Dogged Determination
Vinson merely replied to Arielle, “I wanted to be closer to you.”
He then carried her to the vanity. Carefully, he removed the towel wrapped around Arielle’s head and
switched on the hairdryer, gently drying her hair.
Arielle’s lips curled into a smile. He’s tossing out sweet nothings like they’re free.
His romantic behavior delighted Arielle to no end. It seemed to be proportional to how insufferable he
used to be in the early days of their acquaintance.
After drying her hair, Vinson and Arielle left the guest room with their hands intertwined.
Penelope had been waiting for Vinson in the dining room. When she heard the sound of footsteps, she
immediately turned around. She was dumbfounded by the sight of Vinson and Arielle’s intertwined
hands.
How did they become so close? Didn’t they go upstairs one after another instead of together? Vinson
seemed so dismissive of Arielle earlier! Did she swallow her pride and beg Vinson to take her back?
Penelope’s gaze automatically landed on Arielle’s flushed face. Its rosiness implied that she had been
intimate with Vinson, and the thought almost caused Penelope to go berserk with jealousy.
Four hours have passed since Vinson and Arielle set foot in the house. Look at the glow on Arielle’s
face and that radiant smile! Anyone could guess what they did in those four hours!
Penelope appraised the couple standing before her, doubting herself for the first time in her life. Do I
still have what it takes to capture Mr. Nightshire’s heart?
Initially, she believed that Vinson would continue to ignore Arielle like before. To her dismay, Arielle
returned after a brief disappearance and seemed to have reconciled with Vinson. What should I do
now? Do I still have a shot at becoming Vinson’s woman?
At the sight of Penelope, the warmth in Vinson’s eyes quickly morphed into coldness. Surprised that
Penelope was still around, he demanded, “Why are you still here?”
Vinson’s hostility caused indignance to swell in Penelope’s chest. Why did you bring me to your home if
you were going to kick me aside afterward?
Faced with his cold glare, Penelope clammed up instead of blurting out the question on her mind. She
was worried about losing her chance of staying in his house altogether if she challenged his decision.
But if I’m no longer living here, how would I have the opportunity to win Vinson’s heart and become his
woman?
Penelope hurriedly organized her feelings before shooting Vinson a tender gaze, ignoring Arielle. “I
was waiting to have dinner with you, Mr. Nightshire.”
She had been waiting in the dining room since dinner was ready so that she could eat with Vinson.
During that time, Penelope had grown antsy due to Vinson’s prolonged absence. Hence, she instructed
a housekeeper to go upstairs and summon Vinson, yet the housekeeper refused, fearing Vinson’s
wrath.
Penelope was equally frightened of angering Vinson and dared not head upstairs to find him herself. As
a result, she could only wait for him helplessly downstairs.
Meanwhile, jealousy reared its ugly head in Arielle’s heart when she witnessed Penelope smiling at
Vinson.
She knew full well that Vinson had no feelings for Penelope, yet she could not suppress the
displeasure that swelled in her chest.
Arielle glared at Penelope before addressing Vinson somewhat coquettishly, “I’m hungry, Vinson. I want
to have dinner.”
Vinson immediately ordered the housekeeper to set the table for dinner and held Arielle’s hand while
leading her to the dining table. After they took their seats, Penelope, who had not taken her dinner, sat
down to join them.
Frankly, Arielle had lost her appetite after seeing Penelope. She knew that Vinson had only brought
Penelope into the picture to put up an act, but that did not mean she was not annoyed by Penelope’s
presence. Thus, she was not above flirting with Vinson to vent her frustration.
Flirting in front of others isn’t usually my style, but I’m a woman too. Why can’t I be flirty and pretentious
once in a while?
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