Chapter 168

He walked away without sparing Nora and her daughter another glance.
There was a time when he genuinely doted on Penelope. She was sweet, gentle, and knew how to tug at his heartstrings-not prickly and difficult like Anastasia. With Penelope, he’d felt like the father he always wanted to be.
But lately, he’d started to see another side of her, one that didn’t quite match the image he’d built in his mind.
And after the scandal with Nora was exposed, his feelings toward the two of them had faded. Now, when he looked at Penelope, his patience was running thin.
“Mom, what do we do
Penelope’s heart twisted painfully as she watched Gabriel stalk away, cold and resolute.
His approval was the foundation of their place in this family. Now, everything felt dangerously unstable.
“It’s fine. Your father’s just a little upset right now. I’ll go and talk to him in a bit,” Nora murmured, trying to reassure her daughter, though inside she was sinking fast.
She could feel it-ever since the incident with the Archer family, she’d barely managed to placate Gabriel by groveling and apologizing. But things weren’t the same anymore. His tolerance for her had all but vanished. The source of thɪs content is.net
All because of that wretched Anastasia!
***
Campus.
Dorm room.
Anastasia listened to the shouting and accusations through her phone, every word from Gabriel’s mouth reaching her ears.
She felt nothing but scorn and irony. His sudden defense didn’t move her in the slightest; it was almost laughable. One fleeting moment of concern wasn’t enough to make her forget the years of neglect and favoritism. It certainly wasn’t enough to inspire any misplaced hope in him as a father.
Still, if he wanted to be a weapon against Nora and her daughter, she was more than willing to let him.
She ended the call and slipped her phone into her bag, her expression cold.
She was about to keep packing when Helen, fresh from the shower, stepped out of the bathroom.
“Anastasia, you’re back?” Helen asked, reaching for her hairbrush. “So, did you apologize to Penelope? Honestly, you were way out of line this afternoon. She’s always treated you like a real sister, always so forgiving. If you just go and say you’re sorry, she’ll let it go.”
Helen sounded like she was reciting some obvious truth, her tone full of disapproval. She was clearly taking Penelope’s side.
Although Helen and Anastasia had technically known each other longer, Helen had always been closer with Penelope. Aside from asking Anastasia for favors, she spent most of her time cozying up to Penelope instead.
Helen knew exactly what was happening in the Sterling family, but she’d never once spoken up for Anastasia. In her eyes, there was nothing odd about Penelope, the stepdaughter, being placed above Anastasia, the legitimate heiress.
In short, she was just another of Penelope’s cronies, treating Anastasia as an easy mark and a fool.
Anastasia paused, her icy gaze fixing on Helen.
“I’d suggest you shut up, unless you want to disgust me even more.”
She spoke with such cool authority, flexing her wrist as if she might throw a punch
at any second. Helen flinched, shrinking back.
Seeing her cower, Anastasia let out a short, scornful laugh. “Penelope’s shamelessness suits you. Aren’t you the one always singing her praises? Go ahead, keep brown-nosing her. Who knows-maybe someday you’ll hit the jackpot.”
She turned away and finished packing, zipping her suitcase closed.
Helen flushed with anger at her words but had no time to retort before Anastasia rolled her suitcase to the door.
“Where are you going?” Helen called after her.
Anastasia didn’t look back. Her tone was cool and dismissive: “None of your business. Stay out of it.”
With that, she slammed the door behind her.
Helen’s face darkened. After a moment’s hesitation, she quickly changed clothes
and slipped out, quietly following.
She was determined to find out just where Anastasia was going.