Knowing that this young lady was the girl her son liked, Zelda already regarded Wendy as a prospective daughter-in-law in her heart. She couldn't help wanting to get to know her better. So she stepped closer to Wendy.However, Wendy felt uneasy under her direct yet kind gaze."Madam Zelda, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate for me to stay for lunch. Besides, Ms. Johnson mentioned that we were going out together. And has to pick up a friend from the airport in the afternoon. It might not leave us with enough time.""Oh my! Where are you going on such a hot day?"Zelda complained, "It's scorching outside, and you girls have delicate skin. What if you get sunburned? Let's go to the mall. Aren't shopping malls the same everywhere in the country? Even abroad, they're pretty much alike. It's not like she's never been shopping before."Why don't you stay here and pick some fruits in my garden instead? You two can keep me and this little one company.”She gestured at the small bag in O
"No, Wendy and Oliver get along very well. She hasn't mentioned anything else."Rebecca turned to look at them and silenced her suspicions."Besides, why would she ask about Ollie when she hasn't even agreed to marry you yet? I was just curious. Assuming you succeed in pursuing her, what will you do if Ollie's biological mother shows up? It's just a casual question."Albert chuckled. "What's there to worry about? That woman gave birth to Ollie but didn't raise him. Do you think I'll hand Ollie over to her if she shows up? Don't overthink it."In fact, Rebecca wanted to ask, "What if Wendy is Oliver's biological mother?"But she decided to keep that thought to herself. Her speculations might not be accurate.Voicing them could only lead to mutual suspicion between Albert and Wendy. It wouldn't be helpful.She decided to keep all her confusion to herself. With a forced smile, she said, "Alright, Albert. You can continue working. I'll go pick fruits with Ollie and the rest. I h
"No, I want to leave now!"Nelson realized something was wrong. His throat felt dry, and he rushed to the door.The CEO's office door was made of special materials. It was made of one-way glass that allowed one to look outside. It looked fragile, but the average person would have a hard time smashing through it with a hammer, let alone someone as weak as Nelson.Albert casually glanced at him and looked down at his phone.Rebecca sent him a few photos of Zelda, Wendy, and Oliver picking fruit in the orchard. All three of them were smiling brightly. The sunlight streaming through the trees made the scenery and subjects look exceptionally beautiful.Albert swiped his phone, and a warm smile appeared on his handsome face.He didn't look like he had just threatened someone.Rebecca even sent him two videos and a text message."Albert, when will you be done with work? If you finish early, maybe you can spend some bonding time with your child and future wife.""This girl ..."Seein
Markus exited Rookfort Airport's arrival hall. As he walked, he said, "Listen up, old guy. If you dare act high and mighty with Ms. B again, don't even think you can get her to cook for you anymore. Don't even dream of coming to Four Seasons, for that matter!"Liam was behind him. His gaze was lowered, and he ignored Markus. He only nodded absentmindedly when Markus repeated himself."Alright, alright. How many times are you going to say that? You know I take my food seriously." He'd already paid the price for being pretentious. He wouldn't dare do it again.Markus didn't believe him. "You'd better be serious." If not for him and Liam going way back, he wouldn't have brought Liam along.Still, Liam did know a thing or two about curing people. Markus had to do this for Rebecca's sake. That didn't mean he couldn't take Liam down a peg or two, though. Otherwise, he'd be humiliated if Liam were to act high and mighty with Rebecca and her family.Liam wasn't an ignorant child. He knew
The two old men made it to Albert and Rebecca in no time. It had been a while since they'd last seen each other, and Markus couldn't contain his excitement. If not for his age, he probably would've raced to Rebecca's side."It's been ages, Ms. B!" Despite his age, Markus was still enthusiastic and spirited. He had lost almost all of his hair, but he still had a small patch at the back. He'd tied it back in a short ponytail. It was cute."Long time no see!" Rebecca didn't stand on ceremony with him. She punched his arm lightly.Albert watched them with a smile. If he knew Markus a little better, he would've ratted Rebecca out to him. She'd said he was bald, but didn't he still have some hair?At this moment, someone cleared their throat. Only then did Rebecca notice Liam. She'd suspected it was him when she saw the pair from a distance, but she was sure now. She didn't know how to feel about it.All she knew was that she felt a little embarrassed at having ignored him while greetin
"Not bad, Danny. You came prepared," Ryan said as he drove. The car was brand new; someone from the branch company had driven it to the airport before Daniel and Ryan's flight.Aside from beauties, cars were the only things that Ryan was interested in. He didn't know anything about watches. It was much more fun to chase after other cars, like the Maybach currently in front of them."I heard the people in Rookfort know more about having a good time than the ones in Riverwood. They even have races now and then. Interested, Danny?"Daniel's gaze was focused on the Maybach in front of them. He didn't spare Ryan a glance. "Keep your eyes on the road.”"They already are. It's not like chatting is going to—" Ryan stopped abruptly when they turned a corner. He slammed on the brakes when he realized he could no longer see the Maybach.There weren't any cars before them. It was as if the Maybach had disappeared."Fuck!" Ryan blurted out. How could he have lost them after turning a corner?
Rebecca wasn't alone in this. Markus didn't understand, either. "Yeah, what's he doing here? Don't tell me he's been watching me and Liam. Is that why he followed us here?"Liam thought about it, then nodded. "I bet that's why."Markus snarled, "No wonder he's been coming to Four Seasons so often! I thought he and his friend couldn't find better places to eat in Riverwood. So they've been scheming this whole time!"He gnashed his teeth and slapped his thigh. The car was steady enough that Albert and Rebecca weren't affected by this, but Liam scooted a little further away."It's fine, Markus. He has the right to go anywhere he wishes. He might not be here for me, anyway. Even if he is, it won't be that easy for him to track me down," Rebecca said. She truly didn't take Daniel's presence to heart.Setting aside the fact that Rookfort was the Johnson family's home turf, Daniel hadn't done anything to her while she'd been in Riverwood.He'd probably followed Markus here because of he
Things were bustling at the Johnson residence. It was Sam's birthday, and he'd been away from home for a few years. Everyone was busy preparing.Even Kenneth had gotten up early. He hadn't gone to the company, though. He and Sam weren't on the best terms, but there was no changing the fact that they were father and son.Besides, the apple of his eye was now home. They had to make sure that she had a good time here.Rebecca didn't laze around. She intended to cook the birthday meal. And there were two—no, three—honored guests with them.Upon arriving home after picking Markus and Liam up, Rebecca found that Wendy was still around. Zelda had somehow convinced her to stay.Considering Wendy's personality, Rebecca thought she would hide in a corner as far away from Albert as possible. She was surprised that she'd agreed to stay.Well, the Johnson residence was big enough to accommodate the guests. In the past, their uncle, Joe Johnson, and Felicia used to stay with them. But as Zel
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