Jimmy knew James did it on purpose and didn't continue questioning him.Unsurprisingly, James started to relay everything about Rebecca's recent activities moments later. Not only did she have to run back and forth between the hospital and the Johnson residence, but she was also establishing her own company. As for the last thing she said, about her preparations to enter a relationship, it was something she said to deal with him.Jimmy grunted in response without a change in expression. They continued their journey without another word.He didn't plan to stay after sending James back to the Stigg residence and left his stuff by the main hall."There are some youngsters here who won't change their rude ways no matter how they're taught. They enter the house without greeting people. It's a wonder where their education has led them."Mary's sharp voice could be heard coming from the living room, and it made Jimmy stop in his tracks. It wasn't his intention to pay attention to h
"Grandma, you should know that my parents wouldn't return to stay here once they'd moved out. I'm also happy staying outside and won't want to stay here. So, it's better if I don't stay." Jimmy exposed Angela's thoughts, rendering the old lady's smiling face to crack a little.It wasn't only Angela—even Mary's face darkened. Mary was fine with splitting the family assets, but she refused to stay in the family home any longer.Since Emily left, Serena and Mary were in charge of cooking, and it had been years since she last entered the kitchen. If they split the family assets according to Henry and Emily, Henry and his family would move out, but that would mean Mary and Serena would have to take care of all the chores in the house. Mary didn't want that to happen.So, she turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, there's no need to be so fussy since we're a family. If we really divide the family assets, me and Serena have to move out and your family must move back in. Go back and have a talk with yo
Zelda rarely showed herself in society after that.It was only when there was something big happening with the Johnsons and they appeared in the newspaper that people recalled that Zelda had married into such a prominent family. Aside from that, her name was really mentioned in the Stigg household.Even if the Johnson family was mentioned, the focus was on the family as a whole, Kenneth, or the Johnson lads. They were so famous in Rookfort due to their powerful capabilities that it wasn't necessary to mention that they were their relatives by marriage. Since the matriarch of the Johnson family wasn't in the spotlight, she was forgotten by most. She wasn't remembered during the splitting of the Stigg family assets as well and the living room fell into a sea of silence.Not long after, Mary voiced out softly, "Zelda has been married off, so naturally …""Your sister doesn't need to be given a share of the Stigg asset because she has been married off, but haven't you been married of
"At-choo!" Rebecca let out a loud sneeze in the car on her way to MRC Group. She stepped on the gas pedal when the traffic light turned green and continued her journey.Suddenly, a small car overtook her out of nowhere. At the same time, her phone vibrated in its bracket. Both incidents combined gave Rebecca a jump. Luckily, she hadn't been speeding and managed to swerve without much effort. However, she still felt scared in hindsight.After stabilizing her car, Rebecca hurriedly answered her phone before it stopped ringing. Then, she connected the call to her Bluetooth earpiece. "Becca! What took you so long to answer? Do you still love me?" The caller was Penny and they had been in contact very regularly these days. The initiator was obviously Rebecca. The reason was that she was afraid that Sam was moving too fast and scared Penny. So, she had been chatting with Penny these past couple of days.After getting to know each other better, Penny had started calling Rebecca as well
"So, Penny, are you saying that you're fine with it if that suitor is Sam?" Rebecca caught the main point and started to tease her friend."I …" Penny stuttered, not knowing how to answer. Naturally, she didn't mind but it was so sudden that she didn't know how to answer. In her mind, she thought that such things would never happen.Putting aside the fact that Sam was the second son of the Johnson family from Rookfort, he was still the president of XR Entertainment without the Johnsons and not someone she could socially climb up to.It was understandable that Penny was at a loss for words for how to agree as it was something she never thought of. However, subconsciously, her mind must've agreed to it.Humans have always looked up to those stronger than them. Penny had always been afraid of Sam when she saw him in the company and would boast about his abilities in private. Talented people always captured people's attention, and this was especially true of Penny. She was bullied by h
"Mr. Johnson!" Jake was startled and immediately straightened up next to Wendy. He looked like she had been caught red-handed at a crime scene.Albert did not focus his gaze on him. He merely glanced at him before turning his attention to Wendy, who was still sitting in her chair. In comparison, the latter seemed much more relaxed. She didn't even stand up. Instead, she calmly swiveled her office chair and smiled at Albert. "Jake had a few questions about work, so he came to me for help. He also brought some documents for you, Mr. Johnson. We weren't talking about anything else."Jake quickly caught on. "Yes, I came to ask Wendy a few questions and also brought a document for you, Mr. Johnson!"He held up the document to emphasize his point, indicating that they hadn't been chatting during working hours. Albert wasn't angry because they were chatting.He glanced at both of them and finally spoke after a moment of silence, "Wendy, follow me. And take the documents with you."Wi
"Alright." Without Wendy's knowledge, Albert let out a small sigh of relief. "I'll try to speed up the approval process, but you may need a few days to fully hand over your work to Jake. "Additionally, some of the documents may require extra attention due to their confidentiality. As for your salary, I will confirm it with the HR department during the approval process. That's all for now. You may go.""Thank you, Mr. Johnson." After receiving a definite answer, Wendy didn't linger any longer. After briefly discussing the handover of work, she turned and left.Unbeknownst to her, as she turned around, the man who had been pretending to be busy at his desk suddenly raised his gaze and stared directly at her.The logistics department wasn't too far away.As long as she was still around him, he should ... still have a chance."Daddy, has Aunt Rebecca arrived?" A child's voice, still drowsy from sleep, came from the lounge. Wendy, who was about to leave, paused in her tracks.She im
"What are you doing, Aunt Becca?" Oliver looked at Rebecca in confusion.Rebecca pressed the lift button and smiled down at him. "I'm taking a big gamble."She met Oliver's puzzled gaze, and her smile deepened. "You're still young. You don't need to know too much."Although what she was doing might be wrong, as San had said, since doubt was eating her alive, she needed to confirm them. Before coming to the company, she had asked Maxwell to run a DNA test between Oliver and Wendy using the samples she had gathered.The results of the test hadn't come back yet, but based on Wendy's reaction, she already had a rough idea of the situation. For a mother who loved her child, stopping her child from seeing her was as painful as having her heart torn out. In the past, she might have been able to endure it, but now that Wendy had spent so much time with Oliver, could she really remain indifferent when her child walked by her like a stranger?But this was just Rebecca's speculation. So,
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