Caleb knelt in front of Penny. "Penpen, I'll carry you."Penny's ankle had swollen up, clearly making it impossible for her to walk.Caleb handed their bags to Liam and Winston and then squatted in front of her.Anyway, he was her boyfriend. Without hesitation, Penny got onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.Caleb was super tall and stood up effortlessly. He even managed to balance himself. He frowned slightly."Have you lost weight again recently?"After his comment, he continued walking unfazed.Khloe stood behind them, watching their retreating figures. Tears began falling down her cheeks.She instinctively grabbed Ethan's arm, whimpering softly.It was simply unbearable for Ethan to see her this way."Stop crying.""Ethan, am I really that annoying?"Ethan was at a loss for words, thinking to himself that that Caleb Fergerson was such a scumbag!"It's okay, be good. After the hike, I’ll have a serious talk with him."Khloe was actually acting, having start
Penny was placed on a flat rock while Caleb headed toward the spring to rinse the mushrooms he had picked.The minute he left, the other women rolled their eyes at Penny. “Why would you come on a hike if you need someone to carry you on their back? Do you know what it even means to go on a hike? Everyone here has a higher standing in society than you, but none of us are as pampered as you are. "You’re the only one who needs a man to carry you up.” Penny held a wild fruit in her hand that Caleb had picked during the hike. Apparently, the tree bore fruit once a year, and only those lucky enough would get to eat those fruits. She tossed a fruit in her hand while turning to look at the woman who had spoken to her.“Well, you can get Caleb to carry you on his back later if you’re jealous.” “You!” The woman was infuriated. She sneered when she saw the last group of people arriving. “Ms. Strauss is not feeling well, but she walked over here by herself too. Let’s wait and see w
The noise attracted Caleb’s attention. He thought Penny was being bullied and immediately took off his gloves to walk back toward them.“What’s going on?”Nobody knew what to say.Penny munched on her fruit, a nonchalant look on her face as she said flatly, “She started crying because she felt sorry for you.” A confused look soon replaced by an incredulous expression appeared on Caleb’s face. “What? Is she insane?” Penny nearly spat out the food in her mouth, and she had to force herself to regain her composure before drinking water to hydrate herself. Khloe froze. Then, she sniffled as she spoke. “I'm just feeling upset after Ms. Sullivan berated me.” “What did she say?” “She said that I’m a mistress trying to force my way into a relationship.”“Well, aren’t you?” Caleb found the whole thing ridiculous, and he put on his gloves again before turning to look at Penny. “Stay away from her. I don’t want you to end up as bizarre as she is. Penny had to force herself
Someone gulped. The food they were eating suddenly seemed much less appetizing than it had been. Penny took a disposable bowl and brought Caleb some soup. “Try it, Caleb.” Caleb took a sip, and he was pleasantly surprised. He was an extremely picky person when it came to his food and clothes, but even he found the soup extremely tasty. The rest were eating dried food, which made the pot of mushroom soup even more valuable. Penny brought Liam and Winston a bowl of soup each but did not do so for the others. Those who had been picking on her just now gulped, but they tried to dissuade Winston from drinking the soup.“Winston, aren’t you worried you might get poisoned?” Winston downed the contents of the bowl in one gulp. “Why should I be scared? I’ve got Caleb paving the way for me.” The mushroom soup was prepared using wild mushrooms and water taken from the mountain spring, so it tasted amazing. All four of them had seconds. About half of the soup remained, and eve
Penny had landed on the corner of a cliff, and she used the lights shining above her and around the spring to get her bearings. Francis was lying about five feet away from her, and no one was helping him to his feet. She was just about to go help him when she saw one of the masked men walk toward Francis with a dagger in his hands. Penny practically lunged over, but the dagger still found its way into Francis’ arm. Francis was a man who had experienced plenty of hardships in his life, and he did not make a sound. Penny grabbed the handle in fright just as the lights around them grew even brighter. The people who had been stargazing nearby had come over. The women had started screaming because they had spotted several poisonous snakes, which was why they had decided to move. They did not expect to see Penny holding the handle of a dagger buried inside Sir Fergerson’s body. Some women began screaming again as the masked men standing close to Penny abruptly moved to stand in f
Liam smiled slightly. “Everyone’s saying Penny was deliberately planted here to date you, but I don’t believe that.” Caleb did not say anything. He had turned extremely silent. He did not get any sleep that night. The doctor dropped by the next morning. “Sir Fergerson would like to speak to you two.”Sir Fergerson had been admitted into the intensive care unit. Caleb and Liam went in to see him after putting on protective gowns. Sir Fergerson forced himself upright and looked at Caleb, using his eyes to tell him to come closer. Caleb approached him. The smell of disinfectant flooded his nostrils as he listened to Sir Fergerson say in a halting, bitter voice. “Don’t date Penpen, Caleb.” That sentence was practically a death sentence for Penny. Before hearing that, Caleb had assumed everything that happened last night was a misunderstanding. No matter what, Penpen would never have attacked Sir Fergerson. However, the sentence Sir Fergerson just uttered confirmed that s
Penny was now confined in a room without windows. There was only a transparent glass on the ceiling through which she could see the blue sky.She had no idea if she was in the city or in the suburbs.Nor did she know how long she had been unconscious. By the time she regained consciousness, she was already in this room.She thought of the small snake that had bitten Caleb and belatedly felt frightened.The snake's venom was potent enough to be lethal. She wondered how Caleb was doing and what Casby's purpose was."Open the door! Open it!" she shouted, banging on the room's only door. However, after two hours, there was no response.She sat on the floor, feeling exhausted. Finally, she heard footsteps outside.The door opened, and Casby walked in.The room only had a clock on the wall, and it showed that it was 9:00 pm. Casby saw her curled up on the floor, her arms tightly hugging her knees. He smirked.He knelt on one knee, grabbed her chin, and examined her face.Penny tr
Casby finished the drink in his cup and decided to sleep on the couch for a while.He suddenly woke up at midnight, got up to prepare some food in the kitchen, and brought it to the room where Penny was confined.Penny was still sitting on the floor, her eyebrows furrowing when she saw him enter.He pulled her up, guiding her to a chair next to a table where he placed the plate."Eat something first."His tone was gentle as he pulled out the chair for her.Penny watched him warily, even momentarily wondering if he was mentally ill.Caspian looked at her, his eyelashes drooping sorrowfully."Penpen, things are too complicated. I don't know how to explain it to you. Just think of it as if there's someone with a bad temper living in my body."Penny did not respond.Caspian raised his hand, wanting to comfort her. He then realized he no longer had that right, so his hand hung in the air before he quietly withdrew it."There are people outside. You can't leave yet, but I’ll help
Penny was displeased but was too shy to voice it out. Her body felt empty.“Are you happy that he’s back?” “No.” “Then, do you want me?” Penny bit her lip. He had caused sweat to break out across her body. Caleb’s phone rang. Finn was on the other end of the line. He answered the phone, and Finn’s voice rang out. “Imperial City is going to be in chaos tonight. The higher-ups are hunting for the results of Caspian's experiments, and even Uncle Shawn is getting involved in this. "He just called and told me that the higher-ups contacted him and basically forced him to agree to convince Caspian to give them the results. "Cas has also contacted the higher-ups himself and told them that unless Penny is by his side, the mental torture he was subjected to will stop him from recalling where he’s put the chip.” It was a matter of national security, and this was what Caspian was using as his bartering chip the minute he returned. There was no doubt the higher-ups would put a
Penny had made it out of the room by then. Her face was deathly pale. “Penny!” Caleb ran after her and pulled her into his arms. He pulled her behind a pillar where no one could see them. Caleb knew what was going through her mind, and he held her face in his hands. She did not look at him. Her chest heaved as she struggled to process the truth. Caleb did not know what to say and merely brushed the tip of his nose against hers. When she did not resist, he slowly moved down and kissed her. He knew why Caspian had chosen this sort of appearance. Not only would he manage to devastate Penny, but he could also announce to everyone that he was Penny’s first love. That way, he could also cause Caleb to find himself in a sticky situation. However, Caleb could not care less. As he kissed Penny, he tightened his arms around her waist. Their breaths turned ragged as they continued kissing for another ten minutes. Finally, he rested his forehead on her shoulder. His back was slig
Despite everyone staring at him, Caleb only had eyes for Penny. Penny did not know the reason behind that, and her brows were knitted together tightly as she watched Caspian make his way down from the second floor. He took the ring from the host and placed it before her solemnly. “I’m here to fulfill my promise, Penpen.” Penny wanted to smack his hand away, but he slowly bent over and smiled as he took her hand. He tried to put the ring on her finger, but his actions were stopped by someone else. He looked in the direction where the hand had come from, and his gaze met Caleb. “Long time no see, Caleb.” Caleb pulled Penny from her seat into his arms. She was left with no choice but to sit on his lap. Caleb could not care less about whatever sort of tricks Caspian would pull. If he allowed Caspian to put that finger on Penny’s finger, he would change his last name! Penny wanted to struggle out of his grasp, but the warmth of his body caused her to stop. He was still
Some people were speculating if they had gotten back together again, and some were even wondering if Caleb was blind. Why did he pass on Khloe Strauss and choose a designer who did not come from a prestigious family? No matter how well Penny ran her company, these people would still view her as a lowly designer fighting to make a name for herself in the market. She ignored everyone else’s stares and merely took a piece of tissue. She turned slightly to wipe the sweat from Caleb’s forehead. Caleb opened his eyes slightly and looked at her. The two did not say anything. Plenty of people were standing around them, but the light above their heads seemed to have enveloped them in a world of their own. Penny felt her heart rate increase as she clutched the tissue and returned her gaze to the stage. “This is a piece of emerald that Mr. Winston Hill has donated. Bidding starts at three million dollars.” Everyone’s gaze turned toward Winston. Winston smiled at everyone as he int
Ethan patted her head and then noticed Sean's gaze shifting toward them."Sean?"Sean leaned back and remained silent, merely twirling his phone between his thumb and forefinger. His lowered lashes cast a shadow.He stood up and heard Ethan say again, "Leave your phone."Sean chuckled. "Ethan, you're being too serious right now."He left his phone behind and went upstairs.Khloe continued to sway Ethan's shoulders."Ethan, I had Wind take action against Penny tonight. This time, success is mandatory. Failure is not an option."Ethan's expression turned grave instantly. "Didn't I tell you not to act on your own?""But I nearly lost my life because of her, twice."After saying this, she touched the area over her heart, her complexion turning pale in a moment."Khlo?"This time, Khloe genuinely felt discomfort in her heart, and the next second, she fainted."Khlo!"Ethan was no longer concerned about reprimanding her and immediately took her to the hospital.…Tonight, the
After returning to Dawn Haven Villa, Penny pulled up her laptop to check public opinion. There were those who vilified Zach, those who vilified her, and even more who vilified S.M. The autistic child's mother, who had published that post online, was even planning to hold a press conference today to accuse S.M. of not having contacted her yet.Penny obtained the mother's contact number and made a call, but the woman did not answer.After just testing the waters, Penny hung up. She then had people from Dawn Haven Villa follow the autistic child's parents and also had someone investigate the whereabouts of Linda and her group.After leaving Sky Lounge last night, that group of wealthy youths checked into a villa Khloe had purchased in Imperial City.The villa had helpers to attend to them, and the group of wealthy youths lived it up.Penny had a rough idea of the culture in Americana, which was much more open than here, with many policies far more lenient.Her fingertips tapped on
A lot of people had gathered around the police station. Zach had just won a grand prize and was currently a top male star with many fans.Hence, being embroiled in a scandal like this shocked the entire internet.The post written by the autistic child's parents placed Zach directly in the spotlight.The combination of the words 'child', 'abuse', and 'autism' had a huge impact.Fans were voicing their disbelief, but bystanders had already boiled over with rage online, hurling insults and curses.S.M. instantly became the target of public condemnation!When Penny arrived at the entrance of the police station, Zach's agent, Otis, was already waiting there. The grown man was crying so hard his eyes were red."Ms. Sullivan!"He immediately stood up from the ground when he saw Penny."I'm sorry, Ms. Sullivan."Penny did not look at him and headed straight into the police station.Zach was sitting on a bench with a police officer still questioning him.Penny had a strong presence.
Penny stood still for a while, feeling unsettled as she got back into the car.Firstly, it was due to her situation with Caleb. Secondly, it was because of Ethan's words. Was something about to happen?She looked up, intending to speak with Winona. However, she suddenly heard Winona's soft sobs. She was lying on the steering wheel, so engrossed in her emotions that she did not notice Penny getting into the car."Winona?" Penny called out.Awakened from her daze, Winona quickly sat up straight. "Ms. Sullivan.""Did your ex-boyfriend come looking for you again? Haven't you already paid him back? Won't his family let you be?""That’s not it.""Is it because he and that woman are getting married? Did they send you a wedding invitation, which made you feel upset?""No."Then what was it?Penny knew that the family situations of the people close to her were quite simple. Winona came from a single-parent family, and her mother did not care much for her.Raven's parents had passed a
Ethan's gaze fell on Penny, and his brows furrowed. His good upbringing prevented him from making any sarcastic remarks at this moment.After all, Penny was alone on her side. On the contrary, they had strength in numbers. Khloe was just discharged from the hospital today and was planning to welcome friends who had come all the way from Americana to see her.Seeing Penny alone, she felt a surge of satisfaction.Given her status as Ms. Strauss, she had many friends in Americana and would never be as isolated as Penny.She had specifically called Linda over, knowing Linda's temper was explosive. Just a little sob story from her and Linda could spew out some really nasty words.Linda spoke up again at this moment."Slut, we'll get you killed sooner or later!"She touched her face as she glared fiercely at Penny as if she wanted to devour her alive.Khloe quickly intervened, saying, "Linda, let's go. We should head inside."Ethan, Sean, let's go."Sean stood by, sighing slightl