Chapter 04

Penelope’s Pov.

My eyes widened in shock the moment he called my name. He seemed to be pushing me into a tight edge, and it worried me.

“What!” Madeleine spat. “The likes of her cannot represent this prestigious school.”

“Why not?” Sebastian asked. “She’s an A-list student.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s simply not enough. She’s a charity case who shouldn’t be involved in such an important event. She will embarrass us.”

“That’s right,” the teacher said. “The school management did not include her name.”

“Include it,” he deadpanned.

“I can’t do that, Mr. Vanderbilt.”

“Miss West.”

“Yes?”

“Do you love your job?”

“Of course, I do!”

“Then you know what to do.”

Miss West looked around helplessly, panic written on her face. I should feel sorry for her, but I didn’t. She was one of the teachers who treated me unfairly. She even directed this hatred for me towards my favorite teacher, Mr. Charles.

Madeleine hmphed and folded her arms across her chest, facing Sebastian. “If she ends up being selected because of you, I won’t go.”

He spoke without looking at her. “If she doesn’t get selected, I won’t go either.”

I tensed in my seat as everyone gasped. What kind of war was Sebastian declaring now? Why was he putting me in a tight corner? I didn’t even know what he was planning because of his unpredictable nature. Surely, he wasn’t doing this because he thought I deserved better. He must have something to gain from it.

Through the corner of my eyes, I could see Madeleine glaring at me. I sighed and folded my hands in my lap. 

Miss West cleared her throat and gave us a tight smile. “That will be all, class. I’ll be back later for an updated version of the list.”

Before anyone could speak, she walked out quickly. Everyone began talking at once. Sebastian had never been nice to me, so it was quite a surprise to us all. 

Lena leaned close to me. “He stood up for you. Should we be worried?”

“Yes,” I said flatly.

“Oh God,” she groaned. “I don’t want Maddie to pick on me.”

I sighed again and looked up just in time to see Madeleine walk out of the class with Sebastian right behind her. I was worried. At this point, I didn’t want to go to the summit anymore. If word about this got home, it could implicate my father.

“Do you want to go to the summit?” Lena asked. 

“I do, but it would be best not to.”

She sighed. “You should tell Sebastian then. He might be trying to help you.”

I scoffed. “Sebastian never helps anyone.”

Later that afternoon, I went to Mr. Charles’ office to seek his assistance on an essay I was trying to write. I was happy not to encounter Maddie on the way, because I knew she must have been plotting God knows what after what happened in class earlier.

I knocked twice on his door.

“Come in,” came a sharp voice.

I walked in and sat on the chair in front of him with a huff.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Charles.”

“Afternoon, Miss Hastings.”

Without wasting any time, I presented my essay to him, and he made corrections. When I got up to leave, he cleared his throat.

“I heard about what happened with Miss West today. What do you intend to do concerning that?”

I sighed. “I don’t know yet. I’m confused.”

“Tread carefully, Penelope,” he warned.

“I will. Thank you, Mr. Charles.”

“If it comes to worse, I will intervene on your behalf.”

“You don’t need to, but thank you.”

**** **** ****

That night, I went into the Vanderbilts’ library to borrow another book. The library was my favorite place in the mansion, as it had most of the books I wanted. Besides that, the décor was fascinating. When I was seven, I would sometimes go missing. And I was always found in the library, my nose buried in a novel. This made Mrs. Vanderbilt very fond of me.

I dropped the previous book and picked another one. I had passed through the backdoor earlier because I didn’t want to see Sebastian. But now, I was going through the front door because I was sure that he would have gone to see Theo for their usual Monday rendezvous.

Unfortunately, the moment I walked into the living room, I was met with a full house. Mrs. Vanderbilt, Sebastian, Madeleine and her mother, Theo and his mother, and a family that I didn’t recognize. I groaned inwardly and wished I had listened to my instinct not to come out here.

I tried to slip away quickly before anyone could notice me. But I was already spotted by Madeleine who just wouldn’t let me go.

“You!” she called. “What are you doing there?”

Everyone turned to look at me, and I wished the ground would open up and swallow me. I bit my bottom lip and faced them.

“Good evening. I came here to borrow a book. I’ll return to my quarters at once.”

“Interesting,” said Mrs. Bancroft. “You shouldn’t interrupt an elite family gathering.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I had no idea that anyone was here.”

“A maid wandering in the main house in search of a book. This is the second time I’m witnessing you here with that excuse. Were you trying to steal?”

“Lydia!” Mrs. Vanderbilt looked horrified. “Penelope isn’t a maid. She has been a lover of books since she was little. The library isn’t limited to her. I believe knowledge should be free.”

Madeleine flashed her a sweet smile. “Oh, Mrs. Vanderbilt, your philanthropic nature is adorable. I hear poor people take advantage of it.”

She smiled warmly at Madeleine before turning to me. “Did you get what you need?”

I glanced at Sebastian who ignored me completely. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Poor people sicken me,” Mrs. Bancroft said under her breath, but everyone heard it.

Mrs. Vanderbilt calmly faced me. “Dear, return to your quarters.”

I bowed my head and went to my quarters, tears sliding down my cheeks. I closed the door and sobbed uncontrollably as the emotions I’d been trying to keep at bay overwhelmed me.

Barely five minutes later, I heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was my dad, I wiped my face quickly and opened the door.

“Sebastian?”