Chapter 2 Homecoming
1075 Words
"Tyron, who are you calling stupid?" Erica jumped up from the couch.
Tyron raised an eyebrow. "Who else would fall for him besides you? Oh, and that woman earlier. But at least she's a bit more clear-headed than you."
"Dad! Look at him..."
"Enough." Bruce cut her off with a sharp tone. "Aren't you done making a fool of yourself? Besides, he's your brother. Stop being so harsh."
Erica rolled her eyes. "He's no brother of mine. I've only got Marcus as my brother."
Bruce shot Erica a glare before turning to Howard. "You have five days to fix this mess. Our family can't stand such humiliation!"
*****
After leaving the wedding venue, Penelope went straight home.
But the door was locked tight, and even the security code had been changed.
"Mom, Mom!" Penelope called out while banging on the door.
The door creaked open.
Seeing who it was, Penelope rushed forward and embraced her. "Nelia, I missed you so much."
"M-Ms. Stein?" Nelia froze for a second. "Is it really you?"
"It's me, Nelia. I'm out," Penelope said, her voice shaky with emotion. "Is my mom home, or is she at the office?"
"Madam... she..." Nelia hesitated, her face suddenly pale.
A chill ran through Penelope's heart. The smile that had been on her lips faded, and her hands trembled uncontrollably. "I'll go see her upstairs."
"Ms. Stein... your mother... she's gone."
*****
Penelope was just about to go upstairs when Nelia's words hit her like a thunderclap.
Her mind went blank.
No, this just couldn't be.
It took a while for her to process. "Nelia, this isn't funny."
Tears welled up in Nelia's eyes. "Two years ago, after you were taken away, the company fell into financial turmoil. Your mother worked day and night to save both you and the company. But in the end, she was too exhausted, and while driving on the highway... she crashed. She could have survived, but..."
"Stop lying!" Penelope snapped, cutting her off.
Before Nelia could respond, a sharp slap rang out.
*****
Penelope was still in a daze when the slap landed squarely on Nelia's face.
The slap was hard. Nelia's face immediately swelled up, and blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.
"How dare you hit her!" Penelope shouted, rushing to Nelia's side and glaring at Sandy.
Sandy raised her head arrogantly, her eyes filled with contempt as she glanced at Penelope. "Because I own this place. She has to listen to me. And you, Penelope. You ruined my son's wedding, and now you still have the nerve to show up here!"
"You own this place? Sandy, are you out of your mind? This house belongs to my mom. Since when did it become yours?" Penelope exclaimed.
"See? Signed and sealed. That's your mother's signature. The ownership of this villa now belongs to my son, Howard," Sandy said.
"No way!"
Sandy scoffed, pointing at Nelia. "You don't believe me? Let her tell you, then."
Penelope turned to Nelia. "Is it true?"
Nelia nodded. Penelope's brows furrowed, disbelief written all over her face.
Back when she was with Howard, her mom had strongly opposed it. If it weren't for her extreme protests, they might have broken up long ago.
So how could her mom have possibly given the house to Howard?
"Impossible... Did you guys force her into it?"
*****
Sandy's expression shifted, a flicker of panic flashing in her eyes. "Cut your nonsense. Your mother willingly signed the transfer agreement.
Penelope, whether you believe it or not, that's the truth," she continued, pulling a card out of her pocket and tossed it at Penelope. "There's 100 thousand in here. Consider it a compensation for the past two years. Just take it and get out of here. I never want to see you again. Got it?"
Penelope sneered, sarcastically eyeing the card. She ripped it in half and threw the pieces back in Sandy's face. "Sandy, did you forget? If it weren't for me, your son would've been the one in prison!"
Sandy's eyes lit up with amusement. "Who can prove that? Penelope, you were the one who got wrapped around my son's finger and took the fall for him. What does that have to do with him?"
She jabbed her finger into Penelope's chest, warning her coldly. "You'd better stay in line. With the power I have now, I could crush you in a heartbeat... Ah!"
Before Sandy could finish, Penelope gripped her finger tightly and twisted it back.
"Let go of me!" Sandy screamed in pain, her face contorting.
Before she could say anything else, Penelope slapped her across the face.
*****
The sound of the slap echoed sharply through the room.
Sandy's face instantly burned with pain.
Still stunned, she hadn't recovered before Penelope slammed a second slap into her.
"Penelope, have you lost your mind?" Sandy cried out, staring at her like she'd seen a ghost.
Penelope glared at her and said, "The first slap was for your harsh words. This second one? It's for Nelia."
"And the third..." Penelope raised her hand as she spoke.
"Penelope, don't you dare hit me again, or I'll make sure you regret it!" Sandy screeched.
Before she could finish, Penelope swung the third slap down. "The third slap is a reminder. Don't ever cross me again, or I'll make sure I deal with you before you have the chance to crush me."
"Penelope, what the hell are you doing?!"
*****
At the sound of Howard's voice, Sandy's eyes immediately filled with tears. She ran to him, crying out in distress. "How could she do this to me? I've never expected to be humiliated like this."
The more she spoke, the more pitiful she became. Tears streamed down her face, and her breath nearly ragged.
Howard, furious at the sight of his mother's distress, rushed to comfort her. "It's okay, Mom, I'm here. She won't lay a finger on you again."
Looking up, he glared at Penelope with hatred. "You'd better apologize to my mom. Now!"
"Apologize? To her? She's not worth it." Penelope's voice dripped with disdain.
Her mocking words only made Howard angrier, and he raised his hand to strike her.
But before he could, Penelope swiftly kicked him in the stomach.
"Ah!" Howard cried out, doubling over in pain, clutching his stomach.
"Howard, are you okay?" Sandy rushed to him, trembling with anger. "You lunatic! Someone grab her and lock her up!"
- Writer
