On Rebecca's phone screen, there was a photo sent by Zelda in the group chat.In the photo, despite her petite stature, Rebecca exuded confidence. She firmly grasped Maxwell's collar, pulling him closer as if leaning in for a kiss. Maxwell, on the other hand, seemed caught off guard, with disbelief in his eyes. However, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Rebecca's slender waist, as if he were concerned she might stumble. Due to the lighting, the photo didn't capture their actions clearly. However, given that they were all adults and Oliver was absent from the group chat, the other members of the group could immediately tell what Rebecca was doing. Rebecca was kissing Maxwell forcefully. She certainly had some nerve. After Zelda sent the photo, the group fell into an eerie silence, with no one responding. On the other hand, in a group chat without parents present, some members had already started to air their grievances.Sam: "Has Becca gotten bolder? Kissing someo
Ryan's voice abruptly stopped. After a moment, a hint of disbelief crept into his tone. "Danny, what did you just say?" Was Daniel out of his mind? His injuries weren't fully healed yet, and he wanted to leave the hospital. Was he trying to get himself killed? Daniel was dead serious. He paused his actions for a moment and looked up at Ryan with a furrowed brow. "The injuries haven't fully healed, but they're not severe enough to keep me bedridden. The doctor said I can start moving around as long as I take care of the wounds. You've seen the situation in Riverwood; if I don't go back now, who knows what kind of trouble might arise." "But Bex ..." Ryan only managed to say two words before he halted his words. Since Daniel had made his stance abundantly clear, Ryan could only suppress his emotions. Rebecca didn’t go for Daniel anymore.Daniel’s past mistakes were too significant, and he had been so oblivious to the harm he had caused. So, why could he use this injury
After wrapping up her scenes in Riverwood, Penny returned to the apartment that she had rented.Back when Penny was still with the TV production team, she had heard that the Lowve family had been actively searching for a potential business marriage candidate for her. Hence, if she were to return now, it would be like walking into a lion's den. With that, Penny had blocked all information related to the Lowe family. Not only that, but she had also taken out her SIM card and removed all her family members from Twitter. Therefore, not only was the Lowe family unable to find Penny, but as long as she kept a low profile, her manager didn't stand a chance of finding her either. The shooting had wrapped up, so why was she still showing up for work? With these thoughts in mind, Penny slept until the afternoon. It was hunger that finally got her out of bed. As Penny switched on her phone, the messages waiting for her nearly gave her a heart attack. She choked on her mouthwash as she
Penny was left stunned by Sam’s words.Her mind went blank, and all the words she had intended to say were stifled. Sam liked her. How could that be possible? Penny pondered inwardly as Sam reiterated, "Penny, I wouldn't agree to this marriage if I didn't like you. While Becca is important to me, when it comes to matters of the heart, she respects my choices and doesn't see them as a game. "I'm marrying you because I genuinely like you, and there's no other reason." Penny remained in a state of shock. How could that be possible ... She was just a struggling actress with a tarnished reputation. Even though most of those scandals were deliberately fabricated, many were orchestrated by the Lowe family to pressure her into leaving the entertainment industry and returning to them as their controlled heiress. However, the constant rumors had inevitably taken a toll on her public image. Penny had always believed that Sam was willing to sign her to XR Entertainment mainly beca
Rebecca learned about this from Penny herself.Penny, who had a knack for acting, impersonated Sam's tone so brilliantly that it cracked Rebecca up. How could guys like Sam find a partner? Rebecca almost felt like blurting that out in front of Penny. But deep down, Rebecca was rooting for Sam, so she didn't want to throw a wrench in the works. Instead, she playfully teased, "Well, Penny, should I start calling you my sister-in-law now?" Penny blushed and protested, "Hey, don't call me that yet. I haven't made up my mind or agreed to Mr. Johnson." Penny gave her ear a little pinch, and it was this gesture that revealed her red ears. It was clear she felt shy. Rebecca didn't expose Penny but sighed dramatically. However, the playful glint in her eyes remained. "You haven't agreed yet? Well then, I'll have to talk to Sam and make sure he puts in more effort!" "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. How about we talk about something else?" Penny suggested,
"Grandma, you're being too harsh," Albert interrupted, his brow furrowing as he noticed Angela getting emotional, all while being concerned for Zelda's well-being."You know about my mom's health condition. She struggled in the past few years, and the doctors have always emphasized the need for her to rest. Please don't blame her." Albert defended Zelda and did not forget the suffering his mother had endured. Then, Albert took the opportunity to address Angela's earlier statement, saying, "If Becca hadn't come back, it might have turned out just as you said. My mom might never have set foot in the Stigg family again. After all, the doctors had said that she wouldn't survive two more winters." As Albert spoke, he glanced sharply at Mary, who was standing behind them. Mary was taken aback by his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that? Albert, you just said it yourself, it's because of your mom's poor health. If she hadn't survived, it would have been a matter of fate. It can
Serena called Mary a couple of times but received no response. Hence, she couldn't help but push her."Mom, what's wrong with you?" With this push, Mary finally snapped back to reality, looking visibly panicked as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. "Wh-what's going on?" Mary’s voice was rather loud. Even those in front of her were attracted by Mary’s voice and turned to look at her. Rebecca was no exception. Rebecca’s clear gaze fell on Mary, and their eyes locked on for a brief moment before Mary let out a terrified scream, as if she had seen something unholy.The scream had been particularly ear-piercing, and it had even caused Angela to furrow her brow. "What's going on? Did you see a ghost?" But this question only made Mary react even more intensely. Mary rolled her eyes in fright and fainted on the spot, shocking everyone in the room. Serena, unable to support Mary's weight, nearly stumbled over her. Angela hurried over with a concerned expression.
Rebecca thought her point was logically sound. In the days before the car accident, the Johnson family hadn't had much interaction with Mary. They hadn't even seen each other. There was no need to get someone to cause her trouble.Besides, even if Mary was angry because of the Stigg family's issues, there was no cause to go that far. Paying for an assassin to cause this sort of accident might even have unintended consequences. There might be even more trouble for her.Mary didn't seem like that sort of person. She liked money and getting free benefits. But she was quite a coward, too. For example, when she couldn't even win against Sam in an argument when she had a meal with the Johnson family, she still didn't dare to make too much of a fuss while they ate. Obviously, she didn't have the guts, even if she had the desire to do such a thing. That was why the accident probably had nothing to do with her.But …Rebecca didn't understand why Mary looked like she'd seen a ghost wh
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