Chapter 18
Early mornings in Islanthia were often dark and cold. But Penelope often spent those mornings indoors, with the temperature perpetually set to 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The warm cabin was able to block out the cold, icy winds effortlessly.
It was rare for her to give herself a day off. Penelope decided to spend the day lounging around at home.
Business at her flower shop was booming, much to her surprise. The consumers‘ demands. were a lot higher than the limited supplies she had. At the moment, many species had gone
out of stock.
Perhaps it was thanks to Penelope’s efforts to nurture bright and colorful flowers in the greenhouse despite living in a frigid country that everyone got to feel a warmth that spread to their souls.
As Penelope lay on her bed, she tapped on Twitter. She wanted to scroll through the latest interesting news that had occurred in Cheronia. But once she tapped into the trending list, she was surprised to see many hashtags featuring her, Eric, and Ingrid.
Wait, Ingrid was sent to jail for attempted manslaughter? Who did she try to kill?
And… Eric had actually revealed the truth?
At this moment, Twitter was filled with voice recordings featuring Eric’s repentance and exposure of the truth. Penelope tapped into a few random voice recordings. Eric’s voice soon drifted from her phone’s speaker as he began venting his feelings and repenting for his sins.
She barely stomached the first two seconds before immediately closing the voice recording. Then, she continued scrolling through the search page.
Penelope was surprised to see screenshots of her chat history with Ingrid being posted to the internet by anonymous users. Even the raunchy photos that Ingrid had used to provoke her were being spread.
After hearing Eric’s confession and reading Ingrid’s provocative messages, the internet users quickly understood what actually happened. They began criticizing the scandalous pair angrily.
“I was curious as to why Penelope would end her life in such an extreme way. Turns out that those two crazy fuckers are the ones behind her death!”
“My heart goes out to Penelope. I finally found out what sort of life she had before her death. After losing her parents, she thought she could receive warmth from the man she loved the most. Who would’ve thought that she’d end up walking into another trap instead?”
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“Fuck! I’m so pissed right now! It’s one thing for those two bastards to have an affair with each other, but why involve Penelope in the first place? Is sex that satisfying to you after involving that poor woman in your disgusting affair?”
“I still remember how Eric had even claimed to be a wonderful man! He had claimed that he’d only love Penelope for the rest of his life, yet he didn’t hesitate to sleep with another woman behind her back! If he couldn’t stick to his promises, he should’ve just shut up!”
“Boycott all of Fulmer Industries‘ products! Right now, that company’s stocks have crashed! Everyone, let’s do our best!”
“I support the court giving Ingrid a harsher sentence! She didn’t just attempt manslaughter- she practically murdered Penelope!”
As Penelope read the online comments, her heart–which she thought was already numb to everything -began beating once again. She thought the past would never be able to trigger her ever again. But when she saw the comments defending her, she couldn’t help but feel her nose prickle.
After taking a moment to recompose herself, Penelope finally realized that something was fishy. She thought for a moment before placing a phone call.
Steve seemed to be in a good mood when he picked up the call. In a mirthful tone, It’s been a while, Penelope. What’s with the sudden call?”
he said, ”
She was silent for a moment before saying, “Steve, when you mentioned you were going to fly back to Cheronia for a business meeting, was Eric involved in that meeting?”
Steve didn’t hesitate. If anything, his response was far too relaxed. “Penelope, you may rest in peace in Cheronia. Thanks to the strong public opinion on Ingrid’s crimes, she’ll definitely get thrown behind bars. Eric’s lawyer will definitely make sure that she’ll spend an extra decade or so in jail. As for Eric…”
Aware of the meaning behind Steve’s pause, Penelope interjected coolly, “His outcome has nothing to do with me.”
“Although Eric got stabbed by Ingrid, none of his vitals were harmed. Fulmer Industries‘ stock prices crashed immensely thanks to internet users taking the initiative to boycott the company. Then again, he has no plans to continue running his company either.
“Anyway, Penelope, have you listened to those recordings? I think he really loves you.”
Steve had to take a few deep breaths in between in order to finish uttering the last two sentences. With bated breath, he waited for Penelope’s response.
But Penelope merely chuckled. “Yes, Eric does love me. But his love for me doesn’t change the fact that he hurt me. It doesn’t matter how much he loves me and regrets doing those things
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to me. That doesn’t mean I must forgive him, right?”
“Of course, Penelope,” Steve replied frankly after letting out a long breath of relief.
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Suddenly, Penelope started to choke up on her emotions. She minced her words for a couple of seconds before she spoke up once again.
“Steve, thank you so much. Even though I’ve already let go of the past, I’m still touched to see you go through so much trouble to seek justice on my behalf. Hurry up and come back. The cafe has released a new dish. Also, I’d like to invite you to my place for a nice, home–cooked
meal.”
Steve grinned from ear to ear at Penelope’s words. This was her first time inviting him over to her place for a meal. That meant she was starting to open up to him.
“Sure thing. I’ll help you out in the kitchen.”
Chapter 19
It was a rare sunny day in Islanthia. Penelope had already set up the flower shop and was getting ready to open for business for the day.
But the customers visiting her shop were acting quite oddly today. Everyone had their phones pulled out in hopes of getting their photos taken with her.
Although Penelope made sure to turn everyone down politely, she was still confused.
Her phone suddenly rang. It was another phone call from Steve.
“Penelope, a photo featuring you has gone viral on Instagram. If you don’t want to get discovered by Cheronians, you need to avoid the spotlight for the time being. Avoid taking photos with anyone, no matter what. I’ll deal with this matter, so you don’t have to put în effort to investigate it.”
What on earth was going on?
Before Penelope could ask more questions, Steve quickly ended the call. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she had a feeling that Steve felt somewhat guilty.
Although Steve had basically told Penelope not to check Instagram, she still couldn’t help tapping into the application. That was how she came across her photo on the explore page.
To her surprise, Steve was in the photo as well. The location showed the porch of the cafe when they had their meal together. Penelope could be seen slumping over the table, clearly resting. Rays of sunlight gently cast down on her face. The teardrops that clung to her cheeks reflected the light gently.
All in all, the photo looked so beautiful and unreal that it resembled more like an oil painting.
Steve’s actions were the highlight of the photo. He happened to be gazing at her tentatively while bending over the table. In that position, he planted a light kiss on her forehead
reverently.
Penelope’s cheeks flared up instantly. She could pick up on the affection in Steve’s gaze and position.
The photographer happened to have captured the beautiful and precious moment purely by chance. The photo went viral on the social media platforms outside of Cheronia due to how beautiful it was.
Not knowing what to do, Penelope could only close Instagram. She planned on feigning ignorance when it came to the photo’s existence.
By the time she closed the shop for the day, it was already nighttime. After putting the flowers
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back in the greenhouse, Penelope opened Instagram once again. She could no longer find the photo she had seen in the morning.
Penelope let out a sigh of relief. Since Steve had dealt with the matter very quickly, there was a high chance that Eric didn’t see the photo.
She carried a huge bag of vegetables and fruits while walking home.
Not many people chose to live in Islanthia, to begin with. At night, there wasn’t a single soul or light in sight… Well, other than the streetlights, that was.
For some reason, Penelope thought she could hear an extra set of footsteps behind her. Terror crawled up her spine as she quickened her pace. But her stalker seemed to be jogging after her as well. That was what made her certain that she wasn’t imagining things.
Just as Penelope pulled out her phone and was about to dial 911 with trembling hands, a familiar voice cut through her fear.
“Penelope, it’s me.”
Shocked, Penelope whirled around to see Steve’s handsome face. He was only wearing a heavy coat on the outside, which didn’t fit the locals‘ daily fashion.
“Steve! You’re back!”
Steve smiled gently. He took the bag from Penelope as though it was the most natural thing to
do in the world.
“I just arrived at the airport this afternoon. When I found out that you closed up quite late tonight, I wanted to secretly walk you home, but I didn’t expect to scare you instead.”
Penelope felt Steve’s hands. Thank goodness his fingers weren’t that cold. “Why didn’t you put on a thick jacket?”
“I was worried that I might not get to see you in time. Why are your hands so cold?” Steve took the opportunity to hold Penelope’s hands, letting his warmth spread to Penelope.
She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she opted not to pull away.
“You saw that photo, didn’t you?” Steve sounded a little tense. When he noticed Penelope pursing her lips silently, he knew that she was silently admitting the truth.
“I’m sorry, Penelope. That day, your face was completely streaked with tears. My heart went out for you…”
“Is that why you decided to fly back to Cheronia all of a sudden just to get revenge on them?”
Steve nodded gently. “Penelope, you’re a smart woman, so you must’ve known my feelings for you a long time ago. But I don’t need you to respond to my feelings, nor do I need an
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answer from you. I just hope that you’ll let me protect you by your side.”
Penelope suddenly cut Steve off, asking, “What do you like to eat? I’ll have the food delivered to your company tomorrow at noon.”
Having spotted Steve’s shocked expression, she quickly added, “Think of it as an act of gratitude for you walking me home tonight. You can drop by my place for a meal this weekend.
Delight coursed through Steve’s veins. Penelope didn’t waive the meal invitation meant for
him.
“I’ll like anything you make for me.‘
Once Penelope got home, she began scouring through Steve’s social media accounts without knowing the reason why. He seemed to be very busy. Everything he posted on his social media feed was work–related. He never posted any selfies or group photos.
But Penelope did pick up on one thing. A particular woman had liked or commented on all of Steve’s posts over the past two years. The thing was, he never responded to her.
