Chapter 2

Back at the mansion.

Penelope was roughly shoved out of the car and dragged inside.

The mansion was opulent, every brick practically screaming wealth.

Penelope's head was still spinning.

She glanced down at the marriage certificate in her hand, still in shock.

Just that afternoon, Kelvin had taken her to city hall to get married.

She wanted to ask why.

Kelvin hated her, didn't he? So why marry her?

Kelvin seemed to read her mind.

He looked down, rubbing the marriage certificate. Since his stepmother Lily Andrews was so eager to introduce women to him, he might as well use Penelope to fend them off.

He just needed a little more time. Once he found the woman from that night, he wouldn't need Penelope anymore.

"What are you thinking, Penelope? You don't think I have feelings for you, do you?"

Kelvin gripped her wrist and pulled her close, a mocking smile on his lips, his eyes full of disdain.

Penelope's face turned red instantly.

She struggled a few times but was held firmly by Kelvin, forced to meet his gaze.

Today, she had been threatened like a dog, but she was the one who got married!

Why didn't she even have the right to know?

A nameless anger rose in Penelope's heart.

"Of course not. Who would be interested in their enemy, right, Mr. Davis?"

Her words successfully angered Kelvin.

He grabbed a marriage agreement from the side and threw it onto the table.

"Penelope, be my wife for three months, then I'll set you free."

Penelope picked it up and looked at it, her face growing darker. The contract gave her no rights at all.

And as for her freedom afterward, who could guarantee that?

Just as she was about to argue, a sudden idea came to her, and she changed her tune, "Fine, I agree."

"Someone, take her to bathe, clean her up, and send her to my room."

Kelvin's eyes were filled with undisguised disdain.

He turned and walked back to his room, holding the contract, still feeling the warmth from her body.

This feeling was strange. She seemed like the woman from that night.

But how could the woman from that night be Penelope?

After all, she had been in the mental institution.

Thinking of this, Kelvin grew more agitated and made a phone call, his tone questioning.

"Have you found the woman from that night yet?"

A trembling voice came from the other end, almost visibly fearful.

"Mr. Davis, we've narrowed it down. We'll have results in two days, and we'll give you the most accurate answer."

Kelvin impatiently tapped the table, glancing at his watch, "Hurry up."

Meanwhile, Penelope stood at the bathroom door, holding a luxurious lace nightgown, blocking her body.

She forced an awkward smile, her face flushed.

"Do you really need to watch me bathe? It's too embarrassing."

The servants at the door lowered their heads, "Mrs. Davis, it's Mr. Davis's order."

Penelope saw the large window in the bathroom, a plan forming in her mind, a smile creeping into her eyes.

"Don't worry, there's only one exit in the bathroom. How could I run away? Watching me makes me uncomfortable."

The two servants exchanged troubled looks.

Penelope seized the opportunity to continue her act, clutching the nightgown tighter, her face showing a girlish demeanor.

"Besides, we just got married. Tonight is our wedding night. Why would I run away? You can wait at the door."

With that, she quickly went in and locked the door, then turned on the faucet.

Penelope looked at herself in the mirror, exhaling deeply.

These years had been a disaster for her.

Everything had happened so fast back then; she didn't even get a chance to see her father.

Now she finally had a chance to escape. It was just the second floor; if she was lucky, she wouldn't get hurt.

Five minutes later.

A servant burst into Kelvin's study, exclaiming, "Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis... she escaped through the second-floor window!"

Kelvin's pen paused on the paper, leaving a thick drop of ink. He then strode towards the bathroom.

As soon as he entered, the room was filled with steam, a cold breeze hitting him.

Kelvin walked to the window, seeing the rope and the crushed bushes below.

He wasn't angry. He slowly turned the ring on his finger, then looked at the message written on the bathroom mirror: "I don't owe you anything, Kelvin. Goodbye forever."

A smile spread across his face, but his eyes remained cold.

Penelope, you don't think you can escape, do you?

Kelvin's voice was icy, "Bring her back. It seems some women only use their legs to run away."

The servants and the butler shivered uncontrollably.

Kelvin's demeanor showed he was truly angry.

They silently prayed for Penelope, hoping she would return quickly, or she would be doomed if caught.

Meanwhile, Penelope limped along.

She leaned against the wall, curled up in a dark corner, avoiding search parties, enduring the pain from the bushes' scratches, trying to minimize her presence.

Time passed slowly until night fell, and the outside noises faded.

Penelope finally collapsed to the ground, hastily bandaging her wounds with her clothes.

She leaned against the wall, staggering towards the door.

A passing driver saw her plight and kindly took Penelope to the prison entrance.

Penelope looked up at the prison, bitterness spreading in her heart.

This was where her father had been for two years.

And today, she finally escaped, finally had a chance to see him.

Penelope stubbornly wiped away her tears, sitting in the waiting room, constantly adjusting her clothes.

At least she couldn't let her father worry about her.

An aged voice sounded from the other side, "Penelope, is that you? My daughter, you're alive. How have you been these two years?"

Connor Cooper's eyes quickly filled with tears.

He was nearly fifty, but now he had a head full of white hair, his face marked by the passage of time.

Soon, Connor's expression turned agitated, urging her, "Run! Don't let that man catch you! He's a madman! Penelope, you must go!"

Penelope shook her head, her nose tingling, tears falling. "I'm not leaving, Dad. What really happened back then?"

"I don't know." At this, Connor seemed drained of all energy.

He painfully recalled, he had performed surgery for eighteen hours straight, saving Kelvin's father from the brink of death.

He slumped, struggling to remember what happened, repeatedly saying, "The surgery was successful. I don't know why he was dead when they brought him out. Penelope, do you believe me?"

Penelope nodded firmly, wanting to touch her father, but only met the cold glass. "I believe you! Dad, you have to hold on. I'll find out the truth! I'll get you out."

"We can't win, my Penelope. I want you to live happily."

Connor's tears flowed freely. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, then forced a gentle smile. "I'm fine in here. You need to take care of yourself, Penelope."

Penelope wanted to ask more but was pushed out by the arriving guards.

As she walked out, she saw three or five bodyguards in black standing at the door, a black Maybach parked outside.

A bodyguard extended his hand, his attitude leaving no room for refusal. "Mrs. Davis, Mr. Davis requests you return home."