Chapter 122
“What are you implying?” Penelope asked, feigning ignorance.
“Once the KINY Group deal is sealed and the contract is signed, you should resign and come back to Stone Group p>
“Resign and come back to Stone Group?” Penelope scoffed internally. He dangled the KINY project and the future of the company in front of her, a clear bribe to hand the deal over to Stone Group for her own “benefit.” But they weren’t family, and he had no intention of giving her a thing. His plan was devious: he’d wait for her to resign from KINY, then reveal the truth and leave her with nothing.
It wasn’t just deception; it was pure malice.
“There’s been a change with the KINY project,” she said smoothly. “It requires a complete redesign. LUNA Group has already submitted a new proposal, and frankly, it’s quite impressive p>
“You can’t give it to them!” Mr. Sullivan’s voice was hard. “Don’t forget you’re a Sullivan now. If you hand that project to our biggest competitor, you’d be an absolute fool p>
I’m not a fool, she thought. That’s why I haven’t fallen for your lies.
Penelope met his gaze with a faint smile. “Of course, I’ll give Stone Group a chance. You should send someone to KINY as soon as possible to get the new brief and start on a redesign p>
“Who at Stone Group knows the project better than you?” he pressed.
“But I don’t work for Stone Group p>
“Of course you do. You’re Zebulon’s wife, which makes you one of us p>
Penelope almost applauded. For a man his age, he could spin lies without so much as a blush. It was almost impressive.
“Rebecca is pregnant and shouldn’t be overworking herself,” he continued, changing tactics. “You should revise the design. You know what they want, so it’s guaranteed to be approved on the first go p>
“What a brilliant scheme,” Penelope said, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Let’s say I do it. The proposal gets approved, the contract is signed. Who gets the credit p>
“Rebecca is the project lead, so officially, it will be hers. But we’ll all know it was you p>
“So I do the work, and someone else takes the credit?” Penelope shook her head, a humorless laugh escaping her lips. The audacity of this man.
“The entire company will be yours one day! Why are you quibbling over such a small thing?” Mr. Sullivan snapped, his temper flaring.
Penelope’s gaze swept past him to the others at the table. Mrs. Sullivan wore an expression of sheer entitlement. Her dear friend Rebecca stared at her plate, the very picture of innocence. And Zebulon, the man who constantly professed his love for her, was now urging her to walk straight into their trap.
“Dad is just looking out for us, Penelope,” Zebulon said. “You have to understand his intentions p>
Penelope felt like she was watching a circus act, with each monkey taking a turn to perform. It was almost amusing.
“I am the project manager at KINY p>
she stated, her voice firm as she stood and dropped her napkin on the table. It would be a gross violation of professional conduct for me to design a proposal for Stone Group. It would destroy my career. You should be grateful I’m even giving you a second chance p>
With that, she turned and walked out.
Zebulon chased after her. “Penelope, why are you being so unreasonable p>
“Zebulon, your definition of ‘reasonable’ is something I’ll never understand p>
“If Stone Group doesn’t land this project, do you really think my parents will let us
go through with the wedding p>
“So this whole wedding was just a ploy to get your hands on the project p>
Zebulon faltered. “Can’t it be a win-win for everyone p>
A bitter smile touched her lips. “This isn’t a win-win. This is bleeding someone dry
and then picking the bones clean p>
“What’s that supposed to mean p>
“It means I’m tired, and I’m going home to sleep.” She gave him a
dismissive wave and walked away She had another show to look
forward to tonight age
rest up. Mrs. Winter’s had been
texting her nonstop, saying she was on her way.