Darren had blown up with rage in his hospital ward. After the video call, he would've smashed his phone into pieces if he wasn't this weak.Rachel worried as she saw how heavily he was panting. Right away, she called for a doctor, who injected Darren with a sedative. She only dared to tiptoe over after that. "How are you feeling, Mr. Winston Senior?"Darren still looked like he was heavily panting. His eyes narrowed at Rachel as he scoffed, "I'll live."His voice was weak, but his hoarse tone indicated he was slightly impatient. Rachel stood aside like a guilty child who had been caught. "What do we do now?"They couldn't reach the older Winston heir, and their second heir reacted immaturely to their request for help. Rachel had never handled business affairs. So, she was at a genuine loss.Darren shut his eyes. "You may go. You don't need to worry because this matter has nothing to do with you, nor can you interfere."Rachel replied in a small voice, "Okay, I'll be on my way,
Rebecca ultimately made an appointment for a full body check-up after some thought. Her appointment was on the coming Monday since she didn't get much rest this week. Plus, she was wrapping up her design draft now. She needed two days for final adjustments before submitting the draft to Daniel.Once Rebecca submitted it, she could rest on the remaining two days of the week. Then, she'd go to the doctor next week.If anything were to surprise her, it would likely be the birth of her little nephew. That would cause her schedule to stray. Even so, nothing mattered more to her than welcoming the new Johnson family member's birth.As luck would have it, Penny texted the Johnson family's group chat that night. Rebecca had just showered and immediately changed out of her pajamas to rush to the hospital. Upon arrival, she saw many people standing outside the delivery room.Zelda and Kenneth sat on the bench outside with nervous expressions. Standing aside was Rebecca's oldest sister-
"Don't cry anymore, my love. I won't like you if you cry. Look at yourself. Your eyes are red like a scary rabbit." Sam immediately teased her after seeing Penny's eyes redden. He had heard from somewhere that pregnant women shouldn't shed tears.Although he said he'd dislike her if she cried, his actions and expression proved he was concerned about her.Penny pouted and deliberately said, "I'll raise our daughter away from you if you dare dislike me. After all, I now have money and fame. I have a line of men waiting to date me that extends to another country. You're not the only one who wants me."Her words amused Sam. He soon played along and coaxed her. "Alright. I wouldn't dare dislike you."He held Penny's hand without caring about how sweaty it had gotten since her painful labor. Then, he pecked her cheek. "You've done so well, my love. And thank you."…The little girl was born, and Penny recovered well. She got moved into a regular private ward, where she could chat with
"That's just as expected of a wealthy heir who has trained for such situations abroad. You really aren't afraid, huh?" The man who held Rebecca captive grabbed her bag. He had somehow tied her hands with a soft material. Yet, it also felt like a cold metal.He added, "Apologies, Ms. Johnson. I must remain professional since someone else has entrusted me with this task. You can't buy my loyalty by giving me more money. I'd end up more miserable if I accepted your money. Since you're someone with quick wits, please cooperate with me. We won't hurt you."Rebecca no longer spoke. She complied with their request because she couldn't risk shaking things up before knowing their motives.Two men had kidnapped her, and they both wore black face masks. They also donned special protective gear on their hands. The majority of their body was covered.Rebecca only noticed the mark on the wall beside the elevator when they forced her back into the elevator. It was obvious. Yet, regular people wou
"That's not the case," the driver explained in a collected manner. It was much slower compared to how fast he drove. One couldn't imagine he was a kidnapper. "We've had many clients from previous jobs who behaved calmly like you at the start. We also used a somewhat softer approach with them. Yet, they still quarreled with us halfway through the drive. That forced us to resort to unnecessary measures. In telling you all that, I'm hoping that you, Ms. Johnson, will cooperate with us."Rebecca snorted, then shut her eyes and leaned against the backseat.They had kidnapped her in the middle of the night, blindfolded her, and sped down the road. Despite all that, she found herself falling asleep in no time. She was even a little hazy from waking up when her kidnappers led her outside after parking the car.Rebecca couldn't see the road ahead and could only discern her environment through her senses. She heard the wind blowing against trees that rustled. They sounded close to where she
Caleb was still optimistic before heading upstairs. Rebecca may have ignored his text and phone call, but maybe she fell asleep out of exhaustion. Perhaps she didn't want a call to wake her, so she switched on "Do Not Disturb" mode.After all, she had been busy these past few days. She had submitted work earlier that day and chatted with Penny and the others until late at night. It was normal for her to want to relax after returning home.Alas, Caleb's optimism vanished once he entered the elevator, which required residents to scan their resident cards. What he felt next was immense fear.Rebecca's apartment building elevators required all residents to scan their cards before they could press a floor button.Caleb had a residential card, but his sharp senses immediately detected something was off once he put his card on the scanner. The elevator's automated announcements, the delayed floor number on the indicator screen, and Caleb's intuition told him the system had been tamper
Nate nudged his glasses higher up his nose. "I tried contacting him, but he still hasn't responded."He didn't have David's contact number, so he clearly couldn't send him a message on WhatsApp. So, he resorted to a dumber contact method. Nate emailed David. That ensured David could definitely receive his message.It was a work email listed on the Winston Group's website. Someone would look through and deal with the incoming emails, even if they were spam. That was why it was a dumber method.Daniel, who got ignored by Nate and Caleb, suddenly spoke up. "David's not in the country for now. If it really turns out to be the person David offended—"He paused but didn't continue. Instead, he fished out his phone. "I'll try contacting him."Daniel and his biologically related older brother had become enemies. Yet, he had still exchanged contact numbers when bumping into Darren at the hospital. It was unclear if there was a psychological term to describe Daniel's situation, but he was
To David's surprise, the phone call went through. In truth, he had only called out of frustration and wanted to see if his suspicions were correct. David knew the truth once the call connected.He couldn't think of anyone who would do such a thing except Darren, who was old and close to death's door. Plus, Darren was a patient, so why wasn't he resting at this late hour? It probably meant he was up to no good. David got to the point once the call connected. "You're already ancient. Is there a point in doing all this?"Darren continued his pretense of not knowing anything. He spoke in a frail voice. "You're kicking up such a fuss at this late hour. What vague nonsense are you getting at?" David scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm only spewing this 'vague nonsense' because you started it. Grandpa, I can apologize if you're doing this because I left without informing you. But it has nothing to do with others. Why would you cause trouble to a helpless woman? Let her go."After a pause, D
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