Chapter 3 Say Hello to My Girlfriend

Why?

Why did Dominic think he could summon her at will, expecting her to obediently clean up Catherine's mess?

Penelope was shaking all over. The wound in her heart was already festering. Words stuck in her throat, impossible to express. A taste of blood filled her mouth as emotions surged inside her.

"Ms. Hartwell?"

Tessa paused, then urged impatiently, "Are you still listening?"

Penelope closed her eyes, forcing herself to swallow this humiliation. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm sorry, but Ms. Morrison will need to find someone else for this PR crisis."

"Mrs. Sinclair, Mr. Sinclair extending this opportunity to your company is the luckiest thing that'll ever happen to you. Don't be ungrateful."

"Do you think your boss will give up Mr. Sinclair for you, or give up a small employee like you to get in good with Mr. Sinclair? Think about your worth before you speak. Some consequences are beyond what you can handle."

"And don't forget—Mr. Sinclair has done you a favor."

Tessa hung up without another word.

Penelope gripped her phone, her whole body trembling. She clenched her jaw, feeling nothing but humiliation as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

What favor?

Being fooled like an idiot, married all this time without realizing he had someone else in his heart?

Or was it that the marriage she'd worked so hard to build was just a scam, with Dominic playing her completely?

This so-called favor pressed down on her heart like a mountain, making it impossible for her to even refuse.

Penelope clutched her phone to her chest, head bowed, crying silently.

Her phone suddenly vibrated again. An encrypted message from sender "K."

"X, the second round of funding for the quantum chip project has arrived. The founding shareholders meeting is set for next Wednesday. How much longer are you going to stay anonymous?"

She deleted the message without expression and cleared the cache.

In another world, she was "X," a top global hacker, the hidden founder of three tech companies, holding dozens of AI patents.

But in Dominic's and the Hartwell family's eyes, she was just a disposable wife, an abandoned adopted daughter.

She kept these secrets hidden not out of weakness, but because she had once loved.

Now, that love was dead.

She typed a reply:

"Proceed as planned. Keep my identity confidential."

The Sinclair Group.

"How's the PR situation coming along?"

Dominic sat at his desk, his gaze shifting from documents to Tessa, his sharp eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Tessa felt the pressure from Dominic. She thought to herself: Dominic must really despise Penelope—even mentioning her puts him in a bad mood.

If it were Catherine, he'd be all smiles, and even a nobody like her would benefit from it.

Instead, she was forced to endure the anger that spilled over because of Penelope.

With this thought, Tessa's own hatred for Penelope grew. She exaggerated, "Mrs. Sinclair refuses to cooperate. She probably has a problem with Ms. Morrison."

"What right does she have to be unhappy with Catherine?" Dominic's anger flared, his cold glare shooting toward her.

Tessa lowered her head, not daring to speak.

"Go talk to her company. Use whatever means necessary to make sure she participates in this PR campaign."

"I want to see just how long she's going to keep this up."

Dominic returned his gaze to the documents, his eyes ice-cold.

"Yes, sir."

When Penelope returned to her desk, she was still in a daze.

Then pain from her stomach shot through her nerves, and a rush of sourness flooded her chest. She stood up from her chair and rushed to the bathroom.

Penelope hugged the toilet, retching up acidic liquid.

After she finished, she saw spots of blood in the mess in the toilet bowl.

She grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth and coughed up more blood.

Penelope leaned weakly against the stall door and smiled bitterly.

Her phone rang. She answered.

"Matthew's back in the country. Remember to come home tonight for his welcome party. Matthew's bringing his girlfriend—you should meet her too."

Her adoptive mother, Stella Hartwell, spoke in a distant tone.

Penelope knew Stella didn't like her.

After all, she was the Hartwell family's adopted daughter, not their biological child. Plus, she'd done certain things before.

Living under someone else's roof wasn't easy. Penelope maintained a surface calm and replied politely, "I understand."

After a few perfunctory pleasantries, the other party quickly hung up.

Actually, Penelope rarely returned to The Hartwell Mansion. First, there wasn't much affection there—seeing each other only added awkwardness, so it was better not to.

Second, her adoptive father Jonathan Hartwell and Stella didn't welcome her.

Because of Matthew going abroad.

Evening.

The Hartwell Mansion sat in a wealthy suburb. After the car arrived, Penelope got out and was greeted by the brightly lit estate.

The outer garden, the familiar corridors—she entered the courtyard and saw Stella directing the servants.

Stella glanced at her. Just as Penelope was about to smile, Stella scolded her.

"Penelope, where are your manners?"

Penelope's smile froze on her face. She asked awkwardly, "What's wrong?"

Stella looked Penelope up and down and rolled her eyes. "Are you living like a pauper at the Sinclair family, or are they going bankrupt? You're wearing this to Matthew's welcome party?"

This outfit?

Penelope looked down at her budget-brand trench coat and the shirt and pants underneath.

Wealthy families like the Hartwell family valued propriety above all. Stella, already biased against Penelope, continued, "What, Matthew has a girlfriend now and you want to repeat your mistakes?"

A stab to the heart. Bringing up old wounds. Penelope's eyes reddened as memories flooded back.

When she first joined the Hartwell family, Stella had been fairly kind to her.

But as she spent time with Matthew day after day, she fell hopelessly in love with him.

Her brother in name only.

Under her persistent pursuit, it wasn't long before they started dating.

The sweet times didn't last long. Stella discovered they were secretly seeing each other.

Stella believed Penelope had seduced Matthew and told her to leave him alone.

Penelope refused. She begged Stella, but the result was Matthew leaving without a word. Their relationship ended with a one-sided breakup.

It became a scar on her heart.

"Penelope, you're a married woman now. Stop having foolish fantasies. I'll say this plainly today—going abroad was Matthew's idea. He did it to get away from you."

Penelope's heart ached. When he left without a word, she'd thought Matthew had his reasons. She never imagined he was trying to escape her.

How ridiculous.

No wonder, when they were together, she never felt Matthew's love.

Maybe he never loved her.

Just then, a low voice came from behind.

"Mom."

Penelope froze in place, numbness spreading from her feet through her entire body.

Stella walked toward the voice with a bright smile. Penelope forced herself to stay calm and turned around.

"Matthew, is this your new girlfriend?"

She warmly focused all her attention on Chloe.

Matthew didn't look at Penelope. He nodded, acknowledging their relationship.

Chloe blushed slightly and sweetly called out, "Mrs. Hartwell, hello."

Stella beamed.

The two of them were like mother and daughter, while Penelope stood behind them like part of the scenery.

She'd never seen Stella smile so happily—at least Stella had never shown her a kind face.

Bitterness filled Penelope's heart, but in this situation, she could only play the insignificant supporting role.

Then Matthew looked up and met Penelope's gaze. "Say hello to my girlfriend."