Revenge is not about anger or hatred; it's reclaiming the power they thought they'd taken from me.

PENELOPE

"I want you to be my girlfriend."

I abruptly turned around, thinking I must have misheard or he was joking. But the seriousness on his face told me he wasn’t.

"Why?" I asked.

"Oh, come on, don’t act like a fool, Penelope. You already know the reason," he replied playfully.

I scoffed. Of course I knew the reason, but I wasn’t about to walk into his trap. "Look, Adrian, I don’t know what kind of enmity you have with Sean, but I don’t want to be a part of your sick game." I turned to leave, but he quickly grabbed my hand to stop me. I snapped my head towards him and glared, making it clear he had crossed a line.

He immediately let go, raising his hands in surrender. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch you without your permission," he said.

"I’m not trying to use you. I just want to annoy your brother-in-law a bit, that’s all," he added.

I chuckled. "Just a few minutes ago you said I’m not a fool, so what makes you think that your lame excuse would make me agree to be your girlfriend?"

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I must say, you’ve learned to bark, but I’m not very impressed with it."

Bark? Did he just compare me to a dog? I clenched my fists in anger. "Beware, this dog also knows how to bite."

He chuckled and sighed. "Look, I don’t want to drag this out, but I am serious about the girlfriend thing."

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms over my chest, waiting for his next words. He looked at me keenly. "Don’t you want to get revenge on him?"

Revenge? I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Just imagine his reaction when he sees you with his biggest enemy," he said. I knew he was trying to play with my mind, but I couldn’t help but wonder—would Sean be jealous? Hurt? I scoffed internally. He doesn’t love me, so why would he get hurt? But there was one thing I knew: he would definitely get angry or annoyed seeing me with Adrian.

The thought of making Sean angry or annoyed was tempting. I wanted him to go through the same pain I had, even if it was only half of what I felt. I wanted to see any kind of reaction on his face, whether it was jealousy or anger.

Since the day I arrived, he hadn’t glanced at me once. He treated me like a stranger, as if we didn’t have any past. But in reality, we had a past that he had forgotten and moved on from, while I was still stuck in it.

"Tempting, isn’t it?" Adrian's voice brought me back to reality. I gulped nervously, knowing he had succeeded in convincing me. I would be a fool to agree, but the desire to make Sean feel the same pain I had gone through was so tempting that all other thoughts faded away.

I might regret this in the future, but right now, it felt like the right thing to do.

"I’ll be your girlfriend, but on my terms," I said.

"Agreed," Adrian replied without hesitation.

"You haven’t even heard my terms," I said.

"It doesn’t matter what your terms are. I’ll agree to them," he shrugged. I rolled my eyes at his impulsiveness. Men always make decisions without thinking about the consequences.

But Sean was never impulsive. He was always calm and patient. I shook my head, not wanting to think about him when I was plotting to take revenge on him.

"First rule: this is a fake relationship, and I’m your fake girlfriend, so don’t expect any real girlfriend behavior from me," I stated firmly. Adrian nodded, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Second rule, and the most important one: I won’t be part of your revenge plan against the Anderson family. I’ll be your fake girlfriend, but I won’t help you in your dirty plan to destroy them. Keep me away from all that," I demanded.

"Okay," he agreed. It wasn’t like he would be able to hurt the Andersons. They were too smart and powerful, and the Moores hadn’t succeeded till now, nor would they in the future. Sean would never let them.

"Lastly, I can walk away from this relationship or end it whenever I want. You can’t stop me, and I won’t be answerable to you for anything. Do you agree?" I asked, a smirk playing on the corner of my lips.

"Deal," he said, grabbing my hand. "Now let’s show the world what a perfect couple we are."

He pulled me towards the house. Before entering, he wrapped his arm around my waist. I felt his cold hand on the exposed part of my waist and had to stop myself from cringing at his touch.

As soon as we entered the hall, all attention diverted to us. Shocked gasps echoed from everywhere, but no one dared to utter a single word. My eyes searched for a pair of familiar grey ones. I found him standing in the middle of the room with my sister. His grey eyes were glaring at me, his jaw clenched in anger. A smile crept onto my face, relishing the reaction I had desired.

I won't lie—his reaction gave me immense satisfaction. His eyes pierced into me, and if looks could kill, I'd be buried by now. My gaze shifted to Sophie, who looked confused but still managed to give me a small smile.

The tension in the room was palpable, but it broke when the host announced the ring ceremony. I sighed in relief.

Quietly, I slipped out of Adrian's grip, not wanting to entertain him any longer. I had achieved what I wanted, and that was enough for now.

I found a secluded corner, away from unwanted attention. From there, I watched my sister slip the ring onto Sean's finger, feeling a pang of hurt. I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears. I sniffed and clenched my fists, determined not to cry.

Sean picked up the ring, and a lump formed in my throat as I saw him about to slip it onto my sister's finger. It was something I had dreamed about—my dream, now shattered.

As he was about to slip the ring onto her finger, it slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Everyone gasped in shock, including me. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

My sister picked up the ring and slipped it onto her finger, chuckling to handle the awkward situation. My eyes met Sean's, finding him already looking at me intensely. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting anyone to see us looking at each other.

After the ring exchange, our parents announced the wedding date, set for two months from now. It would be a grand destination wedding, of course. The media clicked a few photos of the couple, and then everyone was ushered to enjoy the party.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned to find Serena looking at me keenly. "So, you and Adrian?" she asked.

I gulped nervously. I was about to speak, but I knew no matter what lie I crafted, she would see right through it. After all, we had been friends for fifteen years.

"It’s okay, Penelope. You don’t have to say anything," she said with a reassuring smile. I sighed in relief as she handed me a glass of champagne. I took it gratefully; I needed a drink after such a hectic and unexpected day.

“What a sight to see two beautiful women of Los Angeles standing together,” came a hoarse voice. I turned to find a man with dark hair and piercing green eyes. His handsome face was striking.

"Ethan," I mumbled. "I thought you'd forgotten about me," he joked.

“How could I forget such a handsome face?” I replied with a smile. Ethan chuckled and gave me a side hug. He was Sean’s best friend and, in many ways, like a brother to me.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Serena casting glances at Ethan, her cheeks flushed. It seemed her little crush on him hadn’t faded over the years.

“Good to have you back, Penny,” he said, patting my head before walking away. I cleared my throat deliberately to snap Serena out of her daze.

“So, you and Ethan...?” I teased.

“Stop it, Penelope. It’s nothing,” she said, blushing as she walked away. I chuckled at her shyness. I felt a bit lighter now.

After an hour, the party was finally winding down, and I couldn’t have been happier. I needed to drop Adrian off at his car to maintain the façade of our perfect relationship.

“Give me your number. I’ll text you the details of our next steps,” he said, handing me his phone. I quickly typed in my number and handed it back. Then, without warning, he closed the distance between us, invading my personal space.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. Our faces were dangerously close. I placed my hand on his chest, trying to push him away, but he tightened his grip, holding me firmly.

Just then, I heard the loud slam of a car door. I turned to see a familiar black Mercedes driving away. Adrian released me, a smirk playing on his lips. I raised an eyebrow, understanding his game now. He had pulled me close to provoke Sean, to make him jealous. Still, I didn’t appreciate Adrian touching me without my permission.

“See you soon,” Adrian said, slipping into his car and driving away. I sighed and turned back toward the house. The maids were busy tidying up, and I yawned as I headed to my room.

As I stepped inside my darkened room, I noticed a figure standing on the balcony. I kicked off my heels and made my way over. There, Sophie was gazing at the night sky, a glass of wine in hand—one she must have taken from my mini bar. She was still dressed in her striking black gown, and her ring glinted brightly in the moonlight. It was clearly a luxurious piece.

“So, you finally came after dropping your boyfriend?” she remarked without turning around. I hummed in acknowledgment.

“Are you really in love with him?” she asked.

“I don’t know if it’s love, but I do like him. I enjoy his presence,” I replied, not entirely truthfully. Sophie smiled and said, “I’m happy for you.”

Her response took me by surprise. I had expected her to be upset or at least conflicted, given how protective she was of me. I gave her a thin-lipped smile, feeling a pang of guilt for my deceit.

She finished her wine and turned to leave, but then paused, fixing me with an intense gaze. “Oh, I almost forgot why I came out here,” she said. “I need you to accompany Sean tomorrow to finalize our wedding invitations. I have a crucial meeting with an important client.”

I blinked in disbelief. “Why? It’s your wedding,” I protested.

“I know, but tomorrow I have a very important meeting with a key client,” she said.

“So go on another day,” I suggested with a shrug.

“Sean is only free tomorrow. He’s a busy man,” she countered.

“But how can I choose the wedding card for you? It’s your wedding, Sophie,” I exclaimed, feeling the absurdity of the situation.

“It’s just a wedding card, Penny. Who knows my taste better than you? Please, help me this time,” she pleaded, her eyes adopting that familiar, irresistible puppy-dog look.

as always, she won. “Okay, fine,” I mumbled, already regretting my decision.