Chapter 12

She could remember it clearly-her previous life had dragged on for so long, yet when Aaron came back to collect her mother’s notebook, it had still been there, untouched.
Wait a minute.
Anastasia’s cool eyes narrowed sharply.
Aaron had been seeing Penelope behind her back, God knows since when. Who could say where he really got that notebook from?
Suddenly, the mystery of the missing notebook became much less mysterious.
She stood up and left her room.
Right on cue, Penelope came in through the front door.
“Anastasia, you’re back?” Penelope’s voice was warm, her face set in that model- big-sister smile. “What happened? You don’t look so well.”
Anastasia gave her a brief glance. “Something valuable is missing. Has anyone been in my room?”
Gabriel’s voice rose, indignant. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you accusing your own family?”
Anastasia’s tone was cool. “The notebook was in the house. If a family member didn’t take it, then I suppose it must have been some burglar with remarkable skills—someone who got in and out of here without anyone noticing.”
“Maybe a housekeeper misplaced it while cleaning,” Nora offered quickly, rushing to smooth things over. “Anastasia, what exactly went missing?”
“My mother’s notebook.”
The room fell into immediate silence.
Everyone knew about that notebook. There’d even been offers of millions for it— and Anastasia had refused them all. It was, without question, a priceless thing.
The housekeepers were soon rounded up and lined against the wall.
When they heard the missing item was worth millions, their faces drained of color. Who would dare admit to such a thing? ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ.net
Penelope kept her composure, letting out a weary sigh. “Anastasia, the staff wouldn’t have known it was valuable. Maybe someone just misplaced it while cleaning. They didn’t mean any harm. Don’t make a big deal of it—no one could possibly afford to pay you back for something like that. Do you really want to ruin someone’s life over this? Let it go.”
The housekeepers shot Penelope grateful looks.
But in their hearts, they started to resent Anastasia. Ms. Anastasia Sterling was nothing like Ms. Penelope Sterling-she wasn’t half as kind. Was Penelope right? Did Anastasia really want to drive them to despair?
Anastasia let out a cold, quiet laugh.
“My cabinet was locked. No one could have taken anything unless they meant to steal it. So don’t tell me it was lost while cleaning. I called everyone here because you’ve all worked for the Sterling family for years, and I wanted to give you a chance to come forward and make things right-did you really think I had no evidence?”
She paused, her tone chilling. “Since no one wants to take that chance, I’ll just call the police. Whatever happens next is out of my hands.”
She pulled out her phone, dialing as she spoke.
Penelope’s heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she blurted out, “What evidence?”
Anastasia’s gaze darkened as she looked at her. “I installed a camera in my room -right above my desk. Didn’t you notice?”
Penelope’s face went white.
Thinking back, she realized there *had* been something that looked like a camera on Anastasia’s desk.
Seeing Anastasia about to call the police, Penelope panicked. Without thinking, she lunged forward and snatched the phone from Anastasia’s hand.
For a moment, everyone stared at her in shock.
Anastasia’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Penelope, what are you doing?”
“I Penelope managed a shaky smile. “I just remembered the notebook is with
me.”
“Oh?” Anastasia’s voice was impossible to read. “I’ve been asking for ages, and you didn’t remember. But the moment I mention the police, suddenly it comes back to you?”
The looks the staff gave Penelope turned complicated.
A moment ago, they’d been ready to thank her for standing up for them, thinking she was saving them from blame. But now that the truth was out-they realized she’d been letting them take the fall for her all along. And that felt very different.