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
Brother, she'd said. A brother who would give her a rose.He scoffed.Daniel watched as the black Maybach drove away, sneering. This was probably the lovely brother that she talked to so happily over the phone in the morning. He kept staring until the car was reduced to a speck of dust, and he retracted his gaze, a layer of frost on his face.Meanwhile, the passengers in the car had not noticed him at all.Rebecca loved roses. When she was young and in love, she wished for someone to give her roses. Even one was enough. However, as the years passed, she realized it might have just been wishful thinking. She had not received a single one. Thus, she began learning to love herself. If no one was going to give her roses, she would get them herself. Life was too short for her to wait on someone.If no one would love her, she would do it herself.That was why she chose to take a botanical course when she was abroad. She learned how to plant and care for roses. Soon, that little rented
Penny had sent her a picture of a gold-themed wedding invitation. The Browns were going to hold a banquet tonight in celebration of Ethan marrying into their family to repay them for raising Rebecca. They had invited their friends from around the world to witness this.Rebecca read it again, a sneer on her face. When Karen called, all she mentioned was a family dinner for Benjamin, who came home. But now it had turned into an engagement party.Rebeca had thought too highly of her.Before she could reply, Penny had already typed out everything she wanted to say. “The Browns are just so shameless. They forced you to sign the severance papers after what happened on Jessica’s birthday, and now they’re pulling a stunt like this because they saw you had a movie star for a brother. Why the heck are they doing this?”“Wasn’t it obvious?” Rebecca thought as she typed. “Were you invited as well?”Penny replied, “No. Jessica can’t stand the sight of me.”Rebecca knew that. After signing wit
Once the words left Rebecca’s lips, Sam’s face darkened, and his eyebrows knitted. But before they could question him, he returned to his usual self. “As long as it doesn’t affect her work, she can go. The money I’ve invested in her has not been returned yet.”Rebecca followed him and changed the topic. “Do you want to go with us, Sam? The Browns have turned a family dinner into a party with a bunch of people. Haven’t they invited you yet?” Penny said that the Browns had invited nearly every socialite in Riverwood, including some of the people they looked down upon. Even socialites of lower standing were invited. But of course, the decision was still up to the guest.Although Sam hadn’t used the Johnsons’ name in his business, XR Entertainment was a pretty significant company. He had a name in Riverwood, especially in the entertainment industry. Sam should have been invited as well.Sam snorted. “Do they even deserve my presence?” His tone was full of mockery. At the mention of the
The documents were detailed transaction records from an account. Daniel may not have understood all of its details, but he knew enough to recognize the account's name.It was one of the Winston Group's subsidiaries, which meant that the money was taken from him. Even if it wasn't taken from him directly, it was related to him."Those thugs who tried to assault Bex when she returned from abroad, this is where they got the money from," Ryan explained. "It's not directly from your account, but it's related to you."In other words, if the assault succeeded and the police intervened, he would be involved in the case. Even if they couldn't find enough concrete evidence to arrest him, it would still spell trouble for some people.Daniel stared at the document for some time before looking back at the surveillance footage from Ninth Manor. It was still paused at the same time. He looked at the man who looked identical to him on the screen and frowned. Then he said in a low voice, "It wasn't
"Why can't I be here?" Jessica looked at Ryan innocently.Ryan was in no mood to speak to her, so he tried to go around her and leave.However, Jessica stopped him. "Mr. Jenkins, we're holding a banquet tonight; would you like to come? Danny will be there too." Before Ryan could decline, she added, "It's for my sister. Her brother is marrying into our family. I know you've been abroad for many years, but I remember you growing up with her. Her brother would be happy to see you there too.""Who's marrying into your family?" Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Rebecca's brother?"Jessica nodded. "That's right! I remember you and Rebecca being pretty close. Didn't you hear from her?"Ryan fell silent in thought for a moment before he smiled. "Sure, since you asked so nicely, I'll be there."Jessica smiled back. "I'll see you tonight, then."Ryan left without a word. Behind him, Jessica's smile disappeared, replaced with anger. She thought furiously. "What's he so haughty about? He's just a pa
"If I remember it correctly, it was Mrs. Brown who served the severance paper." Daniel ignored Jessica's explanation with an unconcerned demeanor. Frowning, he expressed his doubts. "Mrs. Brown kicked Rebecca out, but now, she said she missed Rebecca and wanted her back. Have you ever asked Rebecca for her opinions?"Jessica froze in front of him, surprised that Daniel spoke up for that bitch Rebecca. She badly wanted to tear Rebecca into pieces. Rebecca was nothing but ordinary, but her status suddenly changed upon the appearance of an alleged brother, the award-winning actor Ethan Johnson. "Why didn't she die abroad? She should have been dead the moment she was born! She was the source of this mess!" Jessica silently seethed.Still, she had to contain her anger in front of Daniel. Almost crying from the pent-up emotions, she wailed. "Maybe my mom regretted her decision! You know nothing because you don't even live with us! Rebecca left us heartlessly, and she didn't even bat an eye
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