Meanwhile, a group of people were gathered on the rooftop of an abandoned building at Tillfort Peaks. The building was covered in moss. One could see how old it was.The people were having a discussion in one of the inconspicuous underground garages within the building.A guy with blonde hair was guarding the entrance. Several people were playing cards and drinking in the middle, while a few more cheered and shouted around the table. "Well, Keith, how should we deal with that woman? The higher-ups haven't given us clear instructions. We can't just wait here, can we?"One of the men on the table said. He looked at another man across from him. That man had squinty eyes and pursed lips.Keith seemed to be focused on his cards. He was reading his cards with his narrowed eyes.Before Keith could respond, Mason, a blonde guy with pockmarked skin spoke up."You talk too much. What's the point of worrying so much? It's just a woman. Not to mention she was the one who injured our boss.
As the door of the iron cage swung open, the surrounding people began roaring at the top of their lungs.They acted like primitive beings and expressed their excitement towards their prey.Even though Rebecca was exhausted, there was no way she could continue pretending to sleep in this chaotic situation.She slightly raised her gaze and observed the crowd around her. Then, she pursed her lips.Some spat at the cage, while others made obscene gestures towards her. A few were chewing gum as they looked at her like they were assessing a piece of merchandise.Rebecca felt disgusted. But she couldn't seem to do anything except temporarily comply with them.Moreover, staying hidden inside the cage wouldn't protect her from anything.Slowly, she shifted her body and stepped out of the massive cage.With each move, the shouts around her grew louder."Keith, this girl looks pretty good! She seems quite familiar. I think she looks like a celebrity.""Which one? Let's search and see. I
The crowd in the underground garage stopped what they were doing. They turned their attention to the entrance.When they saw that David was alone, they snorted."He's just an injured piece of trash. Who did you think it was? Don't forget that we rescued him from the mountain like a dog today."Keith took a step forward and picked up a bat near the wall."Yet, he treated us like trash and beat up our men. I can't take this humiliation. What about you guys?"The crowd agreed.Their shouts reverberated in the empty garage. It was deafeningly loud.Meanwhile, Rebecca, who had been pinned down, was left unnoticed, like a discarded piece of trash.Blood trickled down her forehead and over her nose, making her vision even blurrier. She couldn't clearly see who the newcomer was. But something about him seemed familiar to her. The image of him tugged at her memories. However, she couldn't be sure. That guy looked like Daniel, yet he also resembled her brother ... She couldn't ma
Like startled birds in a forest or fish scattering in the water, the group of people fled in terror toward the exit.After all, they didn't have a gun like David.The group was terrified as they saw their men falling to the ground.Everyone scrambled to escape.David moved against the tide and made his way directly to Rebecca, who had fallen due to exhaustion.Perhaps it was the overwhelming noise or the nauseating smell of the blood and gore, but Rebecca attempted to shift her body to the side, although her eyes were still half-closed.David half knelt beside her. His gaze fell on her, and a faint smile appeared on his lips."You can still move. It seems you are much tougher than I had imagined, Re ..."Before he could finish his sentence, Rebecca silenced him.Rebecca could sense someone approaching her in her blurry state. She knew that person was here to save her. So, she clung tightly to his neck.Unsure whether it was due to the pain from his wounds, David froze in plac
The underground garage was a mess.His heart skipped a beat when he saw the two figures lying in the pool of blood.The two individuals who had fallen together were positioned in a standoff position now. Mason fell silent.How did this happen?The footsteps of all the onlookers came to a halt, and the voices ceased as well.After a brief silence, someone reacted and rushed towards the scene."Becca ..."Daniel's heart fell. He immediately ran toward Rebecca the moment he recognized her.His mind went blank.He kept imagining how badly injured Rebecca might be while listening to Mason's chatter.The worst he dared to envision was her being held captive by Keith. He thought Rebecca could fight back even if she got choked.Never did he expect to walk in and find this horrific sight. It was more terrifying than any nightmare he had ever experienced.Worried that something had happened to Rebecca, he quickly rushed to check on her condition. When he realized that she was sti
"How's Becca?"After learning that Rebecca had been rescued, Albert and Sam immediately called Nate.Nate had just come down from the medical car. His expression was solemn. "She has superficial wounds all over her body, and I've found two fractured ribs for now. We need to assess the extent of her injuries at the hospital. I've done some basic first aid on her bleeding wounds, so her life isn't in immediate danger, but ... the injuries are quite severe."They weren't sure if they should feel lucky for finding Rebecca in time before things got worse or blame themselves for not looking after Rebecca well.They still remember the first time they saw Rebecca.Back then, she was still abroad. The Johnsons rushed over as soon as Sam called them. Yet, they encountered a young girl in a wheelchair covered in injuries.Nate remembered Rebecca was reluctant to accept help from others even though she was injured. Rebecca was reluctant to accept help from others. Whenever she succeeded i
Ryan stopped talking when he saw Sam.He knew the Johnsons weren't fond of them. An air of tension filled the room, and he fell silent.Indeed, Sam didn't have a good impression of Ryan.From what he remembered, Rebecca was quite close to Ryan. She even considered him a friend.So, he wasn't particularly hostile towards Ryan.Daniel glanced at him and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. This is Sam, Becca's elder brother. You don't have to hide anything from him. Also, hand the guys you've interrogated earlier to the Johnsons."To Daniel, the hooligans were a lesser concern compared to David.In his eyes, David was the primary culprit behind Rebecca's ordeal.Rebecca wouldn't have been kidnapped and subjected to this dire situation if it wasn't because of David.It was pointless and a waste of time to blame those hooligans.But since the Johnsons wanted them, he didn't mind handing them over.After all, those hooligans would eventually face the same consequence
Rebecca had been in a coma for three days in the hospital.She hadn't shown any signs of waking up since she was rescued from Tillfort Peaks.However, her medical report showed no problems aside from the two broken ribs. All her other injuries were external.Technically, she shouldn't be unconscious for so long.Even if she was physically exhausted and needed extended rest, she should be awake by now.Although the hospital claimed there was no immediate danger to her life, the Johnsons couldn't help feeling anxious that Rebecca was still comatose.They even asked Liam to examine her pulse. But the result was the same. He said she needed rest and would wake up on her own.Other than waiting anxiously, there was nothing else they could do. During this time, Sam and Daniel took the opportunity to thoroughly investigate David's people in Riverwood.Riverwood wasn't David's territory to begin with. He came on a whim. All his men were hired, and that made them easy to track down.
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