Chapter 324
“Penelope, please, just go to the police and tell them it was all a misunderstanding. Ask them to let Zebulon go p>
There it was. The real reason for this performance.
An apology with an agenda could never be sincere.
Penelope leaned down, a faint, chilling smile on her lips. “Let’s say I do go to the police and get Zebulon released. What’s in it for me p>
“We… we can be best friends again p>
A sharp bark of laughter escaped Penelope’s lips.
“That’s an offer I’ll have to refuse. A snake like you for a friend? I’d rather keep my distance, thanks p>
Rebecca’s face flushed a deep red. “Then… then what do you want? I’ll give you anything p>
“Oh? And what, exactly, do you have to offer p>
“1 p>
“You’re penniless. The fact that you’re even asking what I could possibly want from you is a joke in itself. And if there’s nothing in it for me, why should I help you? Based on our past friendship? That’s long dead and buried, replaced by nothing but contempt. So, no. I have no reason to save him p>
With a final, dismissive scoff, Penelope turned to get back in her car.
“If
f you don’t help Zebulon, then my baby and I will die right here in front of you p>
Rebecca suddenly pulled a fruit knife from her purse and pressed the blade to her own throat. Her expression was resolute, a clear threat that if Penelope dared to drive away, she would end her own life.
Penelope merely smirked, slid back into the driver’s seat, and pulled away from the curb.
She had just started down the street when Mrs. Sullivan appeared out of nowhere, throwing herself in front of the car.
Penelope slammed on the brakes. A flash of triumph crossed Mrs. Sullivan’s face.
“Penelope if you don’t go to the
police station and get my son out, I’ll make sure you go to jail for murder!” With that, she flopped onto the asphalt, adopting a smug ‘what-can-you-do-about-it’ posture.
Penelope glanced in her rearview mirror. Rebecca was still kneeling on the pavement, the knife held to her neck.
What a pair.
Equally shameless, equally pathetic, equally crooked.
But Penelope refused to play their
BUT
game. She shifted the car into reverse, backed up a good distance, and then gunned the engine, accelerating straight toward MS, Sullivan: The roar of the engine grew louder as the car picked up speed.
Closer and closer, the car was about to hit her p>
Penelope didn’t slow down. Just as the bumper was about to make contact, Mrs. Sullivan shrieked and scrambled out of the way, rolling onto the grass.
“That vicious woman! She was really going to kill me! She actually tried to run me over!” Mrs. Sullivan was too terrified to even stand, cursing hysterically from the ground.
As Penelope drove onto the main road, she glanced in her rearview mirror one last time. Rebecca was frozen in shock, the knife having clattered from her hand to the pavement below.
Arriving at KINY Group, her first order of business was to get an update on the joint project with Zenith Group. This venture was critical for KINY, and there was no room for error.
That afternoon, KINY was scheduled to present a progress report to Zenith Group, and after a brief discussion with Nathan Reed, Penelope decided to attend the meeting herself.
In the conference room, the KINY team was presenting a slideshow detailing the progress of their mall construction, which was perfectly synchronized with Zenith’s development of the adjacent commercial district.
Penelope looked across the table at the key leaders of the Zenith project. Their presence signaled just how seriously they were taking the partnership.
The meeting proceeded smoothly until the final few minutes, when the rear door of the conference room opened and a small group of people walked in.
The woman in the lead was in her early fifties, dressed in a sharp black suit with her hair styled in an elegant updo. She was the picture of steely professionalism. Her makeup was understated, but it couldn’t hide her striking features. However, her stern expression and cool, aloof demeanor were enough to make anyone feel intimidated.
This was Mrs. Stapleton, the formidable matriarch of Zenith Group. Penelope had
seen her before at events but had never been formally introduced.
What was she doing here?