THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.-Chapter 348
Penelope straightened up and crossed her arms with this triumphant expression plastered across her face.
"Whatever I say about you to the media, whatever lies or truths I want to tell, you are definitely going to accept it without complaint and take it like the loser you are. And furthermore, any business contract that you manage to get in the future that is clearly related to my family's company or my place of work, I would personally see to it that it gets taken away from you immediately. Do you agree to all of these terms?"
At that moment, upon hearing everything that Penelope just said and knowing fully well what Penelope was capable of doing with her family's wealth and connections, knowing exactly what kind of damage she could inflict on someone's reputation and livelihood if she really wanted to, Cora felt her heart start to race with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. This was serious - this wasn't just some casual disagreement anymore, this was a bet that could potentially ruin her entire future if things went wrong.
She turned her head slowly to look at Oliver, her boyfriend, searching his face for any sign of doubt or hesitation, hoping to find some clue about whether they should really go through with this insane wager. Her eyes were asking him a thousand questions without saying a single word - Are you sure about this? Do you really know what you're doing? Can we actually pull this off?
But Oliver was still sitting there with that same calm, confident smile on his face, looking completely unbothered by Penelope's threats and harsh conditions. When their eyes met, he gave her a small, reassuring nod of his head, and something in his expression told her that he had everything under control, that she should trust him completely even though this whole situation seemed absolutely impossible.
Immediately, seeing that look of absolute certainty in Oliver's eyes and knowing from their time together just how trustworthy and reliable he had proven himself to be over and over again, Cora made her decision. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and turned back to face Penelope with renewed determination burning in her chest.
"You have yourself a deal, Penelope," Cora said clearly and firmly, making sure her voice didn't waver even though her palms were sweating under the table.
"I agree to everything you just said - every single term and condition you laid out."
At that moment, Penelope's face lit up with this huge, victorious smile, like someone who had just won the lottery and couldn't believe their good fortune. She practically jumped up from where she was seated, her chair scraping loudly against the restaurant floor, and Richard stood up beside her with a satisfied smirk on his face as well.
"Well then, I will be expecting you at my wedding," Penelope said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness as she looked down at Cora and Oliver.
"I will be expecting to see you try and fail to get past security, and I will be expecting to watch you get humiliated in front of everyone. The wedding is happening in exactly one week's time, so you better start preparing yourself mentally for the embarrassment that's coming your way, because you are going to see the absolute devil side of me when you fail to deliver on this ridiculous promise."
At that moment, upon finally agreeing to all the promises and sealing the bet that could potentially change their lives forever, Penelope and her fiancé Richard turned on their heels and literally just walked away from the table without another word. Penelope's high heels clicked loudly against the restaurant floor as she strutted away with her head held high, looking like someone who had just won the biggest victory of her life, completely confident that she had just trapped Cora in an impossible situation that would lead to her ultimate humiliation.
The moment they were finally gone and out of earshot, Cora immediately turned to face Oliver with worry written all over her face. Her hands were trembling slightly as she reached across the table, and her eyes were wide with concern and a touch of panic that she had been holding back while Penelope was still there watching them.
"Oliver, I really hope you're very, very confident about this whole thing," she said urgently, her voice dropping to almost a whisper even though Penelope was already gone. "I know Penelope better than anyone else in this world, and I know exactly what she's capable of doing when she sets her mind to destroying someone. She doesn't make empty threats - she follows through on every single promise she makes, especially when it comes to revenge."
Cora's fingers tightened around Oliver's hand as she continued, her worry spilling out in a rush of words.
"If Penelope literally really wants to push this further, if she really wants to deal with us and make our lives miserable, she's going to do it without any hesitation, and she's going to do it so confidently and thoroughly that we won't even know what hit us. She has the money, the connections, and the ruthlessness to carry out every single threat she just made." Her voice was shaking now.
"This is not something that we should have just casually agreed to bet on, Oliver. This could ruin everything - my reputation, my career, my entire future. But the bet has already been made now, and there's no taking it back."
At that moment, seeing the genuine fear and anxiety in Cora's eyes, Oliver reached over and gently took both of her hands in his, giving them a reassuring squeeze as that same calm, confident smile spread across his face once again.
"Cora, you worry way too much about things that are completely under control," he said softly but with absolute certainty in his voice. "I understand why you're scared - Penelope put on quite a show back there, and she definitely knows how to make threats sound convincing. But I need you to trust me on this one. I'm going to handle this entire situation myself, and everything is going to work out exactly the way I promised it would."
