Chapter 556 Punishment
Zobber suddenly shouted, startling everyone.
Francis slowly lifted his head and looked at Zobber with a calm expression. He had already learned from Catherine that the person he had fought against was Catherine’s ally. But he didn’t expect this girl to be so pretty.
Her vibrant purple-red hair looked bold and unrestrained.
Zobber, seeing Francis sizing her up, couldn’t help but ask irritably, “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a beauty before? Be careful, or I’ll poke your eyes out.”
Francis remained calm. Although Zobber seemed fiery-tempered, he was not an ordinary person who got easily intimidated.
Carlo, standing nearby, couldn’t help but speak up for Francis when he saw Zobber making a fuss.
“How dare you call yourself a beauty in front of Catherine? Also, why did you shout so loudly for no reason? Do you think we’re deaf, just like you?”
Hearing Carlo’s mockery, Zobber immediately became furious.
“What did you say, you brat? Do you believe I’ll slap your face?”
Carlo showed no signs of backing down and said defiantly, “Come on. Try me.”
The two of them argued, just like children bickering.
Paxton couldn’t bear to watch, wondering why his subordinates were so childish. He cautiously stole a glance in Catherine’s direction, afraid of angering the person who was so precious to Branden.
Catherine leaned against the side, her head comfortably resting on Branden’s arm. She calmly watched Zobber and Carlo quarrel.
Seeing no signs of anger from Catherine, Paxton secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zobber, with a hot temper, immediately challenged Carlo to a duel.
Although Carlo was the least intelligent among the Duncan brothers, his combat skills were quite good, second only to Cory.
After a few moves, Zobber realized that she was no match for Carlo.
Catherine noticed this and spoke up.
“That’s enough.”
With just two words, the two immediately stopped fighting. Catherine was protective of her people, not allowing anyone to hurt them.
Zobber knew well what was going on and realized that Catherine was deliberately protecting her. She felt extremely happy and didn’t feel any shame.
Zobber proudly raised her eyebrows at Carlo, showing off that she had someone looking out for her.
Carlo looked a little bit jealous, wondering what it felt like to have someone powerful protecting him.
Zobber approached Catherine with flattery. “Catherine, you’re amazing. You managed to retrieve the mission so quickly.”
Catherine calmly replied, “It wasn’t a retrieval. It was a delivery.”
That made sense. Branden was willing to give her whatever she wanted.
Catherine glanced at Branden, and he immediately stood up and left, followed by Paxton, Francis, and Carlo.
Catherine wanted to assign Zobber the next task. They had obtained the contents of the safe, and now the challenge was to return them in a safe way.
In the study on the second floor, Branden sat at the main seat, facing the Duncan brothers.
Francis was the first to break the silence. “Boss, I don’t think those two people accompanying Miss Swann are ordinary. We just arrived at the warehouse in the northwest, and they immediately appeared. If we hadn’t been slightly faster, the safe would have ended up in Miss Swann’s hands even earlier.”
In Francis’s opinion, it was their boss’s decision as to who would possess the safe. He didn’t need to worry about it. But if he hadn’t completed the task, the situation would be different.
After Francis finished speaking, Carlo immediately added, “Boss, we received a message from our immediate superior. Besides us, the only ones who would have the coordinates of the abandoned factory in the northern suburbs are members of the Hacker Alliance. Could it be that these two people with Miss Swann are from the Hacker Alliance?”
Carlo really couldn’t understand what their boss was thinking. Catherine was like a puzzle. Nobody seemed to know who she really was. However, Branden didn’t seem to have any intention of investigating her, which was quite strange.
“Boss, are you really not going to investigate her?” Carlo asked again.
Branden lifted his head from the computer, coldly looking at Carlo.
Though his gaze seemed plain, it immediately stunned Carlo.
It was Francis who quietly kicked Carlo, prompting him to come back to his senses.
After Carlo realized what had happened, he immediately kneeled before Branden, obediently admitting his mistake.
“Boss, It’s my fault.”
Branden looked at him coldly. His voice was unusually icy as he said, “Carlo, it seems I have indulged you too much. You have learned to challenge your superiors.”
Such a simple sentence scared Carlo out of his wits, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He instantly understood the meaning behind those words. He had indeed made a grave mistake, one that was unforgivable.
No matter what mysterious power Catherine had behind her, she was their boss’s woman, the future Mrs. Duncan. Talking behind her back was a challenge to authority.
“Boss, I was wrong. Please punish me,” Carlo pleaded.
Branden’s face showed a serious expression.
“Cory is applying to be transferred back. You will replace him for three months.”
Upon hearing the punishment, Carlo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
That was probably the lightest punishment. Although mining in Ravenloth was a tough job, it was still better than being sent to the Court of Punishment and getting tortured.
“Thank you, Boss. I will leave tomorrow.”
Not only Carlo but Paxton and Francis also breathed a sigh of relief. After all, they were brothers who had grown up together. They didn’t want Carlo to be severely punished.
Paxton asked, “Boss, when Cory comes back, should we let him stay in Casier or come to Loxton?”
“Loxton.” Branden made the decision without hesitation.
Cory was different from Carlo. Carlo had better combat skills and was more suitable for taking on missions. Cory, on the other hand, had a talent for business. Bringing Cory back to handle the Duncans’ business in Loxton and assisting Paxton would be a good plan. It was also an opportunity to give Carlo a lesson.
Downstairs, Catherine was assigning tasks without any reservations.
Zobber thought that Catherine had purposely kept Branden unaware, but now Catherine seemed to have no concerns at all. It made Zobber curious.
“Catherine, aren’t you afraid that the people upstairs will hear?” Zobber asked cautiously.
Catherine gave her a cold glance. ” What’s there to be afraid of?”
The reason she had asked Branden to leave was simply because she wasn’t used to having too many people around.
As for Branden, he had no intention of getting involved in these matters. After all, with the capabilities of the Duncans, he could find out about everything he wanted to know.
Zobber was still puzzled and asked carefully, “Catherine, what is the background of your boyfriend? The people around him don’t seem ordinary.
Since they could easily bring her down, they were definitely not ordinary people.
Catherine didn’t hide anything from Zobber and told her the truth.
“He’s the head of the Duncans and leader of Red Star.”
