[Pierson Corporation]
Jonathan stared blankly at his puter. The joy he’d felt at home had evaporated. All he could do now was wonder where this corporate nightmare would end.
The world was already crumbling for some, and yet here he was, staring at the unfinished task in front of him.
“This…” He trailed off, glancing around at the few remaining people in the office. As he did, he subtly unplugged the mouse and moved it around. “Hey, my puter’s freezing.”
One of his colleagues glanced up from his desk. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, check.”
Letting the colleague investigate, the latter furrowed his brow.
“Did you save your work?” the colleague asked, concern evident in his voice.
“I thought I had finished, but I’m not sure.”
“I see.” The other man nodded. “I’ll have someone look at it tomorrow. It’s late already, and Sir Atlas left hours ago.”
Yes!
Jonathan allowed himself a small, relieved smile as he glanced at his puter. “I hope I saved it,” he whispered to himself. “Otherwise, I’ll have to redo it tomorrow.”
Making sure his colleague had heard him, he reluctantly powered down his puter and packed up his things. It had been days since Jonathan had transferred to the COO’s department—the place he’d spent the rest of his life, or so Atlas had said.
But even though Atlas wasn’t saddling him with unnecessary tasks like Dean had, it wasn’t much of an improvement. The workload here, pared to Dean’s department, was ten times heavier.
Jonathan barely bade the remaining employees goodnight as he walked out of the office.
In my first life, this department didn’t exist, he thought. The busiest department I remember was the CEO’s office.
But with Atlas in charge, the CEO’s office had bee the most laid-back place in the pany. It was as if Atlas was intent on taking all the responsibility, as if he were preparing to inherit the pany.
Jonathan didn’t dwell on it too long. He stepped out of the elevator and made his way to his designated parking space. As he approached his car, he absentmindedly fiddled with his keys before stopping.
“…” Jonathan eyed his car warily. “They said he left an hour ago, right?”
Over the past few weeks, Atlas had been in his car at least a few times a week. And somehow, Jonathan always ended up driving him home. But recently, Atlas had stopped hitching rides, for reasons unknown.
Well, Zoren had given Atlas extra storage space for the unsent gift he’d bought for his sister. So now, Atlas had enough room in his own car.
“He’s not here,” Jonathan muttered, letting out a sigh of relief.
Still, he proceeded cautiously as he approached the vehicle, checking the windows for any sign of someone waiting inside. When he saw no one, his shoulders relaxed. Finally, he jumped into the driver’s seat.
“Finally, some peace,” he muttered to himself, reaching for the rearview mirror to adjust it. But as his hand moved toward it, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw someone staring back at him from the backseat.
There, lounging leisurely across the backseat, her back flat against the seat, was… Penny.
“What the—” Jonathan’s breath hitched, his voice rising in disbelief. “Are the Bennets out of their fucking minds!?”
Penny winced at his loud outburst, the volume making her ears hurt. She frowned, casting him a dismissive glance.
“Is shouting supposed to scare me?” she shot back, her face twisting with disdain. “Just drive. Geez! You’re crazy.”
Crazy? CRAZY?!
Jonathan choked on his breath, feeling his anger boil over. His eyes burned as Penny crossed her arms, staring up at the ceiling of the car. Just like her brother, she acted as though this was her car and Jonathan was the one who had made a mistake!
“Ugh…” He pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache beginning to throb painfully in his temples.
At this point, the Bennets were giving him trauma. He might start muting just to avoid wondering who would ambush him in his car next.
“How do you guys even get in here?” he muttered under his breath. Penny shrugged nonchalantly.
“I asked nicely.”
“What?”
“I think your car is an Autobot — or more like a Decepticon,” she said, offering the kind of nonsense he had e to expect from her. “Though for someone like you, I wouldn’t be surprised if an evil spirit followed you around. Haven’t you had any supernatural experiences at our house? Or are you just crazy?”
The more she spoke, the more disconnected and nonsensical her remarks became. It was as if she was cobbling together pieces of her broken thoughts, creating a pile of absurdity.
“I will… drive,” Jonathan muttered, his eyes wide, staring straight ahead at the windshield. “Just shut up, please.”
“Wow… you’re really going to drive me home?” Penny asked, her tone almost gleeful as she watched him start the car. “You can just mute, you know? If my presence is too much for your existence.”
Jonathan paused, then considered the idea.
“You know what?” he said, his voice almost cheerful. “That’s actually a good idea!”
Without wasting another second, he grabbed his briefcase and decided to walk himself to the bus stop. But just as he opened the door and stepped outside, he turned back to look at her.
“You’re still going to follow me, aren’t you?” he asked, only to see her beaming with a bright smile.
“Forget it,” he muttered.
Jonathan retrieved his foot, slammed the door shut, and sighed deeply. muting with her following him around would be worse than driving her home. In public, he’d have to restrain himself while she rambled on and on until, inevitably, he jumped off a moving bus into traffic, and he’d be left to deal with the aftermath.
Jonathan wasn’t wrong, though.
That was exactly what Penny had in mind.
And so, Jonathan started the car with Penny happily seated in the back, wondering what had caused her to tag along this time. But one thing was certain: whatever the reason, it wasn’t just to make him sit through and listen to her endless nonsense, just as Atlas had done every time he ambushed him in his car.
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