Chapter 369
Una, carrying a tray of tea, saw Penelope frozen outside the door and was about to speak, but Penelope quickly put a finger to her lips, silencing her. She then gently pulled Una toward the dining room. Mr. Johnson would never want anyone to see him like that, so she would pretend she hadn’t. But she already knew why Hans was there.
Long after Hans had left, Mr. Johnson finally emerged from his study. He called Penelope over, his brow furrowed in deep thought. It was a long while before he spoke.
“The Higgins Group plaza project… let’s… let’s withdraw p>
She knew it.
Penelope gently guided Mr. Johnson to the sofa and poured him a cup of hot tea. “Okay,” she agreed without hesitation.
Mr. Johnson sighed heavily. “Penelope, I know how long you’ve prepared for this project, how much heart and soul you’ve poured into it. But… all I can say is that I’m sorry p>
“That doesn’t matter,” Penelope said, taking a steadying breath. “But I need to know why p>
“Penelope, please don’t ask p>
“I know Hans was here today p>
Mr. Johnson looked up, startled. “You p>
“Una told me,” she lied, not wanting to reveal that she had seen him in the study.
“He was my mentor. I owe him a great debt for his guidance p>
“Dad, that’s not a reason that would threaten you, and it’s not enough to convince me. Please, tell me the truth p>
Mr. Johnson shook his head, still unwilling to speak.
“Am I not family p>
“Of course you are p>
“And more than that, I’m your ally p>
A faint smile touched Mr. Johnson’s lips. “Penelope, you are very clever and very persuasive p>
Penelope sat down beside him. “There might be some things I can help with p>
Mr. Johnson fell silent for a long moment before letting out another deep sigh. “He did blackmail me,” he admitted, “but not with the favors he’s done for me. It was… it was about Theodore p>
“Theodore?” How could Hans use Theodore to threaten Mr. Johnson?
“You know some of what happened with Lorraine, don’t you?” At the mention of her name, a wave of profound sorrow washed over Mr. Johnson.
“Yes p>
“Twenty years ago, we were guests at the Bishop estate. Lorraine wandered out to the entrance by herself, and a falling tree… it struck her. She died instantly p>
Penelope could hear the tremor in
his voice. It was a past he couldn’t bear to revisit, a deep wound that had
neve
never healed, still bleeding after all these years “Because of that, Theodore has always hated me p>
“He said Mrs. Stapleton asked you to look after Lorraine, but you were negligent p>
“Yes. That was the story we agreed upon p>
“What? It wasn’t true p>
Mr. Johnson took a sip of tea, his silence heavy. Finally, he looked at Penelope.
“The truth is, I had to leave early that day for business. My wife entrusted Lorraine’s care to Theodore p>
“But… but why does Theodore say p>
“Because he was hypnotized p>
“Hypnotized p>
Mr. Johnson nodded. “After Lorraine’s accident, my wife lost her mind. She blamed the world, and naturally, she blamed Theodore for not watching his sister Theodore was already consumed with guilt, and after six months of my wife’s relentless emotional torment, he finally broke p>
“One night, I woke up with a terrible sense of unease. My first thought was Theodore. I rushed to his room, but he wasn’t there. I searched frantically and found him on the lawn outside, already unconscious p>
“What happened to him?” Penelope asked, her voice tight with anxiety.
“He had taken an entire bottle of sleeping pills p>
“Oh, my God p>
“In that moment, I felt my world collapse. I wanted to pick him up, to rush him to the hospital, but my limbs were numb. It took me forever to even think to call for help p>
As he spoke, Mr. Johnson lowered his head, his body trembling at the memory. The crushing despair still made it hard for him to breathe. Penelope was just as shaken, unable to speak for a long time.
“He was revived, but he fell into a deep depression. After months of treatment with no improvement, we made the decision to have him hypnotized We couldn’t erase Lorraine from his memory, so we shifted the primary blame onto me. His guilt turned into hatred for me p>