Chapter 567

Allison pressed the pause button at the 22-minute mark of the video. Her finger pointed accusingly at the screen where a small, dark mole sat on the woman’s waist. “Come on, Grace, don’t tell me you can’t recognize Penelope’s birthmark!”

Grace stared at the dark spot. Her body collapsed into the chair as if her bones had turned to jelly. She clutched at her chest, panting in agony.

How could she not know? That mole on Penelope’s waist was as familiar to her as her own reflection.

The woman in the video was indeed Penelope. Grace couldn’t believe it. How could Penelope do something so scandalous? It was like her whole worldview had been flipped upside down. In her mind, Penelope was the darling of the Flanagans. Although the Flanagan family was not as rich as the Lindberg family, it still boasted a tidy annual net profit in the millions. Penelope was doted on, and her every whim was indulged. Even in middle school, Penelope had a monthly allowance of ten to twenty thousand dollars, and by high school, she had a monthly allowance of fifty to sixty thousand dollars.

How could she possibly do such an indecent thing?

However, Grace never believed Allison could do something like this either. Allison had always been the kind-hearted, long-suffering type, always reserved and introverted.

The only reason Grace had even considered Allison capable of such a deed was her desperate need for money for a kidney transplant. Perhaps, Grace thought, Allison was driven to sell herself out of sheer necessity.

But Penelope? It was unthinkable.

Allison watched the play of emotions on Grace’s face – disbelief, shock, panic, heartache. All were swirling together in a storm that words could hardly describe. She didn’t want to twist the knife any further. The video was originally meant for Leah’s eyes, not Grace’s.

“Please get out of here, Grace,” Allison said. Her voice was carrying a finality that brooked no argument. “After today, don’t come looking for me. You and I… we’re done.”

Grace’s lips trembled. “You’re going to release the video, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Allison said firmly.

“Can you… please… not do it?”

“No!” Allison felt her heart had grown cold and numb, impervious to any more pain, immune to the shards of a broken reality.

“Are you trying to plead for Penelope?” Allison’s tone was biting. “Fine. If she gets on her knees in front of me and bangs her head on the floor ten times, maybe I’ll think about it.”

Allison had no reason to stay. She turned to leave. Emma quickly shut down the laptop to follow when suddenly, Grace lunged forward, grabbing the laptop from Allison’s grasp.

Grace might be frail, but her sudden burst of strength caught Emma off guard, nearly sending her crashing to the ground. “Ms. Grace, what on earth are you doing?” Emma demanded, watching as Grace clung to the laptop. Then she begged Allison. “Please, Allison, I’m begging you. Forgive Penelope just this once. Don’t release the video, okay? If you do, it’ll ruin her.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Allison’s beautiful, pale face was void of any expression, and her eyes were devoid of light. “If she died in front of me right now, I’d even clap for joy.”

Emma didn’t know the ins and outs of Allison and Grace’s relationship, but she was fuming at Grace’s audacity to snatch her laptop and beg Allison to keep the video private. “Ms. Grace,” Emma interjected, “I have backups of the video. Taking my laptop won’t help you.”