“Listen, Penny… I know it’s Saturday, but I need you at the mansion this evening. Do you think you can come over?”
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
He released her hand and went to sit back down behind his desk.
“Good. Go home, sleep for a few hours, then be there at 8.”
Penny nodded. He was already pulling out some files and leafing through them, signaling their meeting was over. She re-confirmed she would be there, then excused herself and stepped out of his office. As she went to her own office to grab her bag and order an Uber, she held one hand over her stomach.
“You got this.”
***
When she arrived at the Goldman Mansion, the first thing Penelope wanted to do was run upstairs and see the twins. Richard caught her in the hallway, though, and asked her to join him in his office for a drink. She didn’t like it, but she had to take a deep breath and do as he said. At this point, she couldn’t show any compassion for Nina and Kosta anymore.
“We’re waiting for Enzo,” he said as he handed her a glass of wine. “He’s late.”
“I’m sure he has his reasons,” she whispered. She sat down in the armchair that was farthest from his desk.
Goldman nodded and took a sip of his own wine.
“You never told me about last night.” He made it sound like a normal, casual conversation. “If you want to talk about it, or if you have any questions, I’m here.”
Penny cocked an eyebrow and shook her head.
“I… I don’t know what to tell you. You never asked. What do you want to know?”
This was more than odd. It was scary. What did he want? Details? She knew what he thought had happened between her and Enzo. But… what did he think had happened with Nina? She and Enzo should have seen this coming and gotten their stories straight. Alas, she was on her own.
Goldman was silent for a minute, then he shrugged.
“What the buyer does with the merchandise, so to speak, is none of my business. However, I do want you to know that I care about you and Juniper. And Thorn, of course. So, just answer me this: are you feeling alright? Was everything okay?”
Penny felt her blood starting to boil in her veins, and her heart beating a tad faster. She had to hold her anger down at all cost.
“Everything was fine. Enzo and I… well, it wasn’t like we were strangers. Don’t worry about me.”
“Good, good. I saw Juniper earlier and she seems fine, too. I’m glad it all worked out and Enzo is satisfied. I asked you to be here tonight because it was his request, actually. He said he wanted to show me something, and he also wanted to see you again.”
“Oh. How nice of him. I wonder what sort of surprise he has in store for us.”
“Me too, to tell you the truth.” He grinned. “I like him. He’s young, strong, motivated… He’s like a breath of fresh air for the club. I’m glad he reached out to Goldman Corp and pitched his business to us.”
Well, the conversation was finally taking an interesting turn…
“So, he found you? Not the other way around?”
“No. Do you really think I’d ever be interested in sheep farms? Cheese? Come on, Penny. You know I’m vegan.”
He laughed, and she laughed as well. She thought what a ridiculous man he was. Calling himself vegan when he was using sheep-shifters for fun… But, oh no! At least he wasn’t using sheep for wool, cheese, or milk. That would have been preposterous!
After a few seconds of fake laughing, she could feel her jaw hurt. Her smile was frozen on her face, and she could swear her boss would eventually see through her act. A knock on the door interrupted them, and she sighed in relief. When Enzo entered the office, she could physically feel the tension dissipating. It didn’t mean she was safe and all was good, but it meant she wasn’t alone with Goldman anymore, so she could relax a bit. When she noticed a dark-haired, 40-year-old woman following him in the room, she stood up, a million questions dancing in her blue eyes. The night before, he hadn’t mentioned anything about anyone. Could she be…? Penny remembered a conversation between Enzo and Goldman back when she didn’t know what was going on. In trying to impress Goldman, he had mentioned owning a shifter himself.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” said Enzo with a bright, boyish smile. “This is Theresa. Theresa, say ‘hi’ to Mr. Goldman and Ms. Walton.”
The woman whispered a timid “hello”, never looking up from the floor. Her whole demeanor and body posture signaled she wasn’t a free woman. When Enzo spoke to her, she didn’t dare look him in the eyes. If Penny hadn’t known what Enzo’s play was, the scene unfolding before her would have made her even more sick to her stomach. Lately, she hadn’t been able to eat much because of everything that was going down.
“Let me guess. This is your bear-shifter.” Goldman beamed and raised his glass. “You’ve just made my day, Enzo. I’ve been waiting for this moment since I found out about shapeshifters. I’ve never seen anything bigger than a wolf, and that was back in college, when one of Marcia’s friends was dating one. I never understood how a girl who came from a good, wealthy family could stoop to dating a shifter.”
