Chapter 34
Jacklyn didn’t believe for a second that Penelope wasn’t involved in this.
The three men avoided her gaze, fumbling and dodging the question.
“If you come clean and expose the person behind all this, maybe the court will go easy on you.”
Still, they stubbornly insisted there was no one else involved.
Jacklyn knew there was no point pressing further. It would just be a waste of breath.
There would be time. Sooner or later, Penelope’s true colors would come to light.
From the side, Eugene stared at Jacklyn, stunned. “Jackie, is what they said true?”
A wave of regret hit him. He shouldn’t have brought her there. How much must it have hurt her?
The situation had blown up far beyond what she’d expected Even if Jacklyn didn’t want to speak more about it, she still nodded.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
“So, Ms. Stinson was actually a victim, too?”
“Ms. Stinson, can you tell us what it felt like at that moment?”
Jacklyn’s face darkened instantly.
“That’s enough!”
Liam snatched the microphone from her hand. His sharp gaze swept across the crowd. “Rubbing salt in the victim’s wounds? It looks like you’re willing to throw your future away for a bit of clout. If this is how you interview victims, you don’t deserve to be reporters.”
Silence fell like a curtain.
All the reporters froze, their faces drained of color. Microphones hovered awkwardly in midair, as they were unsure whether to lower them or keep them raised.
Just then, the sound of police sirens rang out. The three men Liam had brought were quickly escorted into a police
car.
After such a massive misunderstanding, the reporters couldn’t continue their interview. One by one, they
scattered.
Eugene looked at Jacklyn, guilt etched into his expression. Jackie, why didn’t you tell me something so serious?”
Jacklyn avoided his eyes. “It’s in the past. No point bringing it up again.”
And even if she had told him, what difference would it make? His attention had always been on Penelope. Would he really have cared?
Eugene murmured, “If I’d known earlier-”
Jacklyn cut him off before he could finish, “Let’s go home.”
She didn’t want to get tangled up with him any further.
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Chapter 34
+25 BONUS
At Lloyd Manor, Eugene followed behind Jacklyn, afraid she might be angry with him for his neglect.
He apologized nonstop, “Jackie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you went through all that and even made you come forward for the company.”
He reached out, gently brushing her hair. His eyes were full of regret and tenderness.
In the past, Jacklyn might’ve believed that he truly felt guilty. But now? It just made her sick.
She looked up, forcing herself not to recoil. “Gene, I didn’t attend the press conference for the company.”
She just didn’t want him to cling to her.
Eugene was visibly moved. Of course, Jackie had done it for him. She always thought of him first.
The guilt inside him swelled even more.
“Jackie, I’ll take you to Maldoria for a vacation.”
Jacklyn curled her lips into a small smile. She had no desire to go, but she had even less desire to be stuck at home with him.
“Alright,” she replied.
Eugene paused, eyes flickering.
Jacklyn usually lit up at the mention of a trip. But for some reason, this time she didn’t seem happy at all.
At the Stinson residence, Amanda was panicking after watching the live stream.
“Penelope, Jacklyn cleared her name at the press conference. Public opinion is shifting. What do we do now?”
“She actually managed to come out clean. What a waste of all the effort I put into this!” Penelope’s eyes burned with hatred.
Amanda’s face paled with fear. “Not only did we fail to humiliate her, but we didn’t even manage to frame her!”
What if the police dug too deep and tracked the whole thing back to her?
Amanda began pacing back and forth.
Penelope clenched her teeth. “Relax. I’ve already paid everyone off. That money is more than enough to keep their mouths shut.”
Amanda exhaled in relief.
But soon, unease returned.
As long as Jacklyn stayed in her position as Mrs. Lloyd, the risk of her bringing up the past would always hang over them.
But if Penelope could take her place, that would be a whole different story.
At that thought, Amanda’s tone softened as she hinted, “But Penelope, as long as you’re not Mrs. Lloyd, you’ll always be under her heel. You should take the gemstone necklace and let that bitch see who Eugene really cares about.”
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Chapter 34
+25 BONUS
The next day, Penelope and Amanda went shopping.
As they waited for the elevator, a tall man suddenly pushed his way from behind.
Penelope stumbled forward, nearly falling.
Once steady, she glanced back at the man with a glare. “There’s plenty of space. Why the hell did you shove us?”
The man stopped and glared at them in return. “You’re the ones blocking the elevator. So what if I pushed you? You blind fools!”
“How dare you insult us? You bumped into us first!” Amanda stepped up, ready to argue.
The man, noticing they wouldn’t back down, got fired up. “So what if I insulted you? Believe it or not, I could even hit you.”
Seeing how unreasonable he was, Penelope backed away.
Amanda noticed and gently tapped Penelope’s hand, giving her a subtle signal.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Penelope caught on immediately. She grabbed her stomach and cried out, “Amanda, my stomach! It hurts!”
“Help! Somebody, help!” Amanda shouted.
Security rushed over in no time. And not long after, Eugene arrived, too.
品
“Is the baby okay? What happened?” He ran up, his eyes locked on Penelope’s belly.
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