Chapter 408

Word was that Hans had been hospitalized during that time, likely from the sheer stress and heartbreak of it all. His family’s ancestral home hadn’t been demolished, but it had fallen into the hands of an ou1tsider.

The rest of the Bishop family must have been kept in the dark; had they known, things would not have been so quiet.

In the aftermath of the livestream, Penelope’s pointed questions had backed Mrs. Bishop into a corner, leaving her speechless and inadvertently casting herself as the homewrecker.

The livestream, originally intended to salvage Donald’s reputation, had failed completely. Instead, it was Mrs. Bishop’s reputation that had come crashing down. Social media was flooded with comments accusing her of using her “childhood sweetheart” status to destroy Donald and Edith’s marriage. Donald’s years of pining for Edith and his coldness toward his new wife were, people said, her just deserts.

Mrs. Bishop tried several tactics to repair her image, but nothing worked. Desperate, she began publicly calling out Edith online, demanding she come forward and clear her name.

“These baseless rumors are severely impacting my life and reputation,” she wrote. “I am an innocent party in all of this. It was your infidelity that led to the breakdown of your marriage. I only came into Donald’s life after you were divorced. I did not ruin your relationship!”

“Edith, I’m asking you to come forward and set the record straight! You were the one at fault, the one who wronged Donald. I shouldn’t have to suffer for your mistakes. You owe me my good name!”

“If you don’t speak up, it will only prove your guilt. It will prove that you cheated, and I have been telling the truth all along!”

Her posts ignited a firestorm online, splitting public opinion. One side believed she was a manipulative homewrecker, now trying to play the victim by cyberbullying a woman who had disappeared years ago. The other side argued that her willingness to publicly confront Edith proved she had a clear conscience and was being unfairly slandered.

But on one thing, everyone agreed: Edith needed to come forward and tell her side of the story.

“That woman, Judy! She’s even asking her followers to help find Edith! How dare she! The venom in that woman…” Timothy said, gritting his teeth.

“Tonight, you and I will stake out the Bishop house,” Norton declared, his eyes narrowed. “The second she

steps outside, we’ll throw a sacknet

over her head and teach her a lesson she’ll never forget. That’ll shut her up.”

Penelope gave Norton a sharp tap on the forehead. “That’s a terrible idea, and you know it.”

“What else are we supposed to do?” Norton protested. “You can’t reason with people like her. The only thing she understands is, force. We beat the fear into her and shelf stop running her mouth.”

“She won’t learn a thing, but you’ll definitely end up in a jail cell.”

“My brother would bail us out.”

“Spare your brother the embarrassment. He has a reputation to uphold.”

Norton stomped his foot in frustration. “Fine! What’s your brilliant plan, then?”

Penelope was quiet for a moment. “Actually,” she said slowly, “Mrs. Bishop’s audacity tells us one very important thing.”

“What’s that?” Timothy and Norton asked in unison, leaning in closer.

A small, grim smile touched Penelope’s lips. “It tells me she already knows Mom is dead.”

The realization dawned on both of

them. Of course. She was so bold, so fearless in her deman

for a

confrontation because she knew Edith couldn’t answer.

“That’s despicable,” Norton seethed. “She’s taking advantage of a dead woman,

slandering her because she can’t defend herself.”

“Perhaps,” Penelope said, her eyes glinting with a new idea. “But that doesn’t mean Edith can’t be brought back to life.”