Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown

This was the first time.

Bella's legs went weak with fear, but she refused to back down. "Am I wrong? Serena caused her father's death, and you've been helping her keep it a secret. If I hadn't overheard by accident, I'd still be in the dark."

"You-!" Penelope, trembling with rage, raised her hand as if to slap Bella.

Tyler rushed over and caught Penelope's arm, then shot Bella a hard look. "Why are you still standing there? Are you trying to give your mother a heart attack? Will that finally make you happy?"

Bella glanced at Penelope, whose chest heaved with anger-she was truly furious. Worried Penelope might actually hit her, Bella pulled a face, then stormed upstairs.

She slammed her bedroom door shut with a bang.

The noise only stoked Penelope's fury. "I swear, she's getting more and more out of control. She needs to be taught a lesson today."

"Enough, Penelope," Tyler soothed, his voice gentle. "She's your only daughter. If you really hit her and something happens, you'd never forgive yourself. What matters now is the trial-we lost. How are we going to explain that to them?"

Penelope's body trembled, and gradually, she fell silent.

It had all started a month earlier, when she'd unexpectedly received an antique- an old tri-glazed pottery vase. At first, she thought it was a gift from a friend or relative. But when she lifted the lid and found a small, deep green digital recorder inside, her heart began to race.

She pressed play. Her own voice filled the room:

"Xander Sullivan got ridiculously lucky. He saved old Mr. Grayson on the street, and when the patriarch found out he had a daughter, he wanted to arrange an engagement between her and William..."

Penelope's hands shook, and the recorder tumbled to the floor. The memories she'd worked so hard to bury surged back all at once.

Back then, Xander-Serena's father-had taken her advice and left his job at the rehab center to try his luck in business along the coast. His ventures had flourished, and he'd even gotten connected with the Grayson family.

She'd learned later that one day, Mr. Grayson had suffered a heart attack out on the street. A crowd had

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gathered, but no one dared to help-except Xander. Without hesitation, he'd carried Mr. Grayson to a nearby pharmacy, buying him precious time and saving his life. noveldrama

In gratitude, Mr. Grayson had showered Xander with business opportunities, and soon he'd established himself in Northspire. By the time Penelope found out,

Mr.

Grayson was already planning to

arrange an engagement between William and Serena.

Xander, though, refused. He believed Serena should have the right to choose her own future.

But Penelope wasn't about to let such a golden opportunity slip away. Still, she didn't want Serena to be the one to reap all the rewards. After discussing it with Tyler, she made a reckless, desperate decision.

They would get rid of Xander.

Penelope's eyes flickered as the memory surfaced. Even after all these years, thinking about what they'd done still made her teeth chatter.

She'd never liked Xander, but murder... that was a line she'd never crossed before.

But for her daughter's future, she'd forced herself to do it.

She knew Xander would come home for Serena's birthday. So, she bribed someone close to him to tamper with his car-just a little.

But it wasn't a mechanical failure that killed Xander. He'd been turning around when a truck barreled straight into him. In a twisted way, Penelope had felt relieved.

Who could have guessed that, all these years later, she'd receive a recording?

That little recorder contained everything—every detail of her and Tyler's plan to kill Xander, captured in crystal-clear audio.