Penny Brooks Novels & Stories

I mutter under my breath, my discomfort palpable. With a shake of his head, Archie strides over to the liquor cabinet, his movements purposeful yet tinged with concern. Pouring a generous measure of whiskey, he places the glass in my hand, a silent offering of solace amidst the chaos. "Penny is one sweet girl," he begins, his voice tinged with a mix of admonishment and empathy, "She acts tough, but she's very fragile. And you're both acting like a bunch of animals."

Renold's gaze snapped to me at last. His eyes widened, and he drove a kick straight into my shoulder. "You again? You bitch. On such an important day, you still dare to cause trouble. You're asking for it." Warren's hand trembled as he slapped Renold across the face, cutting him off mid-rant. "Who gave you the nerve to speak to the general manager like that? Apologize right now!" Renold clutched his swollen cheek and stared at Warren in disbelief. "Dad, what are you talking about? She's just some gold digger. How could she possibly be the general manager of Cerox Corporation? Have you lost your mind?"

Keller's hungry eyes on her pert bottom. Penny was only eighteen, still at school and only worked for the middle-aged obese Mr. Keller on Saturdays to make a little bit of extra money which she mostly spent on clothes and music. Her father had got her the job with Mr. Keller, a fellow churchgoer and family man, recommending Penny as a hard worker who always had a smile on her face, which was absolutely true. She often felt her smile slipping though when Mr. Keller stood a little too closely behind her or made her bend down in front of him to pick something off the lower shelves in the storeroom at the back of the shop.

Penny looked at Caleb, who did not seem like he wanted to get involved. It seemed she could only rely on herself. "I had an appointment with Mr. Fergerson today." She smiled and took out her business card. "I'm Penny from Castle Studio. I’m managing the renovation of Mr. Fergerson's house and came here to update him about the progress. It's my fault that I didn't help Ms. Shaw up in time." She then took out a tissue and placed it in front of Luna. "Ms. Shaw, please don’t cry, or everyone will think I'm bullying you."

How could they have not? I heard a soft knock on my door and then Penny stepped in with a few files in her hand. She came to take a seat opposite me. Penny was a skinny and tall 22 year old. She had black hair that was always up in a neat bun. Her fingernails were long and coloured bright pink. She was unusually pretty: she had the look and walk of a model. I still wondered why she’d chosen to become a secretary instead. Any model agency would sign her up at first glance. “This is your workload that I had to do yesterday.” She told me, putting the files on my desk. “I just need your signatures on them.”

Penny signed a ten-year contract with Bubbles' company. It might be due to her connection with Bubbles, or perhaps because she was attractive and easily recognizable on camera, but the company gave her a decent amount of resources. She couldn't compete with those big celebrities. But, compared to some artists who didn't even have a chance to be in the spotlight, Penny seemed to have quite a bit of access to resources. Her first assignment was a low-budget web series invested in by the company, where she played a supporting villain role, earning a pay of 140 thousand dollars.

Penny called sweetly, “more tissue.” I handed her another one. I always had them ready. “It’s not her fault she looks like this,” Penny said, smiling at the maids. She turned to me with that fake sugar-glazed expression. “Pimples. Braces. Glasses.” She sighed like she was listing a tragedy. “All the signs of an ugly girl,” she finished. She blew her nose loudly. The sound was thick and wet, and the tissue drooped from the weight of it. For someone who looked like a magazine cover, she always had stuff leaking out of her.