Next to a warehouse at Geralton Pier, there stood a somewhat old-looking single-story house.It was lunchtime, and the smell of cooked food wafted through the corridor to the river outside.It was hard to notice the subtle blend of the medicinal and culinary scents."Mr. Winston, I brought the item back."Sheldon stood at the door of a room at the end of the corridor. He held a small box in his hands. He didn't dare to step inside.Unlike the weathered appearance of the building, everything was clean and well-furnished in the room. It looked like a five-star hotel room.David sat on a sofa against the wall.It was late autumn, but he wore only his pants. His muscled chest and abdomen bore clear scars. The one on his abdomen was especially obvious. Now marked by dark brown streaks due to the use of healing ointments, it appeared even more menacing.He was diligently applying medicine to his wounds before bandaging himself.Hearing the noise at the door, he didn't raise his head
It was around six in the evening.The Winstons were preparing dinner in the kitchen.Darren wanted to have some grilled BBQ. So, the chefs brought out the grill and started preparing some grilled meat.When Daniel arrived at the Winston Residence, he could smell the aroma of food coming from the kitchen.Darren probably missed his life in Riverwood after all the years living in Clarkdale. He even volunteered to cook.Upon catching the smell of the food, he smiled contentedly.He was about to use a towel to carry the food from the grill to the table. Then, he heard Richard's voice. "Mr. Winston Senior, Mr. Winston is back."Darren didn't respond. He continued to transport the steaming food to the dining area and asked everyone to move out of the way."Make way for me! This freshly grilled beef is still piping hot. Be careful not to get burned."He made the grilled beef himself, while the other dishes were prepared by the chefs. Naturally, they served the other dishes, too.Dar
Daniel didn't mind being straightforward.After working with Ryan for a while, he'd been influenced by the man's way of speaking.But due to his status, nobody would dare to provoke him to the extent that he had to be so rude before this. Finally, he had a chance to express himself.He didn't think that Darren would do anything to Rebecca.As the old man had mentioned, he came from an aristocratic family in Clarkdale. Why would he be bothered with the Johnsons?Yet, except for Darren, nobody else in Riverwood had the ability to quietly remove a patient still in a coma from the hospital.Besides Darren's men, the Johnsons had also arranged for people to look after Rebecca in the hospital.Yet, during the short two hours in the afternoon, the patient recovering in the ward had disappeared without a trace.No matter how Daniel thought about it, nobody else had the power to pull off such a trick except for Darren."Mr. Winston, I believe the Winstons had hired teachers to teach yo
"You!" Ryan was about to retaliate as he was unable to withstand someone else being insulted. Then, Albert clasped his wrist tightly and stopped him from getting up. He shook his head sternly and signaled for Ryan to stay put.Ryan might be hotheaded, but he wasn't an idiot. He sneered but sat back down. He glared at George. The old man didn't bother with his outrage, however. To him, these were no more than children trying to prove themselves worthy when they weren't. Plus, it was fun to watch them struggle."If there's nothing else, why don't we continue this conversation after Mr. Winston's dinner? Or, you may opt to drop by tomorrow. I'm afraid we did not prepare enough to invite you all to dinner. Please accept our sincerest apologies," Richard called out.That was naturally addressed to Albert and the rest. However, given that Daniel was still George's grandson, the butler added, "If you'd like to stay for dinner, Mr. Daniel, there's always a seat for you."It might sound lik
"Sir, Mr. Winston Senior has just sent you something." In a house beside the jetty where there should have been flowers and plants in planter boxes outside, there was a modified fishing spot. It was equipped with a parasol and wooden table. Sheldon was currently standing beside David, who was seated in a wooden chair with a fishing rod secured before him. He took the tablet in Sheldon's hands from him and asked, "How is she?"Though David's tone was indifferent, his expression quickly grew serious upon reading the contents on the tablet.Noticing this change, Sheldon hesitated about telling David the truth about Becca's condition.Finally, he decided to proceed with it. "The doctor says she's not in critical condition. All that's needed is for her to wake up and tend to her injuries from thereon.""When will she wake up?" David asked.A lifeless doll was far less interesting than one that spoke and chattered. David had seen his fair share of women, and a comatose one bored him
As the fire blazed spectacularly at the jetty, a cruise ferry slowly made its way across the waters beyond. The flames cast bright, roaring ripples of color on the surface of the water.David watched the fire burn from the ferry deck with his coat on his shoulder. His eyes glinted with delight as he methodically tapped his fingers on the railing before him as if he were conducting his own classical symphony."Enjoying the view?" When David heard the footsteps nearing him from behind, his taps increased. With a low chuckle, he turned around. A bespectacled man clad in a doctor's coat met his gaze with indifference.The doctor gazed at the fire beyond for a moment before saying, "Mr. David, the woman you brought onboard has woken up. Would you like to see her?""She's awake?" David cocked his head and glanced behind the doctor. He then marched towards the cabin. "How is she?"The doctor followed behind and reported, "Not very well. She refuses to communicate with me. Some of her
"Really?"David stopped what he was doing. His dark eyes met hers as he continued. "So, let's hear it, Becca. What's different?""I … " Rebecca stared at the familiar face for some time.It was the same face as the one in her memories, but something felt off. Daniel shouldn't be speaking like this. But if this face didn't belong to Daniel, who else could it be?She shook her head. "I'm not sure how to put it, but I feel that you're somehow … a bit different. Besides, you … ""Besides what?" David pressed. Rebecca bit her lip before continuing in a sad tone, "Besides, aren't you in love with Jessica? You find me annoying, and you have asked me to stay away from you, yet why are you here taking care of me?"Her voice grew softer as she spoke. She was probably too heartbroken and didn't wish to see the man in front of her. She lowered her gaze only to see him smooth out the creases on her blanket."Jessica? I didn't know you cared so much about her." David chuckled. There was a h
A gentle breeze blew by and brought the cold autumn air with it. David stared back at his companion with his body facing sideways and harrumphed. "Dr. Collins, would I ask you to waste your time and assess her again if I was able to get the answer myself? Do you think I'm silly?"The person whom David brought along was none other than the eldest son of the Collins family and Carl's eldest brother — Randy Collins. The Collins were a family of doctors, and it was only natural that Randy was one as well. However, his achievements weren't as great as Carl's. Hence, his position in the hospital wasn't as high as that medical buff younger brother of his. Despite that, every one of the Collins was good enough to stand on their own feet. Only members of the Collins, although young, had earned David's respect in Riverwood.Randy smiled leisurely. "If my memory serves me right, you are silly. Why are you so surprised when you could do something like this?"On the deck, they could hear the
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