Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 467

Chapter 467: A date with first brother
If there was another thing Atlas excelled at, it was blowing up all his dates.

In recent years, Penny had heard about Atlas going on dates—sometimes unwillingly—since he was the current head of the family. The Bennet Family was rather traditional and strict, still adhering to old teachings regarding marriage, family, gender roles, and hierarchy.

“Well, thank you,” Penny said, briefly raising her brows as the food was served, her eyes snapping at the man across from her. “First Brother, I hope you don’t blow this date like you do with everything else.”

Atlas looked at her with an air of arrogance. “I blow up my dates on purpose.”

“Haha. Is that so?” Penny shrugged, a bit doubtful.

Her first brother might not have been eager to attend all the dates he had in the past, but Penny was certain he wouldn’t just rudely ruin them. Still, Atlas had a knack for breaking hearts or unintentionally riling people up.

Before she could speak again, the server arrived and began pouring juice into a wine glass.

“I don’t drink a lot,” Penny muttered, shifting her gaze back to Atlas. “But juice in a wineglass? First Brother, I don’t think this is a good combination.”

“But it looks like wine. There’s not much difference aside from taste.”

“That’s a huge difference.”

Atlas kept his lips drawn into a thin line, silently agreeing with her—though not about the wine, but rather the effects it might have on her.

“Just be thankful,” he said. “Don’t be so ungrateful.”

“Tch.” Penny clicked her tongue. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, by the end of this date, I’m not the one learning how to be treated by a man, but rather the other way around, and you’d learn how to treat a woman.”

Atlas frowned but didn’t argue. He simply said, “We’ll see about that.”

Her response was a gleeful smile. Just as Penny was about to start slicing the steak, Atlas set down his cutlery.

“Here,” he said, lifting his plate and reaching for hers. He skillfully swapped her plate with his, which was already cut into portions.

A tinge of surprise appeared in her eyes as he placed her original plate in front of himself.

“Wow, First Brother.” Penny clapped mildly. “This is amazing. For some reason, I feel a bit flustered.”

Atlas smirked. “Just eat.”

“Can’t you say your words a little more gently? You’re ruining the mood,” she quipped, only to hear him chuckle faintly. Penny smacked her lips and started eating the steak. The moment she tasted it, her brows rose.

“It’s good?” he asked, and she nodded. “I know. Eat well.”

At this point, she stopped nitpicking and enjoyed a few more pieces without saying a word. The meat was tender and seemed to melt in her mouth. Even if Penny wasn’t hungry, she would eat it all.

For a moment, they enjoyed their food in silent peace. Aside from the good food and the quiet night, the night breeze hummed in their ears. If he weren’t her brother, she would think he was planning something big, like a proposal.

‘Oh, God!’ she almost choked on her food at the thought, pounding her chest. Atlas swiftly handed her the juice, which she took and drank in one go.

“I know the food is nice, but you’re not in a race,” he said as she recovered. “What were you thinking to almost choke on your food?”

Penny huffed and looked at him. “First Brother, you’re not going to propose, are you?”

“I told you to stop daydreaming.”

“Oh, good!” Penny patted her chest, relieved.

“You have a very silly imagination.”

Penny chuckled as she faced him squarely. “First Brother, not everyone has such a vivid imagination. While doing my first research with Professor Singh’s team, I stumbled upon a study saying not everyone can use their imagination to an extent.”

“Really?”

“Let me tell you…” Penny casually shared the study she had read years ago, while Atlas listened intently.

Without them realizing it, they eventually engaged in a conversation different from their usual topics while enjoying their meal. Once she finished, Atlas would raise a point that somehow connected to the previous topic.

Before they knew it, over an hour had passed since they started eating.

“I told you,” Penny said as she drank a mouthful of juice. “First Brother, I don’t drink a lot of wine, but this juice doesn’t suit the steak.”

Atlas simply took a sip from his wineglass, making her arch a brow. “Is that so?”

“First Brother, is that wine you’re drinking?”

“Yes, it is.”

“How come you get to drink while all I have is juice? I’m not a kid!”

“But I don’t sneak out.” He blinked. “You do.”

With that argument on the table, everything else she wanted to say rolled back into her throat. If he put it that way, it was fair enough.

“That’s low,” she grumbled, scrunching her nose in dismay. “Fine, fine. I won’t complain anymore. Thanks for the food.”

“I can order you some milk if you’d like.”

Penny squinted, catching the mischievous smirk briefly on his lips. “Stop teasing me. Goodness.”

“Haha.”

Hearing him laugh over something so trivial was a bit amusing to her. Atlas’s laughter was rarer than painites and was somewhat infectious, lifting her mood. The ambiance made her heart more forgiving and understanding.

“By the way, First Brother,” she asked, watching him raise his brows a bit. “I know I already asked you this, but why did you really agree to Zoren’s request?”

Atlas stared at his clueless sister before he said, “I trust him.”

“Huh?”

“For some reason, I trust him,” Atlas explained. “It’s not about whether I like him, but my instinct tells me you’d be safe with him.”

Apart from the dangers at hand, Atlas had another reason to agree to Zoren’s proposal. At the end of the day, if Zoren proved untrustworthy, the Bennet men had the option to disregard his proposal.

But whether or not they liked Zoren, all of them felt his sincerity the previous night. As men, they respected that.

“You like him,” Penny teased, her smile visible as her cheeks turned pink. She giggled and winked at him. “Well, I like him too.”