The Muller family had arrived in Johnsonville, and Mandy's attempt to escape was too late!Upon arriving home and walking the dog, I noticed a figure standing in front of the mansion. From the silhouette, it appeared to be a young woman. She had a slender frame and carried a gray shoulder bag, occasionally glancing towards the mansion.Could it be Mandy again?It seemed that no matter where I went, she always managed to find me! Just as I was about to contact the property management to have her removed, the person noticed me and hesitantly called out, "Jen?""Penelope?"In the dim light, I didn't initially recognize her, but her voice was unmistakable."You remember me!" Penelope Middleton's chubby round face broke into a smile as she approached but stopped a couple of feet away."Of course, I remember you! You're my cousin!" Penelope seemed nervous, so I took her hand. "You could have called me before coming to Johnsonville. I would have picked you up.""I'm actually working i
Under the weight of his wounded pride, Uncle Paul left Johnsonville and cut off contact with my father for many years.After my parents passed away, Uncle Paul and Aunt Karen suddenly reappeared, showering me with concern and care. In the midst of my grief, their presence initially provided some comfort.However, everything changed when I received a call from Penelope.Penelope warned me to stay away from them, revealing their true motive: my parents' inheritance. Max, too, had his eyes on the inheritance, and once he realized their intentions, he quickly sent them packing.At the time, I was too consumed by grief to fully grasp how easily Max had rid us of such shameless individuals. I remained grateful to Penelope for giving me the heads-up, and we continued to stay in occasional contact.Penelope shared with me how Uncle Paul and Aunt Karen had treated her like a source of money. They forced her to drop out of school in middle school and work instead. Thankfully, her teachers a
"She told me to handle it myself," Penelope said, her face clouded with more worry."It's clear that she's making things difficult for you."Joey Parker, the editor-in-chief of First Media magazine, was quite well-known in Johnsonville. With years of experience and a good network, finding someone to interview should be simple for her."She said a journalist shouldn't fear challenges. There are so famous people in Johnsonville. If I try hard enough, I'll find a suitable interviewee. I've visited dozens of companies in the past few days, but I couldn't find a single business elite willing to be interviewed.""When I suggested quitting because I couldn't do the job well, the editor said she had checked my background and knew about my poor relationship with my parents. If I quit, she would notify my parents of my current address. Even if I left Johnsonville, she said she could find me.""Did you offend her somehow?" I asked. Uncle Paul and Aunt Karen were Penelope's nightmare. Joey us
I watched Penelope as she disappeared into the night, feeling melancholic. She was already struggling in life, and now someone wanted to add to her misery. It was truly despicable!Back at home, I opened my computer and found the file Wendy had sent me earlier. It contained information on numerous notable people from Johnsonville, including Joey Parker. She had discovered Penelope's weakness, so I decided to fight fire with fire and find what mattered to her....The following day, as soon as I arrived at the company, the receptionist gave me a significant look. I noticed two men standing in the lobby and quietly asked the receptionist, "Who are they?""Their last name is Muller. They want to see Mr. Walker."Muller? Were they relatives of Francis Muller?"Has Mr. Walker arrived yet?""Not yet."I stepped aside to call Luke."I'll be there soon. I'll handle it," he said, his voice calm and reassuring.I hung up and waited for Luke at the reception.Five minutes later, he app
I swallowed the words I was about to say, made Luke a cup of coffee, and brought it to his office. Then I returned to my desk to start work.A week passed in a busy routine. With Zac and Bryan's help, I became increasingly skilled in my role as an executive assistant.At noon, Wendy had business at the Greenfield Building and invited me to join her for lunch. We chose a nearby restaurant.As I made my way to the restaurant, I had a feeling that someone was following me.The Greenfield Building was located in the bustling business center of Johnsonville. Who would be stalking me in broad daylight?I stopped and looked back. The street was crowded, but no one seemed suspicious. Just as I was about to turn back, I noticed someone behind a banyan tree in the green belt.When they saw me looking again, they quickly pulled back and hid their half-exposed body.Such sneaky behavior couldn't be innocent!I quickened my pace, trying to shake them off.Seeing this, they swiftly emerged
We were almost at the restaurant when Wendy, who had arrived earlier, noticed Mandy blocking my path and quickly came to my side."I won't be poor forever!" Mandy said firmly."I think you will," Wendy replied, eyeing Mandy up and down. "The Mullers gave you clothes, bags, and jewelry. So why are you dressed so shabbily? Don't tell me you've sold everything and wasted it all?""My parents took everything. Even if I wanted to waste it, I couldn't.""If your parents took your things, you should ask them to give them back. Why come to Jen?""I... I..." Mandy's eyes welled up with tears. "If I had a way to get my things back from them, I wouldn't be in this desperate situation.""Are your family members even more difficult than you are?""I know I was wrong before. I apologize to both of you."The enticing smell of food filled the air. Mandy lifted her drooping head, following the scent.She was truly hungry.Considering the consequences of helping her, I suppressed my sympathy.
"Luke has done interviews before?" Wendy had previously informed me that Luke never agreed to interviews."That was years ago when Luke first became a partner at JL Capital. He was in high demand, and many magazines were competing for an interview. Luke declined all of them. At the time, Joey was a reporter at Horizon Magazine. She managed to secure an interview with Luke and took the interview draft to the magazine's director, hoping to secure the editor-in-chief position.""The director of Horizon Magazine had a close relationship with the editor-in-chief, whom they had personally mentored. The director rejected Joey's request. She then took the interview draft and moved to First Media Magazine. However, for some reason, the interview was never published.""Was it because the interview contained sensitive information?"During my time as Luke's assistant, numerous prestigious magazines sent him interview requests. I would inform him, and he would instruct me to decline them all wi
Wendy was shocked. "Could she be Luke's unrequited love? That's kind of disappointing!""Maybe he's more into appearances?"Joey's issues with Penelope might stem from Penelope's mistakes, but Wendy had a keen understanding of people. She had interacted with Joey and had a poor opinion of her, which indicated Joey's questionable character.Luke, with his perceptive eyes, seemed to see through everything. Around him, I felt transparent, as if I had no secrets. Joey, no matter how well she acted, would have shown her flaws unless Luke was blinded by love, tolerating everything about her."I finally discovered Luke's flaw—poor judgment! No one is perfect, after all!"I took a sip of water, pondering whether to help Luke pursue his unrequited love."Jen, what are you thinking about? I called you twice, and you didn't respond!"Wendy lightly kicked me again, her eyes probing. "You're so affected by Luke's unrequited love... Could it be that you…""I'm just like you, with no romantic
She took my card - could she be working at the Mary Institute?I tried calling back immediately, but the line stayed busy. After several attempts, I researched the institute online.Over a hundred years old, the institute only hired the top experts in pharmaceutical research.For privacy reasons, they didn't publish staff information online.I found nothing about her.I wanted to tell Luke but feared giving false hope. Better to confirm first.As my racing thoughts calmed, exhaustion hit. I yawned and headed to bed.The next morning, I felt refreshed after a deep sleep.Just after my morning routine, the doorbell chimed. "Room service," came a crisp British accent.Strange - I hadn't ordered anything.Through the peephole, I saw a server with a cart. I opened the door."There must be a mistake."He checked his order slip. "Placed at 6:30."I was barely awake then. About to protest, I spotted a box of Belgian chocolates on the cart.Luke. Of course."My friend must have o
Luke played the video, but the quality was too poor to make out more than a silhouette.Trying to see better, I leaned closer to his phone, unconsciously pressing against him. I felt him stiffen slightly.Looking between the video and photos, I muttered, "Even his own mother couldn't identify him from this footage."Luke chuckled softly. "Don't get discouraged. Everyone has unique mannerisms. If we compare videos of these three suspects with this dashcam footage, we might find something unexpected."Luke always seemed so composed, as if he could easily solve any problem.I nodded, feeling fatigue creeping in. My eyes were getting heavy, and I needed to rest."Have you had dinner?""Ate at the set."Food always tastes better with company. The crew's boxed dinners were simple but satisfying."Haven't eaten yet?" I asked casually."No.""You should go eat then. Don't let me keep you."As I turned to leave, Luke grabbed my wrist. "You won't even spare a moment for me anymore?"
Due to jet lag, I was already exhausted though it wasn't dark yet.Ian was drooping too, suddenly slumping against me.Worried he'd fall, I quickly steadied him.He glanced at me before contentedly closing his eyes again.He was completely worn out.Mr. Lloyd, who had been chatting with the director, noticed this and quickly wrapped up his conversation to join us.Still half-awake, Ian instinctively held onto my arm when his father reached for him."It's your Dad."At my words, Ian let go.Mr. Lloyd picked him up and strode toward the car, while I gathered Ian's things and followed.On the way back, I offered to drive.Mr. Lloyd was quiet. I turned on the car's music system, and soft music filled the space.Having debuted overseas as a trainee, Mr. Lloyd's fingers unconsciously tapped along to the rhythm on his leg.At a red light, I caught this movement in the rearview mirror.Mr. Lloyd had been an all rounder superstar - consistently among the top three highest-earning
Since Penelope was mid-flight and unreachable, I sent her a message and forwarded Sara's letter."Are you okay, Jen? You seem worried," Ian asked."Just blown away by your amazing performance. I'm still thinking about it."Ian was a natural - his acting could really move people."I might be cocky,” Ian grinned.He looked proud, and I ruffled his hair. "No chance of that."For a four-year-old, he'd shown remarkable composure during the preschool incident.Even after being cleared, he hadn't played the victim. That kind of emotional strength showed real character.A few compliments wouldn't change that.Ian's smile lit up his whole face, showing perfect baby teeth."When do you start filming your scenes?"The director was clearly impressed - Ian's role was locked in."Not sure yet."Ian looked up at his father."Soon," Mr. Lloyd said, clearly proud of Ian's performance. "I'll stay on set with Ian these next few days. Jen, feel free to explore the city. I'll call if we need
Just when they thought they'd found hope, the bad guys caught up with them.During their escape, his best friend fell off a cliff. When Bobby was finally rescued and led them back, they found his friend's body, mangled beyond recognition. He was devastated."I'll start now!"In an instant, Ian transformed. He walked heavily toward a chair, his expression gradually filling with pain.Kneeling beside the chair, he reached out as if to touch "him" but couldn't bring himself to do it. Tears silently rolled down his face.The director checked the script and signaled his assistant to remove the chair, simulating the scene where the friend's body would be placed in a body bag.At this, Ian broke into heart-wrenching sobs.His emotional outburst impressed everyone watching on set.Mr. Lloyd looked proud, and the director, as if discovering a treasure, praised Ian after his performance: "Your acting reminds me of your father in his prime.""If I'm as good as Dad was at my age, imagine
I'd dug my own grave, hadn't I?I swallowed my food, took a sip of water, and kept my head down while eating.Luke pushed the mild seafood soup toward me. "This is less spicy."Stubborn as I was, I ignored him.Luke called the server over, trying to order milder versions of the fish and pork."Don't bother, I love extra spicy food."Even though I needed water after every bite, I was determined to finish what I'd ordered.Seeing my stubbornness, Luke apologized to the server and let her go."Jen...""Don't talk while eating."By now, my soul had practically left my body from the spice. I wasn't in the mood for conversation.My throat felt like it was on fire as I gulped down more water.Luke quietly refilled my empty glass. He'd barely touched his seafood soup, his elegant movements making me feel even more ungraceful.I was suffering from my own spite!I wanted to throw down my chopsticks and leave.No, stay calm!I tried to maintain my composure, fighting the urge to d
Just as I finished speaking, my stomach let out an embarrassing growl."There's an excellent Chinese place around the corner," Luke said."You've been here before?""No.""..." Then how did he know about a good restaurant?Did he research every place this thoroughly?He'd make a perfect travel companion.I later learned he'd researched local restaurants knowing my passion for food.I'd only had water since waking up. The film crew would have finished lunch by now, with no leftovers available. I needed to find something on the way.Being in a bad mood lately, I hadn't researched any local restaurants before coming here.Craving authentic Chinese food, I decided to take Luke's suggestion.It was an upscale Chinese restaurant specializing in spicy cuisine. As soon as we sat down, a cheerful server brought out place settings and started listing their specialties."Our portions are generous. For a couple, I'd recommend one appetizer and a soup to start.""We're not a couple," I
Luke came to search for his birth mother himself?As I looked at him, he noticed me too.I greeted him and was about to get a taxi to the set."If you have time, can you show me where you saw her yesterday?""I... okay."Mr. Lloyd and Ian would be fine - finding Luke's mother was more urgent.After weighing the pros and cons, I agreed.Luke hadn't brought an assistant. I waited outside while he took his luggage to his hotel room, then we walked to where I'd seen his mother yesterday.It wasn't far from the hotel, so we went on foot.Without thinking, I kept about three feet between us.Luke: "Do I look like some kind of monster?"With his model-like features that made you want to break rules just looking at him, how could he possibly look like a monster?I shook my head."Then why are you keeping such a distance?""..." So that's what he meant...Though I'd decided to stay just friends, my heart - already full of him - still skipped beats when we were together.He was t
"If you can't find her, Luke can! Now that he has a general area, he can track her down quickly.""I'll let him know."Mrs. Walker was also searching for her, planning to use her to manipulate Luke. We needed to contact her before Mrs. Walker did.After hanging up with Wendy, I looked at Luke’s number on my phone. Several times I almost called him, but kept backing out.After hesitating, I tried calling Emily, but hung up just before it connected.Although Emily had been open with me, I couldn't be sure if she was genuinely helping Luke.To be safe, I called Luke instead. He answered on the first ring.Luke stayed silent."Mr. Walker, this is Jen.""I wasn't planning to cut you out of my life completely. I kept your number."Me: ...There he went again with his sharp tongue. I almost hung up, but remembering how much he'd helped me, and that I could finally do something for him, I told him about possibly seeing his birth mother near the hotel.After a moment of silence, Luk