The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 256

"I'll handle it."

"Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

"He messed with you. That means he was in the wrong."

Penelope was so touched she could have cried. She hugged her phone and kissed the screen. "You're the best, honey. When are you coming back? I'm going to welcome you home in a very special way."

"Is anyone there with you?"

Penelope’s eyes darted sideways. "Nope."

"I don't think 'way' is the right word."

"Huh?"

"The word you're looking for is 'position'."

Penelope blinked. She saw Norton and Timothy across from her, trying to stifle their laughter. She cleared her throat. "I… I don't know what you mean."

"Do you need me to be more direct?"

"No! I'll… I'll get myself all cleaned up and ready for you," she said, feigning shyness.

"I was talking about your cooking position!"

"What?"

"Aren't you going to cook me a welcome-home meal? Your posture is important. If it's wrong, the food won't taste right."

Penelope saw the mischievous grin on his face. He was deliberately teasing her.

...

She slept until nearly noon. A call from the villa's security guard woke her. A group of men in work clothes were at the gate, asking for her. They wanted to thank her in person for getting them their wages.

Penelope let out a sigh of relief. From Zebulon's tone yesterday, she knew he intended to let Louis handle the situation. That's why she had given him a deadline and immediately called Theodore. Theodore must have warned Louis, who, likely having discovered her connection to Theodore, decided to distance himself from the mess as quickly as possible. With Louis out of the picture, Zebulon had no choice but to use the outstanding payment to pay the workers. He must have scrambled to get the funds together, terrified she would release the recording.

"Tell them I didn't do anything," she instructed the guard. "The wages are what they earned for their hard work. Now that they have their money, they should go home."

With that, she dismissed them. She hadn't done it for their gratitude; she had simply finished a job she had started.

Una called her down for lunch. After a shower and taking her time to dry her hair and get dressed, she was running late. Mr. David Anderson came upstairs to get her.

"I'm ready, Dad! Coming down now!" she called out from her room. As she grabbed her phone to leave, a call came in from Harold.

"Ma'am, Mr. Stapleton has been in an accident!"