The sensation of lips on Daniel's neck caused his body to stiffen."Rebecca Brown, behave yourself!" he warned through gritted teeth, his gaze darkening.He was holding her thin waist with one hand and was using the other one to press against her forehead, trying to keep her head away from him. However, he was too preoccupied with her head to notice what Rebecca was doing with her hands. Though Daniel had managed to hold her head back, Rebecca had already messed up his suit and was slipping her hands inside. Daniel's eyebrows hitched. "Stop touching me," he said in a low and hoarse voice.However, Rebecca was moving unconsciously. It was as if she were in a deep sleep and was dreaming of hugging a fluffy stuffed animal. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Daniel's sturdy waist, holding on as tight as she could.She was still searching for a comfortable position to rest her head, but Daniel's hand still held her head away from him, making it difficult for her to find a mor
The car stopped at the entrance of Springford Estate. Mike waited patiently for Daniel's instructions.It took a long moment for them to come.Daniel hummed in agreement, then swallowed. "Leave the divorce papers for now. I'll go get it filed with her when she wakes up."Mike nodded. "Understood, sir. I'll head back to the company first.""Alright. Hold on a moment, will you?" Daniel said. He wasn't going to let Mike take a cab back. There were plenty of other cars in the estate's garage, after all. Mike could come back and pick him up for work the next day.At this moment, Daniel was straightening out Rebecca's clothes and was trying to lift her up as gently as possible. Mike watched from the sidelines. He had never seen his boss act like this before. Daniel appeared gentle as he maneuvered Rebecca around like he was handling something fragile. Mike had never seen his boss treat Jessica, who everyone thought would be Daniel's future wife, with such gentleness before.What Mike
Daniel emerged from the guest room and stood by the stair railing on the second floor. He looked displeased, and his brow was furrowed tightly, conveying his annoyance at being disturbed. Rebecca figured that his annoyance was valid. Being woken up at such an ungodly hour would put anyone in a bad mood. "Sorry, I couldn't find the light switch for the stairs in your house. I accidentally tripped on something and ended up waking you up …" Rebecca couldn't recall much from last night after she had gotten drunk. She didn't know why she was at Springford Estate either. Nevertheless, she should be polite to Daniel, seeing she was staying at his place.Daniel looked down at her from upstairs with cold eyes filled with disdain. He snorted when he heard her refer to this house as his. If he wasn't mistaken, the house was still under Rebecca's name. He lowered his gaze and stared at the woman downstairs who had her arms crossed, then said with a hint of sarcasm, "Mrs. Winston, why'd you wa
Rebecca sat quietly on the sofa for a while. Many thoughts ran through her mind, but soon, she settled on a calm expression on her face. It was just her skin, after all. It wasn't anything worth feeling sad about. She had chosen not to undergo the surgery herself, so she couldn't put the blame on anyone else.Besides, it's not like Daniel had actually seen her scars. Even if he had, he should be the one feeling guilty and humiliated, not Rebecca. If something like this were to happen again in the future, she told herself that she wouldn't let it affect her emotions anymore.If she were to marry and her partner in the future said the same thing Daniel did, it would only indicate that she had poor taste in men. If her future partner didn't mind her scars, she wouldn't mind them either. She would be open to getting married to whoever it was. While those thoughts raced in Rebecca's head, Daniel suddenly spoke up from behind her. "I heated some mashed potatoes for you. Shall we eat now?
"To celebrate our—" Rebecca cut herself off abruptly when she saw Daniel's expression. She decided it was best if she didn't speak what was on her mind. She honestly couldn't understand him. The man clearly despised being married to her and only agreed to do so because it was Mr. Winston Senior's dying wish. Should he be glad that they were getting divorced? Why did he have such a sour expression on his face? Rebecca didn't have much time to think more about it. The shattered bowl had cut Daniel's finger. Water from the tap mixed with crimson blood flowed into the sink. She furrowed her brow and said, "Let me wash the dishes. You should go take care of your wound.""No need," Daniel said, casually throwing the broken pieces of the bowl into the trash can. Then, he washed the rest of the dirty dishes without pause. There were only two bowls to wash, after all. It wasn't much work, so there was no need for Rebecca to help out. However, after Daniel turned off the tap, his hand sta
Rebecca quickly sent a message to the group chat to let her family know that she was safe.As soon as she sent the message, a phone call from Alex came in. Rebecca felt a little guilty. As such, after answering the call, she hurriedly said in a sweet voice, "Hi, Alex. Why are you up so early in the morning?" Rebecca had woken up at four in the morning. It was 15 minutes to five at the moment. Alex paid no mind to her greeting and went straight to the point. "Are you still with Daniel?" he asked, tone slightly intimidating.Rebecca paused for a moment. However, after some thought, she quickly realized how Alex had found out about that. She had been drinking with Ryan at Ninth Manor, after all. Anyone who asked around about her would've been able to know her whereabouts. Sam had been in Riverwood for quite a while now, so it was easy for him to get a hold of such information.Her family kept calling and texting her because they were worried about her being alone with Daniel. They
Daniel hadn't meant to eavesdrop on her phone call. He'd only come to charge his phone because he remembered that there was an extra charger in the master bedroom. He wasn't expecting to hear her flirtatiously telling someone to think of her when he was about to knock. His fist paused in the air, a swarm of thoughts clouding his head. That tone of hers was obviously only used toward people who were really close to her. He'd only ever heard such a sweet voice coming from her years ago, before her return. Since that was the case, who had she been talking to? The door was ajar, so he could hear her clearly. With a slight raise of his head, he was able to see her expressions. At times, she smiled at something on her phone, and at times, she looked uncertain. She was the picture of a woman in love. At that thought, Daniel's emotionless face turned cold. He knocked on the door sharply. Rebecca looked back and saw that the door was ajar. She got out of bed at once and shuffled into
Daniel's hand was frozen in midair. He was evidently planning to knock right as Rebecca opened the door, so he paused in his movements. She was still taken aback, though. "What are you doing here?" It was too early in the morning to be startled. She was lucky to have a strong will. Daniel put his hand down slowly. He frowned when he saw the disdain on her face, but he quickly went back to being dignified. "It's about time I left for work. I was planning to ask you if you'd like a ride."Getting a cab in the area wasn't easy, and he brought her there yesterday. He could take her back if she needed. However, judging by her outfit, she obviously had other plans. Unsurprisingly, Rebecca declined his offer. "That's alright. Thank you, Mr. Winston, but my brother is coming to pick me up. He'll be downstairs any moment, so I won't bother you anymore." Daniel didn't say much else. That online report was real. Ethan was her biological brother. He couldn't very well object to him coming
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