Chapter 3 Difficulties of Raising a Daughter
How could this be happening?
Penelope's face was a mask of shock and fear.
"Go back and inform the Vileharts. The wedding will be held in half a month!"
Ajax's decisive words cut through the tension, and he instructed the driver to take her back to the Vilehart residence.
Penelope remained in a daze, her mind clouded with confusion.
Who exactly was Ajax? Even someone like her, who didn't keep up with the news, knew that he was the CEO of a major domestic corporation—a true elite.
He was said to be at the forefront of his time, recently ranking among the top tiers of the Forbes list. His subsidiaries were too numerous to count, and countless people sought to connect with him, but none succeeded.
Someone as high and mighty as Ajax was a figure Penelope had vowed never to associate with. And if it weren't for Valeria, she would have had no reason to be tied to him.
Speaking of Valeria, Penelope couldn't suppress the headache that was building.
Valeria, the quintessential heiress from a prestigious family, had been a classmate at Penelope's school. Valeria had confided her troubles in Penelope but had never mentioned who she was marrying.
That silence had led to this unexpected disaster.
Penelope had never wanted to marry. She hadn't even finished her university degree, hadn't entered the workforce, and there were so many things she still wanted to experience.
How could she possibly think about marriage?
More importantly, in such a chaotic situation, marriage seemed utterly irresponsible.
But Ajax, with his imposing presence, sheer power, and ruthlessness, demanded she become his bride. Just moments ago, he had coldly instructed her to notify her family.
Her head throbbed painfully.
…
"Mrs. Grimwald, we've arrived," the driver announced.
Even the driver had changed his tone, addressing her by a new title.
Penelope let out a bitter laugh.
In just two hours, she had been promoted to Ajax's wife, with no room to argue.
She stepped out of the car and stood at the entrance of the Vilehart residence, gazing up at the endless blue sky.
A sense of desolation washed over her.
Then, a sharp, accusatory voice broke her train of thought. "Penelope! Where have you been? I told you to return this afternoon to weed the garden, and you went off to slack off!"
Looking toward the source of the voice, Penelope saw the Vilehart matriarch, Berta Johnson, glaring at her with disdain, her arms crossed over her chest.
Berta glanced at the luxury car that had just turned away, her curiosity piqued.
What was Penelope doing getting out of that car?
But Berta didn't care to investigate. Instead, she seized the opportunity to scold Penelope for her mistake, eager to punish her.
"Ma'am," Penelope called out.
The Vileharts were relatively well-off, with several maids in their large home.
However, Penelope had no standing within this family. Even though she shared the Vilehart bloodline, her mother had been the paramour, which had lowered her status.
Penelope had never known who her mother was. From a young age, her father had taught her to address Berta as "Ma'am".
Berta had another daughter, studying for a graduate degree overseas, whom she doted on like a treasure. But Penelope had always been the target of Berta's disdain.
Berta often played the role of a virtuous matron, but whenever her husband, Angelo Vilehart, was away on business, she would take every chance to make Penelope do the heavy chores, scolding her at every opportunity.
These days, with Angelo on a business trip and Penelope having a few days off from school for the anniversary celebration, the whole house was left with just her and Berta.
Berta seemed to relish making Penelope do all the manual labor.
Living under the same roof, Penelope had no choice but to lower her head, tolerating Berta's behavior and avoiding conflict as much as possible.
But now, Ajax wanted her to return and announce the wedding to the family.
Penelope felt dazed and spoke slowly. "Ma'am, Ajax wants to marry me."
"Ajax?" Berta, hands on her hips, eyed her in disbelief.
"He's the one my father has always wanted to cooperate with—Ajax Grimwald." Penelope was exhausted, and her voice lacked energy.
Ajax was the most famous bachelor in the city, a high-society figure, and the CEO of Grim Inc. How many women would dream of marrying him?
Berta scoffed, clearly unconvinced. "Are you daydreaming?"
"I wish it were a daydream," Penelope muttered, her lips curling into a tired grimace.
She had delivered the news, and now, she just wanted to head back inside.
But as she turned to walk away, Berta's eyes fell on the expensive car that had just driven off, and her heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that Penelope really was about to soar to the heights of society? What was going on? She had to find out.
Grabbing Penelope by the arm, Berta demanded, "Penelope, you'd better explain this to me right now!"