Chapter 3

Rebecca covered her mouth and let out a few gentle coughs. Then, she shot Penelope a small smile. "What a coincidence, Ms. Hall. Are you here to order your gown as well?" Before Penelope could respond, Jacob cut in icily, "That's Mrs. Thornton to you, and you'll do well to remember that. You might as well go back to school, seeing as you have no sense of decorum at all." Rebecca's complexion turned extremely pale instantly. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she replied, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Thornton. I didn't mean to ruin your mood by showing up in front of you. I'll leave right away." Penelope just ignored Rebecca as a whole. She entered the boutique and began browsing through the gowns. In the background, Rebecca's coughs became louder and more violent as time passed. Meanwhile, Jacob kept his eyes glued to his phone screen. He appeared to be texting someone else at that moment. Penelope's voice became chilly. "Is it okay if I don't attend the banquet tonight? You never took me to such occasions in the past, after all." "No can do." Jacob clicked his phone shut. "Tonight's entrepreneurs' summit is extremely important. You have to be there. David, bring the best gowns your studio has to offer." After that, Jacob bought the gowns that Penelope's gaze had landed on. In just an instant, half of the boutique's inventory was gone. The employees were envious and jealous of Penelope, to say the least. They began gossiping among themselves. "Mr. Thornton pampers Penelope a lot, huh? He doesn't even mind the fact that she's sterile, let alone the fact that she's four years older than him! Their love is super sweet!" "Back when Mr. Thornton was admitted into the psychiatric hospital, Penelope was the only one who stuck with him through thick and thin. Mr. Thornton is a loyal and devoted man, so it only makes sense for him to be nice to her. Penelope deserves this treatment no matter what." Penelope lowered her gaze in order to conceal the cold glint in her eyes. She said in a frosty tone, "Jacob, I have other things to do, so I'm leaving now." Having noticed the frown on Penelope's face, Jacob mistook her expression for her dissatisfaction with the gowns. He quickly said, "David, bring me a few more gowns." Penelope's eyes sparkled the moment she saw David Horn, the assistant, hanging the ninth gown on the display rack before her. At the same time, Rebecca, who was seated on the couch near the floor-to-ceiling window, was staring at the gown as well. Obviously, she was beguiled by the gown. "Penny, gown number nine is really pretty. You should try it on," Jacob suggested. Once Penelope was done changing into the gown, she swiped the curtains of the fitting room to the side. That was when she saw Jacob sitting on the couch near the floor-to-ceiling window. At the moment, he was hugging Rebecca, who now sat on his lap. He was feeding her some medicine. Rebecca had her arms locked around Jacob's neck, and she was acting cute. "Jake, I really like gown number nine. Can you buy it for me? Pretty please?" "No," Jacob answered firmly. Tears welled up in Rebecca's eyes instantly. She leaned in to capture Jacob's lips in a kiss. Penelope averted her gaze right away. After changing out of the gown, she placed it on the counter. "David, I'll take this gown. Please ring it up with the other gowns." David glanced at his phone, and an apologetic look soon appeared on his face. "I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Thornton. This gown is still a little flawed, so I can't sell it to you." "The gown's flawed, yet you still have the guts to let Penny try it on?" At that moment, Jacob strode toward the counter while glaring at David in displeasure. "I'll give you three days to alter the gown. Have it delivered to Penny for the final inspection." David kept apologizing to Jacob. He promised that he'd deliver the gown to Penelope on time. After that, Jacob and Penelope left the boutique, with Jacob claiming that he needed to attend a meeting in his company. As Penelope drove to her next destination to carry out her errands, she happened to catch sight of a familiar black Maybach, which was stuck in the heavy traffic. In the backseat of the Maybach, Rebecca was clad in gown number nine. At that time, she happened to be knotting a tie for Jacob. When Rebecca felt Penelope's gaze on her, she planted a kiss on Jacob's right cheek smugly. Almost immediately, he pulled her into his arms before raising the car window. Penelope swiped across her phone's screen and dialed a number. "Mr. Thornton, please keep the details of my new identity a secret. Don't let Jacob uncover any clues about my identity." "Don't worry. I won't give him a chance to find you," Peter replied. "I'm here to wish you a safe flight in advance." Penelope closed her eyes, letting her tears roll down her cheeks. Soon, she'd be able to leave Jacob behind and pursue her dreams.