“Me neither,” he replied, his eyes wide.
They handed their coats to an actual butler, and as Penelope took in the opulent surroundings, she remembered she had promised to check in with Maria once they arrived. She pulled out her phone but realized it was dеаd. Turning to David, she held out her hand. “Can I borrow your phone? I need to check in with Maria about Derrick.”
“Sure,” David said, handing it over without hesitation.
Penelope looked down at the screen and froze. It was already connected to the Wi-Fi—“Laura’s Mansion.” Her stomach flipped, not with excitement but with unease. Why was his phone already connected? He’d said he’d never been to a place likе this before. Why would David lie about that?
“Everything okay?” David asked, noticing her pause.
“Yeah, just… this place is incredible,” she replied, forcing a smile.
But the seed of doubt had been planted, and as the evening wore on, her discomfort only grew. David was off mingling, leaving Penelope to wander on her own. She was near the buffet table when she overheard Laura’s husband, Mark, casually mention to someone, “I’ll be in Tokyo all next week. Laura’s got the place to herself.”
A chill ran down Penelope’s spine, but she tried to shake it off. Finding David with some of his colleagues, she overheard him say, “So, starting tomorrow, I’ll be working late. Got a big project coming up.”
Penelope’s mind raced. Could this be a coincidence? The uneasy feeling returned, stronger this time, as she glanced around the room, her eyes landing on Laura, who was surrounded by admirers.
David noticed her distant look. “Penelope, you okay?”
“Yeah, just… thinking,” she muttered, her mind already connecting dots she didn’t want to see.
“Looks more likе worrying,” David replied. “Relax, Pen. Let me fetch you another drink.”
But there was no way Penelope could relax. The next day, with Derrick safely at school, she drove to David’s office, her heart pounding with dread. When she arrived, the receptionist informed her that David had left early for a personal matter. Penelope’s stomach twisted in fear.
She called David, trying to sound cheerful. “Hey, where are you? I thought I’d bring you lunch.”
“I’m at the office, just buried in work,” he replied smoothly. “Sorry, but I won’t have time for lunch today.”
The lie was glaring, and Penelope’s resolve hardened. She drove straight to Laura’s mansion, her thoughts a whirlwind of fear and suspicion. When she arrived, she knocked on the door, and Laura answered, her surprise quickly turning to unease.
“Penelope? What are you doing here?”
