Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 913

Chapter 913: Until the end of the final quarter
At the same time…

Charles looked at his team with a grim face, his eyes conveying what his mouth hadn’t said. Even before they could reach him, Hugo and Atlas already knew what was coming.

“Zoren, Atlas Bennet,” he called under his breath, his expression stern. “What in the world are you two doing? Have you lost your mind or do you have a death wish?”

Zoren pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry,” was all he could say, unwilling to offer excuses or explanations.

As for Atlas, he didn’t apologize right away. Instead, he simply said, “My bad.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?” Charles clenched his teeth, his hands balling into tight fists, holding himself back from launching into a full-blown rant. “Aren’t you going to apologize to your team, who had to clean up after your mess?”

Zoren and Atlas lowered their heads slightly, allowing Charles to scold them without trying to defend themselves.

“Hah! You two… just because our team is winning doesn’t mean you should be so complacent. Moreover, where is the respect for your opponent in that play? You were killing their motivation by helping them and letting our team catch up!” Charles went on and on, though his anger wasn’t enough to make his blood pressure rise. “That’s enough playing — do you understand?”

“Yes,” Zoren nodded, while Atlas shrugged and said, “I wasn’t playing. It was a… mistake.”

“Mistake, mistake—just say you understand!”

Atlas slid his eyes to the corner while Charles continued his nonstop scolding. Meanwhile, Hugo, Jonathan, and Dean could only drink their water and catch their breaths.

Since Zoren had been “mistaking” the enemy’s basket for their own, as if there was something wrong with his memory, the three of them had no choice but to score more. This meant exerting more effort and energy. Otherwise, they would surely lose.

Atlas’s support also made it easier for Max’s team to tie the score again, adding to the challenge for Hugo, Jonathan, and Dean to overcome the mistakes of these two. If anything, it only showed Atlas’s real value on the court, as Zoren had only managed to score a point thanks to Atlas’s help.

“Just what is wrong with these guys?” Dean mumbled to himself but didn’t have the energy for anything else—his focus was on the fourth quarter of the game.

Hugo, on the other hand, remained quiet, seemingly indifferent. His attention was on the scoreboard, staring at the tied score. Although Dean and Jonathan were just as exhausted as him, Hugo had done a lot more to tie the score. In other words, if it had been just Dean and Jonathan, things could have been worse for them.

Thus, having Hugo to tie the score and “clean up” after Zoren and Atlas’s mess was a huge factor.

As for Jonathan…

“I’m sorry,” Atlas apologized halfheartedly to his father, making Jonathan shift his attention from Charles to Atlas. “I’ll be careful in the last quarter.”

“As you should! I can’t believe I’m dealing with this anxiety all throughout the game! I told you to widen the gap, not keep it equal!”

While Charles was using up all of their timeouts to scold them, Jonathan couldn’t help but glance between Atlas and Zoren. Neither looked truly sorry. If anything, they seemed like they were just going along with the flow, as if they had already foreseen this outcome.

‘A mistake…?’ Jonathan wondered to himself, only to hear the bell signaling that the timeout was over. He glanced at the court and saw the other team walking onto the court. But when he looked back at his team, he saw only Dean and Hugo marching back.

Zoren and Atlas had turned their backs on Charles, but both men kept their eyes on him.

‘Huh?’ The look Zoren and Atlas gave Jonathan was brief, but he felt something from it. It took him a moment to pinpoint what it was: that look was the kind someone gives when they’re warning you.

‘Ha…’ The corner of Jonathan’s mouth twisted slightly as he chuckled to himself, dragging his feet to follow them while shaking his head mildly. ‘I see. So, that’s how it is… and it’s their way of telling me… I can’t win against them?’

Jonathan slowed his steps, turning his head back. His eyes fell on Penny, who was seated in the stands. He sneered at her as she smiled, then quickly peeled his gaze away. As soon as he looked ahead, a glint flickered in his eyes.

‘What a way to irritate someone.’

This was how Jonathan saw the entire scheme—an effort to irritate him. By scoring for the enemy, Zoren and Atlas were forcing Jonathan to exhaust all his energy and resources just to save Penny’s company. The same company Jonathan found irritating as it seemed to be everywhere.

However, if Jonathan changed his mind now and started helping Max’s team, Atlas and Zoren would surely work to help their team. That was what they wanted—to make Jonathan sabotage the team like they had, only to show him that he wouldn’t be able to win.

‘An interesting take,’ Jonathan thought to himself, both annoyed and amused by this silent power play. ‘They were basically telling me my hands are tied.’

And it was true, because if Jonathan lost while sabotaging the team, it would be a painful slap in the face. Not just that, but it would hurt his pride more than having to save Penelope’s company, even though this was the perfect opportunity for her to lose everything.

But then again, today’s actions sent a clear message to her company… it wasn’t her everything. Prime Group was something she was willing to gamble with. Using it as part of the bet was her cocky way of telling anyone watching her that.

With these warnings and schemes unfolding along with the game and the bets, the game resumed. This time, Team Hugo found themselves on the winning side again, carrying that momentum until the end of the final quarter.