Chapter 21
As Penelope left work for the day, Rebecca caught up, linking an arm through hers.
“Mrs. Sullivan just called,” she said brightly. “She invited me over for dinner p>
Rebecca and Mrs. Sullivan often put on a grand performance of their ‘mother- daughter bond’ right in front of her. Penelope could practically recite their lines by heart.
“The first time I saw Rebecca, I just knew she was special p>
“If I had a daughter as sweet and thoughtful as Rebecca, I’d think I’d been blessed for lifetimes p>
“Rebecca is my little ray of sunshine. If Zebulon had met her first, who knows, she might have been my daughter-in-law. Oh, but I shouldn’t say such things. Someone might get the wrong idea p>
That last line was Mrs. Sullivan’s favorite refrain-pretending to be considerate while twisting the knife every single time.
“How nice,” Penelope said, raising an eyebrow with a cool smile.
When they arrived back at the Sullivan estate, Penelope was about to unlock the door, but it swung open from the inside. Mrs. Sullivan, who must have heard the car, beamed as she stepped out to greet them.
“Rebecca, you’re finally here! I’ve missed you to death p>
“I missed you too p>
The two of them bypassed Penelope completely, wrapping each other in a hug that was more affectionate than any she’d ever seen between a real mother and daughter.
“I made your favorite beef bourguignon and scallops in a rich wine sauce,” Mrs. Sullivan cooed. “Oh, and I’ve had a rich chicken broth simmering all afternoon just for you p>
“You know I love your cooking more than anything. You’re too good to me.” “You have to eat plenty tonight, so the baby gets all the nutrients it needs p>
“I’ll eat until I burst p>
Rebecca’s comment made Mrs. Sullivan laugh, and she lovingly steered her inside, leaving Penelope to follow in their wake. She felt like she’d just been forced to watch the climax of a particularly nauseating play. Once inside, the two settled onto the living room sofa, their chatter so warm and intimate that Penelope thought it would be a cosmic injustice if they didn’t end up as mother and daughter-in-law.
From the moment she’d arrived, she’d been completely ignored. It was as if they had conspired to treat her like a ghost, their eyes passing right through her.
With a soft scoff, Penelope decided to head upstairs to change.
After swapping her work clothes for something more comfortable, she spent some time doing research online. The Zenith Shopping Street project was now being managed by the heir to the Zenith Group. Penelope had never met or even heard much about this so-called “her” other than that he been educated abroad, successfully ran the group’s international division, and had only recently returned to the country.
The president of the Zenith Group was getting on in years and was already paving
the way for his grandson to take over. This shopping street project was meant to
be the young heir’s grand debut.
But after digging for a while,
Penelope found no useful business information: She did, however, find one juicy piece of gossip: the heir was a massive fan of the award-winning actress Natalie Taylor. For one of her birthdays, he had organized a fleet of a dozen helicopters to fly over the city with celebratory banners.
Penelope read the slogans on the banners and found them… excruciatingly cringeworthy.
“Natalie, loving you is my calling! Just give me a glance, and I’ll gladly fall p>
“Natalie, you’re my sun, my moon, and my stars-the light of my world p>
Penelope stared blankly at the screen. If she hadn’t just looked up the man’s age,
she would have sworn he was a melodramatic teenager.
Whenever she started a new project,
she liked to create a profile of her opponent their personality, their likes, their dislikes. But this heir? She couldn’t piece together a coherent image. The man e man was just can enigma wrapped in secondhand embarrassment.
Just then, Zebulon came home. Finding her alone upstairs, he asked why she wasn’t downstairs chatting with his mother and Rebecca.
“They’re in the middle of a heartwarming mother-daughter reunion,” she said with a playful smirk. “If I joined them, it would turn into a primetime family drama.” Zebulon took off his jacket and leaned in to kiss her.
“Your mother knows Rebecca is pregnant,” Penelope said, stopping him. “Did you tell her p>
Zebulon immediately looked guilty-so guilty that he forgot about the kiss entirely and hurried into the closet to change.
“I… I suppose I might have,” he stammered.
Penelope’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. Mrs. Sullivan and Rebecca were already thick as thieves. Couldn’t Rebecca have told her herself?
It was amazing how a guilty conscience could short-circuit a man’s brain.