Penny sat silently in the car, with Sebastian driving and Caleb sitting beside her.Their legs touched, and he could feel her warmth through the thin fabric.The dim lighting inside the car and the streetlights outside cast fluctuating shadows on her face.This sort of interplay of light and shadow was creating a distracting effect.For ten minutes since they got into the car, Penny had been glued to her phone, seemingly oblivious to Caleb's presence.Caleb was initially angry, then felt a sense of helplessness.He noticed Penny's hand resting on her knee, and she was seemingly deep in thought.She was probably irritated as she leaned back and closed her eyes.Her right hand was holding her phone, and her left hand was on her knee. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyelids were closed. She looked very quiet.After a minute's hesitation, Caleb slowly reached out and gently held her hand that was on her knee.Penny stiffened visibly, opening her eyes to meet his intense
The cool breeze eased the heat on her face, making her feel much better.Was Caleb doing this on purpose?Teasing her until she felt uncomfortable, then starting to work as if taking revenge for her focusing on her job earlier?Her brows furrowed, and she could not help but glance at him. Yet his expression was so serious, as if he truly had urgent work matters.Penny felt a little aggrieved. She lowered her eyelashes, trying to focus her thoughts back on work. However, her gaze kept involuntarily drifting to his hands.She truly liked Caleb's hands. They were more attractive than those of the best hand models. In fact, there was not a single unattractive part on Caleb—his face, his physique, and even his most private parts were perfect.He certainly had the means to play with women, but she did not want to be one of them.Suppressing her agitation, she managed to calm down amid the sound of his keyboard typing. The car had already stopped in front of the mansion.A staff m
Francis became increasingly irritated as he thought about it, even considering asking Caleb to leave. He wanted only Penny to stay for dinner.However, deep down, he still hoped for a reconciliation between them.Although he had promised Penny not to meddle in their affairs again, Caleb was his grandson. Naturally, he wished the best for him.Thus, after a sarcastic remark, he pointed upstairs."Old Sanders asked me to paint him a landscape. Penny, Caleb, why don't you two go and paint it? Dinner won't be ready for another two hours. If you work together, you'll surely finish faster."Penny was Robert Zaki's last disciple, and Robert excelled in traditional painting.She had painted with Caleb before. Long ago in Union County, she had discovered that Caleb was quite adept at painting and shared a similar understanding with her.Francis' suggestion seemed to be an attempt to bring them closer.Unable to refuse in his presence, Penny agreed.Francis instructed them to start imme
Before, Caleb did not want to face his feelings for her and was too lazy to investigate, which led to many mistakes.Recently, her cousin's incident added another grudge against him, so it was only natural for her not to talk to him.Penny stiffened for a moment before pushing his hands away gently. She was worried that the ink on her brush would fall onto the paper, so she did not dare to use too much force.She was doing delicate work. A slight error could ruin the whole painting."Caleb, if you're bored, go downstairs and don't disturb me."Caleb fell silent. He quietly held her waist without a word.Penny, realizing he would not listen, decided to focus on completing the rest of the painting.There was a knock on the door. It was probably a staff member bringing water.Penny quickly pushed Caleb away, but he clung to her again.She had noticed before that Caleb had a bit of a childish nature.Stubborn, petty, moody, and cold to others."Let go of me."Caleb, hugging her
"No need," Penny refused crisply."You should stay here and spend more time with Grandpa Fergerson."Saying this, she headed straight for the main entrance without hesitation.Caleb grabbed his suit jacket and followed her.Penny really did not want to ride with him again, but upon leaving, she realized she had arrived in his car. Now, to return, her options were either to have a driver from the mansion take her or to walk, as this area had no cabs.Footsteps sounded from behind, and Caleb draped his suit jacket over her shoulders.The recent spring rains had left a chill in the air."Put this on. I'll take you," he insisted firmly.Penny did not argue further and got into the passenger seat.Caleb drove, but his phone rang almost as soon as they set off. Not checking the number and needing to focus on driving, he answered the call on speaker."Speak."The same coquettish voice as before came through. "Caleb, darling, why are you ignoring me? I miss you so much. Don’t you mi
A profound sense of defeat overwhelmed him, leading to a loss of control and a feeling of suffocation."I don't know," Penny answered, which surprisingly calmed him down.He looked down at her, relieved that she had not mentioned any other man's name. She simply said she did not know.His heart that was tightly gripped finally got a chance to breathe, and he embraced her."Then why don't you give me a try?"His tone softened as he relaxed."Mr. Fergerson, you don't really like me that much."As soon as she finished speaking, she heard him let out a cold scoff.Under the dim streetlights, his naturally pale skin seemed to glow even in the dark.He gazed down at her face. He did not care about the passersby as his eyes intensely focused on her.His emotions ran deep."Penny, you keep saying I don't really like you, but in fact, it's you who don't want to admit that I do. You've negated my feelings from the start, refusing to face me or take responsibility for anything that hap
Penny suddenly shook off his hand as his words echoed a past memory.Once, someone else had said the same to her—'Penny, from now on, I will be good only to you.'Yet what was the result of that?Throughout her life, the only time Penny had ever rebelled was when she wanted to experience love during that period.That person became her rebellious phase, silently permeating her youth with time.Now, hearing Caleb utter the same words, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu and instinctively looked around."Mr. Fergerson, it's late. You should head back," she said, effectively rejecting him.Caleb casually looked down and lit a cigarette, hiding his disappointment."Yeah, I'll just smoke another one."Penny said nothing more and hurried into the hospital.Just before entering the main door, she glanced back at him.He was leaning against the car, half in the light and half in the shadow. The tip of his cigarette was glowing.He looked up once again, and Penny quickly turned her he
He did not want to be involved in this family's affairs.Regardless of Mrs. Scoll's character, it was none of his concern. However, now that Taliah had asked him, he felt an inexplicable irritation and even wished he could turn back time to advise Mrs. Scoll of the past.Knowing the harm it would cause her child, why did she continue to make mistakes?Infidelity from either parent could cause immense harm to a child.If one could not remain faithful in marriage, one should not enter it lightly.Jackson believed he understood this, which was why he found the concept of marriage illusory."Mr. Jackson, do you also believe what those people had said?"Taliah's tone was urgent as she desperately hoped for his denial.She clutched at his clothes, her eyes growing wide.Jackson removed her hand."Your mother was a good mother, so what others think of her doesn't matter. What matters is that she was good to you."Upon listening, Penny understood that Jackson probably knew some insi