Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 476

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You**
**by Aurelia**
**Novel 476**

**Chapter 476**

Penelope’s voice dripped with sincerity, each word seemingly plucked from the depths of her heart. It was the kind of earnestness that could sway the most skeptical listener.

Yet, despite her apparent transformation, Sydney remained resolute in her disbelief. The shadows of their past loomed too large for her to consider anything Penelope said as genuine.

Sydney cast her gaze downward, fixating on the delicate porcelain bowl of soup before her. Its steam curled upward, but she made no move to touch it. Out of deference to Florence, who sat nearby, she refrained from voicing her disdain.

“I’m in a bit of a rush,” she stated with a measured calmness. “I think I’ll pass this time.”

With that, she turned her attention to Florence, offering a polite smile that barely reached her eyes. “I’ll be on my way now. Please, no need to see me out.”

Before either of the women could respond, Sydney had already begun her purposeful stride toward the door, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

Penelope’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing with barely contained fury. She clenched her teeth behind her lashes, but quickly composed herself, adopting a saccharine tone. “Mom, I’ll walk Sydney out. I want to apologize properly.”

“Go ahead,” Florence replied, her voice laced with reluctance. She sensed the tension but didn’t want to interfere too heavily.

From her vantage point behind the glass wall separating the living room from the courtyard, Florence could see everything unfold. Penelope wouldn’t dare act recklessly under her watchful eye.

However, the moment Sydney stepped through the gate, a voice called out, slicing through the air. “Sydney.”

At first, she considered ignoring it, but Penelope’s next words froze her in place. “Whose child are you carrying?”

Sydney turned slowly, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her voice was light, almost mocking. “You can’t even figure out who fathered your child, and you’ve got the audacity to question mine?”

“It’s Caleb’s, obviously!” Penelope shot back, her jaw tightening as her gaze flicked to Sydney’s midsection. “I don’t care whose little bastard you’re carrying. Don’t think for a second that you can use it to claw your way into the Hampton family.”

Her words were sharp and rapid, a reflection of the bitter logic that had festered within her for far too long.

In her mind, she had meticulously examined every scenario. If Sydney’s child had even the slightest connection to Julian, he would have long ago made her his official partner—married her, made their relationship public, paraded her through every social gathering.

There was no way he would leave her without a ring on her finger, pregnant and with an “unknown” father.

Thus, it couldn’t possibly be his. The realization washed over Penelope like a wave of relief. She had been fretting for nothing.

‘It was merely a fleeting romance, a trivial dalliance. Julian will never marry Sydney.’ The thought filled her with such satisfaction that she almost smiled.

Sydney, however, wore a cold smile of her own. “Are you done?”

The dismissive tone of her voice threw Penelope off balance, causing her to falter.

“You! Did you even hear what I said?” she hissed, her voice low and venomous. “Sydney, I’m now the lost daughter of the Hutton family. Push me too far, and it won’t end well for you.”

Her voice dropped to a poisonous whisper. “It won’t end well for your mentor and his wife either.”

For the first time, the warmth in Sydney’s eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling flatness. “You’re the one who leaked their address online, aren’t you?”

The thought had gnawed at her since the beginning. No ordinary person could have tracked down Alan’s address so swiftly. She had suspected DK Pharmaceuticals, but now the evidence pointed squarely at Penelope.

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