Chapter 156
After seeing Mr. Temple to his car, Penelope headed for the parking garage.
“You didn’t come home last night. Where were you p>
Zebulon suddenly appeared, blocking her path.
“I was at another man’s house,” Penelope said with a shrug.
“Penelope!” Zebulon’s voice was a sharp bark.
“What does it have to do with you p>
“We’re about to get married! What do you think it has to do with me p>
“I already know you cheated on me with Rebecca. Do you honestly think I’m still going to marry you p>
“I told you, I just wanted a child p>
“Well, congratulations then p>
Penelope sneered and walked around him, continuing toward the garage.
“Wanting a child and loving you are not mutually exclusive p>
“Then please, do me a favor and stop loving me. It makes me sick p>
“I can promise you,” he said, his voice earnest, “as soon as Rebecca has the baby, I will cut all ties with her. We’ll bring the baby home and raise it together p>
His words were so astoundingly tone-deaf that Penelope stopped in her tracks. She took a moment to steady herself before turning back to face him.
“Could you repeat what you just said p>
Zebulon took her hand. “First of all, I love you. That’s undeniable. As for Rebecca, I admit I was confused for a while, but I’ve thought it through. She is simply a tool to give us a child. After the baby is born, I’ll give her a sum of money and she will disappear from our lives. Then, we will finally have our own child. You can treat this child as your own, have it call you ‘Mom,’ and raise it yourself. For someone who can’t have children, this is my way of compensating you, don’t you see?” “Ugh p>
Penelope stared at the face she had once loved, now spouting such vile nonsense, and felt a wave of nausea.
“What’s wrong p>
“Don’t talk to me. I’m afraid I’ll throw up my dinner p>
She was actually starting to fear Zebulon. He was like a walking pile of filth, poisoning the air around him.
“We can talk about the wedding later,” she said, trying to get away.
“And about Mr. Temple,” he called after her, “you should talk to him. I was more
than generous with him tonight, but he was completely ungrateful p>
“First of all, I no longer work for
Stone Group, so I have no obligation to help you. Secondly, he is the
client. You are the vendor. Do you et ́
have any idea how this works?You were late, and then you acted like you were gracing him with your presence. You’re lucky he didn’t punch you p>
“I am the heir to Stone Group. The fact that I invited a mere employee to dinner was a huge honor! You think I should grovel like you, cutting his steak for him and helping him with his coat? I’m not you. I have some self-respect p>
Penelope pressed her fingers to her temples. She didn’t want to waste her anger on Zebulon, but she had worked tirelessly to build those client relationships treating each one like royalty, and he had destroyed one in a single evening. She couldn’t help but be furious.
“Zebulon, I am so p>
Speechless, disappointed, despairing-none of it mattered.
“I have nothing more to say to you,” she said, taking a deep breath. “You’d better
figure out how to salvage your relationship with Mr. Temple p>
“Please. His company’s project is peanuts. Good riddance. Now the company can use those resources to pursue bigger deals p>
So arrogant, so shortsighted. Zebulon was a lost cause.
“You should take the next few days off work. Stay home and help my mother with the wedding preparations p>
“I’m busy.” A fake wedding. Even if she were playing along, it wasn’t worth her time.
“You don’t even care, do you? If that’s how you’re going to be, then maybe we should just get a divorce p>
Penelope was already several feet away. She turned back. “How about tomorrow morning p>
Everyone was trying to threaten her with divorce. She’d like to see them try to file for one with a fake marriage certificate.