Semua Bab Save the Tears for Someone Who Cares: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Penelope rushed into Eugene's office, her face tear-streaked. "Gene, the card you gave me was deactivated. It isn't working."Eugene stopped what he was doing, his guard snapping up. "Did you do something to piss off Jackie?"Only Jacklyn could pull a move like that.Penelope knew better than to admit the truth, so she avoided the real question. "Nobody even knows about our affair. You really think I'd be dumb enough to mess with Jackie? If she deactivated the card, it must've been for some other reason. It has nothing to do with me."She grabbed Eugene's hand, tears still streaming. "Gene, I have so much left to buy! You need to fix this!"Eugene wasn't buying it.Jacklyn was gentle by nature. She wouldn't just deactivate the card for no reason.His eyes turned cold as he pinned Penelope with a warning look. "I don't care what really happened this time, but don't you dare push Jackie again. You'll regret it if she finds out about us."Jacklyn was his hard boundary—one he'd nev

Rebecca hadn't spoken to Penelope in days, so she decided to call. "So, Penelope, how's life with my future son-in-law?"Penelope's voice wavered, thick with unshed tears. "Mom, stop saying stuff like that. Gene wouldn't like it.""What's there to be afraid of? You've been together this long, and now you've got a kid. He'll propose sooner or later," Rebecca said, her voice dripping with smug reassurance.The memory of Eugene avoiding the subject earlier that day stabbed through Penelope's chest."Propose? As long as Jacklyn's around, Gene's never marrying me!" Her voice broke as she fought back a sob. "Mom, please, you have to help me. He'll never love me if she's still around."The bitterness inside her burned like acid.Why did Jacklyn get to have his love? Why was she the one stuck being the side piece?When Penelope started sobbing over the phone, Rebecca and George were stunned. They'd been sure Eugene taking her on that trip would finally make her his rightful wife, but so

A tear slipped down Jacklyn's cheek, maybe because the sadness was too much to bear. She turned her head, roughly wiping it away with her hand.Rebecca's voice was soft and pleading. "Just give us another chance, okay?""Jackie, we're your birth parents. We never meant to hurt you. Everything we did was to keep you safe," George chimed in.Jacklyn's gaze went cold in a heartbeat. Even now, they were trying to make her feel guilty.She walked off, done wasting any more time on them.…"Penelope! Something terrible happened! Your parents got arrested!""What?" Penelope jumped to her feet, demanding, "What happened?"Amanda rushed through the explanation, and Penelope hissed through clenched teeth, "Those idiots! How could they be this dumb at their age? How did they leave so many loose ends and get caught?"Her eyes darted to Eugene, who was napping nearby."Amanda, I'll send you the money. Get them bailed out."…No matter what Amanda tried, George and Rebecca still weren't

Three days later, the final version was ready.On Monday morning, Jacklyn delivered the design sketches to Robertson Group.Liam's face showed a flicker of surprise. He'd always known Jacklyn was talented, but he hadn't realized how impressive she really was.Pulling himself together, he looked at her with genuine admiration. "This is amazing."Minnie studied the designs and couldn't help but gush. "Ms. Stinson's work is on another level. It could go toe-to-toe with top designers worldwide."Liam had a point. Jacklyn would've been living fine if she had just stuck to her design career. She wouldn't need all this careful planning.…Eugene had just set the nutritional supplements down at the Stinson residence when Penelope clung to him.She'd gotten smarter since the last time. Now, she knew how to play on his emotions while still making a reasoned argument.Clutching his arm, her eyes welling up, she pleaded, "Gene, when our baby's born, are we really going to tell them their

Liam's eyes clouded over. "Husband and wife? Then, why did Jacklyn leave Lloyd Manor?""Fine! You win!" Eugene spat.Eugene was furious, but he refused to embarrass himself. To make matters worse, he was worried Liam might know something about his affair. In the end, he had no choice but to leave sheepishly.Once Eugene was gone, Liam turned to Jacklyn. "I've got a mansion on Soletris Street. It's just sitting empty. I'll have Minnie get it ready by this evening. You can stay there."Jacklyn shook her head. "You've done too much for me already. I can't ask for more.""Do you have somewhere else to go?"The question left Jacklyn silent. She had no assets or property in her name since she married Eugene. There was money in her account, but if she used it, Eugene would get suspicious.She hesitated before saying, "I'll stay at a hotel."Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. "This isn't sustainable. The mansion's just sitting empty, and we're friends. Stop turning me down."Finally