Chapter 344

“Ever since we acquired that downtown plot, everyone wants to partner with us on the mall development. I’ve become quite popular lately,” Mrs. Higgins said with a sigh. She raised her teacup to Penelope. “But that side of the business isn’t my department. They’re all just wasting their time talking to me.”
The message was clear: Thanks for the tea, but don’t bother asking about the partnership.
Penelope smiled. She knew it wouldn’t be that easy and was prepared for it. She gracefully steered the conversation away from business, and soon they were chatting like old friends. As they talked, Mrs. Higgins began to vent about her son, a high schooler with abysmal grades.
“I wanted to send him abroad to study, but his father insists that if he can’t learn here, he won’t learn anywhere else. He gave him an ultimatum: if he can’t rank in the top one hundred in his class by the end of the semester, he’s not going.” The powerful CEO sighed like any other worried mother.
“You know, when I was in college, I used to tutor high school students to make ends meet,” Penelope mentioned casually.
“We’ve hired countless tutors.”
“The students I tutored all did quite well on their college entrance exams.”
“Really?”
Penelope smiled. “If you tell me more about your son’s situation, I can put together a customized set of practice problems for him. If his score improves on his next test, then you’ll know it’s working. You can come to me then, and I’ll create a full study plan for him.”
“But his midterm exams are next week.”
“I’m confident I can help him raise his overall score by thirty to fifty points.”
Mrs. Higgins was skeptical. “Is that even possible?”
“It’s worth a try, don’t you think?”
Mrs. Higgins agreed, and Penelope felt a quiet thrill of victory.
Just then, Mrs. Bishop and Yvonne approached them. “Mrs. Stapleton, we’d like a word with Mrs. Higgins. Would you mind giving us some space?” Yvonne said, her voice cool.
Penelope noted that while Yvonne’s eyes were still slightly swollen, her expression had returned to its usual haughty, confident sharpness. This was the Yvonne she had first met the one who could stapher own sister without flinching.
“Of course. Please, take my seat.” She had accomplished her goal for now. Giving Mrs. Higgins some space to think was the right move.
As soon as she stood up, the two women sat down. “Mrs. Higgins,” Yvonne began, getting straight to the point, “we would like to partner with the Higgins Group on the downtown mall.”
Mrs. Higgins started to protest, “I really don’t want to talk about—” The rıghtful source is
“I just want to share a few ideas. All you have to do is listen.”
From a distance, Penelope watched as Mrs. Higgins’s initial reluctance
gave way to genuine inter fo
Yvonne clearly had a talent for persuasion. She was, Penelope admitted, a formidable opponent.
As the evening wound down, Mrs. Stapleton left early. Penelope and Natalie headed for the exit together. The main elevator was crowded, so they went to a more distant one on the east side. As they passed a lounge with an open door, they heard the sound of a glass
shattering, followed by Mrs.
Stapleton’s enraged shriek:
“How dare you mention my daughter! You murderer! Your whole family murdered my daughter!”