Chapter 4 - Penelope’s Bouquet Shakes
Penelope’s bouquet shook so violently that one white rose loosened from its arrangement.
It fell onto the marble floor near Richard’s cane.
No one picked it up.
The flower looked suddenly too white, too perfect, too false.
Penelope noticed guests staring at it and lifted her chin.
She was trying to become the bride again.
Beautiful.
Wronged.
Misunderstood.
Trapped by an old man’s trick.
But the slap had already happened.
The recording had already played.
The sentence had already filled the room.
After tonight, Adrian signs everything over to me.
Adrian’s face remained pale.
“What did you mean by everything?”
Penelope’s lips parted.
Richard did not move.
Evelyn stayed silent.
The answer did not come.
That was the point.
The video would not reveal the scheme fully.
The story would not hand over the documents.
The ballroom would remain trapped before the final explanation.
Penelope forced a laugh.
“People say things when they’re stressed.”
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“Before a wedding?”
Her jaw tightened.
“You don’t understand pressure.”
Richard’s hand closed around the cane.
The gesture was slight, but Adrian saw it.
His father had endured a torn neck brace, a shove, a slap, and an insult without losing control.
Penelope was unraveling under one question.
That contrast spoke louder than the recording.
Evelyn finally addressed Adrian.
“Mr. Caldwell—”
No, not Caldwell.
She corrected smoothly.
“Mr. Mercer, the original audio is preserved.”
Penelope’s eyes snapped toward her.
“Stop talking.”
Evelyn looked at her with restrained authority.
“No.”
The single word shook Penelope.
She was used to service staff stopping.
Guests stopping.
Adrian stopping.
Evelyn did not.
Richard turned slightly toward the guests.
He did not make a speech.
He did not announce titles or legal power.
He simply stood upright without the brace Penelope had ripped away.
That alone unsettled the room.
The man who had looked hunched now stood almost straight.
The man she called a leech now held proof.
The man she slapped now controlled the silence.
Penelope whispered, “This is not happening.”
Richard looked at her.
May you like
“It already did.”
Read Chapter 5 👉 Because Penelope tried to act like the recording was a misunderstanding, but the guests had seen her hand before they heard her voice.
