Karma Doesn’t Sleep The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 631

The moment Amelia heard Penny’s voice, her heart gave a little shudder she just couldn’t control.

Trying to keep her feelings in check, she spoke gently. “Penny, sweetheart, I want you to hear me. Whether you like it or not, I’m your mom. And Timmy is your real brother. No one can ever take us away from you. Jinx… She’s had such a hard life. She’s never going to see her mom and dad again.”

Penny just stared down at the floor, quiet as ever.

Amelia kept going. “Penny, I know you didn’t mean to hurt Jinx. I know you’re not a bad kid. But no one’s ever told you this: you can’t have every good thing in the world, and not everyone’s supposed to center their whole life around you. Jinx isn’t so different from you, you know. If her parents were still here, she’d be their little girl, too.”

Penny wasn’t born mean. If she was, she wouldn’t have gotten into that fight with two boys just to protect Jinx.

Nobody had ever shown Penny how to deal with anger, or taught her she wasn’t born above everyone else.

Amelia used to wish she could be the one to teach her, but Penny had always pushed her away… again and again.

“Penny,” Amelia whispered, wiping her eyes, “I don’t care how much you love Kristen. I have to tell you the truth. She’s a really bad, selfish woman. She almost killed me. She’s hurt you, too. Do you remember that sachet she gave you? She put drugs in it. Please, stay away from her. Don’t take anything from her, ever again. Will you promise me?”

Aunt Kristen… is she really that awful?

Penny’s mind flashed back to the sachet Kristen gave her. She also remembered how, when Dad wasn’t home, Kristen could suddenly get so mean, then switch back to acting nice in a heartbeat…

After hanging up, Penny just curled up in her chair, feeling lost.

“Penny, what did your mom say?” Clive asked as he drove.

“Dad, is Aunt Kristen really a bad person? Did she hurt me and Mom?” Penny asked, her voice small.

Clive went quiet. He knew how much Penny had depended on Kristen—how, when Amelia was in a coma, Penny had looked to Kristen like a real mom.

Clive had always hoped Kristen would just disappear quietly, so Penny wouldn’t have to deal with any of this pain.

“She won’t be around anymore,” was all he said.

Timmy shot Clive a look from the backseat, frustrated. Dad never told Penny what she needed to hear. He was just letting her get tricked by that awful woman again.

Timmy’s phone buzzed with a message from Uncle Ryan.

Uncle Ryan: Your mom’s crying.

Timmy frowned. What happened?

“Penny, you have to listen to me! Kristen is the worst! I mean, a real villain!” He grabbed a little chalkboard and dragged it over. “Mom didn’t tell me everything, but someone else did.”

Uncle Ryan had told him everything, down to the tiniest detail.

Timmy might’ve been little, but he understood more than most kids his age. He’d made sense of it all, and now he was going to explain it to Penny in a way she’d get. He wasn’t about to be like Dad, always hiding things. If they kept her in the dark, she’d never grow up.

Downstairs, Clive finished up his business call just as he got a message from Aiden.

“Mr. Salmeron, we’ve tracked Kristen down. She’s at the Lilac Hotel, presidential suite. And… well…”

Clive’s brow furrowed. “And?”

Aiden took a breath. “Cameron booked the room. He’s been there for two days. Hasn’t left.”

Clive closed his eyes, taking a slow breath to keep his temper.

Cameron was even more of an idiot than he used to be.

“Keep eyes on them. Don’t let them leave. I’m coming over now.”