Chapter 481

Penelope drove through the night, arriving at the hospital just as dawn was

breaking. By then, Hannah had regained consciousness. The doctors had examined her and diagnosed a mild concussion, requiring a few days of observation.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Penelope sat by the hospital bed and gently patted Hannah’s hand.

“Hannah, you’ve worked so hard these past few years.”

The company belonged to both of them, yet Hannah had managed everything on her own while she enjoyed a quiet life. Penelope felt a sharp pang of guilt, especially

now.

Hannah squeezed her hand back. “We had an agreement from the start: you provide the capital, I provide the labor. Besides, even though you haven’t been physically at the office, you’ve been involved in every project and drawn so many of the designs. Without you, our company wouldn’t be where it is today.”

They didn’t need to exchange pleasantries, so the conversation quickly turned to Ocean Buildings.

“Recently, I discovered they were cutting corners during construction, using cheaper materials and even the wrong shades for floor tiles and paint. I started going to the site every day to supervise them, but their manager accused me of deliberately looking for trouble and delaying their work. We had a heated argument this morning. I thought that would be the end of it, but I never expected them to retaliate,” Hannah said, her voice heavy.

“And there are no security cameras on that path, right?”

“Right. But I got a quick look at him. I didn’t see his face clearly, but I saw his eyes. Based on that and his build, I’m almost certain it was the man in charge of their procurement, a guy named Buck.”

She had already told the police, who were now looking for him.

“This Ocean Buildings… I’ve never heard of them before.”

“They’re a new company.”

Penelope raised an eyebrow. “Then why did we partner with them?”

They had long-standing relationships with reliable construction firms. It made no

sense to bring in a new, unknown company.

“The client insisted.”

“The client insisted?”

Penelope’s lips thinned. That made it simple. Someone at the client’s company had ties to this construction firm. Nepotism.

“And what does the client have to say about these issues?”

“They don’t care. They said they’re only responsible for the final inspection. If it

doesn’t pass, they’ll hold us accountable.”

Penelope scoffed. This was blatant bullying.

“Which company’s hotel project are you working on?”

Hannah hesitated for a moment before answering. “The Bishop Group.”

Penelope was stunned. The Bishop Group!

She wondered if they knew this design firm was hers. If they did, then this situation was likely far from a coincidence.

“Penelope, I know you have a history

with the Bishop Group, but I

assumed they didn’t know about your connection to our firm, so… Ugh, shouldn’t have taken the chance! Hannah was filled with regret.

Penelope shook her head. “We’re both in Orenth. A confrontation was bound to happen sooner or later Whether this was intentional or not it looks like we’re in for a fight.”

She told Hannah to rest. Penelope had planned to go to the office, but a commotion

erupted outside, shattering the quiet of the hospital corridor.

“Get that woman out here! She hurt one of our guys and now she’s hiding in a

hospital bed? What kind of coward is she!”

“Does she think she can bully us workers? Tell her to get out here and apologize to our boss!”

“Get out of our way! Don’t try to stop us!”

A large, rowdy crowd of men pushed

past the nurses and security guards.

Wilma tried to block them but

couldn’t hold them back. They were Hdn’t

already at the door to Hannah’s

room.