In fact, a hint of guilt had lingered within Rebecca when she had disposed of those two pills in the bathroom the previous night.She couldn't shake the feeling that she had betrayed David's trust. This guilt left her with mixed emotions when confronted by his kindness today. However, the text message she had seen in the afternoon completely eradicated her guilt and unease. It revealed his true intentions—to exert complete control over her, even if it meant turning her into a mindless fool. How could she continue to stay by his side? How could she foolishly indulge in those fleeting moments of 'kindness'? It might have been the genuine emotions that had developed between them during their time together, or perhaps it was an attempt to eliminate the last shreds of hope from her heart. Regardless of the reason, Rebecca couldn't help but ask him, "David, what kind of job do you think I should look for once we're abroad? “You mentioned earlier that I used to work in design,
Rebecca's soothing voice eventually snapped David out of his reverie.David raised his intense gaze to her. Rebecca had just come out of the bathroom. A few water droplets still clung to her damp hair. Her delicate figure appeared even more fragile in the hospital gown. Fortunately, the mist from the bathroom had added a touch of moisture to her skin, and her pale face seemed healthier than it did during the day. David's gaze shifted away from Rebecca. He looked at the couch, where Rebecca's thin jacket was. Initially, he hadn't noticed any lingering fragrance in the room's air. But at this moment, he inexplicably felt that her scent had become more pronounced, especially after her freshening up.There was a subtle hint of her favorite shower gel's fragrance lingering in the air. David suppressed the thoughts that crossed his mind and rose from the couch. His voice was hoarse as he said, "I'll freshen up. After that, if you're not tired, we can spend some time together. We
When David came out of the bathroom, he noticed that Rebecca was slouched on the couch. A pillow was covering her face.Apparently, she had truly fallen asleep. She didn't even flinch at the sound of his movements. "Becca?" David called her, but she remained oblivious. Rebecca was slouched in the corner of the couch. A soft pillow was supporting her head. Her face was turned towards the backrest, and she hadn't budged an inch. David couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. After all, she had told him to rest if he felt tired, and now she was the one who was resting. However, she was sick, so he couldn't really blame her. David approached and bent down slightly. However, as his outstretched arm was about to reach Rebecca, he suddenly remembered something and straightened up. His own quick shower in the bathroom had not been as thorough as Rebecca's meticulous routine. He had simply rinsed himself off. Since he had used cold water, his skin still felt a little cold.
When Rebecca and Sam made eye contact, both of them felt a twinge of embarrassment.However, Sam didn't want to make Rebecca uncomfortable, so he cleared his throat and averted his gaze as if nothing had happened. As they left the room, Sam naturally crouched down in front of her. "Becca, if you're feeling tired, I can give you a piggyback ride." Rebecca struggled to put her feelings into words, but she didn't resist his offer. She looked at the broad back in front of her and broke into a warm smile. Without hesitation, she climbed onto Sam's shoulders. A mix of familiarity and novelty filled her chest. Initially, Rebecca was somewhat reserved. But when she felt Sam gently adjusting her position to ensure she didn't fall, she tightened her grip on his shoulders and softly thanked him. Sam chuckled and said, "Is that how you talk to me?" Rebecca's head felt heavy, but she responded candidly. "What else can I do? I had forgotten about you. It just doesn't feel right not
Sam's expression instantly turned dark. Before he could send a reply, a voice message came through. The voice sounded lackadaisical and chilly, like the night air. It was impudent and maniacal."I know Becca's still asleep right now. I also know how important Becca is to you all. How about this? I won't penalize you for what happened tonight. As long as you send her safely to the hospital, I'll forget anything happened. I'll return your two cousins as agreed, Mr. Johnson."That meant that, as long as Rebecca was back in the hospital ward, David would let Caleb and Alex go unharmed.Sam's heart burned with a righteous fury. "Why should I believe you?"David sounded amused when he said, "Sam, you certainly have the choice not to believe me. But then, I won't be able to make any promises about the state you'll find your cousins in."After a pause, a third voice message came through."By the way, what makes you so sure you can take Becca safely out of Fairport, Sam?"Though tinged w
Nate looked down and checked this watch. "She'll wake up in about three minutes or so."Though Nate had only given an estimate, the timing proved to be exactly right.When Sam received yet another message from David sent from Caleb's phone, Rebecca's eyelids fluttered. Looking at the woman whose head was on his shoulder, Sam smiled. He'd been extremely anxious before, but now his worry lessened by a lot. He stared at Rebecca and asked, "Becca, how do you feel?"Newly awakened, Rebecca felt like her brain was empty. Her eyes held a look of confusion in them. It was the faint herbal scent coming from outside the car that allowed her to slowly regain her senses."Sam …" Rebecca looked at the building behind Sam, and a look of confusion overtook her pretty face. "Sam, I remember that w-we left the hospital, right? Why …"Why were they still at the entrance to the hospital?Rebecca was perplexed by this. She thought she might have dreamed up her escape from David on the road. But
"Becca!" Sam cried out from behind before Rebecca could get too far. He had put away the note without opening it and jumped out of the car.Rebecca turned back. Sam's tone was impatient as he stood by Nate's side. He looked at her. "You should still let us send you there. How could you just walk off alone? This time is different from the last."The two siblings thought back to what had happened at the hotel. They both smiled.Rebecca, especially, felt a sense of release as she smiled.That had just happened two days ago, so Rebecca naturally remembered it. She also remembered how much she feared that she couldn't bear to leave. Thus, she hadn't even dared to turn back and look at her family.She was afraid that if she looked back, she would want to go back home. If she did, then the safety of Sam and Nate couldn't be guaranteed.She didn't look back. She told herself that she had always been alone. Thus, she wouldn't drag anyone else into trouble now.Yet, now, her choice to l
Sam would never have expected that he would one day be in the same room as David without coming to blows.The ward was quiet, and no one spoke.David wore a dark expression as he sat on the couch. His gaze was fixed across the room as he watched Nate examine an unconscious Rebecca.Once Nate was done and finished settling Rebecca in bed, David asked, "How is she?"Nate looked at David, and a smile stretched across his cool features. "You did this to Becca yourself, Mr. Winston. How do you think she is?"The drug had sleep-inducing properties. Naturally, it didn't do much harm to the body. However, Rebecca had been forcefully roused from her unconsciousness. Thereafter, she had to face off against David while feeling unwell. It was expected that her body wouldn't be able to take it.After some sleep, and after continuing with her medicine once she awoke, Rebecca would be fine.However, Nate was still a little worried upon thinking of the plan Rebecca mentioned, the one about find
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