Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 718

Chapter 718: Different in person
To ensure Slater would be fine, Penny reluctantly asked someone to take Renny to the master bedroom. Chunchun was allowed to roam freely, but she still went to accompany her brother. It was only then did Slater was able to get in the house.

Leaning on the kitchen counter, Slater watched Penny put on an apron and start doing things he had never seen her do before.

“Penny, I never knew you could cook. Wow… is there anything else you can’t do?” he remarked, glancing over at Mark in the corner. “And if Mark is your bodyguard, why is he here to guard you? You’re already home. Isn’t that a bit suffocating to follow you around in the house?”

Penny smirked at her third brother and proudly replied, “Mark isn’t guarding me. He just wants to see how perfect I am. You know, not everyone can do what I do — running a successful company, looking beautiful, and being a great cook, too.”

‘Uh…’ Mark pressed his lips into a thin line, watching Penny happily brag about being a total package. ‘I only said that because I’m sure she wouldn’t like what her Second Brother told me.’

When Penny and Slater entered the manor, Mark had reported to Benjamin, telling him that Penny was going to make dinner for her husband. He didn’t expect a response, as he only mentioned it to prevent Zoren from eating out or to give him a heads-up.

Who would have thought that a minute later, he’d get a text from Hugo?

The message from Hugo read: [Keep an eye on her. She might burn down the kitchen if you leave her alone.]

And so Mark stayed, even though he wouldn’t normally remain by Penny’s side once they were home.

‘But from what I can tell, she doesn’t look bad. She really has a good knife work,’ he thought, watching her chop ingredients with surprising efficiency. ‘Maybe Second Brother Hugo’s just a little paranoid. Considering he almost died, he’s probably just worried.’

Mark didn’t think much of it as he stayed quiet, growing a little complacent as Penny worked.

“A dinner prepared by Penny…” Slater looked up, smiling with anticipation. “Penny, you’re really perfect. Do you need any help?”

“You’re already helping.” She winked at him, making his brows furrow.

“How am I helping you?”

“You’re making me look good.”

“Ah…” Slater puffed his cheeks, frowning as he tried to think of something else he could do for her. “But well, hehe. You’re so perfect! How did my little sister get to be so perfect? You’re amazing!”

Mark’s face contorted as he looked at Slater in disbelief. After witnessing Penny and Hugo’s interactions, this was surprising. Not that Hugo and Penny fought, but Hugo had his own way of humbling Penny.

But Slater? No wonder Penny’s confidence was through the roof.

Slater was praising her so much that Mark wouldn’t be surprised if the angels themselves could hear it.

As Slater continued complimenting Penny while Mark listened to it all, Slater suddenly trailed off, noticing a figure entering the kitchen. He turned his head, furrowing his brows as he caught a figure tiptoeing in the corner.

“Who’s that?” he asked, drawing Penny’s and Mark’s attention.

Penny and Mark turned to see Nathaniel, and both of their expressions soured. Penny didn’t answer and simply popped a piece of raw carrot into her mouth.

“A worker,” Mark smiled at Slater. “The gardener. The kitchen is connected to the greenhouse.”

“With how big this house is, anyone could go around the place without entering inside,” Slater commented, watching Nathaniel smile nervously and lower his head. He didn’t dwell on Nathaniel and just shrugged it off.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel let out a huff as he caught Penny looking his way. He gulped, averting his gaze and resuming his steps.

‘This is not what I thought when she hired me,’ he grumbled internally, recalling how he was given one proper task to display his talent, then promptly relegated to being the gardener. Before leaving, he glanced back at the kitchen.

Penny was showcasing her knife skills as if she were on a cooking show, with Slater reacting to her every move in awe, like her personal hype man, while Mark observed in silence. Nathaniel’s gaze lingered on Slater, tilting his head to the side.

‘Isn’t that the celebrity brother?’ he mused, recognizing Slater from billboards around the city. ‘He… feels different in person.’

Nathaniel’s brows rose and his shoulder jumped when Slater’s eyes suddenly met his. Slater held his gaze briefly before smiling and refocusing on Penny. Nathaniel turned away, quickly exiting the kitchen.

‘What was that about?’ Nathaniel furrowed his brows, looking back at the sliding door behind him. ‘That—that was strange.’

For a second, he felt all his body hair rise as he recalled the brief, cunning look that flickered across Slater’s eyes. If Nathaniel didn’t know better, he’d think Slater was a psychopath or something of the sort.

“Wow…” Nathaniel rubbed his shoulders, shaking his head as he walked away. “I thought Miss Penny was the only crazy one in the family, but I guess they all have something wrong with them.”

Slater was the third Bennet Nathaniel had met. His experience with Penny was unthinkable, and although Nathaniel hadn’t interacted much with Hugo, his indifference and tolerance of Penny’s antics told him something about the kind of brother Hugo was.

But Slater? Nathaniel didn’t have a good feeling about him.

Slater might look harmless on the billboards, but meeting him in person was different. His family might not notice it since they were used to him, but Nathaniel had met plenty of people who walked around with gigantic red flags.

“I should stay away from him,” Nathaniel told himself, walking away to the separate guest house where he planned to stay for the night. “It’s best to not garner any attention from these people.”

Little did he know, the night was long, and there were plenty of surprises to come—including an invitation to join Penny and Zoren for dinner, along with everyone else.