Penny had ridden in Caleb’s car earlier. If he had not shown up, she truly had no clue as to how she would leave later.Upon hearing this, she quickly nodded. “Alright.”Lily noticed that the two started chatting right in front of her, and they were standing so close. She quickly stepped in between them, pushing Penny to the side a bit.With no choice, Penny stepped back on her own.Lily tilted her head and took the painting from Caleb’s hand.“It’s just average, to be honest. Such a level wouldn’t even be recognized at my academy. I don’t know what my teacher was thinking today, giving it full marks.”Her words were somewhat rude, even belittling Penny in her presence.Currently, Penny was still at the Fays’ residence and had some requests to make. When faced with Lily’s rudeness, she chose to see her as a little princess who merely spoke her mind.Amidst this subtle silence, Caleb picked up from where Lily left off.“Penny’s actually your senior.”These words made Lily extr
After Penny spoke, she heard the sound of rain from outside.Cornelius had just come out of the kitchen at that moment. Seeing the rain, he said with a smile, “After this, many fresh mushrooms will pop up tonight.”It seemed that Cornelius really loved the woods. He walked to the sofa, sat down, and started talking about the things one could find in the mountains, instantly dispelling the previous odd atmosphere.However, as time passed, the rain outside became heavier, almost turning into a torrential downpour. Visibility quickly decreased, and the sky seemed very dark.Such weather in the woods was indeed terrifying.Cornelius then spoke up.“I’ll have the maids prepare some rooms for you. Stay the night. Nobody should leave in this weather. It’s dangerous to drive down, and we don’t know if there are any landslides.”After saying this, he specifically looked at Penny.“Penny, since you came with Caleb, you should also stay. I won’t feel comfortable knowing you two are drivin
Penny felt a bit embarrassed at that moment because there was not a thread under her towel, and she was completely bare beneath. When Caleb saw her like this, she felt like her whole body was on fire.Caleb held a tube of ointment in his hand and was wearing only a shirt. A few buttons of the shirt were undone, revealing his collarbone.Below that, bandages could faintly be seen.Penny realized that he probably came for her to help him apply the ointment.Their rooms were close, and she had bandaged him up before.She did not know where Sebastian’s room was, so it made no sense for Caleb to go far.Caleb’s gaze fell on her for a moment, and he turned to go back to his room.However, Penny was worried that if the ointment was not applied, his wounds might worsen.After all, he was whipped because of her.“Are you here to apply the ointment? Come in,” she said, stepping to the side.Caleb hesitated, his brows furrowing.If it was another woman dressed like this inviting him in
The places her fingers touched warmed up.His breathing faltered for a moment.Penny, however, was earnestly applying the ointment, ensuring she had not missed a spot before she took the bandages. She wanted to re-wrap them.However, the action of wrapping the bandages, just like before, required her to lean in. Thus, the distance between the two of them shortened to the point where their breaths intertwined.Caleb had turned his head away, a frown forming on his face.Penny knew he did not like being too close to the opposite sex, so she sped up her actions.When she was about done, she sighed in relief, but as her breath touched Caleb’s skin, he could not help but lean back a little.“Mr. Fergerson, it’s done.”Penny felt awkward and hastily tried to step back.However, because Caleb had leaned back, he inadvertently pinned a corner of the towel. When she stepped back, the towel was held in place and proceeded to unravel.Caleb turned around, only to have a towel thrown rig
When Penny came to her senses, Caleb was no longer in the room.Only then did Penny get so frightened that she almost fell off the couch, her complexion changing.What was Caleb up to?Was it because she was wearing so little or because the ambiance was good that he got briefly lost in his feelings?She frowned belatedly, thinking about those kisses that fell like feathers on her earlobe and neck, making her whole body burn.When Penny stood up, her legs still felt weak. She made her way to the bathroom, noticing her neck had turned red.What on earth happened?She washed her face with cold water, trying to snap herself out of it.However, the cold water seemed to evaporate immediately upon contact with the heat of her face.Penny felt a kind of restlessness, as if someone had deliberately teased her and then left without explaining why.Could it be?Did Caleb also harbor such worldly desires?Recalling the night they shared, she realized she would not be able to sleep toni
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene became subtly tense.Caleb held his cup and calmly took a sip of tea.Penny, on the other hand, was momentarily flustered by the statement.However, she quickly regained her composure, lowered her gaze, and spoke with a nonchalant tone.“Yeah, but he’s not some wild man. I was out all night and didn’t go back, so my husband called me.”As she said this, she turned to look at Lily and gave a smile.This was the first time Lily had heard that she was married. She quickly felt a bit embarrassed, thinking her previous antagonism was somewhat silly.She cleared her throat softly, just as Cornelius decided to speak up.“Lily, you should apologize. Why are you so casually saying such things? It’s only because Penny is good-tempered that she doesn’t hold it against you.”Realizing she had no grounds to target Penny, Lily quickly apologized sincerely.“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were married.”If she had known that Pen
Penny was somewhat baffled, wondering when she might have provoked him.As she got into the car, she saw that Caleb was already reviewing documents. The suit he wore was different from yesterday’s. This time, it was gray, which still suited him perfectly. It was as though he was made for these clothes. A ray of sunlight grazed his brow, giving him an aura of distant nobility.After Penny sat down, she closed the car door.From outside, Lily’s voice could be heard. Soon enough, Lily, with a bag slung over her shoulder, squeezed into the car.“Caleb, I’m heading to school, and it’s on your way back. Could you give me a lift?”Caleb looked up from his documents. He slightly raised his jaw and replied coldly, “I’ll be held up in Union County for a few days. I’m not returning to Imperial City today.”By this time, Lily had already gotten into the car and was trying to squeeze closer to him.“That’s fine. I can visit Union County too.”Her intentions were clearly elsewhere.Penny,
Sensing the mood, Penny nodded with a light smile. “Alright, goodbye then.”After saying that, she immediately turned and left.Caleb stood still, watching her receding figure. After a few seconds, Lily tugged at him.“Caleb, what are you looking at?”He did not answer but instead turned and briskly walked toward the inner courtyard.Penny took a cab to Leo’s house. She saw a crowd had gathered, including neighbors, all pointing and whispering about the Eastons.The Eastons’ front door was closed shut. Leo and Sue stayed inside and did not come out.Outside were several burly men, holding rods, looking like the men her aunt mentioned who were there to confront Nathan.Penny approached one of the men who was holding a rod. He was tall and muscular, his biceps bulging. They looked like they could burst at any moment.“Hello, what exactly did Nathan Easton do? Why are you blocking their house?”The man was surprised that such a beautiful woman would suddenly approach and ask, so
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