Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 155

Sydney had no time to think about anything else.

“Where did Penelope move to?” she pressed.

“Well…” Kelly hesitated. “I don’t know.”

A faint weight settled in Sydney’s chest. She climbed back into her car and dialed Caleb. No answer.

Then a message appeared–Victor, with a hotel room number.

Victor: [Be good. Stop wasting your time. Caleb has no time for you.]

On the outskirts of the city, a black Maybach glided into a secluded villa’s courtyard. The driver stepped out, opened a black umbrella, and held the rear door.

Caleb emerged. His long frame moved with cold precision, and his eyes betrayed a dark storm of emotions.

Gordon rushed to meet him. “Mr. Hampton.”

“Is she willing to talk?” Caleb’s voice was stripped of its usual gentleness.

Gordon fell into step beside him. “Ms. Monroe insists on speaking to you directly.”

A cold glint flashed through Caleb’s eyes. He straightened his cuffs and strode into the basement. The woman he had once held with care now waited in a bare concrete room, trapped behind iron bars.

The moment Penelope saw him, she dashed forward and shook the door with trembling hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Cal, Cal! I know I was wrong! Please, let me out!”

Once, Caleb could not bear to see her cry. Her tears had always summoned the image of that little girl clutching her father’s hand, darting through traffic to protect his family. His heart had softened against his will.

Even after she had long ceased to be that innocent child, he had indulged her and lowered his bottom line repeatedly for her.

And yet, she had never been Precious.

After his father’s funeral, when he and his mother returned to Jouleston, he had begged the housekeeper to take him to Brimcrest City,

Unfortunately, he had been too late. He had tracked down her address, only to learn from neighbors that her parents had died in an accident. She had vanished.

For years, he had pursued every lead and pulled every string until the day he saw the pendant around Penelope’s

neck.

And now, it had all been for nothing. Worse, he had wasted years on her while his Precious remained lost, perhaps still suffering somewhere. He did not even know if she was alive.

1/2

The thought tore through him. He lunged forward, his boot slamming the iron door wide. He seized Penelope by the throat and slammed her against the wall.

Veins bulged in his hand as his voice dropped. “I will ask you one last time. How did that pendant end up in your

hands?”

His unrelenting eyes narrowed and tracked every flicker of her expression.

Her spine cracked painfully against the wall. She tilted her head back to meet his gaze, knowing in that instant that one lie would be her death sentence.

Terror surged inside her. How could this man, always so polished and composed, become a stranger in an instant? Was it really just because she had impersonated some Precious? Had all the years they shared meant nothing? Why was she worth less than that wretched girl?

Then jealousy and fury consumed her.

She looked at Caleb and laughed. “I stole it! I ripped it from the girl you loved most in this world!”

Today’s Bonus Offer

GET IT NOW