The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 733

When Penelope didn't return to the hotel on time, Harold grew worried and drove over to find her.

The moment he saw Marin, he recognized her instantly. However, he kept it professional, merely offering a polite greeting without saying much.

It wasn't until they were back at the hotel that Harold practically exploded with excitement. "Do you have any idea who you just saved?"

Penelope shook her head. "I just know she works in the AI sector."

"She's not just a regular employee. She's a leading algorithmic engineer, basically the top authority in the country for that specific tech! You saw how young she is, right? That's because she's an absolute genius. She's published multiple groundbreaking papers and every major tech firm has been fighting tooth and nail to poach her!"

Harold was usually calm and collected, so seeing him this hyped was rare.

"Did Zenith Group try to get her, too?"

"We tried. We failed."

"I'm guessing it wasn't a matter of salary."

"It's because the CEO of the company she currently works for, Nexthrust, is her husband."

"Ah, that explains it."

She couldn't exactly ditch her own family's company to work for a rival.

Knowing that, Harold could only express his deep regret over the missed opportunity.

"By the way, are we heading back to Orenth tomorrow?"

Penelope nodded. "Our business here is done. Let's head back."

The next morning, Penelope had her bags packed. She was just about to head downstairs when her phone rang. It was Marin, calling to invite her to lunch as a thank you for stepping in to help last night.

Penelope agreed without a second thought, and they locked in a time and place.

When Harold arrived, she told him to head back first.

"Even if we can't recruit an industry giant like her, building a solid relationship is still a win."

"We won that bid," Marin stated.

Penelope blinked in surprise. "So my brother lost to you?"

"I wouldn't phrase it quite like that. His personal skill level is phenomenal, which is why he left such a strong impression on me. But honestly? Your team dragged him down."

"What do you mean?"

That was Zenith Group. With the massive backing and resources they had, they recruited top-tier talent. How could their team be a drag?

Marin paused, suddenly looking hesitant.

"Please, tell me," Penelope urged. "Consider it professional advice."

Since this lunch was to thank Penelope for saving her, Marin pushed her hesitation aside and spoke candidly.

"Zenith Group obviously has way more funding and talent than we do at Nexthrust. But the reason we beat you is because... we don't just chase the massive, high-difficulty projects. We take the smaller ones, too, even the ones with low profit margins. I believe that hands-on experience with smaller projects builds the foundation needed to handle the big ones. Our engineers are battle-tested. It doesn't matter how prestigious their resumes are before they join. Also, if you throw a bunch of rockstar developers into one project, egos clash. No one wants to compromise. If you can't even communicate properly, how can you deliver a solid product?"