Chapter 732

"There are three of us, and you're just one weak little woman..."

"Which is why I beat the crap out of you. If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to show my face in public again."

"You really have a death wish, don't you!"

"Can trash talk actually kill someone?"

Penelope's words cut deep. The three men flushed with rage, cracking their knuckles and looking like they wouldn't rest until they had beaten her into the ground.

At that moment, the woman in the red gown hurried over to Penelope's side and whispered, "They have knives."

Penelope tilted her head and took a closer look. The handle of a blade was already peeking out from the tall guy's waistband. Given that, these weren't just your average street punks.

"I've already called the cops. You can figure out if you want to run away now, or let me beat you to a pulp before the police drag you off."

The tall guy glanced at the phone still in Penelope's hand, realizing she had likely dialed 911 before stepping out of the shadows. Judging by the time, the sirens would be here any second.

The shorter guy glared, still itching for a fight, but the tall one held him back.

"Smart men know when to walk away. Let's go."

"We're just going to let them go?"

"We already got the money anyway. Move it!"

They exchanged quick nods, shot Penelope one last venomous glare, and scrambled into the van before speeding off.

Once they were gone, both Penelope and the woman in the red gown let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank you. You saved my life," the woman said, extending a hand to Penelope.

Penelope shook it firmly. "I recognize you. You were giving a presentation at the forum today. Even though I didn't understand a word of it, I thought you were incredibly impressive."

"I recognized you, too. Even though I also had no idea what you were talking about, you were very confident."

Penelope gave a dry laugh. Being praised for confidence while speaking to a room full of experts wasn't exactly a compliment.

"I mean it. Didn't you hear the applause when you finished?"

"But I barely understood the material I was presenting myself."

The woman smiled. "I figured."

Penelope stuck her tongue out playfully. Her speech could only bluff the laymen;

true professionals could spot the holes immediately.

"I'm Penelope."

"I'm Marin Payton."

"I'm really curious, though..." Penelope let her gaze sweep over the woman's elegant gown. Tonight was just a casual networking dinner, not a gala and definitely our of place for a dive bar. Wearing a dress like that was bizarre.

She had actually noticed her during dinner.

"You're wondering why I'm dressed like this, aren't you?" Marin guessed, her expression morphing into one of pure exasperation. "I got screwed over by my company's secretary."

"How so?"

"She told me tonight was an ultra-exclusive, high-end gala and insisted dress formally. And so... I ended up like this. Thinking back to the sheer humiliation in the bar earlier, anger flared in her eyes.

"Do you have a problem with this secretary?"

"She's a new hire. We've barely crossed paths twice. I have no idea why she would

tell me that. Maybe it was an honest mistake?"

Penelope shook her head. A mistake like that didn't just happen.

And then there was something else...

"I don't know if I'm overthinking this, but why would those three thugs be lurking right

here, completely blocking your path? Plus, I vaguely heard them mention 'money'."

Marin hadn't pieced it together yet, but at Penelope's reminder, the glaring inconsistencies clicked into place.

"But I don't have any bad blood with her. Why would she..."

As she trailed off, a sudden realization hit Marin, and her face went totally pale.