The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 157

Mr. Smith's face changed instantly.

Penelope continued, "Don't bother arguing with me. It is a fact. Go ask any of the guests who were there that night. Every single one of them thinks the Quigley boy was trying to marry both Smith daughters."

"Like I said, what you think happened doesn't matter."

"People have eyes. They see, they think, and they draw their own conclusions."

"If you want to explain the reason, then it shouldn't be your delusional, one-sided narrative. It needs to be the truth as witnessed by the majority."

"Otherwise, it holds no weight."

Penelope fixed Yates with an icy stare. "Remember: stick to the facts, not your opinions. If you dare release some self-righteous rant, I'll take it as a deliberate act of war."

The situation had escalated into a nightmare.

Mr. Smith and Yates had intended to dump the blame entirely onto Jasmine.

They wanted to paint her as willful, defiant, and the one who selfishly broke the contract.

If they spun it that way, even with the engagement canceled, all their current problems would disappear.

It was just an engagement.

They could still get married without one.

But Penelope was pinning the blame squarely on Valery.

And using such a scandalous reason to do it.

It was a narrative Mr. Smith and Yates absolutely refused to accept.

"Never mind. Let's skip the reason and just announce the cancellation."

"Yes, yes, I'll post it right away."

Penelope let out a soft laugh. "Do you think you're the ones calling the shots here? You're posting this to satisfy me, and I demand you explain exactly why it ended."

The Quigleys and the Smiths immediately started shouting at each other.

Howard was firmly committed to doing whatever Penelope asked.

The Smiths refused to let Valery suffer even a fraction of reputational damage.

The Quigleys had been on the fence about cutting ties with the Smiths.

They didn't deserve a single drop of her emotion.

They were the ones who had messed up. Their selfish agendas had dragged Felix's career and his family's reputation through the mud.

It was only right they paid the price.

Even if their original target had been her.

But she wasn't good with words, she overthought everything, and she lacked the courage to yell back. In her cowardice, her instinct was to cave to her parents.

So the only thing she could do right now was shut her mouth, hide her feelings, and let someone with actual power deliver the punishment they deserved.

If Penelope saw her looking upset, she might take pity and let her family off the hook.

For someone useless, the greatest contribution was staying out of the way.

Jasmine couldn't help but wonder: what would Nora do right now?

She'd probably be reciting a textbook in her head.

Jasmine tried reciting a couple of classic poems in her mind, but found it impossible to focus. She couldn't block out the shouting completely.