Is this destiny?

Penny looked at her mother who is shamelessly asking for help. She felt like slapping the woman. After everything they did to her, she wants help?

Penny took a moment to adjust her mood before responding: "This is how much I will do for you, Mrs. Morgan."

Mrs. Morgan narrowed her eyes when she realized how her daughter addressed her. Why didn't she call her 'mother'?

She scowled. "You came here to gloat at our poor state!"

Penny shook her head. "No. Part of me hoped that you will care, and I came to let you know that I am alive, and I am doing well." Penny glanced at Ben's hand in hers. "I am in love and I have friends and I am happy and…" Penny placed her other hand over her belly. "You will be grandparents. No…" Penny paused and corrected herself: "You WOULD be grandparents if you didn't treat me like a token to be exchanged for benefits."

Penny made a step to leave again, when Mr. Morgan's voice stopped her: "You are our daughter! You will leave us, just like that?!"

Penny sneered. "You delivered me into the hands of Lukas White. Twice! Do you know what kind of an animal he is?!! Of course, you do... When you did that, you lost your daughter. Your daughter died in that restaurant. Your daughter died a little in the basement every time you locked her in with one lousy meal a day to be punished for disobedience! Your daughter died when you told her that she is out of chances because she refused to be a plaything to a stranger in order for you to gain benefits!"

Penny took a deep breath and regained her calm composure (on the surface, at least). She continued: "My whole life I am being fed stories about a grand and luxurious life which comes if I marry the right man, well…", Penny glanced at Ben and smiled, "…you should be happy because I am on a good way to marry the best man who loves and respects me and I am surrounded with amazing people. The only thing that is outside of your calculations is that all the people who are by my side are there because of me, and not because of you. They accept me as a person, and we enjoy each other's company because it's fun and we are kind to one another and not because any of us can gain something."

Mrs. Morgan was half-listening to her daughter while eyeing Ben and wondering, 'Who is that man?' She didn't miss that Penny glanced at him when she spoke about love and getting married. And did her daughter imply that she is pregnant?! But that is not important right now… Her daughter is holding hands with that man. Is he her son-in-law? He is older than her daughter and his suit is expensive, that much she can see. When did he meet with her daughter? Who is he? He must be rich and powerful, why else would her daughter show up with all this confidence? Right! That man is providing her with a backing, he got her those clothes, and bodyguards, and… who knows what else?

"You are fooling yourself…", Mr. Morgan squeezed through his teeth.

Penny raised her hand to stop him from talking. "I feel sorry for you. You are entitled to your opinion and I have no intention of trying to change it."

Penny glanced around again. "In next few days someone will come to check the house and the garden, to fix them up. They will decide what needs to be done. If you disrespect them in any way, they will leave. If your previous staff does not want to come and work here, I will not force them. If they want to, I will pay their salary for the next year. That is how much I will do in memory of your daughter, who is dead. Don't look for me, or you will regret it."

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were overwhelmed by all the information they received in last few minutes. They could not believe that the intense woman who is leaving with a man and two bodyguards is their timid daughter who would listen to whatever they say. But she mentioned Lukas White and the basement, so it must be her, who else would know all that?

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan rushed after them. They were late to stop them, but they saw a black Lexus driving away, and through the open window they saw Penny leaning in Ben's embrace.

"That man loves her.", Mr. Morgan mumbled.

"Of course, he does. That is what we taught her.", Mrs. Morgan responded. "Can you call some of your contacts to find out who he is?"

Mr. Morgan looked at his wife. "She said not to look for her."

"And you plan to leave it like that? She has a man to support her, a gold mine! And we need that now more than ever! How can…"

"Calm down.", Mr. Morgan told his wife. "We should not provoke her. Be patient, at least until this house and garden are fixed."

Mrs. Morgan nodded in understanding. "You are a wise man." She remembered: "Our staff will return as well, and Harriet will pay for them. I agree that we should take obediently what she is giving us before we ask for more…"

Mr. Morgan listened to his wife and pressed his lips into a thin line. It's not that he does not understand his wife's point, but he needs to find out who that man is. He does not want to risk provoking someone he shouldn't have.

In the car, Penny leaned into Ben's embrace.

"Are you OK?", Ben asked while stroking her hair gently as the car drove away.

"I will be."

"Do you think that they will leave you alone, now that they saw you?"

Penny sighed. "I hoped that maybe, just maybe, they learned something from losing everything. But when I saw them, I realized that they didn't change. They ignore things they don't like and shamelessly demand whatever they believe belongs to them. They will not leave us alone, but right now they can't do much. We will ask Jeff for help to hire personal security, and to advise us how to contain those two."

Penny looked at Ben and smiled. "I don't want to talk about them anymore. We have two more hotels to sort out and then we can go back to Los Angeles. Did you think about the penthouse that Emma offered for us to use? It's closer to my work, and to yours as well, and I like the garden it will be good when junior comes… Later, when the things settle down, we can look for a house..."

Ben listened to Penny and even though she asked him about that penthouse, he can see that she is excited about it. Ben is earning well, however, he can't afford such a penthouse and he is not comfortable just accepting it as a gift, but Penny seems OK with it. 

Ben remembered that he can sell his current apartment. That will give him a good money-injection. Even if they get that penthouse from Emma as a gift, having more money on his account will be beneficial. It will make him feel more as the man in the house. Ah, he will need to get used to having a young, hot, adorable, smart, and rich wife. Ben thought how he must be the luckiest man alive to have a woman like Penny by his side.

Oh, he needs to propose! And when all this commotion settles they will get married…

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