"Is there anything else?"Penny turned her head to look at him. Her attitude was much more relaxed than before, and there was less caution in her eyes.The man stepped forward, pulling out two bills from his wallet."Business cards might not be of much use to you, but I think you might need this right now, kid."He stuffed the money into Penny's palm without allowing for objections.He continued teasingly, "You don't have your wallet or your phone. Do you plan to walk home or stand by the road, hoping for a kind-hearted person to give you a lift?"Seeing Penny's dazed and slightly stunned expression, the man's laughter grew louder.He waved his hand and stepped away."It's not a lot of money, so don't dwell on repaying me or anything. I just hope that when we meet again, you will have grown into a strong, independent woman."Penny still stood there silently, pinching the two bills in her hand.Honestly, she had rarely worried about money until she was 18.Or rather, she had
Penny's gaze landed on a straight, beautiful stick on the flower bed. It lay with the other freshly pruned branches and leaves in a pile, not yet swept away.The stick looked harmless—thin and straight.But Penny, who had been beaten before, knew that such small sticks were truly painful when used to hit someone, much like a whip.Francis, distracted by Penny's words, didn't react immediately. Penny went over and stripped the leaves off the stick.Francis was still in stunned silence when she headed toward the villa with the stick in hand."Ah…" Francis wanted to say something, but Penny was already far away.Inside the villa, Penny's portly father lay on the couch. In front of him was a brand-new wine set.Spencer seemed to be in a good mood as he was humming a tune under his breath.Julia sat on another couch, dressed like a wealthy lady. Her former enthusiasm for her husband had subdued, and her previous flattering demeanor was reined in.But she seemed to maintain some adu
"My God! What are you doing? What on earth are you two doing?"Penny only took a deep breath and threw away the stick when it broke. At the same time, a panicked voice rang out from behind her.She coldly looked at the man curled up in the corner of the couch, still shielding his face with his arms, and sneered in her heart.To think such a person was her father. It was ridiculous. Did he even deserve to be related to her?She flitted her gaze to Julia, who was sitting with a blank expression on another couch.As for this nominal mother, Penny didn't harbor much hatred, but she felt no significant emotion for her, either.After all, she had often heard terms like "jinx" and other humiliating nicknames from Julia.At most, she could say her mother never hit her. But as a mother, Julia had never cared or protected her.Even when Spencer hit her, Julia would only echo her husband on the side, afraid of upsetting him.If so, why did they bother to have Penny at all? It was disgust
Seeing the stern look on Beatrice's face, Spencer knew trouble was imminent.His father had died early, and he was raised single-handedly by Beatrice. Even at his age, Spencer's reverence for Beatrice outweighed any expectations one would have of a mother.Thinking about it now, the most rebellious thing he had done in his life was probably dating Julia in college and then insisting on marrying her despite opposition. That was when he was at his most defiant.But after graduating and returning home to take over the Lowe family business, his ignorance forced him to seek guidance from Beatrice once more.The rebellious spirit of his student days had gradually worn away under her cold scoffs, and every successful project was under her direction.Thus, any resentment born from Beatrice's strict discipline turned into respect with each piece of advice she gave.So, even after many years of marriage and having a grown daughter, he would become meek whenever Beatrice appeared. He would
They just needed to marry off Penny before this issue became public. With the two families already cooperating in their businesses, even if the matter leaked later, it would be less significant.Moreover, the men in their circle all behaved the same way—quickly losing interest in the old and seeking the new.If Penny's future husband grew tired of her because of these incidents, the Lowe family could simply cater to his interests and find a few more attractive women to please him.This would show their in-laws the Lowe family's sincerity in their cooperation. There was no need to worry about breaking their business relationship.Men, especially wealthy ones, often couldn't control their lower halves. Once their material needs were satisfied, more ambitions emerged.Beatrice's husband was like this, and so was her son. She had come to terms with it long ago. Nothing was more important than benefits.These men might keep to themselves for the first couple of years of marriage. But,
"Who are you calling an old beast? Who taught you to speak like that?""How can my plan possibly fall through? That's impossible!"As Penny finished speaking, both Beatrice and Spencer protested loudly in unison.Having lived to her age, Beatrice was accustomed to being treated with respect. No one had ever spoken to her with such foul language, so she was immediately enraged and embarrassed.Spencer was also unwilling to accept that his painstaking project had fallen through.He had gone to great lengths to cater to the other party's preferences, risking being scorned by everyone for sending his own daughter away.Yet, now he was being told that nothing had happened, and his business deal was ruined.If that was the case, why did he still have to endure being beaten up by Penny?He felt it was all in vain and couldn't accept the outcome.Spencer angrily declared, "You don't understand business matters, so don't talk nonsense. Just stay at home for now, and don't go anywhere.
"Penny."It was Julia. She had run out of the villa and, seeing Penny getting further and further away, had to raise her voice.Julia's voice couldn't be described as gentle. Perhaps due to years of indifference, she couldn't change her tone so suddenly.Penny stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her expressionlessly."What's the matter?"Julia couldn't be described as her mother, either.Compared to most mother-daughter relationships, the two of them were like strangers who had only met a few times.Perhaps they were even less than strangers.Strangers would at least be polite when they met, unlike the way they were.Julia felt a bit uncomfortable inside when hearing Penny's tone.Penny had treated Spencer that way because he was a despicable man. If it were Julia, she would have done the same, too. Maybe she would have even stabbed him.But Julia hadn't offended Penny.Back when she gave birth to her, she had at least taken good care of her for a year. She was Penn
Julia ignored the ridicule in Penny's eyes. After handing over the card, she stepped back, her meticulously maintained face showing a hint of impatience."You are my child, after all. I can't just watch you starve out there. Although I dislike you, seeing you reminds me of my past foolishness. But no matter what, I still have enough conscience not to let you die out there."Penny was somewhat surprised, though not fully understanding Julia's words.Although the temperature in June wasn't high, a lady who paid attention to skincare never liked the sun.Standing under the sunlight for a short while already made Julia highly impatient. She no longer wanted to continue the conversation with Penny."You know my situation. Giving you this much is already quite good. Don't come looking for me in the future."Penny understood now. Julia intended to use this money to sever any remaining feelings between them.But what feelings did they have between them in the first place?Penny had alw