\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 146\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho said it was foolproof?\u201d Victor forced the words through clenched teeth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Penelope hadn\u2019t sworn it would work, he never would have boarded her sinking ship-let alone paid such a steep price for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that, Penelope\u2019s guilt stirred. She already knew from Caleb what had happened: Julian had ruined Victor. She had been avoiding Victor these past few days, hoping to escape the fallout, but the fire had spread. Now he was holding her responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her scalp still burned where he had yanked her hair, but her thoughts spun.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scowling, she muttered, \u201cHow was I supposed to know Mr. Sterling would show up that day? You can\u2019t pin that on me\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then something clicked. Her tone hardened. \u201cIf you want to blame someone, blame Sydney. She\u2019s the real culprit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She jerked her chin toward Sydney\u2019s car with a sinister smirk. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who got crippled, but she walked away without a scratch. Now she\u2019s out there flaunting her looks, stringing men along.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the distance, Marcus climbed into Sydney\u2019s car. The two of them were off to celebrate their mentor\u2019s birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up!\u201d Victor barked, smacking Penelope across the face. \u201cDon\u2019t think I don\u2019t see through you. You want me to clear the way so you can take Mrs. Hampton\u2019s place, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t hold back. The smacks stung like open-handed slaps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penelope hissed at the pain. \u201cI\u2019m just saying it\u2019s not fair to you. After everything you\u2019ve sacrificed for her, she doesn\u2019t even care. If you want my advice, ruin that pretty face of hers. Then she\u2019ll have no choice but to stay with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Victor let out a cold laugh. It was rare to encounter such a venomous woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grabbing her chin, he snarled, \u201cJealous of her, huh? You should be. Even one of her toes is worth more than your entire face.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Those delicate, rosy toes\u2026\u2019 He had dreamed a thousand times of having them pressed against him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time, Penelope realized Victor\u2019s obsession with Sydney went beyond physical desire. It was twisted, bordering on deranged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His insult still stung, but she swallowed it down. She couldn\u2019t risk pushing the Sterling heir too far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Forcing a smile, she changed tactics. \u201cIf you really want Sydney to crawl into your bed willingly, there might be another way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d Victor demanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling, we don\u2019t have to force it this time.\u201d She leaned close and whispered her scheme into his ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sure about this?\u201d His tone dripped with menace. \u201cPenelope, if you screw me again and I end up in another mess, I may not have Julian\u2019s power, but don\u2019t forget-I can still kill you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney and Marcus arrived at Alan\u2019s home, where Alan and Eliana had lunch nearly ready. The main dishes simmered on the stove while Eliana tossed together a couple of sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney set down the gift bag and beamed as she slipped into the kitchen. \u201cHappy birthday, Alan! May we celebrate. you like this for many years to come,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eliana chuckled as she sprinkled seasoning. \u201cCelebrate him like this for years to come? At his age, he\u2019d practically be a monster by then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alan bristled in mock offense. \u201cAnd what if I want to be a monster? Then you\u2019d better stick around to be one with\u00a0<\/p>\n
me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marcus laughed. \u201cWe haven\u2019t even sat down to eat yet, and you\u2019re already force-feeding us PDA.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShowing off is his favorite hobby,\u201d Sydney teased as she washed her hands to help Eliana.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t much of a cook, but she was quick enough to pass along whatever seasonings were needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air was warm and lively, thick with the scent of food and the comfort of family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the table, Marcus uncorked a bottle of red wine he had brought, and everyone drank a little. After the meal, Alan set out a chessboard and pulled Marcus into a game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney, tipsy from even a small amount of wine, curled on the couch to watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
31\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eliana poured her a cup of hot tea. \u201cDrink this. Alan asked me to make it for you. It\u2019ll help sober you up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks,\u201d Sydney murmured. Her movements were slow and gentle as she accepted the cup, looking docile as a kitten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
S\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her like that made Eliana\u2019s heart ache. \u201cJohnson\u2019s wife is due with their second. She can\u2019t travel, so we will fly over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
212\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 146 \u00a0 Chapter 146\u00a0 \u201cWho […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22264,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22128\/revisions\/22264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}