Chapter 251
As the iron bar came hurtling down, Penelope dodged to the side and grabbed it with her hand. She knew some self-defense, but she was no match for the raw strength of a man who did manual labor for a living. He easily wrenched the bar from her grasp.
She remained calm. As he swung at her again, she deliberately retreated to the edge of a set of stairs, then quickly sidestepped. The man, carried by his own momentum and caught off guard, missed his footing and tumbled forward.
Seizing the opportunity, Penelope kicked him from behind. As he hit the ground hard, she pinned him down by planting her foot on the back of his neck.
But the other men had caught up, each one taller and stronger than the last, and all of them were armed.
Penelope snatched the iron bar from the ground. As they advanced, she raised it high, aiming it at the head of the man beneath her foot. Her eyes were cold and ruthless, the veins on her hand standing out as she gripped the bar, poised to strike a fatal blow.
“If you kill me, none of you will get away with it! You’ll all go to prison! Premeditated murder gets you ten years to life p>
The men slowed their advance but continued to close in.
“We came here ready for anything. If we have to, we’ll trade a life for a life p>
“Then let’s do it!” Penelope tensed, preparing to bring the bar down. “If I’m going down, I’m taking one of you with me p>
“You… you wouldn’t dare p>
Without another word, she swung the iron bar down, straight at the man’s head.
At the last possible second, the man at the front of the group dropped to his knees, his voice breaking as he cried out, “Don’t! Please, don’t! He has a family to support! He can’t die p>
The bar stopped just inches from the man’s skull. If it had connected, the result would have been… gruesome.
The man on the ground was sobbing, and the others were pale with fear. They had never expected this woman to be so ruthless.
Penelope scoffed. “Deep down, you all know the truth. I’m just like you-an employee. Whether the project funds were paid out or whether you got your wages has nothing to do with me p>
“But you’re too scared to go after them, so you came after me instead p>
“A group of grown men chasing down a lone woman. You should be ashamed of yourselves p>
Her words hit their mark. The men hung their heads in shame, their shoulders slumping in defeat.
“Ms. Laurier,” the man on his knees pleaded, “we.. we had no other
choice.” He was still kneeling. “We came to Orenth from the countryside to work. We wake before dawn and work until after dark. We’ve never complained, no matter how dirty or thing the work was. All we wanted was to eam enough money to take home to our families, to give them a better life p>
“But those bastards kept delaying our wages. It’s been two years now. We’ve gone to them countless times. At first, they gave us excuses, and now they just say they don’t have the money. But they live in fancy houses drive expensive cars. and eat at high-end restaurants! How can they not have money to pay us p>
“We’re truly desperate,” he
continued, his voice thick with tears. “His mother is sick and needs
money for surgery. His daughter
can’t afford her university tuition and
of dropping out. His wife
is thinking a
lost a leg in an accident while trying
to sell vegetables to make ends
meet p>
The man broke down crying, and the others’ eyes welled up with tears.
Penelope let out a breath, lifted her foot off the man on the ground, and helped him
up.
“First, let me make one thing clear,” she said firmly. “I have resigned from Stone
Group, so this matter has absolutely nothing to in with me p>
At her words, the men’s faces fell, their hopes seemingly crushed.
“But,” she added, “I can make some inquiries for you p>
She took out her phone and dialed Zebulon’s number. It rang several times before
he finally answered. Penelope put the call on speaker so the men could hear.
“Penelope, are you alright?” Zebulon’s voice was laced with a smug amusement.