A few buttons at Mason’s collar were undone, making him look somewhat roguish. His slender fingers flicked the ash from his cigarette as he chuckled and gathered the money from the table toward himself.“It’s just good luck.”It was unclear if he was referring to the gamble or answering the man’s question.His lips, a light pink hue, did not look out of place in the slightest. His beauty, almost ethereal, radiated in every aspect.Perhaps he was toning down his usually pure and simple demeanor in front of Laura, making him appear more imposing now.“This isn’t about luck. With that handsome face of yours, if you’d stoop to courting rich old ladies, you wouldn’t need to gamble here for medical expenses.”Laughter filled the gambling table. A cigarette butt was thrown into the ashtray filled with water, leaving some yellowish stains.Mason did not react to the mockery. At the end of the game, he withdrew some bills and placed them on the table.“Today’s drinks are on me. I have t
Lucas had decided not to discuss this matter anymore. Rather, he was more interested in the job Mason mentioned.Four thousand?Just to occasionally show up?He swallowed nervously. He had actually considered trying to find a lady from a rich family, but unfortunately, he was not as attractive as Mason.How would a wealthy woman see value in him?“Is there really such a good opportunity, Mason?”Mason sat down on the steps, stretched his long legs, and leaned back, looking relaxed.His good looks were indeed extraordinary. Even Lucas, being a man, was envious to the point of seething jealousy. It was no wonder Mason managed to snag a princess from a diamond company.Moreover, the Jennings only had Laura as their heir. She was the sole heiress. If Mason could really marry into her family, would he not inherit everything in the future?“Really, you know how easily Laura can be fooled.”When Mason said this, his narrow eyes squinted.“But her friend seems harder to fool. You’d
Penny’s work was going smoothly, and she had finished discussing things with the suppliers. She was just about to prepare to head to Union County tomorrow when suddenly, a few of her collaborating companies called. Their tones were hesitant.“Ms. Sullivan, we’re sorry, but we suddenly received notice that we can't process your order. Please find another company.”“But…”Penny wanted to ask for more details, but the caller hung up.She answered four calls in total, all of them canceling orders.Penny sat in place, her eyebrows furrowed.Previously, Jeremy was sabotaging her, which led to the failure of her collaboration with Sherman. Now, Sherman was still looking for her everywhere. She didn't want to meet him and only hoped the police would take over this matter.Now that Jeremy had backed off and had given her the project, everything should have gone smoothly. After all, she had been having pleasant conversations with the suppliers these past two days. What was happening right
No one was residing on the other side of this presidential suite anymore. It was now only occupied by the two of them.The overhead lighting highlighted Penny’s skin, making it especially fair with her eyes sparkling in the reflection. It was unclear how long she had been waiting here.“I have something to discuss with you, Mr. Fergerson. May I come in and sit for a while?”Caleb raised an eyebrow. The person who had painted his portrait was waiting for him at the entrance of his hotel room late at night. He squinted his eyes. He should decline.After all, he wanted to maintain a distance between them.Penny was worried that he would refuse, and the matter was not something she could explain in a short time. Madam Fergerson had quite a misunderstanding, and she needed to clarify it piece by piece.Caleb took his room card, swiped it, and opened the door.Penny followed him, the tip of her nose picking up the cold woody scent from him, mixed with a faint smell of alcohol.The
She let out a cry before noticing the man’s head leaning against the couch. He seemed to have fallen asleep. Penny heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he was not deliberately refusing to reply to her messages. It would have been so awkward if that were the case. Since he had fallen asleep, it seemed that she would not be able to achieve her goals for tonight. She got up and prepared to leave. When she caught sight of his agape collar, she hesitated before reaching for the blanket and placing it over him. Just as she bent over him, Caleb’s eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes opened. Their faces were extremely near, to the point they could feel the other's breaths landing on their faces. It was not Penny’s first time looking at his face from such a distance, but she was still stunned. Then, she felt a pair of warm lips meeting hers. Her eyes widened while the rest of her body stiffened. The pair of lips grew bolder and captured hers in a long kiss. Her heart felt like
“Madam Fergerson, I can explain.” However, Amber retrieved her phone and made a call to Sir Fergerson. “Father, could you send me Caleb’s wife’s number? I need to contact her.” She had never met Caleb’s wife before this, but given the high praise Sir Fergerson had showered her with, she was confident his wife was an educated and well-mannered woman. Caleb’s wife deserved to know that there were women blatantly pestering him. Moreover, the fact Caleb himself had allowed Penny to use his office while waiting for him indicated he allowed her to do as she pleased. It was time she knocked some sense into Caleb’s mind. He was a married man, after all. If things escalated to the point where Sir Fergerson learned of it, the other members of the Fergerson family would probably stir up more trouble. If it were not for the fact Caleb himself had admitted to the night’s happenings, Amber would never have been able to imagine him engaging in drunken sex. Frankly, even if he were to
“Take your jacket off!” It was the first time in years that Sir Fergerson had been so angry.Caleb knew that for the sake of Sir Fergerson’s health, he needed to unleash his anger in this very instance. Besides, he had no way of defending himself against the crime he was charged with. He had, in a way, betrayed the Penny they spoke of and had an affair. The butler took his suit jacket. All he had on now was a thin shirt. The whip made a loud crack when it slashed across his back. Sir Fergerson was extremely strong, thanks to his time in the army as a young man. He may have fallen ill now, but he still could wield the whip with plenty of vigor. Caleb’s brows furrowed together in pain. He felt the skin on his back split open.“I don’t care how many wild oats everyone else is sowing, but how could you betray Penny this way?! She’s such a wonderful girl. It’s such an insult to herself that she got together with you!” The whip slashed downward again and again!Soon, not a
Amber caught up to him after they exited the Fergersons' residence, and she sighed. “I wasn’t expecting your grandfather to be so angry, Caleb. I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault, Aunt Amber. This is between me and Penny.” The look on Amber’s face turned frosty again when she heard Penny’s name mentioned. “Don't blame me for sticking my nose into affairs either. Now that you’ve been whipped, it’ll be good to leave things in the past and cut ties so she doesn’t get dragged into further issues. I have no idea what your grandfather will do if he loses his temper again.” “I know what to do, Aunt Amber.” Amber knew she would get deemed annoying if she said anything else and fell silent. Caleb did not dare lean back against his seat after he got into the car.Sharp pains shot through his back. They were starting to become unbearable. Penny chose that moment to call him. “I’m at the hotel now, Mr. Fergerson. Will you be here tonight?” Caleb gripped the steering wheel with b
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