The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 296

Overcome with emotion, she leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth. He immediately captured her, pulling her into a fierce, passionate embrace.

“Theodore, I’ve truly fallen in love with you.”

“You should know by now, I fell in love with you a long time ago.”

It was dark by the time they returned to Orenth. Theodore needed to go to the Stapleton estate, so he dropped Penelope off at the Johnson villa before leaving. She walked in humming a cheerful tune, only to find Ward and Mrs. Sullivan sitting in the living room.

“Penelope started at the Stone Group as an intern during her senior year of college. That was seven or eight years ago,” Ward was saying to Mr. David Anderson, who sat opposite him. “We’ve always treated her like family. And while there have been some recent unpleasantries, they’re insignificant compared to the long-standing bond we share, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mr. Anderson didn’t know the full story, only that their son had wronged his daughter. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.”

Ward took a sip of tea and shot Mrs. Sullivan a meaningful look.

“We are genuinely happy for Penelope, marrying into the Stapleton family,” Mrs. Sullivan said with a smile. “But a family of their stature… well, we worry she might be treated unfairly.”

“Why would you think that?”

“You don’t know what it’s like to be a daughter-in-law in a family like that. She’ll have to uphold the family image, serve her in-laws, please her husband… it’s not an easy life.” Mrs. Sullivan paused. “However, if her own family had some standing, she would naturally face less hardship.”

Mr. Anderson began to understand. The thought that he couldn’t provide his daughter with a powerful backing filled him with a pang of guilt.

“That is why we would like to formally adopt Penelope as our goddaughter.”

He stared at them, stunned. “You… you want to adopt Penelope as your goddaughter?”

Terrified, the couple scrambled around the sofa and made a break for the door. But they were too desperate to leave empty-handed.

“Penelope, your position as Mrs. Stapleton isn’t as secure as you think!” Ward shouted over his shoulder.

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

“All those things from your past… if we were to leak even one of them, you’d be disowned by the Stapletons and thrown out on the street!”

Penelope gritted her teeth. They knew she wanted to leave her past behind, and now they were using it to blackmail her.

“Fine, you don’t have to be our goddaughter,” Ward conceded. “But you will facilitate a partnership between the Stone Group and the Zenith Group. Otherwise, we’ll all go down together!”