The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 325

The day-to-day operations of Zenith Group had largely been handed over to Theodore, leaving his mother to focus solely on the Resort project. As such, she rarely visited the corporate headquarters. Rumor had it that once the resort was complete, she would retire from the business world for good.

The moment she entered the conference room, the Zenith Group executives shot to their feet. Penelope quickly followed suit, signaling for her team to rise as well. They all remained standing until Mrs. Stapleton took her seat at the head of the table.

With a silent nod, she indicated for the meeting to proceed.

When the meeting concluded, no one moved, all eyes on Mrs. Stapleton, waiting for her to speak.

She kept her gaze lowered. “The rest of you may leave.”

Both teams filed out of the room, but Penelope remained seated.

As expected, Mrs. Stapleton finally looked up, her eyes meeting Penelope’s with a deep, cold indifference. “I don’t understand why Carson chose you.”

Penelope’s lips tightened. Chose me for what? she thought. To marry Theodore, to carry on the Johnson family line, to inherit their legacy? The unspoken implication was clear: Mrs. Stapleton saw no merit in her, no qualities worthy of the role. She was looking at Penelope as if from a great height, her expression a mixture of arrogance and a perplexing, unprovoked disgust.

“Time will tell, madam. I’m sure you’ll come to understand,” Penelope replied, her tone matching the older woman’s frostiness.

Mrs. Stapleton’s face darkened. “Arrogant, conceited, and rude!”

“And you consider yourself humble and polite?”

“Is that any way to speak to an elder?”

“So you do remember you’re my elder.”

A flash of fury crossed Mrs. Stapleton’s eyes. She clearly hadn’t expected Penelope to be so bold, so sharp-tongued, refusing to yield an inch.

Nevertheless, Penelope knew she had to show some deference for Theodore’s sake. She stood and gave a slight, respectful bow. “I heard you haven’t been feeling well. Please take care of your health.”

It was a classic carrot-and-stick approach. She had no intention of letting her mother-in-law think she was a pushover who could be easily manipulated.

Mrs. Stapleton paused for a moment. “Don’t let my son fall in love with you.”

“…”

“And if he’s already started to, then you find a way to kill those feelings!”

Penelope could say nothing against the terms of their contract, but forbidding Theodore from loving her was never part of the deal. She was about to refuse when the conference room door swung open and Norton hurried in.

“Mom, you forgot your medication this morning. I brought it for you.” He placed a glass of water and a small pill bottle on the table in front of her.

Mrs. Stapleton’s face contorted with anger. “Who allowed you to come to Zenith Group? Do you want the entire company to know who you are?”

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