Chapter 135

“Of course we’re family! A proper, legitimate family!” Mrs. Winters declared, a triumphant glint in her eye.
Zebulon rushed forward, trying to stop her. “I’m warning you, don’t talk nonsense!”
“Ever since I got here, you’ve treated me with nothing but disrespect! I’m your elder! By rights, you should be calling me ‘Mom’!” Mrs. Winters swatted his pointing hand away and shouted.
“He should call you ‘Mom’?” Penelope’s eyes widened.
“Penelope, she’s lying! I… I Zebulon stammered, unable to form a coherent explanation.
“You think you’re worthy of being called ‘Mom’ by my son? Who do you think you are?” Mrs. Sullivan shrieked at Mrs. Winters. Then, fearing Penelope would connect the dots, she quickly added, “We don’t know this woman! She’s just a crazy old hag!”
“You’re the crazy old hag!” Mrs. Winters shot back.
“No, you are!”
“Have you forgotten what happened last night?”
“You want to try that again?”
“Anytime!”
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, the police officer intervened. “This isn’t your living room! Both of you, sit down and be quiet! Now, someone tell me, what is your relationship?”
“We have no relationship with her!” Mrs. Sullivan insisted.
“We are a family!” Mrs. Winters maintained.
“I’ve got it,” Penelope suddenly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. She looked at Mrs. Winters. “You claim to be part of the Sullivan family, and you want Zebulon to call you ‘Mom,’ right?”
A sly, triumphant smile spread across Mrs. Winters’s face. She hadn’t said anything explicitly; Penelope had figured it out all on her own.
“Penelope, you’ve got it all wrong! Rebecca and I have no-” Zebulon started to panic as he saw the look of dawning realization on Penelope’s face. The more he panicked, the more tangled his words became.
“So that’s it!” Penelope said, taking a deep breath before fixing her gaze on Mrs. Winters. “You’re Mr. Sullivan’s mistress!”
The statement hung in the air, stunning everyone in the room into silence, including the seasoned police officer.
After a long moment, Mrs. Sullivan finally found her voice. “Are you serious? Her? Look at her! Do you really think the president of Stone Group would be interested in… that?”
“Then explain it to me,” Penelope pressed, her expression earnest. “Why does she keep insisting she’s part of your family? And why would she want Zebulon to call her ‘Mom’?”
Mrs. Sullivan was speechless. There was no way to explain it without revealing the truth, and the truth was the one thing they couldn’t afford to let out right now.
“What kind of slander is this? I-mmph!”
Just as Mrs. Winters was about to blurt out the truth, Rebecca clamped a hand over her mother’s mouth. “Please, Mom, just stop!”
“Mmmph!”
With the officer’s permission, Rebecca quickly pulled her mother aside.
“Stone Group has a critical project that depends entirely on Penelope right now, Rebecca whispered urgently. “If she finds out the truth, she’lll the deal. The company could go bankrupt. Do you want me. and the baby to be homeless?”
Mrs. Winters blinked. “She has that much power?”
Rebecca pursed her lips. “She got lucky.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so? If I had known what was at stake, I wouldn’t have
caused all this trouble.”
Rebecca looked at her mother and let out a deep, weary sigh.
When they returned, Rebecca
nudged her mother, silently pleading with her to retract her earlier Thɪs chapter is updated by.net
statements. Mrs. Winters huffed, about to speak but then a thought occurred to her. If she denied any ** connection to the Sullivans, wouldn’t that give Mrs. Sullivan the green light to have her arrested for theft? Absolutely not.