Chapter 24 Where Is Your Finger?

Pennie didn't say anything right away. She took her time, letting her gaze linger on Penelope's face. Slowly, Pennie's sweet expression twisted into one of pure fierceness.

Sometimes, hate just pops up out of nowhere, much like love.

Pennie had a deep-seated hatred for Penelope.

Strangely enough, Penelope never did her any harm. In fact, she had even helped Pennie in the past. Yet, Pennie's hatred for her persisted.

As a teenager, she despised Penelope for her beauty. Now, her hatred stemmed from Penelope being the real Penny in Kemp's memories.

"Lola mentioned..."

Pennie spoke slowly, her once sweet voice now sending shivers down the spine. "Feed the dog with her finger!"

Pennie's confidant couldn't help but tremble, responding cautiously, "Yes, Miss."

"As for this woman..."

Pennie looked at Penelope with a mix of disgust and envy. "Just send her back!"

Following her orders, Penelope was thrown back into the apartment at Horse House.

However, this time, she was lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor, whereas she was unscathed before.

Pennie's confidant didn't want to make a scene. They quickly tended to her wound, staunching the bleeding and applying a bandage.

But as they did so, Penelope felt nothing.

The pain in her stomach coupled with the wound made it unbearable. Consequently, she succumbed to the pain and fainted as they led her out of the dungeon.

When she regained consciousness, it was the next morning. If it hadn't been for the acute pain from her finger, she might have thought it was all just a bad dream the night before.

She couldn't fathom that the man who promised to protect her would order someone to cut off her finger.

Her phone was still with her. Clutching it tightly, she considered calling the police.

However, the Hunter family wielded considerable power in Sea City, with Lola backed by the Hilliard family. Even if she did call the police, it wouldn't change a thing.

What's more, despite Kemp inflicting grave injuries on her, she couldn't forget the times they had relied on each other.

Pushing herself up from the floor, she realized she hadn't eaten much since yesterday afternoon. This could be fatal for her in her current state.

Life was becoming exhausting. Yet, she still wanted to survive a few more days.

The longer she lived, the more money she could potentially gather for Ethan.

After preparing herself some porridge, the doorbell rang.

Anxious that it might be one of Kemp's men, Penelope was surprised to find her best friend, Corona, at the door.

Although Corona tried to hide it, her delicate face was marred with bruises, indicating she had been hit again.

Not wanting Penelope to worry, Corona averted her gaze, trying to conceal the bruises.

"Penelope, here's $25,000. I know it's not enough for Ethan's treatment. Take it. I'll try to gather more."

Shoving a stack of bills into Penelope's hand, she noticed that the bracelet on Corona's wrist was missing.

"Corona, where's your bracelet?"

Penelope grabbed her left hand. "Did you sell it?"

Corona wasn't skilled at lying. Caught off guard, she fumbled, "I don't need jewelry. I never liked it."

"Rubbish!" Penelope retorted, aware of how much Corona cherished the jade bracelet.

It was a gift from Devon Burke for Corona's 18th birthday. She had never taken it off, considering it her most prized possession. How could she sell it?

"Penelope, don't get so worked up." Concerned that Penelope might worsen, Corona was anxious as Penelope grew emotional. "Penelope, it doesn't matter to me anymore."

"I did love Devon. But he gave me up to another guy. If I keep caring about him, it's just too cheap. Penelope, I want to move on."

"Corona..."

Memories flooded back and Penelope's heart ached. She wanted to comfort Corona, but words felt inadequate. Eventually, she embraced her friend.

Corona was the finest person in the world to Penelope. She deserved the best love too. At the age of 8, she had saved a boy from the rubble after an earthquake. It was Devon who had given her his jade pendant and promised to marry her when they grew up.

But fate had other plans; she lost the pendant and his promise.

Coincidentally, she was adopted by the Burke family as an orphan. However, he already had someone — Linda Sullivan.

A month ago, during his engagement party with Linda, Corona was framed, leading to a regrettable incident with him. Linda had a breakdown, jumped into the sea, and broke her legs.

Devon blamed Corona for Linda's injury, so he orchestrated Corona's marriage to a cruel man named Joseph Brook, subjecting her to a life of misery.

"Penelope, don't be sad. Honestly, I feel better. Joseph may be grumpy, but he's not that terrible. Penelope, we'll be alright. You need to stay strong."

Penelope remained silent, knowing that her situation wasn't going to improve. But she didn't want Corona to be distressed, so she stayed quiet.

She avoided delving into the heavy topic, releasing Corona from her embrace and attempting to crack a joke.

Before she could speak, Corona anxiously grasped her hand. "Penelope, what happened to your hand?"

Pennie's aide had tended to the wound casually. When Corona took her hand, she felt the absence of a finger.

"Penelope, where's your finger?" Corona cried immediately. "What happened? Was it Lola? I'll kill her!"

Wiping her tears, Corona rushed into the kitchen to grab a knife and then bolted outside.

Despite her gentle nature, Corona cared deeply for Penelope. Her emotions flared easily when it came to her.

Observing Corona's intense reaction, Penelope hurriedly pulled her back.

"Corona, it's alright. It's just a minor injury." Worried that Corona might do something rash, Penelope remained silent and divulged the truth. "It was Kemp, but I don't hold it against him. I don't have much time and don't want to waste it on trivial matters."

"Who says you don't have time?" Corona wept even harder. "Penelope, if you keep talking like that, I won't speak to you. Let's go to the hospital now."

Before Corona could escort her, the phone on the table suddenly rang.