Soon, Rebecca quickly learned the news from Ryan.Not only him but others also sent her videos of the commotion at Daniel's wedding. Even Sam sent his congratulations, celebrating her ex-husband getting cheated on—multiple times at that.During the wedding, they played a video showcasing the love story of the newlyweds. However, halfway through, the video had cut to the bride's countless sex tapes. It was in HD as well.Aside from Jessica, the "actors" in the sex tapes were constantly changing. There were even videos of orgies. All in all, Jessica was clearly a woman who knew how to have fun.What was even more interesting was that after the host hastily turned off the big screen, every guest attending the wedding received an anonymous email containing the remaining video. Not only that, but the email also included a hospital medical record.To no one's surprise, Jessica had AIDS. She had been receiving treatment for a year now, with relapses in between. Her most recent vi
Rebecca turned around once she heard that melodious voice. She first noticed a pretty woman elegantly leaning against the fence. The woman donned a vintage dress and seemed like someone rich. A set of brows that resembled Rebecca's sat on the woman's face. They framed her lively features well. All at once, an indescribable emotion suffocated Rebecca. It made her panic. It wasn't her first time seeing the woman. The entire Johnson family had met Rebecca after her DNA test abroad. Yet, today was different because one could say it was her first time officially returning home.Rebecca gazed at her mother, who stood nearby. Her eyes couldn't help reddening as she resisted the urge to cry. A smile curved on her face as she said, "Mom, it's me. I've come home with my brothers."The gorgeous woman named Zelda Stigg teared up at once. She missed Rebecca dearly the 20 years they were apart. Not only that, but she had even fallen ill from her constant longing. Now that she had seen her daug
When Ryan rushed to Riverwood Hospital, he saw a still unconscious Rachel in her ward. The room was silent, so he dared not make a sound. He stepped lightly into the room and looked at Daniel, who stood near the window.Daniel had already taken off the suit he wore to the wedding and tossed it onto the couch by then. Only a white dress shirt remained on his body. One couldn't help finding Daniel lonesome upon seeing the back of his figure.Ryan felt it was inappropriate to say anything since Rachel was on the bed. So, he crept toward Daniel's side and typed a message on his phone. It read, "Are you okay?"Daniel turned to face him with little to no emotion. "Are you here to see what kind of a joke I've become?"He couldn't care less about disrupting his unconscious mother's rest. After all, they had sent her to the hospital not long ago, and the doctors had given her some sedatives through her IV drip. Because of that, he wasn't afraid of waking her.With a sigh, Ryan answered in
Jessica stiffened once she heard that. Every bit of arrogance she showed earlier turned to fear, and she dared not look toward the door. The words he told her echoed in her head, "If you fail to marry Daniel, you'll …" The memory of the man named C choking her made her struggle to breathe even now. With a gulp, she respectfully asked, "W-Why are you here?""Me?" C's lips curved beneath the silver mask as he approached her. "I've been in your home all day. Didn't you know? Oh, that's right. Your entire family attended your wedding, so it's natural that you're unaware of when I came here. Then again, that doesn't matter, right?"Jessica unknowingly took one step back. Words gathered at the back of her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. C soon closed in and trapped her against the side of her bed. Her body trembled as she muttered, "P-Please, I'm begging you! I don't want to die …"Had she known this would happen, she wouldn't have made a deal with this terrifying de
The Johnson and Winston residences were the same. Their older generations had built their family homes, and both houses had a long history. Yet, their architectural styles differed because they had separate regional cultures. The Winston residence sat against a mountain. Meanwhile, the Johnson residence had a stream that flowed past its front gate. Vining flowers and plants covered the fences surrounding their estate. Upon entering, the many fruit trees with thick trunks proved how long these trees had existed. Further in was the elegant, vintage house. Yet, the insides had various modern furnishings and decor.Rebecca only saw the house's interior through her past video calls with Zelda. Now that she had seen it in person, she felt her ancestors' taste in furniture was incredible. Still, it wasn't the right time to admire those things because she needed to locate her nephew first.The group hurried after entering the Johnson residence. They split up and searched around for
"Go and find a doctor who'll cure you instead of throwing a psychotic tantrum at me." Sam instantly stepped back when Serena came close to him. His brows gathered with the utmost disgust. "My mother's family name is Stigg, so I don't have a cousin from the Seales family! Don't fucking act like you're close to us! Tabitha, escort her out!"He didn't want to waste a single breath on her. He led Rebecca away without sparing any respect for the heiress.That pissed Serena off so much that she stomped hard on the ground. She was about to chase after Sam when Tabitha stopped her. "Please don't make things difficult for me, Ms. Seales," Tabitha stated. As an outsider, she couldn't comment on how Serena often visited the residence when Zelda hated it. The worst part was Serena had insisted on coming when today was Rebecca's official return. Serena kept wanting to take part in the Johnson family's affairs. Because Serena was a relative of the family, Tabitha couldn't interfere. Still,
Rebecca had sprinkled some cheese onto the stuffed tomatoes. It smelled great and was still warm from baking. That became an undeniable temptation for the already starving Oliver. No matter how firm his mental resolve was, he couldn't help gulping. He wanted to accept the tomato Rebecca handed to him. Oliver reached out but quickly retracted his arm. His doe eyes focused on Rebecca as he muttered a strict reply. "Daddy says everyone must eat together at the dining table. We can't sneak food in the kitchen."He had uttered those words seriously yet kept gulping. That made him appear even more adorable. If not for Rebecca's oily hands from cooking, she would've given in to his cuteness and patted his head. She couldn't believe how lovable her little nephew was. "Well, how about you don't tell your daddy about this? Besides, look at your Uncle Sam …"Rebecca turned to snatch the buffalo wings from Sam and rat on him, only to realize he had disappeared from the kitchen before she n
Everyone present was stunned momentarily by the kid's words, but soon they started laughing. Even Sam, who had been pulling a long face, and Caleb, who rarely showed much expression, couldn't help but smile. Everybody was touched by the question but soon felt sad by the circumstances that led to that question. Oliver mightn't feel so lonesome if his mother were by his side. He might've grown up as happily and as healthily as his peers and would've been more expressive. What a pity!Rebecca smiled when she heard the question, but felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She couldn't understand the others' reactions. She turned to Oliver earnestly and answered, "I'm sorry, my dear nephew but I can't be your mom. You also can't call me pretty miss. You need to call me Aunt Becca, because I'm your dad's sister. So, I can't be your mom."Oliver's eyes grew bigger as he tried to digest what he was told. It was only moments later when he responded, "Aunt?""Yes, I'm your aunt an
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