During that time, Wendy lived in constant fear. Every little noise made her jump, and cold sweat would break out all over her body. There were moments when she wanted to confront her bullies head-on, but she was terrified they would turn the tables and accuse her of being the aggressor.When she was at her lowest, unsure how to escape the torment, her uncle, who had been living abroad, returned to visit her. He immediately noticed the bruises on her body. After asking her what had happened, he gathered evidence and took her straight to confront Henry.The confrontation almost led to a falling out between her uncle and Henry, as her uncle even threatened to fight for custody. Henry, upon seeing the evidence of what Wendy had endured at school, was heartbroken. He quickly transferred her to a new school and donated two buildings to the institution.Because of those donations, Wendy finally experienced a normal school life, and she learned an important lesson: in order to survive, she
"Spare the formalities with me!" Wendy laughed, her shoulders shaking with amusement. "Jenny saw my post on social media and has been asking about the emerald bracelet Mrs. Walker gave."Curious, I asked, "Why does she care?""The emerald bracelet is valuable and rare, top-notch. Whoever gave it must be wealthy. Usually, young people gift brand-name items, but an emerald bracelet like that is typically from an older female relative."Realizing what she meant, I said, "She's worried you married better than she did.""Exactly!" Wendy exclaimed as her phone rang again. This time, it was her father, Henry.In the past, Wendy would let the phone ring if she didn't want to answer. But now that she was involved in the family business and her father was her main support, she answered the call."Wendy, Mrs. Walker sent over a bunch of gifts earlier and said she feels a strong connection with you. She plans to visit us tomorrow.""She can visit. Mr. Smith, you can handle the reception. I'
"Why don't you stay at my place tonight, Wendy?" I asked."I can't. I have to go home and take care of Big Dog. I didn't come back last night, and now he's upset. He won't even let me pet him. I need to go home and make things right with him," Wendy replied."Who knew Wendy could be bossed around by a cat?" I joked."Big Dog is more than just a cat. He's part of my family!" Wendy defended."Alright, I apologize to Big Dog," I said, releasing Wendy. "But what's your plan with Mrs. Walker?"Mrs. Walker is a tough, ruthless woman, and Wendy got involved with her because she stepped in to help me. I was worried Wendy might get hurt."If she makes a move, I'll handle it. I'm still the eldest daughter of the Smith family, and with that backing, she won't be able to pull the same tricks she used on Joey," Wendy assured me."But what if she teams up with Sarah?" I voiced my concerns.Sarah had done everything to block Wendy from joining the family business, but Wendy's talent was unden
He crouched in front of me and gently touched my forehead, his voice full of concern. "Are you feeling okay?""I just woke up feeling a bit groggy."I had forgotten about my wrist injury and instinctively used my hand to push off the ground when I stood up. The pain in my wrist and legs distracted me from noticing Luke's close gesture.I glanced at my wrist—thankfully, the bandage showed no sign of bleeding. I lowered my head and lightly tapped my leg."Are your legs numb?""Yeah."As soon as I replied, Luke effortlessly picked me up. It was as if I weighed nothing to him, his posture steady and strong. My body was suddenly lifted, and in a moment of instinct, I grabbed onto his shirt, startled.Our bodies were pressed together, and I immediately wanted to create some space. I quickly let go of his shirt, squirming to get free.Luke tightened his hold. His arms, solid from years of training, trapped me, leaving no room for escape."Luke, put me down!" I hadn't realized my voic
His scent permeated the air between us, and my already off-beat heart seemed to pulsate with something more—something almost intimate.My breathing became rapid and shallow, my mind went blank, unsure of my next move.Luke never took his eyes off me as he slowly leaned closer. I could feel the warmth of his breath, and suddenly, a flash of our night at the Waldorf Hotel flooded my mind. My face went pale, the heat that had risen in my cheeks vanishing instantly.I pushed Luke away and bolted out of his house, almost running.When I finally reached home, I leaned against the living room door, replaying the scene over and over in my mind.Was Luke about to kiss me?The thought popped up and I immediately dismissed it.I'm not his type. His "crush" is definitely not me!I shook my head, trying to convince myself that maybe he was just reaching to move his arm away. But even if that were true, did he really need to get that close?I slapped my forehead, pulling out my phone, think
The night dragged on, and I couldn't sleep at all. It felt as though I was under a spell, with my mind racing with thoughts of Luke. His image filled my head, whether my eyes were open or closed.Finally, as dawn started to break, tiredness started to creep in. But just as I was about to fall asleep, the image of Mrs. Walker's smiling face jolted me awake. I sat up in bed, my heart pounding, as I pieced together recent events.Joey had kidnapped me because she noticed that Luke treated me differently. She placed a listening bug on me to confirm her suspicions. Although she clearly wasn't pleased with me, she had made sure the kidnappers didn't harm me...She probably told Mrs. Walker about her suspicions!My chest tightened as I realized this.Wendy, despite her carefree appearance, is incredibly perceptive. She must have figured out Luke's feelings for me a long time ago and knew that Joey had already spilled the beans to Mrs. Walker. That's why Wendy kept telling me not to compl
I reached out to pet him, but he just meowed, got up, and strutted off without even giving me a glance."Wendy, you still haven't managed to make peace with your 'family member,' huh?" I asked."I almost had him back to normal. But yesterday, I fed some of his favorite fish treats to a stray cat outside, and now he's ignoring me again," Wendy replied.I couldn't help but think, of course.Biggie was very possessive of his things. Besides Wendy, no one was allowed to touch his stuff. When Wendy went on business trips and I watched him, I always brought my own cat food because he wouldn't share anything.Wendy knew full well that Biggie didn't like sharing, yet she still gave away his fish treats. She definitely did it to get on his bad side!Wendy finished her quick skincare routine and walked into the living room, spotting the shrimp dumplings and coffee on the table. "Is this from that breakfast place on West Street?" she asked."Yep.""You got up extra early just to get break
"Not bad. I was genuinely moved for a moment," I said.Wendy's eyes lit up."It's getting late. You should get ready. I'll drive you to work," I said, checking the time and urging her to get dressed."I'm used to driving myself. You go ahead. We can meet up later." Wendy lived just five minutes from the office, so she took her time standing up."Alright," I replied, knowing she wasn't just being polite. I packed up the leftovers and left.When I arrived at the office, the receptionist greeted me with a bright smile.I smiled back and nodded as I walked past, but she leaned in and whispered, "Ms. Middleton, the backstory behind Joey's car accident has been exposed online."She tapped her phone lightly on the desk for emphasis."I'll check it out when I get to my desk," I replied.It turned out that Joey's accident had started with an argument on a plane. A child had been crying, and Joey, impatient and rude, lashed out. She showed no sympathy and escalated the situation to the
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
"Dad, he's a bad guy!" Ian pointed at the man who was already several yards away.The robber was huge - well over 6'2", wearing a denim vest that showed off his muscular arms. Mr. Lloyd probably couldn't take many punches from him, and we didn't know if he was armed. It wasn't worth the risk.I ruffled Ian's hair. "Let's go get something to eat.""Help! Stop the robber!"A woman was running after him, desperately grabbing passersby for help, out of breath.Following the 'better safe than sorry' principle, no one stepped forward to help.She reached us, and seeing we were Asian, her eyes lit up with hope. "Please help me, I have something very important in my bag."Mr. Lloyd looked down at his arm where she was clutching it. "I'm sorry, we're new here and unfamiliar with the area. We can't help."She let go, disappointed, staring dejectedly in the direction the robber had disappeared.Ian said in his sweet voice, "When you're in trouble, find a police officer."The woman was a
His stern look only made Penelope more nervous.When Director Nolan called "Cut!", she was already drenched in cold sweat.She quickly apologized to the director.Director Nolan watched the playback with a grave expression.As the makeup artist touched up Penelope's makeup, I went to her side and encouraged her: "It gets easier after the first try. You'll do better in the next take.""Jen..." Penelope glanced at the crew members around us. "This is my first time on such a major production.""You'll have many more opportunities like this."One Entertainment had been investing most of its resources in Penelope lately, and with her connection to Jethro, her popularity wasn't waning.One hit was all she needed to skyrocket to stardom."Jen..."Penelope's voice trembled with worry.George was particularly anxious too. "You've done well in other productions. We can't mess up at this crucial moment!"A good performance in Director Nolan's film could lead to future collaborations,