Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 294

This was the first time.

Bella’s legs went weak with fear, but she refused to back down. “Am I wrong? Serena caused her father’s death, and you’ve been helping her keep it a secret. If I hadn’t overheard by accident, I’d still be in the dark.”

“You—!” Penelope, trembling with rage, raised her hand as if to slap Bella.

Tyler rushed over and caught Penelope’s arm, then shot Bella a hard look. “Why are you still standing there? Are you trying to give your mother a heart attack? Will that finally make you happy?”

Bella glanced at Penelope, whose chest heaved with anger—she was truly furious. Worried Penelope might actually hit her, Bella pulled a face, then stormed upstairs.

She slammed her bedroom door shut with a bang.

The noise only stoked Penelope’s fury. “I swear, she’s getting more and more out of control. She needs to be taught a lesson today.”

“Enough, Penelope,” Tyler soothed, his voice gentle. “She’s your only daughter. If you really hit her and something happens, you’d never forgive yourself. What matters now is the trial—we lost. How are we going to explain that to them?”

Penelope’s body trembled, and gradually, she fell silent.

It had all started a month earlier, when she’d unexpectedly received an antique—an old tri-glazed pottery vase. At first, she thought it was a gift from a friend or relative. But when she lifted the lid and found a small, deep green digital recorder inside, her heart began to race.

She pressed play. Her own voice filled the room:

“Xander Sullivan got ridiculously lucky. He saved old Mr. Grayson on the street, and when the patriarch found out he had a daughter, he wanted to arrange an engagement between her and William…”

Penelope’s hands shook, and the recorder tumbled to the floor. The memories she’d worked so hard to bury surged back all at once.