"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,
Even though she had said all that, Rebecca had already made up her mind. Her plan was to drive the car out first before calling the people from the car workshop to come and tow the car for inspection. While the car momentarily stalling was not a big issue, prioritizing safety was the better course of action.Not to mention, there was a child in the car. She had to be a bit more careful than usual. Without a moment of hesitation, Rebecca parked the car and led Oliver out. She explained the situation to him in which the young kid nodded. He didn't complain and stood underneath the tree alongside Rebecca.It was noon, and they were in a business district. Not a lot of taxis would pass by here outside of peak hours. With no rides in sight, Rebecca said to Oliver, "I will take you on a bus, okay?"Booking a car was challenging, and Albert had mentioned that he had something else to do. It would be troublesome to call Albert over now, so she considered taking public transportation a
The driver in front, probably also aware of the news, was currently engaged in a conversation with her. "It's a real tragedy, isn't it? If you're tired while driving, just pull over and take a rest. What business is so important at this hour? Look at this, causing such a catastrophe. Who knows which innocent driver lost their life? The truck driver himself is in deep trouble. It's really unfortunate!"Rebecca's mind was in turmoil. She stared at the image, feeling an emptiness inside her. Her thoughts jumbled, and a mix of complex emotions flooded her mind. Her initial reaction made her think this wasn't an accident but a targeted attack.However, if that were true, the employee who had taken her car would have lost their life in vain. She calmed down slightly and hummed at the driver's words, concluding that it was merely a traffic accident. Yet, even in that case, it felt like she had transferred her bad luck to someone else.Rebecca was lost in thought, not even realizing they
Rebecca knew her mother's condition well. Seeing her emotions in such turmoil, she couldn't help but put her concerns aside and quickly approached her, offering support."Mom, I'm fine," she reassured her mother.However, Zelda remained unconvinced. She examined her daughter carefully, not missing a single detail. Despite the scorching summer weather, Rebecca was dressed conservatively. Her long sleeves typically concealed the scars on her body, but now her mother could easily check for any additional injuries.Only after confirming that her daughter was unharmed did Zelda finally let out a sigh of relief. Even so, she held onto Rebecca's hand tightly, her tone filled with lingering worry. "Sam just called. He mentioned that there was an accident in Rookfort, and the car that got run over seemed to be yours. He couldn't reach you on the phone, so he called me instead. You scared me!"Rebecca's eyes began to well up with tears. "Mom, I'm fine, and so is Oliver. Look, we're both perf
"What's wrong, Cal?" Rebecca didn't know what was happening on his end. But when Caleb went silent, she immediately grew wary. However, after a moment, his tone returned to normal."It's nothing, I just forgot something for a moment. You already know what's going on. I'll tell you when I remember. See you tomorrow," Caleb replied in a low voice as if it was just a passing thought he had forgotten to mention.This happened from time to time, and under normal circumstances, Rebecca would have believed it. However, in her current state, she couldn't help but have some doubts about it."Alright, see you tomorrow." She hung up and stared at her phone for a moment, her brows furrowed. But she didn't have time to dwell on Caleb's unusual behavior. As soon as the call ended, she received numerous messages.The others must have read her message. And since her line was occupied by the two other calls earlier, the others all decided to text her instead.Most of the messages were from Sam, fi
"You?" The man's chubby fingers pinched Karen's chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Weren't you the one who married into the Brown family and left me hanging? And you're saying that you've served me?""What choice did I have back then?" Karen immediately put on a pitiful look and lowered her gaze. "You refused to marry me, and my stomach was getting too obvious. I had to find someone to marry. Besides, looking back now, keeping the child a secret from you wasn't such a bad idea, was it?"As soon as her words fell, the fingers pinching her chin suddenly tightened, threatening to snap her jaw off. The man squinted his eyes, and his chubby face twisted sinisterly. "Are you making fun of me?""No …" Karen was choked up by his grip, and her eyes bulged out terrifyingly. She, too, began to feel fear.Back when she was pregnant, she had intended to use the child to marry into a wealthy family. However, the Minx family had never considered her suitable as a mistress, let alone to be part
Zelda and Rebecca were merrily chatting when they heard a car pull up outside their home."That should be Albert. I'll go and check." Rebecca stood from the chair and was about to welcome Albert at the door. After speaking to Sam and the others on the phone this afternoon, Albert checked up on Rebecca. He informed her that he'd come home earlier tonight. The company usually required Albert to work overtime when something was going on. Yet, Albert couldn't focus on work. He needed to check up on Rebecca and Oliver in person before he could relax. No amount of money and profit mattered more than the peace of his family.Rebecca also hoped Albert could remain at peace. When she heard the sounds outside, she got up and brought Oliver to welcome Albert.The afterglow from the sunset shone onto the tops of the mountains. It also cast two long shadows behind the incoming two men. The men wore black suits with dress pants that covered their long legs. Their leather shoes, polished to pe
What Maxwell struggled to comprehend was Rebecca's current behavior. A carefree grin curved on Rebecca's face as she talked about her past indifferently. "I encountered some nasty things while abroad. It's normal since poorer areas and more affluent areas are different. I didn't have much money at the time. So, it was inevitable that I bumped into people with ill intent. Things got better later on, though. Even Sam can't deny that."At the mention of Sam, Rebecca's grin spread wider. It was natural for siblings to bicker yet still smile upon talking about each other.Still, her smile didn't ease Maxwell's concerns. His features grew stormier by the second. "Did the Winstons not care about you …?"If what he learned back then was true, Daniel must've been the one who sent her abroad. He couldn't understand why Daniel did that. Even if Daniel didn't like Rebecca, whom George arranged for Daniel to marry, Daniel didn't need to cut Rebecca off financially like that. How could Daniel h
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