Chapter 134
“Penelope, you can’t keep acting like this p>
Before Mrs. Sullivan could finish, her phone pinged. She glanced at the screen, and her eyes widened in horror.
“Thirty thousand! What did you do? How did you just spend thirty thousand dollars p>
Zebulon’s face went pale at the amount. “Penelope, you’ve gone too far p>
They both started yelling at her, but then paused, a flicker of confusion crossing their faces. Penelope was standing right in front of them. How could she have made such a large purchase?
“You p>
“Oh no!” Penelope exclaimed, rummaging through her purse. She flipped through her wallet and then her eyes widened. “The card… it’s gone! I must have lost it p>
“Lost it?” Mrs. Sullivan gasped. “So… you weren’t the one who made these purchases p>
Penelope shook her head. “I did go to the mall today, but I used my own money.” Why on earth would she use the Sullivans’ money to buy things for her new life with Theodore? That would be absurd.
“Someone must have found it and is using it,” Mrs. Sullivan muttered. “But how would they know the PIN p>
Penelope frowned. “We can worry about that later. We need to call the police p>
“Right, right, the police!” Mrs. Sullivan agreed. “I want that thief caught and thrown in jail! And I want my money back p>
While Mrs. Sullivan called the police, Zebulon frantically called the bank to freeze the card. The thief, being an amateur, was apprehended quickly and caught red- handed, leaving no room for denial.
Mrs. Sullivan, Zebulon, and Penelope rushed to the police station. Just as they arrived, they ran into a panicked Rebecca. Their eyes met, and in that instant, they all knew.
Sure enough, as soon as they entered, they saw Mrs. Winters in handcuffs.
“You’re finally here!” she cried out, a mixture of fear and indignation in her voice. “They keep saying I’m a thiếf it’s a huge misunderstanding! We’re family! How can I be thief for using my own family’s card p>
Rebecca covered her face, mortified. Zebulon shot her a furious look. “Your mother is really something else p>
Mrs. Sullivan spotted the piles of shopping bags on a nearby table. She marched over, grabbed a bag and pulled out… a tacy, red piece of Ingerie Her face turned black with rage, and she hurled it at Mrs
Winters.
“You shameless old hag! You spent my money on this trash! Who the hell is family with you? I’d die of embarrassment!” She turned to the officer. “Officer, please, just lock her up. We don’t know her p>
Mrs. Winters flinched, but Mrs. Sullivan’s words made her snap. “You want to send me to jail? You dare! Don’t you forget all the dirty secrets your family is hiding! And with Penelope right here p>
“Shut up!” Zebulon pointed a trembling finger at her, desperate to silence her before she said more. “If you say one more word, I’ll p>
“Are you trying to threaten me?” Mrs. Winters yelled back. “I spent your family’s money, so what? If the officer asks, I’ll just tell him it’s a domestic dispute p>
“You old, shameless, disgusting woman!” Mrs. Sullivan continued to curse.
Mrs. Winters patted her own cheeks defiantly. “That’s right, I have no shame! And let me tell you, I have nothing to lose! You’d better clear this up with the officer right now, or else p>
“You!” Mrs. Sullivan swayed, overcome with rage, and nearly fainted.
Penelope stepped forward and
steadied her from behind before
turning her attention to Mrs. Winters. “You found my card. You should have returned it, not gone on. shopping spree. And now that you’ve been caught, you’re still acting like this, claiming it’s a ‘family dispute.’ What makes you think you’re part of the Sullivan family p>