Penny stood dazedly in the living room after he left. She only moved when her stomach began growling. She raised a hand to her burning cheeks. She even felt short of breath. Hoping to conceal that fact, she quickly patted her cheeks and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She then opened the doors to her fridge. However, there was nothing in her fridge besides a pack of noodles. She was ravenous and had no choice but to make herself a plain bowl of noodles seasoned only with salt. After forcing herself to finish half of the noodles, she washed her bowl and pot. She tossed and turned while lying in bed. The words Caleb had said to her right before leaving replayed themselves in her head. Penny was an old-fashioned woman, which, given the circumstances, might sound ridiculous. However, before marrying Caleb, all she had dared do with her crush was form a secret pact that they would only date after getting into college because she was told not to date
The next morning, Penny received a call from Lucy. After lots of initial stuttering, Lucy finally revealed that Aurelia was at Dawn Haven Villa.“Ms. Bailey is extremely angry and demands you return to the villa this instant, Ms. Sullivan.” Nothing pleasant ever happened when Aurelia dropped by. Why should she head there and torture herself? The woman would not like her no matter what she did. She might as well avoid her. “Please tell her I am simply too preoccupied with work, Aunt Lucy.”Work was just an excuse, but after ending that call, she got a call from her boss telling her they had three batches of flooring from Jade Sandalwood Flooring. He even sent her a video, asking her which shipment she would like.“You’re very lucky, Penny. One of these batches was rejected by another client, and the other two are excellent-condition clearance items we found in the warehouse today. In fact, these two batches are in even better condition than the rejected ones. Take a look at t
Moreover, Yvette had a tendency to mutter things like 'Charlotte seems like a wonderful girl. She’s a wonderful artist, and Caspian spoke to her today. I wonder if he’s developing feelings for her?'Charlotte was good at art and considered talented among her peers. She was the one who would most likely become Robert’s disciple. Hence, she managed to break Yvette’s prejudiced views on a person's family background. Yvette allowed her to marry into the Fergerson family. Yvette was furious when Caleb and Charlotte began dating. She claimed Caleb had stolen his brother’s wife and would be punished by the heavens. However, after Caspian’s incident, Yvette began asking Caleb how things between him and Charlotte were going. At that moment, though, Caleb did not feel like she was showing him any concern. He felt repulsed instead. It felt like she was trying on Caspian’s behalf to get Charlotte to stay behind. Hence, she hoped that he would take over his brother’s role. That was why
Penny had walked out in such a hurry that she was still in her pajamas. She had merely thrown a jacket over her shoulders. “I’ll have the receptionist get a room ready for you.” Penny thought he was here on a business trip. However, he asked, “Is anyone else in your room?”“No.” The gloomy look in Caleb’s eyes subsided slightly after hearing that. “No need to go through the trouble.” Penny stood in stunned silence for a short while before slowly leading the man to her room. She had taken a shower before going to bed, and Caleb went into the bathroom to use it.Penny handed him the pajamas provided by Union Square.Union Square was a hotel specially prepared for VIPs, and their services were even better than what was available at five-star hotels in Imperial City. Their pajamas were made from silk, and every guest was entitled to a brand new complementary pair that was thoroughly cleaned before being delivered to their rooms. When she requested a pair of men’s pajam
“Allow me to put the hairdryer away, Mr. Fergerson.”Caleb released her. Penny returned the hairdryer to the bathroom and noticed the blister between his fingers when she returned. She immediately knew what it was. After all, she had just gotten burnt herself. Thankfully, she had obtained some ointment when she dropped by the hospital today. She took the ointment and dabbed some onto her finger before taking his hand into hers and using the tip of her finger to gently apply it.Caleb had not been paying attention to her. When he realized what she was doing, the pleasant, herby smell of the ointment had made its way to his nose. His eyelashes fluttered as he turned to look at her. However, Penny was not looking at him. Instead, she was gazing intently at his wound. When she finished treating his wound, she took her hand away and wiped off the excess ointment.Caleb asked her, “Why did you come all the way to Union County? Are you that hung up over that man?” Penny fro
“Remember to try asking the Shaw family some questions, Caleb. We can’t think of anyone else other than Charlotte right now. You can try looking into other members of the Shaw family as well. The item might not look very interesting, and he may have left it with the Shaw family.” Caleb had questioned Charlotte a long while ago, but Charlotte had had an extremely high fever for two days in a row several years ago. Her answer was that she might have just forgotten that Caspian had ever given her anything. “Got it. I’ll ask her once I’m back in Imperial City.” Finn narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t in Imperial City?” “Yes. I’m on a business trip.” Finn did not bother asking follow-up questions after hearing it was a business trip. Caleb glanced at the clock after he hung up the phone. It was nearly five in the morning. It looked like he would not be getting any sleep tonight. He returned to bed and lay there for a while before deciding to get up. His employees had already inf
When they arrived, Caleb pulled her out of the car after getting out himself.The group reconvened and listened to the person in charge discuss how the land could be developed. Penny realized that the beach was quite large. She had spent so many years living in Union County but had never known this place existed. Then, she heard the person in charge say, “The only con is that sandstorms sometimes occur here, but the last sandstorm was ten years ago. The device we have isn’t able to make precise detections and warnings, but if we had the proper equipment, this land could definitely be developed.”What he was hinting at was that if Caleb sponsored them with a machine that could accurately detect and send out sandstorm warnings, they would sell this land to him for a cheap price. Caleb cocked an eyebrow. Developing equipment like that was a piece of cake for Fergerson Corporation. “I’ll get someone from the office to scout the area. They’ll arrive this afternoon.”The team in c
Leo’s job required him to speak in the standard dialect. However, he had a thick Union County accent mixed in with his words.It was still much better than Nathan’s accent, though. Not only did Nathan speak rapidly, but his accent was also a mix of multiple different accents. Penny would never have been able to understand what Nathan was saying if she did not have prior experience speaking to him.“Why aren’t you saying anything? How did you end up trying to seduce a businessman? How does this make you any different from the women you see in the red-light districts?”Leo was so angry that even his fingertips were trembling. Penny knew the red light district he was talking about. Women would stand on the streets and prostitute themselves before Union County underwent restructuring. The women who walked past them always had the urge to spit on them. They were terrified these ladies would be why their families fell apart. She had passed by the area once with her aunt while she
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