Daniel held himself back. He shut his eyes. When he opened them again, his gaze was cold.He glanced at Rebecca, who was signing the form seriously. He was about to say she was becoming more and more like Sam, but he swallowed the words.What did it matter to him who she was like?Daniel pressed down on his pen so hard that the tip almost tore the paper. Ultimately, though, the form was filled out per the procedures.The divorce agreement had been signed, so there were no arguments over the assets. Things moved quickly.Soon enough, they received their divorce certificates. Everything seemed to end when they accepted the certificates.Rebecca sighed in relief when she accepted hers. Finally, everything was over …She tucked it into her bag, then smiled. She was about to bid farewell to Daniel when he'd already gotten up and left. He hadn't even spared her a glance.Maybe it was because he'd long since had enough of her. Now that he was free, he couldn't bear to spend another se
Daniel crossed one leg over the other. He tapped his fingers on his knee.Then, he looked up. "Mike, who do you think is your boss? Me or Jessica?"Mike was far from a fool. He immediately understood what Daniel meant. "I'm sorry, Mr. Winston. I know what to do now."He hadn't worked for Daniel long but did have a grasp on his personality. Daniel's tone hadn't been severe, but anyone who'd spent time with him would know he was mad.It was scarier than him allowing the anger to show. Mike didn't dare say anything else. He silently started the car.To his surprise, Daniel said, "I never agreed to turn the Crystal Bay place into our marital home. It's fine for you to be frank with Jessica if she asks."Anyway, even if I don't give that place to Rebecca, Jessica won't be moving in there."Mike subconsciously wanted to ask why, but he held himself back when he saw the look on Daniel's face. He'd be better off keeping his mouth shut.He didn't need to ask, though. Daniel explained wi
"Since you've put it that way, I'll accept them. That way, you can answer to Daniel. But …"Rebecca stopped spinning the pen. She smiled and continued, "Since the shares are now mine, I can do whatever I want with them. I hope he won't interfere."Mike nodded. "Of course." He pushed the agreement back to Rebecca.She signed it without argument. When she was done, she said politely, "Thanks for your hard work, Mr. Hester. Why don't you stay for a meal?"Mike turned her down. He packed his things and said, "Thank you, but I can't. Mr. Winston has other things for me to do, so I can't linger. Anyway, it's not mealtime. It wouldn't be good to hang around."Four Seasons had delicious food, but Mike had gotten to where he was based on hard work. He had to maintain his professionalism and complete all his tasks.Rebecca stood up with him. She checked the time. Indeed, it wasn't the time for food. She didn't persuade him to stay.She smiled. "I won't keep you, then. How about this? I ma
Rebecca paused.She was actually reluctant to part with Springford Estate. But it wasn't because of Daniel. Springford was a gift from George, something she chose for herself. Even if she hadn't stayed there for the past three years, it was different from the other vacant houses. She was in silent contemplation when a news notification popped up on her phone screen. It read: "The president of the Winston Group, Daniel Winston, is engaged to the daughter of the Brown family, Jessica Brown."An image was attached with the caption. In the picture, Jessica was in an evening gown, her arms hooked with Daniel, who wore a black suit. They looked like a match made in heaven.Rebecca deleted the notification, not even bothering to read more about it. Her tone turned icy. "Sell them all."She didn't linger in the room and got up from her chair. "I have other matters to attend to. I'll leave the rest to you, Sam. Let me get out of your hair for now."Sam could tell something was off abou
There were a lot of recent posts under the topic. But they were different from what she had seen before.After she heard about Daniel and Rebecca's divorce from Mike, she ordered him to hire people and made sure the news was trending. She wanted to let those nosy people in the entertainment industry know that she, Jessica Brown, was the one and only Mrs. Winston!So what if she had a bad reputation? In the end, she was the one who married into the Winston family.The entertainment circle was very power-hungry. They'd trample on the weak and kiss up to those in power. Who cared about her past?Sure enough, as soon as the news was released, many socialites came asking her if the news was true.After confirming the news, they gave Jessica their well wishes. Some of them even shamelessly asked for a wedding invitation.Jessica rolled her eyes and couldn't be bothered to reply to them.At that time, there were also many well-wishes online. Although most of them were Jessica's fans, t
Mike fell silent.He quietly stared at Ryan, who had his tablet in his hand. He did look like he'd gotten into an online fight.After a moment of silence, Mike made up his mind. He was an employee of the Winston Group. It was his duty to put the company first.After all, if the company's value went down, he would have to kiss his yearly bonus goodbye.Just as he was about to speak up, the door to the resting area opened.An impatient man walked out grumpily. He was clearly annoyed from being woken up.Mike glanced at Ryan, who had his attention on his phone and decided to report the situation to Daniel. He repeated to Daniel what he'd said to Ryan earlier, and asked for their next move.Daniel silently picked up his phone. He didn't even have to click on the news articles. The title alone was enough to give him a huge headache.He threw his phone aside and rubbed his temples. "Silence these netizens. And order the PR team to settle this with Jessica's best interests in mind. Ev
Daniel frowned at the name. Then, with forceful strokes, he crossed them out and set the contract aside. Ryan wasn't too concerned about Jessica's situation. After sampling a piece from each of the four boxes, he wiped his hands with a tissue and returned to his casual self. "Do what you want. After all, it's your wedding, not mine. But as your friend, I've said what I had to say. Don't regret it later. Just a heads up, I won't be attending your wedding.""Suit yourself," replied Daniel, who had started to work on the documents. Ryan sighed at Daniel's exhausted face and suggested, "Maybe you should take a break. There are no urgent issues for you to attend to right now. And don't you pay your employees to do the work for you?"Daniel's attention remained on the documents. "I can't sleep after being woken up by you guys."He wasn't that tired. Although he was woken up by Rebecca yesterday, he had a rare night of good sleep. He didn't even need to take his medication to fall as
Meanwhile, the PR team had also kicked into high gear.The Winston Group's official account issued a statement stating that the president of the company, Danie Winston, and Rebecca Brown, had long been planning their divorce. They used the signing time of the divorce agreement to prove that Daniel wasn't a cheating bastard, clearing his and Jessica's cheating allegations.On the other hand, Jessica's company was quick to back up the Winston Group's announcement. They published a lengthy essay on Jessica's account, stating that her feelings for Daniel were mutual. They even hinted that Rebecca only managed to marry into the Winston family because of George. The company worded the essay well. They portrayed Jessica's pain when she separated from Daniel and stated that Rebecca was the homewrecker. All in all, they wrote it as though Jessica was the real victim in this situation.Daniel and Rebecca's divorce was just them correcting their mistake. Jessica and Daniel were in love the e
Penny didn't have much free time over the past three years.As she had envisioned, during the first year, she honed her acting skills amidst criticism while also working as a translator.Later on, she felt that acting didn't hold much appeal anymore. Moreover, realizing that there weren't any roles left for her, she gradually gave up and moved toward working behind the scenes.She had some work during this period.It seemed that a daring reality show, not caring about potential risks, decided to capitalize on her controversial popularity and invited her to participate in one of their programs.The reason Penny agreed to participate was because the show's first season had a good reputation, and the payment offered was reasonable.Continuously doing translations could be quite tiring. After discussing with Cecilia and weighing the pros and cons, she eventually signed up for this TV show.Unfortunately, she had underestimated the darker side of human nature.The show's production
"Really?" Zane blurted out, staring incredulously at Sam, who nodded calmly. His unruly and carefree demeanor was restrained, and his composed attitude showed that he wasn't joking.Zane fell silent again, furrowing his brow as he intently observed Sam.It was as if he thought everything through in an instant, giving up without hesitation. He didn't even remind Zane of the request from years ago to take care of Penny. Instead, he said this would be the last time he would help out.Logically speaking, this should be a satisfactory outcome for Zane. After all, from any perspective, the Lowe family's scion would only be a burden to Sam.Looking again at Sam's attitude, it seemed he didn't want Penny to know he was the one quietly spending money to handle things behind the scenes.Since there was no plan to meet her, he didn't need to worry about anything after that. If that was the case, it would be better to just end it early.That way, if Sam saw Penny falling in love, getting mar
All those old scoundrels from the Lowe family undoubtedly ranked the highest. Then there was Jessica, the entertainment industry's national goddess, who also played a significant role.Besides them, there were a few minor celebrities who didn't really make the cut.However, as Sam's partner and someone who watched him grow up, Zane privately hoped Sam could find a better girl.So, he advised, "There are plenty of socialites in Riverwood, and Amdale has no shortage of beautiful young ladies, either, and Rookfort isn't much different."You and the Lowe family's daughter haven't even officially met…""Who said I haven't met her?" Sam interrupted him without a second thought.He had even seen her twice. How could Zane say they hadn't even met yet?The first time, she gave him all the money she had. The second time, he spoke up to help her get that role.After these interactions, they could be considered acquaintances.Zane choked up and couldn't find the words to refute.He was s
Because Penny declined his offer, Zane didn't insist. After a bit of small talk, he ended the call.He politely mentioned that if she needed any help, she could call this number again. If he could assist in any way, he certainly would.However, Zanw knew very well that, given Penny's temperament, she would rather give up what she had than actively seek help from a stranger.Yes, to Penny, Zane was just a stranger. He was a person she had met once but didn't really know.This time, Penny didn't respond as coldly as she did when she was 18. Instead, she exchanged a couple of polite pleasantries, mentioned that she would reach out if needed, and then hung up the phone.After that, she let out a long sigh of relief and lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, gazing at the view outside the window.There were fluffy white clouds in the azure sky and the greenery visible in the neighborhood. Sparrows were chirping persistently as they darted through the forest, and the cicadas loudly bu
Although the other person said only one word, Penny could still tell he didn't have any ill intentions.Because of that faint sense of familiarity, Penny didn't hang up the phone immediately. "Hello? May I ask what this is about?"The unfamiliar and distant tone probably made the man on the other end of the phone pause for a moment. It was only after a brief silence that he responded."Young lady, don't you remember me? It's Zane Moran."His voice carried a laugh, with a hint of teasing.Only then did Penny remember who he was, but she wasn't happy at all.Zane meant no harm when that incident happened back then. But despite that, over the years that had passed, he became one of the people and things Penny would rather not recall.Whether it was the exam she missed, the incident where Spencer took her to the hotel against her will, or Zane, who gave her 30 dollars for a taxi ride.She just wanted to hide all of them deep in her memories.The recent events had particularly made
"I'm fine. You all don't have to look so worried. You're making it seem as if something bad is going to happen to me."Penny looked at the two people at the door who were showing a range of expressions, feeling speechless.Cecilia was provoked by her words, and her eyes turned red."We're worried about you. You have no idea what you look like right now. You're almost like one of those disheartened protagonists in novels who hated the world."Penny clicked her tongue twice and said, "Aren't you exaggerating?"She didn't believe it. She was just worried about money. It wasn't like she had become disillusioned with life.Besides, she didn't dislike this world at all. On the contrary, she really liked it.Whenever Penny came across posts online suggesting that all humans should just die, she always felt like rolling her eyes. If they wanted to die, they shouldn't drag others with them.When searching for her own role in movies, TV dramas, and novels, Penny particularly preferred re
Penny's way of clarifying things was to simply tell the truth.Sometimes, trying to cover things up would just lead to needing 100 more lies to continue the cover-up. That would often end up making things worse and more ridiculous.It was better to tell the truth about the situation.To answer the question of why she lashed out at the Lowe family, she briefly explained her experiences over the years.Why didn't she attend the final paper of the college entrance examinations? She personally reopened that old wound.As for that man in the hotel, Penny didn't have much of an impression of him anymore. She only remembered not taking his business card and accepting 30 dollars from him.Why did she show up at that man's hotel room? She wrote it down truthfully—it was her father who personally took her and left her at the hotel, wanting to trade her like a commodity.Every single word was carefully considered and written by Penny.She didn't share much of these things with Cecilia. Th
Once the official statements were released, Penny's career being ruined became a certainty.The only surprising thing was probably that after the film crew issued their statement, the largest investor also requested to withdraw.The film crew was completely shocked, but there was nothing they could do. The scion was willing to lose money just to withdraw his investment, so what could they do?The amount of money in the compensation was nothing compared to the amount that the scion planned to invest. The production team would incur a significant loss.With one less investor, the project's status was essentially downgraded. They had much less room to manipulate their gains now, too.One would understand why the scion was doing this if they used their brain a little.However, the protests from the audience couldn't be ignored, and compared to the investors, it was clearly more important to keep the show going.After all, they could always attract more sponsors, even if the amount o
In addition to the widespread backlash caused by the phone recording, Penny's academic credentials were also scrutinized and exposed.Before the college entrance exam, she had always been the top student in her school and had never ranked anything else.However, in the college entrance exam, she barely passed the minimum mark for key institutions, far below her usual performance.Some people speculated that she had been cheating during regular exams and that her actual abilities were much worse.However, the exam results could be checked online, and the fact that Penny scored zero on the last exam was surprising.It was even more shocking that she was admitted to a top-tier university despite missing an exam. It was truly exceptional.But few people paid attention to this information.After all, the achievements attained through hard work couldn't be faked. Even if the results weren't as expected, it was undeniable that she was stronger than many others.Regarding this topic, t