---- Chapter 577 Julian knew her too well. When it came to herself, she was never careful. At times, she even leaned toward self-destruction. But the child in her womb was different. That child was the family she had longed for. Sydney did listen. "All right. | promise." "Look at this number." Julian handed her his phone. A string of digits filled the screen Sydney glanced at it and frowned. "Whose number is this?" She recognized only Julian's and Tiffany's numbers. "Penelope." Julian spoke the name without hesitation.
"The day after Thomas was released from prison, he received a call from her. They talked for almost 30 minutes." Sydney froze. She had never suspected Penelope, not even once. Penelope held no grudge against Eliana. During this period, Sydney had even deliberately kept her distance from her. So why? Before her emotions could swell, Julian continued in a calm voice, "I already called Raymond. He's on his way back to ---- Seraph Villa." Penelope was staying with the Hutton family.
If she truly stood behind this, then by the Hutton family's standards, they would force her to hand over the antidote. At the mention of the Hutton family, Sydney finally steadied herself. "Yes. It's better for the Hutton family to handle this." Anger churned violently in her chest, yet she still held on to a sliver of reason. Penelope hated her to the bone. If Eliana had been harmed, the cause ultimately traced back to Sydney herself. If she confronted Penelope now, she would only provoke her further. People like Penelope worshipped power and trampled the weak.
The Huttons stepping in made far more sense than Sydney doing it herself. Seeing how composed she remained, more than he had expected, Julian quietly relaxed. "I'm almost done here. Shall we go to the hospital and check on Eliana?" "Okay." On the Hutton family's side, Raymond had just gotten off a night shift when Julian called. He had spent the entire night in the ---- emergency department, and his mind felt foggy. The moment he heard Julian's words, the fog vanished. He had already arranged for someone to keep watch on Penelope. Her movements remained completely under his control.
While driving home, he called her. When Penelope saw the incoming call, genuine surprise flickered across her face. She glanced at Megan, who sat in the driver's seat with a cold expression, then answered brightly. " Hello, Ray." Her instincts had been right. The Huttons had accepted her. Otherwise, why would Raymond, who was famous for his aloofness, call her himself? When she had first met Caleb, she had already heard of Raymond's reputation. He was a reckless, lawless playboy who cared about no one. And now, he was her "biological" brother.
Hearing the way she addressed him, Raymond frowned. His expression turned icy, but his tone stayed deceptively casual. " You're at Seraph Villa, right? | need to see you about something." "'m not." Unease crept into Penelope's chest. She quickly added, "What is it? If it needs to be discussed in person, | can head home right away." She already referred to the Hutton residence as her "home." The ---- shamelessness drew a flicker of mockery to Raymond's eyes. "Fine. Then come back. Quickly. Don't make me wait." Whatever rotten thing she had done, she had already cost him a night's sleep.
Penelope assumed his urgency came from news of her engagement. She thought he wanted to congratulate her in person. "Okay! I'll be right there." After she hung up, excitement lingered across her face. Megan glanced at her, disbelief plain in her eyes. "Raymond called you?" For so many years, Raymond had never contacted her even once. Penelope had joined the Huttons only recently. A fake that no one liked, yet the family already treated her with such warmth. If Sydney ever returned, Megan did not dare finish the thought. "Yeah." Penelope caught her displeasure and twisted the knife on purpose.
"Ray told me to go home. It sounded like he prepared something for me. Maybe a gift." Megan gnashed her teeth and jerked the steering wheel toward Seraph Villa. She wanted to see for herself how far the Huttons would favor "Vivian" over her. ---- Near noon, Florence slept upstairs. The first floor lay so quiet that even a pin drop would have sounded loud. The moment Penelope stepped out of the car, she entered the house with light, eager steps. "Ray, | didn't make you wait too long, did 1?" Raymond sat on the sofa, head lowered as he idly played with his phone.
At her voice, he lifted his eyes. The sharpness in them was unmistakable. "Not long. Come here. Take a look at this." As he spoke, Raymond gestured toward a brown document envelope on the table.