Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 273

Penelope wouldn't dare tell him the truth.

She lowered her eyes, her mind racing.

She couldn't let him know that Nora had taken Jade's place in the marriage.

Nobody knew better than her what kind of monster this man was.

If he hadn't shown such disgusting intentions toward Nora all those years ago, Penelope would never have found the nerve to help her daughter call the cops and send him to prison.

It had been a decade and a half.

She had thought she would never have to see him again.

She certainly never expected him to come straight to San Francisco the moment he got out—and knock right on her front door!

But it was fine...

Jade was going to take her rightful place as Mrs. Lancaster very soon anyway. Once the swap was made, she could set up a meeting for this father and daughter.

After all, it wasn't Penelope who had personally landed him in prison.

Every debt had its debtor.

If he wanted revenge, he could take it out on Nora.

"Nora is at work. She's not home during the day," Penelope said, forcing her voice to remain steady.

Arnold raised an eyebrow, pulling the cigarette from his lips. "Where does she work? Doing what?"

Penelope threw out a quick lie. "Just a small company. She's an office worker."

Arnold stared at her for a couple of seconds before bursting into a laugh.

"Is that so? My sweet girl was always brilliant. I thought she'd be destined for greater things."

Penelope didn't reply. She stood up, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt, and grabbed a cardigan from the bed to pull over her shoulders.

"You need to leave. I'll walk you out. My husband will be back any minute."

"What's the rush?"

"Oh, this is a distant cousin of mine from back home. He had some business in San Francisco and stopped by to see me."

Jade's eyes darted suspiciously between the two of them. "I've never heard you mention a cousin."

Penelope's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but she quickly smoothed it over.

"A distant cousin. We don't really keep in touch, so naturally, I wouldn't have mentioned him."

Jade rolled her eyes. "You're not having an affair behind my dad's back, are you?"

Penelope's face stiffened. She immediately swatted Jade's arm in mock scolding. "What are you talking about? He's practically a stranger. Why would I talk about someone I barely see?"

She forced a laugh, quickly changing the subject. "By the way, Jade, didn't you go see Beatrice? Why are you back so soon?"

The mere mention of it caused Jade's expression to turn completely sour.

"Don't even get me started! The Lancaster family treated me like garbage. They wouldn't even let me through the gates. I waited outside for over an hour and didn't even catch a glimpse of Mrs. Lancaster Sr."

She dropped her shopping bags on the floor, looking frantic. "Penelope, you don't think she changed her mind, do you?"