Chapter 355

Anastasia’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.
In this room, only she and Logan realized the truth-that the call Aaron just answered was from the hospital.
“Mr. Lancaster, your physical exam results are in. I’m afraid… you’ve tested positive for HIV.” The doctor’s voice was heavy with regret.
Aaron froze mid-step. “What did you just say?!”
He wondered if he’d misheard. He was perfectly healthy-how could he possibly have HIV?
His face darkened. “There must be some mistake. How could I have something like that?”
“There’s no mistake, Mr. Lancaster.” The doctor hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Miss Penelope tested positive for HIV antibodies over two weeks ago. Did she… mention this to you?”
The doctor was someone the Lancaster family trusted, and he knew about Aaron’s affair with Penelope.
Aaron didn’t doubt a word; the news hit him like a freight train. His mind went completely blank. The doctor kept talking, but all Aaron could hear was Penelope’s name, echoing in his skull.
-Penelope. Penelope!
Rational thought deserted him. He forgot where he was, spun around, and stormed back into the room. With a snarl, he lunged at Penelope, wrapping his hands around her throat, his face twisted in a mask of rage.
“You have HIV?! You did this on purpose, didn’t you?! You infected me on purpose!”
His voice broke with fury, echoing through the hall and sending a jolt through everyone present.
God, did they just hear that right?
Penelope gasped, her face turning purple as Aaron squeezed tighter. In his rage, he’d dropped his cane and couldn’t keep his balance; he fell forward, dragging Penelope down with him. They crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.
“N-no, I didn’t Penelope clawed at his hands, struggling desperately.
But Aaron wasn’t listening. Straddling her, he slapped her hard across the face, eyes wild and bloodshot.
“You filthy bitch! How dare you do this to me?!”
The room was frozen in shock. Shirley stared at the scene on the floor, utterly disbelieving.
“Cousin, was this your doing?” Juliet finally understood why Anastasia hadn’t looked the slightest bit worried just moments ago.
Maggie and Sandra exchanged glances, newfound admiration in their eyes as they looked at Anastasia.
By now, it was painfully obvious to everyone that it hadn’t been Anastasia who’d slept with Aaron-it was Penelope all along.
“Oh my God, she’s disgusting!”
“How many men has she been with, anyway?” Thıs content belongs to
“I heard her mom was no better-caught in bed with some man, you know
A chorus of scornful, contemptuous voices filled the room. Dozens of phones came out, all pointed at Penelope, capturing every humiliating detail.
Penelope heard it all, and in that moment, she couldn’t tell which was worse-the pain of Aaron’s hands around her throat, or the sting of their words.
Finally, Shirley sprang into action. Blazing with fury, she strode over and slapped Aaron across the face, then grabbed a handful of Penelope’s hair, yanking her up. “You lying witch, you tricked me?!”
Thinking of how Penelope had played her for a fool these past few days, Shirley nearly shook with rage.
Anastasia stood off to the side, watching the chaos with a lightness in her heart. Penelope’s screams and Aaron’s pathetic state were music to her ears.
“Oh, by the way,” she said suddenly, turning to Shirley, “I’m not sure what you heard that made you think Aaron was such a prize.” Her tone was innocent, but her eyes gleamed with mischief. “But since you were deceived, let me warn you— Aaron isn’t Mr. Harrison Lancaster’s favorite nephew. In fact, my husband would love nothing more than to see him dead. Want to guess how he ended up with that limp?”
“If you’re thinking of marrying into that mess, you might want to watch your back- or you’ll end up as collateral damage.”
Shirley stopped cold, staring at Aaron in shock and dawning horror.
Aaron’s face was ashen, drained of all color.
Anastasia’s smile grew sweet and satisfied as she turned and walked away.