Daniel happened to be driving when he received the picture. He glanced at his phone while waiting at a traffic light junction. Thanks to the playful message, he decided to pick up his phone. After that, the man found it difficult to rip his gaze away from the picture.An old sign which was clearly weathered over the years was covered by the halo of the neon lights. A charming woman clad in a custom-made dress stood in her heels with a black suit jacket draped over her shoulders. Her fair and slender arm was linked delicately with the arm of the man who was standing next to her. That picture looked more like a vintage movie poster depicting the city in the last century.Even though there was a significant distance between the photographer and the couple, Daniel could still recognize the woman even though the picture only showed the lower half of her beautiful face.Naturally, he could also recognize the man whom she was linking arms with. It was Sam Johnson, the president of XR Enter
Daniel started rushing toward the center of the dance floor without any hesitation.When Sam witnessed the scene unfolding before his eyes, he shot up from the booth as well before striding toward the pair with a stormy look on his face.However, both men halted in their tracks the next moment.A loud bang could be heard coming from the dance floor. The moment Ryan was about to touch the fabric hanging near Rebecca's hips, he felt himself getting launched over her shoulder before slamming onto the dance floor unceremoniously.Everyone was startled upon witnessing the scene, which resulted in a deafening silence. The saxophone music was the only ambiance in the nightclub, which formed a sharp yet amusing contrast with the scene that had unfolded.Rebecca didn't bother sparing a glance at the man who was lying on the floor. Instead, she shot a look at Daniel, who stood far away from her.Then, she tore her gaze away before finally glancing down at Ryan, who was lying by her feet. A
"That's impossible!" Daniel denied that possibility on the spot. At the same time, he turned to look at the bustling dance floor instead of Ryan.He continued, "If I really liked her, why would I divorce her in the first place? As for the reason why I keep dragging the divorce out—"The man spun his glass around before leaning over to place it on the table. "Just think about it. News of our divorce has just spread, yet a bunch of suspicious people have already barged into her life. We're still childhood friends at the end of the day. I can't just sit by and let her walk into danger."Ryan was unhappy with that statement, as proven by his frown. He still had an unlit cigarette between his lips as he said, "I don't care if you slander other people, but why did I get dragged into this mess as well? Are we even best friends at this point?"Daniel shot Ryan a glance before huffing in response. "It's precisely due to how well I know you that I dragged your name through the mud as well."
Once the progress bar was fully loaded, the folder containing the video evidence reappeared in Rebecca's email inbox. At the same time, a chat box popped up on the monitor.Caleb: "Becca, have the videos been restored?"Becca: "Yup! They've been completely restored! Thank you for your help, Caleb!"Caleb: "It's nothing. Besides, you'd have completed this task without my help anyway. By the way, I got my hands on the security footage of that woman's accident as well as her medical records. You can take a look at them. Feel free to contact me whenever you need me."Rebecca received another email in her inbox.After downloading the contents, she clicked on the medical records. Once she was done reading the entire document, her eyes had already gone slightly wide. She started having mixed feelings about what she just read.She sent Caleb another message.Becca: "This seems pretty … interesting, to say the least."Caleb: "You have yet to feast your eyes on the real surprise. I'll se
"How could you say that Four Seasons isn't to be blamed here? Let's talk about facts here!" the man with the metal baseball bat argued loudly.Rebecca looked down, clearly noticing the thing in the man's hands. A smile played on her lips at that moment. "Are you saying that you want to talk about facts?"He promptly hid his hand behind his back. The bat then clattered noisily against the cement ground, the loud sounds of ringing metal continuing to echo as the pipe rolled across the ground.Only when the bat got blocked by a stone in its way did it stop rolling, thus restoring silence to the scene.A moment later, the man swallowed loudly before reiterating, "Yes! Let's talk about facts!"Rebecca nodded in response. "Not a problem. Tell me, how is Four Seasons to be blamed?"Her nonchalance successfully reignited the flames of rage in the man's eyes. Now, he was brimming with confidence once more.How dare this woman and the kitchen staff think they were in the right? It was a s
"For those who have made reservations to dine here today and were affected by the temporary closure of our restaurant, you may come here anytime in the future with your reservation details. We'll serve you three of your favorite dishes for free. You may order anything as your freebies. The appreciation of culinary delicacies is very subjective. We at Four Seasons respect our customers' tastes and preferences. If your preferences truly clash with our food, you may select other dishes or even head to another restaurant. We aren't bold enough to claim that our food is able to satisfy everyone's taste buds, but we're very confident in the food we serve."Rebecca continued, "Last but not least, our doors will no longer remain closed. Our business hours will remain the same. Those who have made dinner reservations can come over right now. You may change your reservation time as well. To the patrons and the people present, please take care of yourselves when you're traveling. We hope that we
There was an image posted right above the message with the question. It showed Rebecca applying medicine to a wounded person at Four Seasons. However, no one chose to say anything about it.However, when Albert asked the question on the group chat, everyone started answering him right away.Ethan: "@Sam, let's not talk about what happened at the nightclub for now. It's fine for Becca to go there and have fun, seeing as she's an adult and all, but it's your fault for letting the media outlets write articles about her. There are tons of mixed opinions about her on the internet now. Need I mention that the Browns have their own team of specialists who can make things worse for Becca? Having her in the spotlight is an incredibly bad move."Alex: "Calm down, everyone. Caleb has already dealt with the news on the internet. Sam, you should reflect on yourself. Once I reach Riverwood, I hope that you can let me take over your duties as soon as possible."Caleb: "The man who danced with Bec
The words Four Seasons, back kitchen, and help were all that were needed to cast aspersions on Rebecca, decrying her to be a woman who gained her position by seducing the president of XR Entertainment with her face and body. To think they had wondered if she were an heiress. The guests present at the fashion event tonight were wealthy and respected. Some were scions of high society while others were artists matchless in their respective fields. They were also those who took the opportunity to socialize and network. Not one of them was an unknown face. It was unthinkable for someone who usually waited on others to be here among them. The awestruck gazes turned to contempt.Rebecca paused in her steps and swept a cool glance over Jessica before resuming her strides with Sam."Why are you going so fast, Rebecca? It's such a nice coincidence for us to meet here. Let's go in together." Jessica had come alone and quickly caught up to them. Daniel had no interest in an event like this. Sh
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