Chapter 342
Penelope nodded sweetly. “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Bishop. I must be careful not to learn from your daughter p>
Mrs. Bishop’s anger flared again, but faced with Penelope’s brazen defiance, she could only grit her teeth and walk away.
Inside the lounge, Yvonne was still fuming. After a long tirade, she stormed out, determined to find Penelope, only to be met with a sharp slap from her own mother.
“Mother, you hit me too!” Yvonne cried, her voice filled with disbelief.
Mrs. Bishop took a deep, steadying breath. “Look at yourself. What have you become p>
“I can’t stand it p>
“So you resort to screaming matches? Do you know who she is? The daughter of a bankrupt family. And who are you? You are a Bishop! Where is your composure? Your pride? The moment you’re near her, you lose it all p>
“I p>
“You were never like this before p>
“She stole Theodore! She stole my Theodore!” Yvonne broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. “Mother, you know how much I love him. I’ve chased him since we were children. The moment I understood what love was, I knew it was him. I’ve never been with another man. My heart has only ever been his p>
“Before that incident, he was so good to me! He even promised he would marry me! But then that happened, and he pushed me away. He refused to speak to me. He went abroad just to get away from me p>
“I followed him, but he still ignored me, pretended he didn’t even know me p>
“Mother, he loves me, I know he does! If it weren’t for that incident, he would have married me, not that woman p>
“So she is the one who stole him! It’s not me coveting her husband!” Yvonne’s voice was raw with anquish
What did that incident net
anquish “What did th
have to do with me?
blame me for it? I don’t understand! I can’t lose him p>
Mrs. Bishop pulled her daughter into her arms, her own heart aching. “I know darling l know That’s why Calm. You cannot
you must stay
lose your head every time you
See
her. You will never win that way. You
will never get Theodore back p>
“But when I think about her being married to him, having the title of Mrs. Stapleton,
having his love… I can’t bear it p>
you
“You must!” Mrs. Bishop held her daughter by the shoulders, forcing her to meet her gaze. “You are Yvonne Bishop. You were born at the top of the world Why would stoop to fighting with a worm in the mud? You simply crush her. You must maintain your pride use your intelligence. Theodore will be yours in the end.” She handed Yvonne a mirror. “Look at yourself. Do you even recognize the person you see p>
Word of the altercation had, of course, reached the main ballroom. When Penelope returned, Mrs. Stapleton greeted her with a stern frown. “I’m warning you, do not disgrace the Stapleton family p>
Penelope tilted her head with a small smile. “Someone was bullying Mrs. Stapleton Jr. If I didn’t fight back, wouldn’t they think the entire Stapleton family was an easy target p>
“No one would dare bully our family, as long as you don’t go looking for trouble p>
“Is that so?” Penelope said, her eyes drifting to the black gown Mrs. Stapleton was wearing. “Ms. Bishop picked out that dress for you, didn’t she p>