The Past Walks In

“Mommy! Mommy! We can see everything from here!” Daphne exclaimed as they walked into their spacious, elegantly decorated room overlooking the city.

Penelope smiled, her heart swelling with love. “Yes, we can. It’s a beautiful view.” She said as she watched Daphne run to the window, pressing her nose against the glass.

The bellman set their luggage down and handed Penelope the room keys. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call the front desk.”

“Thank you,” Penelope replied, tipping him.

As he left, she turned to Grace. “You can drop Dahila, go freshen up and get some rest. I will take care of them. Tomorrow you’ll have to watch them. I have a very important meeting tomorrow.”

Grace nodded. “You don’t have to worry about anything. We will be fine. We plan on exploring the playground tomorrow.”

Penelope smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Grace. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Penelope said as Grace walked away to her room.

“Dahila, I have a new friend,” Daphne, who had been looking out the glass, rushed back excitedly to where Dahila sat, who was quietly scanning the room.

“Already?” Penelope asked, amused by Daphne’s ability to befriend people so easily.

“Yes. His name is Carl, and he told me about the playground,” Daphne said, and Dahila’s face lit up, while their mother smiled.

“I see. Hopefully, you both will get to play with Carl at the playground tomorrow,” Penelope smiled, assuming Carl was just another child staying at the hotel.

“Now, no more talking. Time to freshen up,” Pen announced before Daphne could say anything else.

After settling the twins in for the night and making sure Grace was comfortable in the other room, Penelope took a moment to herself.

She stood by the window, looking out at the city she had once known so well.

The magazine she worked for had given her an important—almost impossible—task. One that was tied to her promotion.

She had been asked to convince the elusive billionaire CEO, Graham-Carlton Banks to agree to an interview.

This was a feat that no media house or reporter had been able to achieve, and she had to do it if she wanted to be promoted.

She had booked an appointment with Graham-Carlton Banks before traveling down, and the next morning, she would seize the opportunity that awaited her, but for now, she needed to rest and prepare her mind.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Penelope left the twin in Grace’s care as she left the hotel for the Banks corp. As the cab drove through the city, navigating its way through the early morning traffic, Penelope looked through the window, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her.

The streets looked both familiar and strange at the same time, a reminder of how much time she had spent away from here.

Pushing away thoughts of the past, Pen focused on the challenges of the present. Since her waking hour, she has been trying to come up with different ways to convince Mr. Banks to have the interview with her and even as the cab rolled to a stop in front of the company, she still didn't have any idea how to go about convincing him.

What could she possibly say that would be different from everything he had heard over the years?

Even reporters far more experienced than she was had failed. 

As she walked into the towering office building of Banks Corp, her nerves tightened.

Her mind was so focused on her meeting with Mr. Banks that she did not notice the familiar figure who she walked past until she heard her name.

“Penelope?"

She turned around when she heard the familiar voice and she saw him, Geoffrey. The man she had wasted years of her life on. The

bastard who had tried to dupe her into marriage with him when he didn't love her.

He looked exactly as miserable as she could remember him, and the sight of him annoyed her even

more now than it had several years ago. How did she ever fall for someone so disgusting?

How could she have forgotten that this was where he worked? In putting the past behind her, she had forgotten that Graham-Carlton was his cousin. Was Geoffrey going to be an obstacle?

She mused as she ignored him and turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand.

"Is this really you?" Geoffrey asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "What are you doing here after disappearing for years without even bothering to offer an apology or explanation as to why you called off the wedding? 

Do you have any idea how much embarrassment you caused me and my family?" he demanded, and Pen's jaw tightened as she snatched her hand."

"If you do not want to cause a scene here, go on your way and act like you do not know me," she warned coldly, shocking Geoffrey. Before he could recover from his shock, she walked away and stepped into the elevator, hoping to avoid any further interaction with him. 

The last thing she needed was a confrontation with Geoffrey, especially not now and definitely not here.

Geoffrey was confused and furious as he watched her leave. Without wasting any time, he whipped out his phone and dialed Hillary's number

"You won't believe who I just ran into right now," he said the moment the call connected.

"Who?" Hill inquired, her voice curious. "Pen."

"Penelope? Are you sure?" Hill’s voice spiked with surprise.

"Would I call you if I wasn't sure? I confronted her, but she totally ignored me," Geoffrey said, still feeling annoyed by her attitude.

"Where did you see her?" Hillary asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Right here at the company," he said,

wondering who she was there to see.

“I take it you don't know why she is there. Can you find out who she's there to meet and why?

And follow her when she leaves. I want to know where she’s been hiding all these years. Hillary suggested.

“Sure. I will have to cancel my meeting first. I will call you later," Geoffrey said before hanging up.

While Geoffrey hurriedly headed for the elevator to see if he could catch up with Pen, she was being ushered into Carlton office by his secretary.

Taking a deep breath, Penelope pushed open the imposing office door, a tremor of nervousness running through her as she stepped into the office of the Elusive Graham-Carlton Banks.