When the contracts were announced during the show break, those in the VIP lounge witnessed the live reaction through the live stream. And, of course, they didn't miss Daniel leaving midway through the show."Have you already decided not to renew the contract with Winston Group, Becca? Shouldn't you reconsider this?" Dante looked at the situation from a rational standpoint and concluded that she could continue to cooperate with the Winstons. It wasn't as if Daniel knew that Sylvia was the wife he had sent abroad. From a businessman's point of view, there was no harm in continuing to cooperate with Winston Group. He believed that as long as Fuller Studio was willing to renew the contract and the conditions weren't demanding, Daniel would concede.Rebecca firmly shook her head. "I understand what you're trying to say, Uncle Dante. But I must be conscientious with my work. I take care of my own, and that means I'll be ruffling feathers. That's why I don't want to continue working togethe
"Umm …" Daniel was shocked. He, of course, knew what to do. It was he who went out of his way to get her sanitary supplies a few years ago when he first saw how embarrassed she had been. Thinking about the past put him in a trance. It was hard to imagine how they had gotten to this point. But now was clearly not the time to reminisce.Rebecca was flushed with anger as she hastily covered up her predicament with the hem of her dress. She sounded close to tears. "Get out of my way!"Her reddened eyes made him back away. "I'm sorry."But she was not in the mood to accept his apology. She didn't even want to look at him and barreled straight into the restroom while clutching her purse. "Scumbag!" she cursed internally in anger. If it weren't for him losing his mind right outside the women's restroom, she wouldn't have gotten into this situation and ruined her dress. She hadn't even brought her cell phone with her because she thought she'd be able to return to the lounge fairly quickly.
Rebecca played up her misery. "Exactly, Mr. Winston. Have you changed your mind about divorcing me? Don't you want to marry Jessica anymore?"Daniel had finally heard enough. "Stop, Rebecca!" The two women arguing gave him a headache.Rebecca refused to play along and continued to feign frailty. "It seems my identity as an ex-wife-to-be is nothing compared to Ms. Jessica, Mr. Winston. What a cruel lover. How unfortunate that you were going to break my wrist right off, Mr. Winston." She cradled her reddened wrist with a pitiful expression that radiated innocence.That caught him off guard. He hadn't realized how much force he had used. He ignored her the first time she cried out in pain back at the restroom, but she never made a sound since.Rebecca did not miss the way he looked at her and shot him a sardonic smile. "Do you feel bad, Mr. Winston? You didn't show any pity just now.""Are you done, Rebecca?" Jessica had heard enough. She couldn't stand the sight of Daniel getting em
Daniel was leaning against the car door. His dark, neatly groomed hair tousled by the wind added swagger to his noble bearing. He casually straightened up when he noticed Rebecca walking close. His eyes darkened at the sight of the man beside her. The night breeze was far from gentle and carried a chill with it. Rebecca still felt the nipping cold despite Sam's jacket draped over her shoulders. She marched on alongside Caleb without sparing the man in front of her a glance. They passed one another as they had done inside, only Daniel was no longer as impassive as he had been earlier. He sidestepped to get in her way."What are you trying to do, Mr. Winston?" Rebecca had wanted to ignore him and leave, but others were filing out of the venue one after another. The press was also waiting outside. They were not part of the entertainment industry, but if a fight were to break out, it would be inevitable for them to be scrutinized online. How troublesome.Daniel shot her a glance but sa
"Why? Aren't the seats all the same?" Daniel didn't understand. When Rebecca last returned to the Brown residence for Jessica's birthday, she sat in the back and treated him like a driver. And yet, she was actively asking to sit in the front.Rebecca shot him an odd look. "Do you not know, Mr. Winston?"He frowned. "What should I know?" He would understand if all she wanted was for Jessica to leave. What Jessica did to Rebecca back at the Brown residence was over the line. It wasn't odd for her to have not gotten over her anger and demand for Jessica to leave. But he couldn't figure out why she insisted on being in the passenger seat.It was Caleb who explained, "The front passenger seat is the seat reserved for one's girlfriend or wife, Mr. Winston. You're saying Ms. Rebecca is your wife and yet you allow another woman to occupy the seat. It's a little …" he paused and stared at Daniel. "Or perhaps you've sidelined Ms. Rebecca and see Ms. Brown as your girlfriend. If that's the cas
"There's nothing to compare between the two." Daniel frowned."Why not? Because Mr. Crawford Junior is a man and Jessica is a woman? Gender equality is a thing these days, Mr. Winston," Rebecca said upright and fastened her seatbelt. "You were telling Mr. Crawford Junior that not only women can be homewreckers. I'd like to ask you a question. Between Jessica and I, which one of us is the homewrecker?"The air in the car suddenly froze over. Aside from the whirr of the engine, only their shallow breaths could be heard. Rebecca, of course, was not expecting Daniel to answer. She let out a self-deprecating laugh. "There's a saying on the internet that claims the unloved one is the true homewrecker. I know even if you don't say anything. I understand now. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink …" She paused and inclined her head to look at him with a solemn expression. Her voice took on a serious tone. "I've already let go, Mr. Winston. Can't you leave me be?"He s
Rebecca feigned ignorance. "What do you mean? I don't remember.""You asked me if I would …""So, would you?" she cut Daniel off before he could finish. She stood at the steps of the villa as she turned to look at him, keeping her eye level with him."Of course not." Daniel frowned. He didn't understand why she would ask such a question but offered an answer anyway. "Well, that's that, then. Why are you asking?" Rebecca shrugged and faced away from him to take off her stilettos. When her bare feet hit the floor, exhaustion seemed to overtake her.The exchange had Daniel frowning even more. By the time he regained his wits, she had already changed the subject. He wanted to ask her why she would ask a question like that, but she already sought her own answer. He followed after her. "I just don't understand what you've gone through to ask me a question like that. Life and death aren't trivial matters, Becca. Murder is against the law. I don't have the means to get away with it. And
The jacket fell to the ground, and just like that, the two of them were in a deadlock. Rebecca didn't know the reason for Daniel's animosity toward Sam and the others. It would be absurd to think that he misunderstood the relationship between her and Sam. Forget the fact that they were siblings, but even if they were lovers as he had thought, that was none of his concern. They were getting divorced.She would eventually meet someone new. Even if that someone wasn't Sam, she would meet someone who was a perfect match for her. It wasn't as if she couldn't date and get married again. Furthermore, whoever she dated didn't concern Daniel at all.If he didn't misunderstand their relationship, Rebecca was even more confused. Sam's industry in Riverwood had zero connection with Daniel's. Although the Winstons and the Johnsons were competitors, one was in Riverwood and the other was in Rookfort. She couldn't think of any other reason to explain Daniel's animosity other than the fact that he
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