Chapter 567


    Allison pressed the pause button at the 22-minute mark of the video. Her finger pointed usingly at


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    the screen where a small, dark mole sat on the woman’s waist. “Come on, Grace, don’t tell me you


    can’t recognize Penelope’s birthmark!”


    Grace stared at the dark spot. Her body copsed into the chair as if her bones had turned to jelly. She


    clutched at her chest, panting in agony.


    How could she not know? That mole on Penelope’s waist was as familiar to her as her own reflection.


    The woman in the video was indeed Penelope. Grace couldn’t believe it. How could Penelope do


    something so scandalous? It was like her whole worldview had been flipped upside down. In her mind,


    Penelope was the darling of the nagans. Although the nagan family was not as rich as the


    Lindberg family, it still boasted a tidy annual profit in the millions. Penelope was doted on, and her


    every whim was indulged. Even in middle school, Penelope had a monthly allowance of ten to twenty


    thousand dors, and by high school, she had a monthly allowance of fifty to sixty thousand dors.


    How could she possibly do such an indecent thing?


    However, Grace never believed Allison could do something like this either. Allison had always been the


    kind-hearted, long-suffering type, always reserved and introverted.


    The only reason Grace had even considered Allison capable of such a deed was her desperate need


    for money for a kidney transnt. Perhaps, Grace thought, Allison was driven to sell herself out of


    sheer necessity.


    But Penelope? It was unthinkable.


    Allison watched the y of emotions on Grace’s face — disbelief, shock, panic, heartache. All were


    swirling together in a storm that words could hardly describe. She didn’t want to twist the knife any


    further. The video was originally meant for Leah’s eyes, not Grace’s.


    “Please get out of here, Grace,” Allison said. Her voice was carrying a finality that brooked no


    argument. “After today, don’te looking for me. You and I... we’re done.”


    Grace’s lips trembled. “You’re going to release the video, aren’t you?”


    “Yes,” Allison said firmly.


    “Can you... please... not do it?”


    “No!” Allison felt her heart had grown cold and numb, impervious to any more pain, immune to the


    shards of a broken reality.


    “Are you trying to plead for Penelope?” Allison’s tone was biting. “Fine. If she gets on her knees in front


    of me and bangs her head on the floor ten times, maybe I’ll think about it.”


    Allison had no reason to stay. She turned to leave. Emma quickly shut down theptop to follow when


    suddenly, Grace lunged forward, grabbing theptop from Allison’s grasp.


    Grace might be frail, but her sudden burst of strength caught Emma off guard, nearly sending her


    crashing to the ground. “Ms. Grace, what on earth are you doing?” Emma demanded, watching as


    Grace clung to theptop. Then she begged Allison. “Please, Allison, I’m begging you. Forgive


    Penelope just this once. Don’t release the video, okay? If you do, it’ll ruin her.”


    “What does that have to do with me?” Allison’s beautiful, pale face was void of any expression, and her


    eyes were devoid of light. “If she died in front of me right now, I’d even p for joy.”


    Emma didn’t know the ins and outs of Allison and Grace’s rtionship, but she was fuming at Grace’s


    audacity to snatch herptop and beg Allison to keep the video private.


    “Ms. Grace,” Emma interjected, “I have backups of the video. Taking myptop won’t help you.”