Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 474

No, perhaps he had never truly known her to begin with.

Cora threw herself at Penelope, sobbing uncontrollably as she held her daughter, cursing her for being foolish one second and frantically stroking her face the next, as if needing physical proof that she was whole and alive.

Xavier stood to the side, his face gray and utterly speechless.

He knew perfectly well that Penelope had reached this point precisely because Cora had coddled her into this monster.

Whenever she did something wrong, Cora never scolded her, always ending up catering to her every whim.

Julian walked over to Terrence and murmured something low.

Tristan was close enough to hear him say, "Grandpa, Penelope always gets what she wants. Even if we somehow managed to abort this child, she'd just find a way to get pregnant again. Our family needs to come up with a real solution."

Terrence shook his head. He had just been in a towering rage, his chest still tight, and striking Doris earlier had drained him. He was exhausted.

More importantly, he was old. The sudden mix of sorrow and fury had strained his heart and lungs; he needed to get back to his study for oxygen immediately.

Pausing at the study door, he didn't look back.

"Jasper, keep an eye on Penny. Don't let her take a single wrong step. As for this matter—" He hesitated. "We'll discuss it further."

The study door slowly clicked shut.

The York family foyer was a complete disaster zone.

Broken porcelain littered the floor, and blood had congealed into dark red spots across the marble.

Doris had already been rushed to the hospital by the head butler for her injuries, leaving her scattered prayer beads on the floor, entirely ignored.

Penelope sat on the sofa, her hand wrapped in a makeshift bandage. She looked pale, but the light in her eyes was brighter than ever.

Jasper was stanching the bleeding, his movements professional and practiced.

He kept his head down, saying nothing, but his clenched jaw betrayed how hard he was struggling to suppress his emotions.

Finally, Penelope broke the silence.

"Jasper," she called out softly, her voice completely serene, even carrying a hint of playful affection. "Thank you."

Jasper's hands stalled for a second before he resumed wrapping the bandage, his voice tight. "If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I'll lock you in your room and nail the windows shut."

Penelope smiled, offering no response.

The gauze was secured, the pristine white fabric winding around her slender wrist and concealing the wound.

She looked down at her stomach, reaching out to gently, almost reverently, caress her still-flat abdomen.

The corners of her lips tipped upward in a smile only she could understand.

She had saved this child.

Next, she would take her time to scheme.

It didn't matter if Quentin refused to acknowledge it now, and it didn't matter if Madeline felt triumphant.

They had plenty of time.

Once she was further along, once the baby started kicking, once everyone saw her stomach growing day by day...