Charlotte's face drained of color as she showed an expression of disbelief. She had thought Penny was an easy target and did not expect her to be skilled with words.Charlotte could not refute even a single sentence!Moreover, people around them had already started to comment."I've always wanted to say this, but Charlotte's behavior is indeed that of a mistress.""She's flaunting that necklace in front of the wife. How shameless.""The Shaws aren't even a top-tier family. What is she showing off about?"Charlotte felt as though she had an out-of-body experience. She stared hatefully at Penny.She thought to herself, ‘How dare this ugly freak humiliate me like this?! Bitch! Wretched woman!’She was about to lose her composure. She wanted nothing more than to slap Penny across the face!Nonetheless, she had to restrain herself.At the crucial moment, Madam Yvette spoke up to help Charlotte out."That’s enough. We're here tonight to appraise the painting. There’s no point ta
However, in the next second, Robert Zaki put down two paintings and rolled up the one that had been torn.“Who tore this up? I spent over a month on it. How ignorant.”He looked at Penny with furrowed brows.“Who tore this painting?”Penny pointed at Yvette, whose face instantly turned pale. The older woman said, “Master Zaki, what do you mean? Is this painting real?”Robert frowned. “I painted it myself. How could it be fake? Madam Yvette, since you’ve torn someone else’s work, naturally, you’ll have to compensate. Someone offered me 40 million for this at the last auction, and I didn’t even sell it then.”He was getting a bit annoyed as he rolled up the painting.“I can’t believe you’re this ignorant. It’s no wonder someone couldn’t help but sue you. You treat fake goods like treasures and mistake a fake one as genuine. You’ll come to regret this one day!”Yvette was speechless, and Charlotte was stunned.The painting she bought was fake?!How could this be?!She had spent
His grip on her tightened, and Penny suddenly felt as if all the oxygen in her lungs had disappeared. She could not speak, and a layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.Caleb despised her so much that he did not even want to question why her appearance had changed. He did not bother asking why she suddenly had heavy bangs and glasses, or even why she was dressed so plainly.Any incomprehensible behavior of hers, he attributed it to her deliberately playing tricks.“Is this amusing to you?”The veins in his wrist bulged, showing the force he was applying.Penny felt so choked that she thought she might actually die at that moment.She looked at Caleb’s handsome hands.Just days before, his beautiful hands were wrapped around her waist. His mouth, which was speaking such ruthless words at this moment, had lingered on her body.She slapped his hands, feeling like she was about to suffocate for real.“Penny Sullivan, I heard Zane is sick. If you don’t want something to happen to
It was the first time Penny had seen Caleb so angry.Lowering her eyelashes, Penny silently followed behind Jeremy.It was only when they reached a brighter area that Jeremy faintly saw the marks on her neck from being choked.He felt uncomfortable inside. “Was it Caleb?”Penny got into the car. Her throat was burning painfully, and even speaking hurt.“Yeah.”“He’s rather cruel to his wife.”Penny gave him a bitter smile. The woman who had just been holding her own in a battle of words did not know what to say right now. She felt somewhat bitter inside.“Penny, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Caleb usually acts high and mighty, but his temper isn’t that great. Nobody in Imperial City dares to provoke him now. Do you know why?”Penny did not speak; she just quietly touched her sore throat.“Anyone who can make a name for themselves on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley within three years is no pushover. People in both these places are crazy and can’t stand each other, yet he thri
After returning to The Rosarium, Robert called and furiously berated Caleb over the phone.“That damn kid! I wish I could tear him apart!“I’m furious! You married him and he feels wronged?! And he’s out there foolin’ around?!“My disciple! Robert Zaki’s disciple! Where did those people get the nerve to make such irresponsible remarks?!”Penny felt somewhat guilty. Her master had only come to Imperial City for a day, and it was for some urgent work. He hated public appearances, and yet, because of her, he appeared in front of everyone.After he finished venting, she quickly apologized.“Master Zaki, I’m sorry.”Robert was fuming.“What were you thinking? You were just going to keep hiding it?”“I don’t know.”Robert took a deep breath on the other end. “What happened to your voice? Why does it sound hoarse? Were you crying?”Penny coughed a couple of times and took a few sips of her medicine. Her throat was in pain.“No, my throat just hurts a bit.”“Little Penny, do you l
When Caleb walked in, everyone else instantly fell silent.Grinning, Winston handed him a glass of alcohol.“You arrived too late tonight. You missed all the exciting drama. Caleb Fergerson, your wife is quite interesting.”Caleb had just finished dealing with the Fergersons' pile of issues. Now, Yvette was hospitalized out of anger, and the Shaws were still complaining.Penny Sullivan had stirred everyone into unrest!Winston patted Caleb on the shoulder.“Although she’s not much to look at, she’s rather eloquent. Marrying her is also a blessing for you.”Caleb, having had a rough day, lowered his eyelashes and coldly retorted, “Do you want this blessing?”Winston immediately fell silent.After all, he preferred beautiful women.Caleb took a sip of his drink, leaned slightly back, and unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt collar. His eyes were cold and clear.Winston tried to comfort him, saying, “Come on, forget about her. What are you planning to do about Charlotte? After
At the moment, Penny was holding a resume. The woman’s name was Winona Zeller. She had just joined the company earlier this year. Penny decided to call her in.Winona was 21 years old, and she was petite and pretty.Looking her up and down, Penny then asked, “Can you serve as the CEO’s assistant?”Winona hesitated for a moment, then nodded.She had heard about the new CEO’s style of doing things. This was an opportunity for a promotion.“Then go to the HR department to process the job transfer. Come to the top floor in the afternoon. I’ll have a workspace set up for you.”Winona nodded again. She was not talkative, but what Penny said was final.Penny was satisfied with this.On the other hand, Charlotte, who was just humiliated yesterday, had swollen eyes from crying so much.She had heard that Yvette had woken up, so she went to see her first thing in the morning.Yvette had returned to the Fergerson Estate. Hearing that the court was still waiting for her to appear, she al
Penny’s office had fallen into an eerie silence. Neither she nor Winona spoke.After a while, she stood up and said to Winona, “You’ve worked hard. You can go now.”Winona hesitated for a moment, then nodded.After leaving the company, Penny went to the Sullivans’ villa.There was no way she could apologize to Charlotte, and now the board members were not on her side. She stood no chance fighting this battle alone, but she also could not let these people take advantage of her!She arrived at Zane’s room door. After thinking for a moment, she gently knocked.A coughing sound came from inside, and Penny instantly felt guilty.She had promised to make the company better, but due to her impulsiveness, the company was now targeted.“Come in,” Zane said, pausing to catch his breath.Penny walked in and sat beside the bed.“Dad, I want to sell my shares.”Zane’s eyelashes quivered, and after a minute of silence, he replied, “Do as you wish, cough cough.”“I’m sorry.”“What are yo
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