David's eyes narrowed to slits upon hearing that. Ferociousness radiated from him. "Daniel, are you assuming I wouldn't dare to harm you now?"He could ignore what Daniel had previously said. It didn't matter if Daniel insulted or humiliated him. After all, Daniel had hit the nail on the head. Indeed, David had grown weary of his experiences in the Winston family. He also felt highly repulsed by the wretched and ruthless family.Of course, he acknowledged he had used the family's powerful social status to wreak havoc in public back then. Still, David wasn't trying to destroy the Winston family for those reasons. He merely did it because he wanted to. David didn't mind others criticizing or making assumptions when analyzing his actions. Likewise, people could try to rationalize his every move if they wanted. Regardless of what they thought, his reason was simple. He only did all those things because they seemed fun.He didn't need reasonable explanations—like someone crossing h
The doctor's joy soon turned into fear, probably because David's presence seemed gloomier today. It was different from the usual version of David that he knew.He stepped back while making way for David to enter the ward. "Mr. Winston Senior is waiting inside for you. He probably wants to speak with you. Also, the patient is slightly emotional now, so please keep that in mind. Avoid saying things that'll make him more emotional."David gave the doctor a sideways glare, unlike his usual unbothered look. Now, his gaze seemed a tad sterner. He didn't say anything as he entered the room. Only the loud thud of the door swinging open rang out.That jolted the doctor. He felt that this Mr. Winston looked similar to one from his memory, yet their personalities were miles apart. As he thought about the past encounters with Mr. Winston, he didn't recall seeing him behave like this.This version of Mr. Winston seemed like an entirely different person from the previous one the doctor had met
David immediately left the ward after he finished speaking. As for the loud shatters behind him, he pretended not to hear them, no matter how loud they got.Back in the ward, Darren nearly suffocated from the anger he was feeling. He had smashed everything he could grab. Darren even yanked the IV drip the doctor had hung up earlier and caused the bag's fluids to spill on the already messy ground.Alas, nothing he did worked.Before, others would still try to care for him whenever he threw a fit. They'd speedily clean the floors too, too. This time, nothing happened.David had confiscated his communication devices. Plus, his usual bodyguards that guarded his ward had gotten kicked out. He was like a prisoner. He was trapped in this cage that belonged to only him for the rest of his days.He would spend his last moments in life in this ward.Of course, Darren still hadn't regretted his actions. All he felt was pure rage. It was an anger caused by betrayal and helplessness. He loath
Rebecca didn't want to go out, even though the weather looked great outside. It was sunny, and a walk on the deck while enjoying the ocean view sounded relaxing. However, her life mattered more. She feared dying. Beardo guessed Rebecca's concerns and considerately stated, "You can relax, Ms. Johnson. Our staff on the ferry will accompany you on your walk. They'll guarantee your safety."Rebecca didn't voice an opinion on that. They knew each other well enough not to cross anyone's boundaries.If anything happened to her on this ferry, the company endorsing this ferry would undoubtedly suffer negative consequences. So, they ensured she was safe and well.Still, not everyone on the ferry wanted the same thing."We'll discuss it after breakfast." Rebecca didn't turn him down instantly. She smiled politely and continued, "We don't know when we'll arrive at the nearest harbor. I fear we'll spend the following time on this ferry. "In that case, it's unwise to spend all day in this
"Do you have some earphones nearby? Put them on before we continue chatting." Caleb's smile faltered as he resumed his usual frosty attitude. He had spoken that reminder softly. He complimented the ocean view immediately after. It was as if he was responding to Rebecca's previous statement. That made Rebecca wonder if she had imagined it. Even so, she didn't hesitate to do as told.Beardo had prepared some earphones for her. He figured she'd be shy to talk with her family in front of the bodyguards. Still, the deck was so breezy that one needed to turn on the loudest volume if they wore earphones. Rebecca wasn't used to doing that, and she felt it would hurt her ears. So, she seldom wore earphones.Regardless, she obediently wore them now that Caleb asked her to. Her gaze darkened as she plugged the earphones in and flipped the camera to show her face.Any changes to the deck immediately showed on her phone screen at once.She noticed the problem and realized why Caleb asked
Reality turned out to be as Rebecca expected. No matter where she went on the ship, she'd notice glimpses of others near her from time to time. Those people seemed like innocent passersby. They pretended to sightsee or do other things. At the same time, they'd also frequently stare in her direction.It was a poorly executed stalking method.Rebecca didn't tell Beardo about these things. She felt it was stupid to confront the men before any conflict started. Besides, she couldn't do anything if the other party denied her claims because she had no evidence.It would be a joke if her only evidence was when she noticed the people lurking in the background of her video calls. She'd become a laughingstock if she accused the men of that and if men shot down her claims with valid excuses. Due to that, Rebecca would much rather observe the men while they observed her. After all, it was pretty boring on the ship. That boring lifestyle continued until the ship arrived at the nearest
"Okay, okay. Let's go now," Caleb was happy to give in and drive the women to the restaurant.He initially planned to take Rebecca and Susan, who sat in the backseat, to a restaurant specializing in local dishes. Alas, the two refused. They had already eaten local dishes on the ferry for several days, so they refused to eat those foods.Even if the food on land tasted much better, the women had already committed the flavors to memory. They didn't even want to see the food, much less eat them.Caleb didn't force them. In truth, he didn't like the local dishes, either. He only suggested the restaurant after thinking about Rebecca's personality. Caleb figured she'd want to experience the local cultures of this foreign place.As for the food, Caleb didn't mind it as long as it could fill his stomach. After all, it was a pleasure to try new foods and experience a different dining environment. He changed his plan now that the women turned down his suggestion.They went to a restaurant
Rebecca skillfully shifted the conversation away from the earlier tense topics, and their subsequent conversation took a more relaxed turn. They delved into gossip and shared amusing anecdotes, while tactfully avoiding any subjects that could potentially dampen the mood. Following a satisfying lunch, Caleb escorted the two ladies back to the hotel. Their flight was scheduled for the next morning. The plan was to let them rest in the afternoon, have dinner, and then explore the local culture. Naturally, Rebecca had no objections to this plan. After all, who wouldn't enjoy a little vacation? On the way back to the hotel, she even jokingly said that the unexpected turn of events had turned this into an overseas vacation. During the journey, Sam initiated a video call and belatedly inquired about the situation. After confirming Rebecca's safety, he cautiously shared this matter with his wife, who had been transferred to a postpartum care center. As an added bonus, he initia
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