Chapter 575

“No need!” Theodore said quickly.
The woman looked a bit awkward at his sharp refusal.
“Well, I’ll… I’ll wait outside then.”
“Okay.”
The woman looked at Theodore, her eyes shimmering. She seemed to have something to say but didn’t know how to begin, hesitating as she took a few steps toward the door.
“Actually, I was really happy today. That you asked me to dinner.”
Theodore’s gaze dropped to the crack in the wardrobe door, as if he could see the person inside.
“If it made you happy, I’ll ask you out more often.”
“So The woman bit her lip. “Are you willing to be with me?”
Theodore paused for a moment. “It would be my honor.”
Hearing that, the woman’s face lit up with joy.
“I used to watch you from afar, but you never seemed to look my way. So when my brother arranged for us to meet, I had no confidence. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for you.”
“Ms. Austin, you’re being too modest.”
“So Ms. Austin said shyly, “you’re my boyfriend now, right?”
Theodore pulled his gaze away from the crack in the door and turned to Ms. Austin with a faint smile. “Of course.”
Ms. Austin’s eyes shone brightly. She ran over and hugged him excitedly.
“Theodore, you have no idea. I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time. I never imagined that one day I’d actually be your girlfriend! I’m so happy! I feel like the luckiest woman in the world!”
Theodore’s body tensed slightly, but he let Sherry Austin hug him.
Huddled in the wardrobe, Penelope could see everything happening outside through the crack. Her heart ached with a sour pain. Just like she was now confined to a closet, there was no longer a place for her in his world.
The moment Stretched on forever. Penelope felt like they had been embracing for an eternity, so long, that the air in the wardrobe was growing thin. But that wasnt the worst part. The worst part was the
ginger tea she’d left on the stove,
and she could faintly smell
as
something burning.
Sherry still showed no sign of letting go of Theodore, and Penelope started to panic.
She pushed the wardrobe door open
a little wider. When Theodore
glanced her way, she frantically gestured at him. He clearly didn’t
understand and just frowned as
annoyed by her presence.
As the burning smell grew stronger, so did her panic. She was so desperate she considered throwing open the door and running downstairs to turn off the stove.
Seeing she was about to do just that, Theodore patted Sherry’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you wait outside?”
Sherry suddenly realized she had been holding on to him for too long. She blushed, nodded, and quickly hurried out.
The moment the door closed, Penelope scrambled out of the wardrobe. “The kitchen
“Didn’t I tell you never to show your face in front of me again? What is this? Sneaking into my house? You think I won’t do anything to you, is that it?”
Penelope never took crap from anyone, and that included Theodore. In fact, there was a time when her temper was even worse, a classic case of being spoiled by his affection. She wasn’t spoiled by him anymore, but the temper hadn’t gone anywhere.
“So what if I show up in front of you? So what if I sneak into your house? What are
you going to do about it?” she yelled, jutting out her chin defiantly.
“Penelope!”
“You want to hit me? Go on, hit me! You want to kill me? Do it!” She fearlessly stepped right up to him.
Theodore gritted his teeth. She was right. He couldn’t do a thing to her.
“You Penelope bit her lip. “You should change the code. Then I won’t be able to get in.”
“So it’s my fault for not changing the code?”
“Whatever. I did nothing wrong!”
With that, Penelope remembered the tea in the kitchen. The burning smell was getting stronger. She rushed out of the room.