Chapter 630
[Talk about what p>
[I don’t know. I suspect Mr. Stapleton isn’t entirely sure either p>
Penelope took a deep breath. What on earth was going on?
“Are you lost?” the woman asked again.
Penelope paused. “I… I’m looking for Jack. Is this his home p>
At the mention of his name, a look of fear flashed across the woman’s face.
“No, you have the wrong place p>
Penelope narrowed her eyes. From the woman’s reaction, she knew she was in the right place. The denial was likely because Jack had caused his wife so much trouble that she was afraid of anyone who came looking for him.
“Jack owes me a lot of money,” Penelope said.
“I told you, I don’t know him! You’re at the wrong house p>
“He showed me a picture of you. I recognize you p>
At these words, the woman completely broke down.
“Please, just leave me alone! I have no idea how much money he borrowed or what he’s done out there! I never took a cent from him! Go find him, please, just go find him p>
“He’s dead. Where am I supposed to find him p>
The woman covered her face. “Then what do you want me to do? Are you trying to drive me to my death p>
Penelope’s mind raced. “As a woman, I sympathize with you. Luckily, he didn’t owe me that much. I’ll just forget about the debt p>
Hearing her say she would forget it, the woman’s grief instantly turned to relief.
“Thank you. You’re such a good person p>
Penelope cleared her throat. The woman had probably been threatened so many times that she’d believe any lie tossed her way.
“Um, could I come in for a glass of water?” she asked.
The woman quickly got up, opened the gate, and nervously invited her in.
“Don’t worry. I said I’d drop it, and I mean it. It was only a few thousand dollars,” Penelope added.
Only then did the woman fully relax. “Please, have a seat. I’ll get you some water p>
Penelope found a stool and sat down. The little girl who had been playing with water glanced at her shyly before following her mother inside. Soon, the woman returned with a glass of water, which Penelope accepted.
“Is this your daughter?” Penelope asked, gesturing toward the little girl.
The woman shooed her daughter back inside to play, then sighed. “I had her when I was forty-two. Who would have thought that just a few days after she was born, Jack’s business would fail, leaving him massive debts. Since then, I’ve been raising our daughter while trying to pay off his loans. But him? He spends his days drinking and playing cards. When the creditors come for him, he tells them to find me. He couldn’t care less if we live or die p>
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. “How did I end up with him? When he was young, he was out womanizing and drinking, even has an illegitimate daughter New that he’s old, all he does is drag us down p>
“You said he has an illegitimate daughter?” Penelope finally latched onto a key detail amidst the woman’s complaints.
The woman scoffed. “Let me tell you, his illegitimate daughter is a year older than my eldest son p>
A theory began to form in Penelope’s mind, a theory so wild it seemed absurd.
“Do you know this illegitimate daughter p>
“Of course not. I’ve never even seen her. I only found out once when Jack was drunk and let it slip p>
“What did he say p>
The woman thought for a moment. “He was just boasting about how clever he was, that he’d slept with some powerful man’s wife and she’d had his daughter. He went on about how amazing his daughter was now, how she was going to inherit a big company, and that one day she would pay off all his debts and give him lots of money p>
Penelope’s eyes narrowed. The daughter Jack was talking about… could it be p>