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A little guarded, I quickly flashed my hand at her, but she snatched my fingertips and pulled my hand closer to her. “Well, isn’t that beautiful.” Her face tightened with disdain and her eyes looked stormy.
Stepping back from her and walking to the door, I said, “Thank you, Penny”
As I reached for the door, she gave a snide laugh. “You know? I think it’s great you’re going along with all of this.”
I turned back around to face her. “What do you mean?”
Her red hair was more unkempt than I’d ever seen it. She usually wore a tight bun, but today, her hair had unraveled, strands of hair fluttering as she spoke. “You do know, don’t you? The only reason Theo asked you to marry him is because the Board told him to.”
My body felt like it had fallen through the floor. “He would never just listen to whatever the Board tells him to do.” My voice unintentionally quivered.
Penny’s mouth tightened into a smirk. “Poor thing. You just don’t know Theo like I do. He loves the company and would do anything to save it.” She laughed wickedly. “Even marry you.”
My anger boiled quickly. “That’s not true! Theo loves me. What we have is real. You wouldn’t know anything about it.” Hating myself for doing it, I added, “We even went to Tennessee to meet his family. We’re in love.”
Penny shook her head. “That publicity stunt in Tennessee? I have to say that was well executed. The media ate it all up.”
Doubt began to bubble up inside me, overtaking my anger. Could Penny be telling the truth? Would Theo do that to me?
“I took notes at the Board meeting, Mia. If anyone would know what is really happening, it would be me.” She cocked her head in mocked sympathy. “Oh no! Have I upset you?”
Grabbing for the door handle, I spat, “You’re lying. I don’t believe you.”
Penny clucked her tongue contemptuously. “You’re so predictable! I knew you were going to say that, but unfortunately, Theo and I are a lot closer than you think.” She stepped closer. Her heels clicked menacingly on the bathroom floor. “We’ve been sleeping together for years.”
My throat suddenly went dry. That couldn’t be true! I was with Theo now on most night. My heart dropped into my stomach. What if they were together on the nights I wasn’t there? What if they were having sex in his office, just like I had?
Gathering my strength, I managed to say, “That was before we even met.” Theo had never told me Penny and he were ever involved, but I hedged my bets that possibly they once were. It would explain Penny’s rudeness and spitefulness towards me.
“You might want to check your email, honey. I sent you a juicy clip that you probably want to see.” She cackled wildly. “Or you probably don’t want to see.”
Hurrying out the door, my legs felt wobbly and unstable. My entire world was crashing down on me. I ducked into an empty conference room. Whatever Penny had sent me it was probably something to be viewed alone.
Checking my email on my phone, there was an email from Penny with the title: Hate to break it to you.
My hands shook as I opened the email with a video attachment. I hesitated. Should I watch it? Could I handle what I was about to see?
Taking a deep breath, I told myself that I needed to know the truth.
I pressed play. It was Penny and Theo having sex. The video was too grainy for me to decipher where they were, but it was unmistakably the two of them. Conveniently, the time stamp on the bottom said the video had been recorded last Monday. A Monday where I stayed at school working on an assignment with Jill.
My legs gave out as I collapsed onto the floor in a ball of sorrow. Tears fell from my eyes in a torrent as my heart twisted and cracked in my chest.
Everything had been a lie. Theo. The engagement. His fake promises. His phony devotion. All of it was built on lies.
Chapter 20
Mia
It had been almost a week since I had seen or talked to Theo. After seeing the video, I ran out of Pictogram immediately. Without giving too much information, I sent Brandon an email that I wasn't feeling well. Even if Theo had lied to me, there was no reason for me to let my team members down.
It was a full twenty-four hours before I even would talk to Jill about what happened. When I burst into our dorm suite looking undoubtedly like hell, my eyes red and face splotchy from crying, I rushed into my room refusing to answer when she knocked. After some coaxing, I let her in and told her everything that happened with Penny.
She was, at first, doubtful of Penny's claims. ”Do you think the Board would ask him to marry you?” she asked. “That seems so far fetched. They can't control his personal life, can they?”
Lying on my bed motionless, I replied flatly, “They can if they want to. I'm sure they can do anything.”
Jill stood and began to pace. “That Penny chick. She just doesn't seem like someone you should trust. She could be making it up.”
