Chapter 332

Penelope playfully dodged her. "No way. I stood in line for two hours to get these honey cakes."

"So?"

"So, I need to maximize their value."

Penelope led Hannah to a small, private courtyard tucked away in a quiet alley. After she knocked, a woman in an apron answered the door. She studied Penelope for a moment before recognition dawned.

"Oh, Ms. Laurier! You're finally here. The old madam has been asking about you every day."

Penelope greeted her and asked how the elderly woman was doing.

"Not too well. She hasn't eaten a proper meal in two or three days."

Just as Penelope was about to step inside, an elderly woman with a full head of silver hair emerged, leaning on a cane. Her face lit up when she saw Penelope, and she waved eagerly. "Why did you take so long to come visit your mother!"

Hannah was taken aback. "Who is she?"

Penelope whispered, "She's Mr. Temple's mother. She's gotten a bit confused in her old age and thinks I'm her daughter, who passed away."

With that brief explanation, Penelope hurried over to the woman, giving her a gentle hug before supporting her arm. "I brought you your favorite honey cakes."

"My sweet girl, have you lost weight?"

"I haven't, but you have. You haven't been eating properly, have you?"

"I miss you so much I can't eat."

"Well, I'm here now. Let me feed you."

It was nearly dark by the time Penelope and Hannah left the courtyard.

"When I first joined Stone Group, my first project was a hotel for LUNA Group," Penelope explained as they walked. "To secure the deal, I drank with them, smiled, endured everything, but I could never quite close it. It wasn't until I managed to get close to Mr. Temple's family—almost becoming his mother's goddaughter—that I finally succeeded." She recounted the story not with shame, but with pride in her strategic victory.

"LUNA Group has another hotel project coming up," Hannah noted, a glint in her eye.

Penelope nodded. "It's not a huge project, but it's the perfect start for our new firm. If we do an outstanding job, we can establish our reputation right out of the gate.”

Just then, her phone rang. It was Mr. Temple.

After a brief conversation, Penelope hung up and shot Hannah a triumphant look. "Mr. Temple is inviting us to dinner. We're heading over now."

They arrived at the designated restaurant to find Mr. Temple already there, deep in conversation with a familiar face: Ward Sullivan.

Ward was in the middle of downing his third glass of liquor, apologizing profusely for his son Zebulon's

previous misconduct "My son inet

arrogant and proud. I failed to raise him properly. Mr. Temple, please don't hold it against him."

"That was a long time ago," Mr. Temple said, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "I'm surprised you even remembered to come and apologize. I'm not sure I deserve such an honor."

"If you're still upset, Mr. Temple, I'll have another three glasses.”

"Please don't. If you get drunk, I'll have to arrange a ride for you, and that's just a hassle."

Ward laughed awkwardly. "I hear

LUNA Group's new hotel is nearly complete and you're looking for a design firm. We had sucra pleasant experience working together before, I was hoping we could continue our partnership."

"LUNA Group and Stone Group have worked together before?"

"You can't have forgotten the hotel in the East District, surely?"

"As I recall, I worked with Ms. Laurier on that project."

Ward's face darkened. "She was just an employee of Stone Group."

"All I know is that I dealt with her directly. The process was smooth, enjoyable, and

the final result exceeded my company's expectations. That's why I intend to continue working with her."

"She's no longer with Stone Group."

"Then whichever firm she's with is the firm we'll work with," Mr. Temple said, his eyes shifting toward the entrance. A smile broke across his

face. "And speak of the devil here's Ms. Laurier now."