said that, she hissed at him one last time and placed her hand properly on the helmet. She cocked her head back to let her hair fall behind, about to put on her helmet when he spoke again.

"Penny."

She rolled her eyes. "If you’re going to ask why or how, don’t bother. I will not—"

"Did I deserve it?" he asked before she could finish. This time, his question made her look back at him. "Did I deserve that punishment?"

"..." Slowly, her right brow arched as she assessed the look on his face. Penny put down her helmet again, placing it on the motorbike seat. Keeping it steady with her hand on top of it, she faced him squarely.

"Yes," she answered, chin held high. "You deserved it. No, you deserve more. It’s not even enough."

Much to her surprise, Atlas didn’t get angry, nor did he show any sign of annoyance. Earlier, in front of her parents, she maintained a tamed attitude because of them. But now that it was just the two of them, she didn’t care anymore.

Compared to Slater and Hugo, Atlas spent a lot of time with Penny, meaning he had caused her more heartaches than her two brothers. Therefore, she didn’t care if he got angry with her for being mean to him.

"I see." Atlas rocked his head in understanding. "Then I get it."

"You get what?"

"I don’t know if you remember what I told you back then, but I don’t mind saying it again."

Penny’s shoulders tensed up when he took another step closer. She raised a hand to stop him from approaching further, shutting her eyes when he suddenly raised his hand.

Atlas paused, brows knitted. "Why are you closing your eyes? Did the mean brother ever hit you?"

"No?" Penny peeked from one eye. "Your grandpa did. No, even your grandmother and your aunts and uncles."

"..." At this point, Atlas didn’t know if he should take action. After all, he knew this had never occurred. Chairman Bennet might be a greedy and selfish man, but he would never have raised a hand to Penny for one reason: Charles Bennet.

"I’m not Chairman Bennet or any other Bennet," Atlas said quietly, putting his hand down until he was touching her head. "I’m not going to hurt you, Penny."

Her brows rose in surprise as her eyes slowly opened. She wanted to slap his hand away, but for some reason, it felt just as soft as she remembered. Atlas patted her head once, but then everything spiraled out of control, and they found themselves back where they started.

"I told you before," he muttered, smiling. "If in that dream, I am the mean brother, then I’d be the better brother. If putting me in a cage and tossing me into a place I would be too humiliated to be in as punishment, I’d take it quietly and become a better brother."

Atlas slowly locked eyes with her while his lips curled up into a soft smile. "I’m sorry, Penny," he expressed sincerely. "And you might hate me for it, but I don’t hate you."

’No, you do,’ was what she wanted to tell him in return, but Penny didn’t feel the energy to correct him. She lowered her head and slid her eyes to the corner, letting him stroke her head like a pet.

"I’m not a pet," she murmured, looking up at him. She took a deep breath and mustered the courage to slap his hand away, glaring at him. "Atlas, if you think you can get away with coaxing me like this, let me tell you one thing: I will never forgive you!"

"I might forgive everyone else, but not you! Not in this lifetime—I hate you, okay?" she clarified, clicking her tongue. "Gee! Stay out of my way and my business."

Having said that, Penny went back to grumpily picking up her helmet. This time, she put it on and hopped on her motorbike, unwilling to be stopped by him. But just as she revved up the motorbike, she paused as Atlas spoke again.

"I’ll say sorry again tomorrow," he told her, stepping back a little to give her some room. "Come back... or I’ll come to you."

Penny glanced at him through the visor of her helmet, which perfectly hid the countless unspoken words in her mind. She took a deep breath as her heart felt heavy, swallowing the tension that formed in her throat. Without giving away too much, she revved up the motorbike again and sped away without a second thought.

Glancing in the side mirror, Penny saw Atlas still standing in the same spot, staring in her direction. She peeled her eyes from the mirror, looking ahead, her eyes stinging.

’You don’t understand,’she whispered to herself. ’Just how confused I am... and just how reckless and destructive those words were to me.’

For the sober Penny, having this alter ego felt akin to going back to where she started. But for the drunken Penny, this was all just too... destructive. Not that kind of destructive, but rather destructive enough that it might warrant her death.