Penny felt as if her head was struck by something. She was surprised at Taliah's style of talking.She knew Taliah as an artist under Jackson, who seemed to strictly abide by rules and laws, but Taliah herself was as bright and fiery as the sun.She appeared fearless about everything except matters related to Jackson.She seemed to speak her mind about anything, yet had no experience in romantic or sexual relationships.It was commonly known as—all talk.Other than discussing such matters with Laura, Penny had never talked about them with anyone else. She felt somewhat awkward now, not knowing how to respond.Nonetheless, Taliah did not let the awkwardness linger. Knowing there was nothing between Penny and Jackson, she resumed her haughty demeanor."If you want to sign me, you have to show some sincerity. You've seen my acting skills. My price isn't low, and if I join S.M., I need to terminate my contract with Astral Motion. If Astral Motion's top brass targets me, I won’t be a
That evening, Taliah returned to her rented room.Having only completed one TV show so far, her pay as a newcomer was quite low. Despite Jackson’s efforts, she only received 30 grand.Now, she was living off this amount.Jackson lived in a big villa, and she had thought about moving to be his neighbor, but the monthly rent there was four grand.Her 30 grand was insignificant in comparison.Moreover, after miscellaneous expenses, she had only about 15 grand left.Taliah was in urgent need of money. Even if she switched to S.M., she probably would not earn much in the short term.She had already researched the company and found it to be new, probably still developing its system and rules. She expected to be sidelined for a while after joining.Taliah, restless in her small rental room, thought of live streaming to make money as doing live-stream sales was quite popular.With her modest fame, she planned to earn 50 thousand through live streaming and then move to be Jackson's nei
Jackson immediately fell silent and hung up the phone.In Taliah's eyes, Jackson had always been like a god, focused solely on work, seemingly devoid of human emotions and desires.His daily routine was like that of an old cadre, with no openings for breakthroughs.She could not help but recall the time in her sophomore year when she went to his house and accidentally saw him showering, noticing his sizable endowment.Did he never indulge himself?Could he resist the urge?She wondered if Jackson had a lover.The more Taliah thought about it, the more her head ached. She became even more eager to join S.M., at least to keep Jackson under her watch.She sent Penny a pressing message, maintaining her proud demeanor.[Penny, if you don’t hurry up and take me away, Astral Motion is going to make me sign a long-term contract.]Penny knew Taliah was anxious upon reading this message.[I’ll have the lawyer go to Astral Motion and pay the breach of contract fee tomorrow.]After sen
Jeanie could not help but look at Shawn with a very proper smile."Uncle, I've heard some rumors outside recently, but I'm not sure if they're true."Shawn's face remained expressionless, his back straight."You know they’re just rumors."Jeanie was somewhat taken aback by his response. Her expression soured, but she persevered."I just returned from abroad and am not familiar with the domestic situation. However, I heard that my cousin quickly took a liking to his own designer after his divorce, and this designer turned out to be his ex-wife. Is that true?""If you're really interested in that, you should ask Caleb directly, Jeanie."Jeanie continued to smile gracefully, tucking her hair behind her ear."Alright, I'll find an opportunity to ask my cousin. I also want to remind him not to forget about my friend. He has been corresponding with her through letters, and she likes him a lot. I wonder if he has forgotten her since he hasn't written in recent months. "My friend is
She could only clutch the bed sheets tightly, the veins on the back of her hand clearly visible.However, the man's retreating figure was so hurtful and yet so resolute.Aurelia's eyes suddenly shifted to the ceiling, tears falling in large drops.Even so, she still did not think she was in the wrong. What was wrong with loving someone?From the day she fell in love with Shawn, she decided to devote all her energy to this love.It did not matter that he did not like her. She believed that in the years to come, he would eventually forget Maeve.Even when he remained indifferent after their marriage, it was fine. She would give birth to their children, securely binding him to her.She compromised step by step, never imagining this to be the outcome.Aurelia felt her chest was about to shatter from the pain. It was indescribable and unbearable, compounded by her inability to vent while lying in bed.She even forgot about Penny's existence. Everything she did was to attract Shawn'
Caleb finished his painting and carefully framed it, placing it aside to let the paper dry.His turbulent emotions had mostly subsided. He returned to bed, finally managing to sleep more peacefully.…The next morning, Penny left Dawn Haven Villa. She had already called her lawyer to arrange the payment of Taliah’s breach of contract fee to Astral Motion.Jackson had negotiated a favorable contract for Taliah, so the lawyer did not spend much more thought on it. However, Florence, having suffered so many losses at Penny's hands, was infuriated by losing another promising actress.At a luncheon, Florence unexpectedly encountered Jeanie, who approached her for a chat."Ms. Turner, I've heard about the recent happenings at Astral Motion. Is Penny bullying you?"First, there was the script incident. Then, Jackson was poached. Now, Taliah was taken away.Astral Motion had suffered significant losses in their few confrontations with Penny.Florence’s expression darkened. "Ms. Bailey
Penny had a feeling that the company would become livelier in the coming days.It was due to Taliah's exuberant personality, which easily endeared her to people.After Taliah left, only Penny and Jackson remained in the office.Jackson seemed quite troubled and sighed."Ms. Sullivan, I apologize for her behavior. She didn't mean any disrespect."Penny found it amusing."I actually like her. Maybe you're a bit too strict.""There's no square without rules. I've taught her what she has to know at Astral Motion, but she never changes. She's bound to suffer for it one day."Penny pushed the documents on her desk forward."The script she’s currently working on just started filming. She's the lead actress. I've read the script, and it's quite good. After she finishes this drama, we'll pick a more suitable one for her at our company."The drama Taliah was filming was called 'Phoenix List'. It was a grand female-centric period drama with excellent details on power struggles and quite
Caleb had already been asleep but was jolted awake by the barrage of messages.Opening his phone, he saw the social media post.Nani was missing?Immediately, the image of the dog's ingratiating face flashed in his mind.Yes, Penny used to always walk her and kept her at Dawn Haven Villa.He quickly got up and called Sebastian."Get everyone to look for the dog. Penny is very anxious."Probably nobody in Imperial City ever imagined a dog could make Caleb so worried.Penny had been searching the park for over half an hour but did not find Nani.The later it got, the more she worried Nani might have been targeted by dog thieves.Dog thieves often preyed on lost dogs and sold them to breeders.Penny felt cold all over, not just from the rain but also because of Nani.Nani was a gift from that person, and she could not afford to lose her.She wiped the rain off her face and quickly got back into her car, planning to continue searching along the road.Just as she was about to