Sophia’s Point of View
Disbelief and anger warred within me as my mind refused to reconcile what I was seeing.
I thought Jerry Baxter had broken my heart but the pain I’d felt then had nothing on what I was feeling now.
Mr Prescott’s hands were braced around her waist while Daphne stood on her tiptoes, her lips pressed to his.
Mr Prescott pulled away ending the kiss, his gray gaze finding mine almost immediately.
So I did the most rational thing possible, I turned on my heels and I ran.
I ran like if I ran fast enough, I could erase what I had just seen. Tears clouded my vision and as I rounded a corner of the hallway, I bumped right into someone.
“Are you alright?” A soft feminine voice asked.
No, I wasn’t and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be again.
“I’m sorry, I-” My apology cut off abruptly as I looked up taking in the person I had just bumped into with wide eyes.
Surely it couldn’t be.
“You… You are Penelope.” I said uncertainly.
She looked just like her photograph with her angelic features and her hair dyed a stunning lavender.
She was also staring at me in what seemed to be… recognition?
“And you are her. His wife.” She said softly.
What the heck? Penelope knew me?
How was that even possible?
“How do you know me?” I demanded. I had so many questions to ask her but somehow that felt more important.
How coincidental was it that I opened that damn letter from Jerry and she showed up the very next day?
“We should talk,” Penelope said, her gray eyes steady on mine. “I’ll be at The Bar tomorrow at noon.”
Why did the timing of all this feel scripted? Planned even.
Daphne and Jerry piquing my interest in the mysterious Penelope then Penelope just happened to bump into me.
“Not at the bar, let’s talk now,” I countered. “What happened b-”
The words were barely out of my mouth when Mr Prescott’s ice cold voice cut in.
“What do you think you are doing?”
I turned and there Mr Prescott was walking towards us.
His expression was calm and stoic but his eyes… his eyes showed his barely restrained fury and surprisingly pain.
“Storm.” Penelope sighed so softly that I doubted Mr Prescott heard her.
I couldn’t help glancing at her. Her eyes were filled with hopeless longing and fixed on Mr Prescott.
“It’s Reid Prescott to you.” Mr Prescott said brusquely then without sparing Penelope another glance, he grabbed my arm pulling me away.
I tried to tug my arm out of his grip but Mr Prescott’s hold on me was secure.
“Wait, we aren’t done talking.” I protested.
“I think you are.” Mr Prescott responded straight up ignoring my protests as he pulled me away from Penelope like I was an errant child.
“Mr- Reid, let me go.” I began to struggle in earnest but what did Mr Prescott do?
He tossed me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes or something, then he carried me all the way to our room without a single care for all the curious looks we were drawing as well as my furious curses.
He dropped me once the door of our room was closed behind him and I rounded on him immediately, my body literally vibrating with anger.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” I hissed.
Mr Prescott folded his arms stoically as though I was the one being unreasonable.
“I should be the one asking you that,” He said coldly. “Do you talk to every stranger you meet?”
“Do you stick your tongue down the throat of every woman that throws themselves at you?” I clapped back.
Did he think I had already forgotten about seeing him with Daphne or was he hoping I had not seen them kiss?
Mr Prescott’s jaw clenched slightly.
“Daphne was drunk. She wasn’t herself.”
I think deep down I had suspected something like that had happened but Mr Prescott’s explanation did nothing to cool the anger I felt from the image of Mr Prescott and Daphne kissing that remained emblazoned in my head.
“Oh, I think she was perfectly herself,” I said taking a step closer to Mr Prescott. “Daphne wants you, Reid, don’t act like you can’t see it.”
Mr Prescott didn’t even try to deny it. He just shrugged. He freaking shrugged.
“A lot of women want me, Miss Evergreen, it’s doesn’t mean anything will happen. Not that it is your concern since you’ve made it very clear that we don’t work like that.”
Mr Prescott was infuriatingly right. For someone who wanted only a business relationship with him, I was being too emotional.
I hated Mr Prescott at that moment.
I wanted to hit him and I wanted to kiss him but since I could do neither, I settled for the next best thing.
“Who is Penelope?” I asked.
Mr Prescott inclined his head slightly to the side and there was a dark unreadable glint in his eyes when he responded.
“But you know that already, Miss Evergreen. My brother keeps you well informed, doesn’t he?”
My jaw dropped in shock for the second time that day.
“You knew about Jerry’s letter?”