Penelope's lips trembled as the blood in his chest began to spread. Bryan had taken the shot for her. Slowly, he began to fall to the ground. Penelope lunged forward to break his fall before falling on the ground. She cradled his heavy build to herself and put both hands on top of each other to put pressure on his chest."P... umpkin." Bryan choked out, struggling to keep his eyes open.Penelope shook her head. "N..no… save your strength." Tears had begun to roll down her eyes."Arghh...He groaned out in pain. "L-isten to me." He grabbed her hand with his. "I... I hid something from you."He gasped for breath and tightened his hold on Penelope, holding onto her like she was his lifeline. Blood had soaked her hands. "Y-your true f-father is..." He drew in a sharp breath. "Stanley Fords."A deafening silence ensued.The words didn't register in her mind for the first few seconds."What?" She blinked a couple of times simultaneously. Was he being delusional? "Stop spewing nonsense and c
It had been two weeks.Two weeks she held her dying brother in her arms.Two weeks since her whole world crashed on her with a life changing revelation.Two weeks since Bethany disappeared with her babies without a single trace. A search had been sent out for them.The most daunting part of the past weeks was sending her brother home to heaven without a relative by her side.She had cried herself to sleep, only to wake up with tears rolling down her cheeks. Several nightmares had kept her awake. At one point, she preferred to stay awake with eyes swollen and red, compared to waking up alone in the middle of the night, screaming at the top of her lungs.She finally decided to stop mopping and grieving. There were issues to look into. Issues such as knowing her true biological father. It was Bryan’s last moment. His final breath. He could have chosen to say anything but he chose to tilt her world regarding her paternity.Stanley Ford.Stanley Ford was an influential man, running for the
“I would appreciate if you give some respect to my mother. She doesn’t deserve to be disrespected after her death.” Her voice rose. No one had any right to soil her mother’s name.“What? Can’t bear to hear the truth?” He scoffed. “Truly, you are your mother’s daughter. Took right after her and became a mistress as well.” He mocked.Penelope was livid. Words were at the tip of her tongue. She owned a copy of his secret- one she was certain would ruin his political aspirations. If she blew the whistle right then, it wouldn’t be effective. So, she kept a tight least on her tongue, biting her lips in the process.“That is the reason I am here. I want no part of your pretence family. I only want two things from you.” She stated.Stanley perked up at her words. He had thought she came to claim her rights in the family which she easily could because she was older than his children. Besides, none of them had interest in running the company. Their interest in shopping, travelling and squanderi
Three years later...Penelope came out of her cottage house. She had taken residence on a countryside far away from civilization.The atmosphere was peaceful as she took a long drag of the air in, smiling in delight. Ever since her departure from San Francisco, her life had taken on a new different kind of piece.The neighbours were friendly to her. Although, she missed her friends greatly but prioritizing herself took precedence at that moment."Penny! What is on the menu tonight?!" An aged woman asked while passing by in front of her abode.Penelope smiled at the woman and responded, "Just wait and see."As soon as she got there, she started a restaurant. It was the sole restaurant in the vicinity. While the locals preferred cooking their own meals, they had attested to her cooking feeling like it was home meal. That was because she poured her heart into making delicious meals for the residents. She always made sure to put their requirements into consideration for young and old alik
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here? How do you two know each other?" She asked, looking between Liam and Killian.The two looked away from each other and grumbled their responses."He is my brother." Liam answered."Half brother." Killian corrected.What?Penelope was stupefied by their responses. When she had first met Liam and he bore an uncanny resemblance to Killian, she had simply meant it as a compliment because of his looks. She had no idea they would be related, ever in this world. Maybe the next life.But how coincidental was that? Seeds of suspicion would have been planted deeply in the pit of her heart if she hadn't met Liam there and not the other way round."Uhm... That is quite the boatload of information to drop on me. I'll just go to the restaurant and open up for tonight." She muttered under her breath, suddenly feeling exhausted when her day had just simply begun.She left the men in her house and went through the backdoor to her restaurant. It was mo
"Because I want to make things right with you and your mother. I hurt her some years ago. Note that I didn't abandon you. She took you away and I don't blame her for doing so." Killian explained."We know the last bit. She told us." Fran slipped in."Oh..." Killian said, surprised."Yes. We were just wondering why it took you this long to come for us." Max spoke, sounding a little bit hurt.He crouched down to their heights and raised Max' chin up. "I am sorry it took me this long to come for you both. I owe you for a lifetime. Please, forgive me." He spoke softly to them. Fran sniffed, holding in her tears."Can we hug you?" Fran asked timidly shy.He gave a nod and the two jumped into his arms, wrapping their tiny arms around his neck. He welcomed their embrace and held onto them tightly, relishing in the warmth that spread to his heart.A comfortable silence silence ensued amidst them for a while. A lone tear rolled down Killian's cheeks. If only he hadn't hidden the truth from her
They walked back into the restaurant. Liam was seen taking the customer's orders. "What is your relationship with my brother?" Penelope heard behind her. Killian s front was plastered against her back. She could feel a stir on her butt. Thankfully, the kids had run off somewhere. Or it would be an inappropriate scene for them to witness. "Killian!" She scolded subtly. "I expected an answer." He further pressed his front into her backside, not minding that they were in public."Nothing! He was the first friend I made here." She quickly answered. Killian reluctantly backed away from her."Good. For his sake, it must remain that way." The warning that laced his tone was evident. Killian didn't come down all the way there to play second fiddle to any man, not even his own brother. "Daddy!" The customers looked around, wondering who the little troublemakers were calling. It was foreign to him but he traced where the little voices came from. Max and Fran beckoned on him. "We want to show
Penelope sat outside on the porch in the evening, her gaze focused on the activities ahead of her with a smile plastered on her face as the children played with their father.It was what the kids had missed… Well, she denied them of them when she made the decision to leave three years ago. It was the decision she thought to be best at that moment. But things became difficult to handle all alone.Two weeks had passed since Killian found them. She still had no idea how it happened. But a part of her was glad that it did. Many times, couples would walk into her restaurant, sometimes with their children. It made her desire a complete family.After he left for some days, telling her he had some things to do, he came back with a suitcase of clothes and necessities. Whatever he didn’t pack along or left out, he could easily buy- Those were his words.Killian had bonded greatly with the kids, just as they did with their father likewise. It seemed like he was trying really hard to make up the