Penelope spent a night thinking about her situation. Her head was throbbing, but she couldn’t find a perfect solution. She was afraid to turn on her phone, fearing missed calls from Warren and his questions. So, she created a kind of protective barrier.
Monica entered the bedroom and saw wine bottles, which brought back memories.
“I’ve made lunch. You can heat it in the microwave. I’m off to school. Try to get up soon,” Monica told the person in bed.
“Okay,” came Penelope’s quiet response from under the quilt.
Once Monica left, Penelope sat up in bed. She couldn’t wait any longer; she needed to take action.
“My phone…” She uncovered herself and searched for her phone. Unfortunately, she stepped on the floor and accidentally stepped on a wine bottle.
“Ouch…” She fell to the ground.
“Ahhh…” She reached for her waist, feeling a burning pain.
She couldn’t focus on the pain now. She picked up the phone, which was among the scattered bottles, and turned it on.
Many text messages appeared and missed calls, all from Warren. When she looked at the last one, the caller’s number seemed unfamiliar.
She dialed the number. “Hello? Who’s this? You called me yesterday?”
Daisy, dressed in a wedding gown, stood in front of a full-length mirror. She replied, “It’s me. Ross said you wanted to talk me out of getting married. Is that true?”
“No,” Penelope replied, her voice tense.
Daisy smiled and said, “I thought he was up to some new trick. If that’s not it, great. I’ll hang up.”
“Wait,” Penelope said.
“What else?” Daisy asked.
“Let’s have a conversation,” Penelope said, biting her lip.
Daisy raised an eyebrow, and the elegant bride in the mirror did the same. “Just us two?”
“Yes,” Penelope replied.
Daisy said, “Okay. Send me the address. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Make it half an hour. I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet,” Penelope replied.
Daisy snorted and ended the call.
“Miss Seinfeld, do you like this wedding dress?” The salesperson smiled and approached her with her favorite champagne.
Daisy pouted, “It’s okay, but I’m not crazy about it.”
“If you have any specific requests, please let me know. Our designer can make modifications to suit your preferences,” the salesperson continued to smile politely, clearly accustomed to demanding customers.
“Tell your designer to bring me another one,” Daisy said as she walked toward the fitting room.
The salesperson glanced at the manager, who nodded in resignation, indicating that they should comply with Daisy’s wishes.
****
Because she stayed up late last night and had too much wine, Penelope’s eyes were swollen. She pressed them with a spoon, and they improved a bit. Then she got dressed and applied light makeup, making herself look better.
Opening her closet, she glanced at all the inexpensive dresses she used to wear. After spending six months with Warren, her taste had changed because of him, and she felt like she couldn’t wear those dresses anymore.
With a sigh, she took out a blue sundress that had cost her more than a hundred dollars, which was just about acceptable.
Penelope picked up her bag from the sofa and walked toward the door. As she opened it, the person standing in front of her startled her so much that she stepped back immediately.
“Wa… Warren…”
Seeing her well-dressed, Warren glanced inside and said, “Looks like I arrived just in time.”
If he had come a bit later, she might have already left.
“Why did you come here?” Penelope tried to force a natural smile.
He took a step forward, and Penelope stepped back.
“You weren’t answering your phone, and you disappeared. What else could I do but come here?” he said with a forced smile.
Penelope trembled, feeling that the smile at the corner of his mouth wasn’t sincere toward her.
“My certificates had some issues, so I came back to handle it… Weren’t you working in Europe? Did you finish so quickly?”
“It’s all wrapped up, so I decided to drop by here.”
Penelope stepped back again. “Drop by? Excuse me? It’s across the entire Atlantic…”
“Where are you going?” Warren took another step forward, pushing her against the refrigerator. Penelope was cornered, with nowhere to run.
“I’m going to visit a friend; maybe she can help,” Penelope’s lips trembled, and her face turned pale.
He reached out to touch her face. “Why do you look so pale? Is it that hard for you to deal with?”
Penelope didn’t know if he knew the truth. His gentle questioning tone was unlike his usual style.
“What are you doing…” Her knees felt weak, and she wanted to escape.
Warren extended his leg to support hers and tilted her chin up. “Why do you think I came all this way? Do you believe I just wanted to see you?”
“You just said you dropped by…” Penelope replied, avoiding eye contact with him.
“I did say you could come back for your certificates in person, but why didn’t you answer the phone? Why didn’t you tell me?” Warren’s persistent questions made Penelope’s head spin, and she felt nauseated.
“I… I was involved in tax evasion before. I’ve been caught now, and I have to fix it. I was afraid you’d be mad at me, so I…” She leaned against the refrigerator, her back covered in sweat.
Warren frowned. “Tax evasion?”
“Yeah, my income was limited. I just wanted to save a little money, so…” She couldn’t find the courage to continue her lies.
The tax system in New York is strict. If someone is caught evading taxes, they must either pay up or face imprisonment.
“I’ve been in business for years without tax evasion, and you had the courage to do it,” he chuckled, reaching around her waist to pull her away from the corner.
Penelope breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s so embarrassing, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you…”
“You planned to handle it on your own?” He asked as he sat on the sofa, pulling her into his arms, and they faced each other.
Penelope was worried that they were too close, fearing he might sense her racing heart. So, she lowered her head and said, “Yes, I’m an adult, and I can handle it myself.”
Warren nodded and playfully tapped her nose. “I can give you the money to take care of it.”
“You want to give me the money to solve it?” Penelope looked up in surprise.
“You’ll be marrying me soon, and you’ll be my wife. How can I let you go through this alone?” He said, wearing a big smile on his lips.