172 Fool you once, game on you

Ben was standing within a squat rack, with corporate slaves helping him put weights on the barbell.

One of them picked up a 45 plate and asked him, "How much do you want on the bar?"

Ben glanced at him. "Just load it up!"

…

A number of other people were manipulating video and photography equipment in the perimeter, working on getting the right lighting and angle for this next exercise. The shoot was on, with Ben as the focus.

His performance on the bench press was more than enough to sell Owen to use him for this feature, and they'd already signed the paperwork. Although the strength he showed didn't break any records, it was at an elite level, not much worse than the bodybuilder they planned to bring in. In reality, it was much more impressive given Ben's small size. When also considering his young age and status as an employee at Hearth, all that together made for an interesting angle, one worth taking a chance on.