Although she knew that people around her would not notice this because of the tablecloth, Penny still felt ashamed.With one hand injured and the other holding a spoon, Penny was defenseless.This must be Caleb’s retaliation for the wine she had spilled on him earlier, causing him a public humiliation. How could he let her go so easily?Now, he was back for revenge.She gripped the spoon even tighter. She was unable to sip her stew, fearing someone might notice the secret interplay beneath the table.Lucas, noticing Penny’s flushed face, quickly asked, “Penny, are you feeling okay? Your face is all red.”Penny bit her lip and shook her head.Caleb, seated to her right, was using his right hand to drink the stew. Yet, his left hand was on her thigh.To the outside world, everything seemed normal, except for Penny’s overly reddened face.When Caleb took his first sip of stew, his eyebrows furrowed.His tongue hurt.The bite Penny had inflicted earlier was no joke, and the hot
Penny had two phones. Sometimes, each phone had a SIM card, and occasionally, both SIM cards were in one phone.She frowned, tiptoeing to reach for it.However, Caleb deliberately held the phone higher, gazing deeply at her.“So, it's really your work number?”“No.”As soon as she replied, her phone rang.Penny’s heart skipped a beat. The screen displayed an incoming call on SIM 1, labeled Jeremy.SIM 1 was her personal number. Since Jeremy already knew her identity, there was no need to hide it. He was aware of both numbers.Seeing Jeremy’s call, Caleb hung up immediately.Then, he dialed Penny’s number from his own phone.The screen now displayed an incoming call on SIM 2, labeled Mr. Fergerson.Between Jeremy and Mr. Fergerson, it was clear who was closer to her.Caleb almost laughed out of frustration. At this moment, he felt humiliated.He looked at Penny, his eyes sharp and lips tightly pressed. His expression was like a sharp knife.“What’s your personal number?”
Charlotte had never felt threatened before. Even Caleb’s wife did not make her uneasy. However, Caleb’s deliberate choice to come to this restaurant and sit next to Penny was a sign of unrest.She did not want to admit it, but it seemed like Caleb genuinely cared about this woman—or else he would not have gone through such efforts.Perhaps he had not even realized it himself.Her nails were nearly digging into her palms. When she dated Caleb in the past, he would gift her luxury items but never took the initiative to hold her hand—let alone kiss her. She assumed he believed in platonic love.Yet now, seeing him wanting to merge Penny into his very being, the idea of platonic love seemed like a joke.She could not wait any longer. Injuring that woman’s fingers was not enough. She needed to ensure Penny would never see another day!Penny’s response had thoroughly pleased Caleb, softening his attitude.“Get in my car.”“Mr. Fergerson, aren’t you taking Ms. Shaw home?”Instead of
“Speak up.”Penny did not respond, so he began thrusting harder.However, he was quite careful to protect her hand. “Penny, everything about you is perfect, except for your taste in men.”Penny simply closed her eyes, hoping for him to finish quickly.Since she was injured, Caleb did not torment her excessively. When he finished, he even wiped the sweat from her forehead.This time, Penny truly was not worn out by him. He was cautious due to her injury, limiting himself to one position and direction, making the experience less satisfying for him.She felt she had the upper hand.This marked the eighth time.Exhausted, she glanced at her phone. It was only 2:00 am.“You really don’t plan to give me your personal number?”He tried to reach for her phone again, but Penny quickly placed it into her bag.The satisfaction on Caleb’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold stare.He had held back this time, allowing her to find pleasure as well. Her face had shown traces of en
When she woke up, Winona had contacted her, informing her that the contract with Three-S Corporation had also been signed.With contracts from Bauer Builders and Three-S Corporation in the upcoming months, Sullivan Corporation would not face too much hardship. However, the decisions about the upper management had not been finalized.She had reviewed the documents several times. The selected candidates were all young, but beyond their thin resumes, she was not familiar with any of them.“Ms. Sullivan, Sullivan Corporation is about to face a bidding process along with several other companies. This project was approved by Mr. Sullivan a year ago to expand Sullivan Corporation’s size, adding more production lines. The bidding for the land in the east city is tomorrow. I was worried you might not be aware, so I wanted to remind you.”When Zane was the CEO, he indeed had plans to expand the company.Now that Sullivan Corporation had committed to the bid, even if Penny did not want to ex
“Do you have any requirements for the area?”“It shouldn't be too small. That room should have a separate bathroom so that it’s convenient to get water and clean painting tools.”Penny had not expected him to have such a requirement, so she just nodded. “I understand.”“The walls should be white. In the future, many paintings from other artists will hang there. You should also keep an eye out for this. Decorate the room entirely with other artists’ works, both domestic and international. They should be divided into two sections.”After all, landscape paintings from abroad differed from those in their country.Domestic ones had a unique elegance and style.“Mr. Fergerson, I’ll take care of it.”“Also, I don’t like portraits.”Meaning, she could choose works from other artists, but no portraits.Penny pursed her lips, feeling that Caleb had added to her workload. However, he was the client, and having made a request, she had to fulfill it.“You're Robert Zaki’s star disciple, s
She seemed off. Her pupils were unfocused, as if she had lost her soul.It must be because her bandage had gotten wet, making her believe her hand was injured again and would never heal.He pulled her into his embrace, quickly taking the shard of glass from her hand.Fortunately, her hand was not cut.“It’s okay, it just got wet. We can change it.”He was genuinely concerned for Penny, but she pushed him away.“Just change the bandage?”She scoffed coldly. “In your view, of course, it’s just a change of bandage. After all, how can my hand be as valuable as Ms. Shaw’s?”Caleb frowned; that was not what he meant.Meanwhile, when Charlotte saw Caleb embrace Penny, jealousy consumed her.She cried even harder, feeling more wronged.“Caleb, didn’t you see? This woman wanted to ruin my face! How could she be so malicious?”Penny felt nauseated hearing this.“Malicious? Perhaps you can explain why on the day my hand was injured, yours was too, Ms. Shaw? And why did you just happe
She had not expected Caleb to find the person so quickly.After getting into the car, Caleb did not immediately press the accelerator. Instead, he asked her, “Does it still hurt?”Penny had already removed the wet bandage herself, and a splint was still on her hand.Caleb moved to the back seat and took out a small first aid kit from the car. He fetched a bandage, took her hand, and began wrapping it around her wound meticulously.The bone injury still looked severe, indicating how painful it must have been at the time.His heart ached, a feeling he had repeatedly experienced these past days.Penny remained silent, still feeling somewhat dazed from the earlier altercation.After wrapping the bandage, Caleb looked up at her and said, “If Charlotte was behind this, I won’t protect her.”Penny simply closed her eyes, which greatly annoyed Caleb.He felt unappreciated.He tossed the first aid kit to the back and stepped on the gas.When they arrived at the villa, there was alrea
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