Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Just as Nancy reached to open the box, Caleb’s phone rang.

“Let me go!” Penelope’s panicked voice broke through the speaker, her sobs frantic. “Caleb! Help me!”

Caleb’s expression darkened instantly. Without a word, he took off running.

Nancy froze. “Mr. Hampton, if you don’t check, I’ll have to ship the packages immediately.”

“Then ship them!” He didn’t even look back.

…

Urgency propelled Caleb as he raced toward the hotel, ignoring the front desk’s attempts to stop him. When he reached the door, he raised his leg and kicked it open with a violent

crash. Inside, more than one man waited.

Thankfully, Penelope’s clothes remained intact. As soon as she saw Caleb, she collapsed to

the floor in tears.

His face hardened into a terrifying mask of cold rage. His bloodshot eyes blazed with fury. He grabbed the nearest chair and hurled it at the three men inside.

When the chair shattered, he began using his fists. His every punch was hard and vicious.

When Sydney received the call from the police, she felt a surreal sense of absurdity.

Caleb, the calm, refined gentleman, had gotten into a fight? One against three? And he

hadn’t held back.

At the police station, she spotted him bruised and cut, and paused for a moment. “What happened?”

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Chapter 26

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“Syd, please don’t be mad.” Penelope approached with red–rimmed eyes. “It was all my

fault. I drank too much. If Caleb hadn’t rushed over-”

Sydney didn’t wait for her to finish. She already understood. This was a classic melodrama: a man flying into a rage to defend the woman he loved. Only this time, the male lead happened to be her husband–at least on paper.

Caleb looked at Sydney, somewhat apologetic. “Sorry to trouble you.”

“No trouble at all.”

Sydney followed the police officer briskly to sign papers and complete the formalities— paying compensation, covering fines, offering a formal apology to the victims‘ families. She handled it all efficiently.

“Okay.” Sydney nodded and said flatly,. “I understand.”

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With the Hampton family’s connections, this incident would be smoothed over easily. The only reason Caleb hadn’t used those resources was to keep the family in the dark. Once they knew, they would trace the source, and that meant that nothing could save Penelope. He wanted to protect her, and Sydney understood perfectly.

Caleb studied her and smiled faintly. “Are you mad?”

“No,” she said simply.

“Really?”

“Really.”

He searched her face for a reaction. “Come on, let me drive you two home.”

‘You two? He said Penelope would move out. Another broken promise,‘ she thought.

Sydney felt a sudden surge of luck. From the moment she uncovered the truth about Caleb and Penelope, she hadn’t trusted a single word he said. Trust was a luxury she had given once, and she would never do so again.

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