Charlotte's face turned pale as she thought to herself, ‘Why did Penny have to show up at this very moment?’Penny's gaze landed on Charlotte, and there was a hint of surprise in her eyes."Ms. Shaw, was it you? Did you see what this woman looks like? Why did you just assume it was me? If I hadn't appeared, would everyone here have believed that I was a promiscuous woman?"Indeed, that was the case.If Penny had not shown up, everyone in the social circle would think that Caleb's interior designer had spent the night with a bodyguard.Sensational news as such spread like rapid fire.Charlotte was put on the spot. She feared that her reputation might be damaged if she answered poorly. She stammered, her voice shaky as she said, "Penny, you were only briefly seen in the entirety of last night. I assumed...""You assumed it was me without any further verification. Ms. Shaw, if you have any issues with me being Mr. Fergerson's interior designer, you can openly discuss my terminati
Luna's gaze was still fixed on the ground. It was the most embarrassing moment of her life, and she blamed Penny entirely for it.Everything seemed to have gone wrong because of Penny. If she had not tried to follow Penny last night, the bodyguard would not have shoved her into the room. If Penny had not shown up, nobody would have known that she was the one who slept with a bodyguard.Luna's resentment burned in her eyes as she stared at Penny. She wished she could tear her to pieces there and then.Penny remained composed and met Luna's hostile gaze without flinching. "Miss Luna, would you care to explain?"Luna's mouth was filled with a metallic taste, and her eyes were filled with rage.Charlotte, sensing the situation, quickly interjected. "Penny, Lulu is a victim here. Shouldn't you be a little kinder? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding caused by the bodyguard."The bodyguard knew where Charlotte was going, so he nodded quickly. "Yes, I made a mistake. I sincerely
Everyone expected Caleb to explode in anger. After all, Penny seemed to have crossed a line.Given that Charlotte was her employer's beloved, she should have chosen to smooth things over.Charlotte lightly tugged at Caleb's sleeve, her tone a blend of pleading and coquetry as she said, "Caleb, Lulu is the victim here..."She did not manage to finish her sentence as Caleb's lips uttered an icy word."Apologize."Charlotte's expression of affection froze in an instant. She wondered if she had misheard.The others also shared the same sentiment. Silence hung in the air, and no one dared to question the meaning of Caleb's words—except Luna. She believed Caleb was taking her side and rubbed her teary eyes"Penny, did you hear? Caleb wants you to apologize to me."However, that was not the case. Penny looked at Caleb, puzzled. For a fleeting moment just now, she thought he was instructing Luna to apologize. Slowly, the others just assumed that Caleb was indeed demanding an apol
After the audience dispersed, Charlotte escorted Luna to the car to emphasize their familial bond.Meanwhile, Penny remained stationary, her attention riveted on Caleb's deliberate approach.Oddly, an impulse to step back crept over her.Caleb moved closed, his gaze fixed on Penny. She looked up. The ripples of passion in her eyes from last night had dissipated entirely, leaving only the chill of reality."Penny." His voice broke the silence, and his intention to say more was apparent. However, Charlotte reappeared."Caleb, breakfast is ready. I'm sure none of you have eaten yet, including Jadey. Let's all head down to grab a bite."Charlotte's sense of crisis surged when she saw Caleb in such close proximity to Penny. Thus, she hurried over."Penny, I've already sent Lulu back home, and we're investigating the matter with the spiked drink. Since she's apologized, I hope you won't hold it against her."Her words carried an air of superiority.Penny did not care to pursue
Penny found herself momentarily stumped, unsure of what Caleb was referring to. She thought to herself, ‘Is he talking about the house or about what happened with Luna?’Her gaze shifted toward Charlotte. Given that Caleb had deliberately brought her over, she assumed that his question was related to Luna's matter."Mr. Fergerson, I don't have any ulterior motives. Miss Luna has already apologized, so I won't hold a grudge. Besides, she was indeed a victim." However, as she spoke, an unmistakable chill seemed to descend as Caleb's aura darkened."Is that all?" His voice sliced through the air, sounding icy and unyielding. The pressure he exuded was suffocating, causing beads of sweat to form on Penny's palms.Was Caleb looking to settle scores with her?"What do you propose, then? Miss Luna should indeed apologize to me. If I hadn't shown up today, I would've borne the blame. Even if you’re dating Charlotte, it's not right to distort facts and confuse right and wrong."Penn
Thinking about being compared to a man like Lucas, Caleb instantly became furious.He calmly picked up a tissue from the side and wiped off the fresh blood from the palm of his hand.“I had a meeting all night. I’m a bit tired.”Winston chuckled. “I heard you went to attend a meeting quite early last night. Is work that busy? Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t take it out on your own body.”“I won’t do it next time.”Caleb regained his composure, got up, and walked over to the side to call Finn.Finn was not on the first floor.“Caleb?”“Finn, delete all traces of me from last night.”Finn paused, wondering why on earth he should do that.However, he did not ask for specifics and simply replied with, “Okay.”After hanging up, Caleb glanced into the distance where Penny was about to get into someone else’s car.Just then, Charlotte came over.“Caleb, everyone’s leaving. Let’s go too.”Caleb nodded and walked toward his car without hesitation.Charlotte got into the car w
Penny was somewhat surprised. Since it was a business matter, she definitely had to be the proactive one. It was impossible for Caleb to humble himself to seek her out.“Did Caleb not refuse at that time?”Jade was genuinely curious, although prying into private matters was not very polite.Nonetheless, it was her cousin, the person she considered the best among the Fergersons.“He refused several times but eventually agreed.”A smile appeared on Penny’s face. She did not understand why Jade was suddenly asking this.Jade’s face immediately turned a bit red. She really did not expect Penny to have worked so hard just to sleep with her cousin.If Charlotte found out, she would probably be furious.Even so, Jade was not someone who would go spreading this matter around.The rest of the journey proceeded in silence.When they reached the road closest to the studio, Penny was about to get out of the car.Just as she was about to close the car door, she thanked Jade and was plann
Taking her time to get dressed, Penny began to carefully ponder the events of the previous night.She had a drink by the pool, courtesy of Jeremy, then went back to her room upstairs to change and rest.It seemed like nothing else had happened in between.Thinking it over, she could not figure it out. Had she done something to harm herself in her dream?It did seem like she had dreamt some inappropriate scenes last night.She massaged her temples, thinking that next time, she could not just accept drinks from others so carelessly.Still suffering from a hangover, she lay on the bed intending to rest. Just then, Laura called her.“Your phone was off last night. Uncle Sullivan seems to be waking up.”Penny suddenly felt wide awake and quickly sat up.“Did the doctor say that?”“Yes, the doctor tried to contact you last night but couldn’t. Your phone was off the whole night. If I didn’t know you were a goody-goody, I would’ve thought you’d run off to sleep with some random guy.”
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