Chapter 406
Hans’ face went ashen as he watched the video. He lunged for the phone, but Penelope was too quick for him.
She slipped it back into her pocket. “If I were to post this online p>
“You wouldn’t dare p>
“Then everyone would see the Bishop family for who you truly are. A pack of snarling ghouls, as repulsive as you are terrifying p>
Hans was practically hyperventilating with rage. He couldn’t believe that after decades in the business world, weathering countless storms, he was being cornered by this young woman.
“I said it before, if I go down, I’m taking him with me p>
“Fine. Go tell him,” Penelope said with a shrug.
“How can you be so calm? You p>
“You and I both know that hypnosis is a temporary fix. He’ll remember eventually. Since that’s inevitable, I’ll be there to help him through the hardest time of his life. But you? How many years do you have left? Are you sure you want to spend them in disgrace, with your legacy in tatters p>
Confidence radiated from Penelope as she spoke, but inside, her heart was racing. She was terrified of Hans telling Theodore the truth, afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle it. And with the roar of the excavators in the background, Donald was still standing under one of those massive steel arms. If anything were to happen p>
“What do you want from me?” Hans finally choked out, his voice laced with defeat. “What will it take for you to call him off p>
The knot in Penelope’s chest finally loosened.
She met his gaze. “You slapped me once, and you hit me ten times with that belt p>
“And p>
“Let me return the favor p>
“Impossible!” he sputtered. “I-I’m an elder! To be struck by someone your age… I’d never be able to show my face in public again p>
“Then I guess we tear down the house p>
“No! This house is my family’s ancestral home! If Theodore levels it, the Bishops will become a laughingstock in all of Orenth! I would be shaming my ancestors p>
“So that’s a no, and that’s a no,” Penelope said coolly. “You don’t really expect me to just let it go, do you p>
“I can give you money! As compensation p>
Penelope laughed. “Do you really think Mrs. Stapleton Jr. is short on cash p>
“Then what in God’s name do you want!” Hans was well and truly out of options. Penelope’s gaze shifted back to the Bishop mansion. He’d called it his ancestral home, hadn’t he? A legacy meant to be passed down through generations. To Yvonne, eventually?
Why should she get it? Penelope thought. By rights, I’m the eldest daughter of this generation.
“I want the house,” she declared.
“What did you say?” Hans’ eyes bulged.
She gave him ten minutes. In the end, Hans stood before Theodore and offered Penelope a formal, bowing apology. The rest of the Bishop family followed suit,
each of them offering their own begrudging apologies, none more reluctant than Yvonne.
With a magnanimous wave of her hand, Penelope accepted.
“Darling, let’s just forget it,” she said, linking her arm through Theodore’s. “Tearing
down the house seems like a lot of work anyway p>
Theodore knew she had been negotiating with Hans. As long as she was satisfied with the outcome, the house could stand.
“Hans,” Theodore said, his voice dangerously low, “let this be the last time. If there’s a next time, I won’t
just go after your house/et
up
your family plot.” He dropped his cigarette to the ground, crushed it under his heel, and pulled Penelope away.
Hans’ face was a
thundercloud. He
had gravely underestimated Penelope’s importance to Theodore, never imagining he would be willing to burn his bridges with the Bishop family for her. But he had, without a moment’s hesitation, and had ground their pride into the dirt.
Yvonne’s eyes were red with fury. She took two steps forward.
“Theodore, you’re treating me—treating our family—like this because you’re convinced we’re the ones who killed your sister! But we’re innocent! The person who really killed her is someone else! Do you want to know who it is p>