Chapter 05

Penelope’s POV.

I scrunched up my brows the moment I saw him. This was the first time I was seeing him in the staff quarters, and it surprised me that he knew our apartment.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

He ignored me and walked past me, into the apartment. I gasped in horror as I watched him sit on the sofa in the living room. It was ridiculous that he was right here in what would be considered a lowly place for him.

“Have you been crying?” he asked softly.

My mouth dropped open in shock at his gentle display. I sniffed and wiped my face to get rid of the remnants. I looked down at him without saying anything, hoping that he would just go away. But it seemed like he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

In fact, he sank deeper into the sofa. “You’re not answering me.”

“I don’t want to go to the summit!” I blurted out.

He looked perplexed. “Why? It’s your dream.”

“Not anymore.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to cause any rift between you and Maddie.”

“You can’t.”

“But…”

“Is it your dream or not?”

“It is.”

“Then go.”

“What’s in it for you?”

He laughed, surprising me. “What do you think?”

“You won’t get me in the summit just because I want to go.”

“Why?”

“Because you never help anyone.”

He stood up abruptly and walked to me. I lowered my eyes, but he put a finger under my chin and raised my face to look at his. All the warmth his tone held earlier wasn’t in his eyes. They were cold and angry.

“I help whoever I want to. I also recognize talent when I see it. I couldn’t care less about your dream. I simply did it because I know you deserve it for being an A-list student.”

“I can’t go.”

“You must.”

“You can’t tell me what to do. I don’t wish to go anymore.”

“If this is about Maddie, be rest assured. You’re not enough to cause a rift between us.”

I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from dishing out a hot retort for him. He never ceased to let me know just how much I wasn’t good enough to be here.

“I’m fine, young master,” I bit out with as much venom as I could. “I don’t need your help.”

He raised a brow. “You haven’t called me that in years.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking…”

The door swung open, and my eyes widened in shock when I saw my father at the door, staring at us with an expressionless face. I pushed Sebastian off quickly and stood in front of him.

“Dad,” I said breathlessly.

He didn’t look at me. Instead, he walked to Sebastian. “Young master, you should return to your wing of the house.”

“Why?” Sebastian said, not in the least bothered by my father. “This wing is also a part of my house.”

“Still, you shouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t…”

“Please, return to the main house, and your father won’t have to hear about this.”

He scoffed and turned to me. “If I were you, I would take that rare offer.”

Then he left. As soon as the door closed behind him, my father turned to me.

“What was that about?”

I wasted no time in explaining everything that happened in school and in the main house.

“You should check carefully if there are visitors in the main wing before going there. I don’t want anyone to embarrass you again.”

“Okay, daddy.”

“And Pen?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“Be careful. You shouldn’t be seen with Sebastian Vanderbilt.”

I nodded and looked away, and he continued. “Do you want to go to this summit?”

“I do, but with the circumstances surrounding it, I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Think about it.”

“I will.”

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

The next day at school, I avoided Sebastian like a plague. I still remembered the feel of his finger under my chin, and it nearly sent me into psychosis. To make matters worse, I still didn’t understand what he stood to gain from helping me.

Maybe he was plotting a scheme with Madeleine to embarrass me. But he wouldn’t stoop so low to do that. If there was one thing I knew about Sebastian Vanderbilt, it was the fact that he never stained his hands with petty affairs. According to him, they were for people who have no class.

In the hallway, I could hear locker doors slamming, and I grimaced. Everyone was staring at us, whispering under their breaths. I wanted to know what happened this time, but I would prefer to stay curious.

Lena sighed beside me. “I wonder what is wrong this time. Since you’re avoiding Seb, we need to leave here immediately. I heard he’s coming this way.”

I gasped and started pushing my things into the locker hurriedly as Lena asked me incessant questions.

“Did he really touch you?”

“Were his pupils dilated when he looked at you?”

“Come on, you didn’t give me full details on text. What really happened?”

I slammed my locker shut and faced her. “I’ll give you the details later, Lens. Let’s get out of here.”

“She’s such a whore,” I heard a girl say.

I held my breath and controlled myself not to turn and ask what was going on. I turned towards the exit and came face to face with Sebastian and Theodore.

I turned to leave, but Sebastian grabbed my hand. I gasped and tried to free myself to no avail. Through the corner of my eye, I could see Madeleine walking towards us. 

“Sebastian, let go of me now,” I whispered to him through clenched teeth.

He ignored me and looked at Theodore. “Let’s go.”

Theo grabbed my other hand, and they both pulled me away despite my protests. We had barely gotten to the door when some policemen walked in. 

“Fuck,” Sebastian cursed under his breath. “They’re here already.”

Confused, I turned to him. “What’s going on?”

Theo spoke instead. “Have you checked your phone today?”

“No.”

“You should.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I heard Maddie say behind us. “Let me show her.”

“How could you have an affair with Mr. Charles?” Sebastian asked with disappointment boldly written on his face.

I gasped and staggered backwards. “An affair?”

“Here,” Maddie said with a smug smile. “Let me help refresh your memory.

She showed me a video. In it, I was talking to Mr. Charles about the summit after showing him the essay. Just like it happened that day, he told me that he would intervene if it came to worse. But it didn’t end there like what actually happened that day. In the video, I reached forward, sat on his lap, and began kissing him passionately!

The phone dropped from my hand in horror. By now, everyone had gathered at the exit. 

“That’s not me!” I screamed.