Chapter 66

“Really, you don’t need anything?” Anastasia asked, a hint of disappointment coloring her voice.
“No,” Gabriel replied, his tone flat and final.
Anastasia turned to Penelope. “Penelope?”
Penelope clenched her jaw so tightly she almost cracked a tooth. This little witch was doing it on purpose, she was sure of it.
But all she could do was force a tight smile. “No, I’m fine
“Alright then.” Anastasia sighed and tucked her phone away.
She glanced at the clock, her patience clearly wearing thin. “Anything else? If not,
I’m heading back. Mr. Lancaster is waiting for me at home.”
This place hadn’t felt like home in ages-she didn’t want to stay a second longer than necessary.
“Wait, Anastasia, there’s something else,” Nora called out.
Anastasia had already turned to leave, but she paused.
Nora continued, “Penelope wants to stay at Rosewood Manor while she recovers. Why don’t you take her back with you?”
“What?” Anastasia spun around, certain she’d misheard.
“She likes it there and thinks the change of scenery will do her good,” Nora said, her voice smooth and gentle, as if this was the most natural request in the world.
Penelope’s eyes shone with anticipation.
Suddenly, Anastasia remembered exactly why Penelope wanted to be at Rosewood Manor. Did they really think she’d bring some scheming woman-who had eyes for her husband-into her own house? Did they think she was that naïve?
“She needs Rosewood Manor to recover?” Anastasia’s lips curled in a mocking smile.
“She’s your sister. Why can’t she stay for a while?” Gabriel said, clearly annoyed.
A moment ago, he’d actually felt a little guilty toward Anastasia. Now, seeing her refuse, his temper flared again.
Anastasia didn’t bother to hide her irritation. “What do you think Rosewood Manor is, a hotel? You think just anyone can come and go as they please?”
Letting her stay for a while-what a joke.
Gabriel’s face darkened. “She’s your sister. Why not?”
Penelope bit her lip, her tone edged with accusation. “Anastasia, you haven’t even asked Mr. Lancaster. How do you know he’d say no? Are you still upset with me? I already apologized Fresh chapters posted on.net
Gabriel looked even more displeased.
Anastasia almost laughed. Where did Penelope get her confidence? As if getting
Mr. Lancaster’s approval was that easy.
She pulled out her phone. “Sure. I’ll call him right now.”
Penelope’s eyes lit up, her face full of hope.
Soon, the call connected, but it was Logan’s voice that answered.
“Ma’am, Mr. Lancaster is tied up at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?”
“It’s nothing urgent. Penelope wants to stay at Rosewood Manor, but I said no. She thinks I have something against her, so I figured I’d let Mr. Lancaster explain it to her himself.”
“One moment, please. I’ll check with Mr. Lancaster.”
Everyone waited, the tension in the room thick as fog.
After a short pause, Logan’s voice came back on the line.
“Mr. Lancaster wants to know—this sister you mentioned, is she the one who showed up at Rosewood Manor last time and announced she wanted to marry him?”
Gabriel whipped around to stare at Penelope in disbelief.
Penelope’s face went pale, then red, then white again utterly frozen.
Anastasia almost burst out laughing. In her heart, she was giving Logan a standing ovation.
“Yes, that’s her,” Anastasia replied, her voice sweet as sugar.
Logan’s tone sharpened. “Mr. Lancaster says Rosewood Manor isn’t open to just anyone—especially not people with questionable motives and a history of inappropriate behavior.”
The words landed like a slap across Penelope’s face.
Anastasia grinned, tilting her head. “Penelope, did you catch that?”
Penelope’s color changed from red to white in a heartbeat. Furious, she snapped, “Anastasia! You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You set this up—”
Logan interrupted, his voice cool and professional. “Ma’am, Mr. Lancaster wants
to know if someone’s giving you trouble. Should I bring security over?”
“Enough!” Gabriel cut in quickly, shooting Penelope a glare.
Penelope fell silent at once.