Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 388

**Title: When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 388**

Pain surged through Penelope’s ribs like a sudden tide, leaving her breathless as she glanced up, her heart racing. There sat Eloise, a formidable presence behind the desk, her cloudy eyes glinting with an icy, unforgiving light that sent shivers down Penelope’s spine.

“How dare you still smile?” Eloise’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and unyielding, like a blade unsheathed. “Sydney is about to hold her press conference in just a few days. What did you promise me back then?”

“Madam Sterling,” Penelope gasped, caught off guard by the intensity of Eloise’s glare.

A sudden cramp twisted painfully in her lower abdomen, a stark reminder of her rising anxiety. She quickly bent down to retrieve the tablet that had slipped from her grasp, the cool surface a momentary distraction from the tension in the room. Straightening herself, she fought to maintain an air of composure, even as the weight of the moment pressed heavily upon her. “Don’t worry. Sydney won’t pull this off so easily,” she asserted, her voice steadier than she felt.

Eloise’s gaze remained as frosty as ever, piercing through Penelope’s bravado. “What do you mean?” she pressed, her tone demanding clarity.

“Take a look at this,” Penelope replied, confidence beginning to seep back into her demeanor. She opened her drawer with a swift motion, revealing a neatly arranged stack of documents that she promptly handed to Eloise. “These are the clinical results for Sydney’s drug. Its efficacy is nearly identical to existing treatments,” she explained, her voice laced with a hint of triumph.

With a sneer that barely concealed her disdain, Penelope continued, “Tell me, how could she possibly walk away from that press conference unscathed?”

Eloise flipped through the data, her expression softening just a fraction as she absorbed the information. The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease, if only slightly. “You’re certain these aren’t falsified?” she asked, a flicker of doubt crossing her features.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify