Chapter 366
That was the power of the pedigree and connections they were so proud of. But it didn’t matter. Penelope had gotten to where she was because she had a knack for making the impossible possible.
The next day, Penelope and her project team went to the Higgins Group. Mrs. Higgins claimed to have another engagement and didn’t attend the meeting, but they secured a chance for a more in-depth discussion. Mrs. Higgins was present for the second meeting and expressed her admiration for their proposal throughout.
Over the next two weeks, the negotiations progressed steadily, and a deal began to look promising.
One day, their meeting wrapped up just before noon. Penelope invited Mrs. Higgins to lunch, but as they were walking through the lobby, they ran into Yvonne, who was storming in from outside with a thunderous expression.
“Mrs. Higgins, our companies have been in such productive talks. How could you suddenly change your mind and refuse to meet with us? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for days, and you kept saying you were busy. I see you have time now, don’t you p>
Yvonne’s tone was aggressive, and Mrs. Higgins was clearly displeased. However, out of respect for the Bishop family, she kept her composure. “Ms. Bishop, you must understand that until a contract is signed, there are always uncertainties in business negotiations. Besides, we’ve only met a few times and never got into any deep discussions, so Mrs. Higgins shrugged. “It is what it is p>
Yvonne’s face turned pale. “So it seems someone’s been playing dirty and stole the project that was rightfully ours p>
“I wouldn’t put it that way p>
“Mrs. Higgins, could I treat you to lunch?” Yvonne interrupted, trying a different tactic.
Mrs. Higgins cleared her throat. “I, ah, have a prior commitment. I have to go.” She gave Penelope a subtle look and hurried out the door.
Since lunch with Mrs. Higgins was off, Penelope saw no reason to linger. She needed to get back to the office and refine their proposal to finalize the deal with the Higgins Group as soon as possible. She started to walk around Yvonne toward the
exit.
“Penelope,” Yvonne’s voice was a low hiss, “what did I ever do to you that you feel the need to keep stealing what’s mine p>
Penelope chuckled. “Have you ever considered the possibility that some things were never yours to begin with p>
“Theodore p>
“I wasn’t talking about Theodore,” Penelope cut her off. “He’s his own person. He doesn’t belong to anyone p>
Yvonne took a deep breath. “Then what about the Higgins Plaza project? The Bishop Group has had its eye on it for a long time. We made contact with them long before your KINY Group did. You can’t tell me that isn’t stealing p>
“Just because the Bishop Group had its eye on it doesn’t mean we didn’t. Besides, this is just healthy competition There’s no stealing involved if you were kicked out of
the running, isn’t that a reflection of
your own capabilities p>
“Penelope, you’re just riding on Theodore’s coattails. You have no right to talk about capability p>
“Whether I use my husband’s name is my business, and it’s certainly not for you to judge. And one last thing, please refer to my husband as ‘Mr. Stapleton’ in the future. After all, he’s told me himself he doesn’t know you very well.
The blow was devastating. Yvonne’s eyes instantly turned red.
A smirk played on Penelope’s lips. “Until next time, Ms. Bishop.” With that, she turned and walked away, feeling utterly triumphant.
Over the next few days, Penelope continued to fine-tune the proposal, maintaining active communication with the Higgins Group. One evening, as she was leaving work, she received a call from an
call from an unknown
number. She answered, and the
voice on the other end made her
frown instantly.
It was Hans, the patriarch of the Bishop family, Yvonne’s grandfather.
“Ms. Laurier, might I treat you to dinner p>