At a loss for words, Rebecca stood there with flour-covered hands. A long pause later, she stammered, "H-How can I get you to forgive me?"She appeared open and guileless in the face of Caleb's prolonged silence. Moments later, he suddenly broke into a smile with the mug in his hand. "I've forgiven you now."It came as a shock to her. Stunned, it took her a few seconds to collect herself. She was overjoyed but cautious at the same time. "Is that true? Caleb, are you not mad at me anymore?" Then, she prepared to throw herself at him. He didn't see the ambush coming, and his shoulders now had flour stains on them. Helpless in the face of his cheeky sister, he sat still as she wiped her fingers across his face.When she was done with her shenanigans, he said, "That's enough. Let this be a lesson for you. You'd better not worry us the next time." He punctuated his words like an old-fashioned teacher. He had flour all over him, including in his hair, but he remained dignified as usual. H
As Rebecca finished speaking, a hush fell over the entire place. Some among the crowd seemed to relish the spectacle, while others directed concerned glances in her direction. Meanwhile, a few onlookers were left bewildered, quietly whispering to those in front of them, trying to grasp what was happening. Nobody expected Rebecca to respond in such a manner. Even the smile on Karen's face faltered, but it did not take long before she recomposed herself and put down her outstretched hands as if nothing awkward like that had ever happened. "Becca, what do you mean?" Smiling, Karen asked as she approached Rebecca with an arm hooked in Benjamin's. "We're holding this banquet tonight to celebrate your reunion with your biological family. That's why we invited guests from all over Riverwood. Think carefully about what you're trying to tell us by bringing your brother here." The threatening tone in Karen's words was unmistakable, causing Rebecca to sneer in response. Karen had acted a
Karen's and Benjamin's faces darkened at her words. They had no intention of begging Rebecca, but her directness in her speech caught them off guard. The couple stood, frozen, unsure of how to respond. Unfortunately for them, not a single person in the crowd was willing to ease the situation. On the contrary, the spectators seemed content with being passive observers, relishing the drama and adding fuel to the fire."I remember on Ms. Jessica's birthday, Ms. Rebecca was very sincere in expressing her gratitude toward Mr. and Mrs. Brown for raising her even after they gave her the severance papers," someone said, "Besides, Ms. Jessica herself admitted to purposely bribing someone to humiliate Ms. Rebecca. If I were her, I'd take those papers and leave. Why should I even tolerate the Browns anymore?" "That's right! She could've been hurt! They treated her like trash, so what else are they expecting from her? Ms. Rebecca was kind enough to show them gratitude that day!" "Indeed. M
Rebecca knew well why Karen handed her the severance papers during their confrontation. Karen feared their relationship might persist, and she sought a clean break. She also feared Rebecca might exploit her status as their adopted child to claim the remaining inheritance. It was evident that their own avarice clouded their judgment, leading them to believe that everyone else harbored the same sinister motives. The adoption was never driven by genuine affection; instead, it served as a means to bolster their standing in the Brown family. One would think that being such pretentious villains would eventually become tiresome and dull for them.Looking at her adoptive parents, she struggled to recall how they had treated her prior to Jessica's return. It was ambiguous whether their affection was genuine or a mere façade to ensure a marriage alliance with the Winstons. Consequently, they dispatched her to George, expecting her to dutifully play the part of a devoted granddaughter.Refusi
Reacting quickly to Daniel's words, Jessica took the chance to lean into his embrace, pretending to have tripped over. Seeing that, Rebecca raised her brow while the crowd's attention shifted toward them. The recent scandal involving Rebecca's alleged affair was still fresh in people's minds. Consequently, many were aware that Daniel had not divorced the woman his grandfather had arranged to marry. Although the marriage seemed to have ended, and everyone was aware of Daniel's intention to marry Jessica, there was still an undeniable shift in perception before the divorce was finally legalized. The crowd wasn't entirely accepting of Daniel's behavior in front of his wife, so it was natural that some would deem Jessica a mistress. Moreover, it was no secret that Jessica was the one who exposed Rebecca's scandal to the media. Wasn't she acting like a mistress by pursuing Daniel before the divorce was official?"Jessi, get up." Daniel's expression remained unchanged under everyone's ga
An uneasy expression appeared on Karen's face, but it was fleeting. "What did we do? Other than giving up your room to Jessi when you were fourteen, did we mistreat you? We raised you into an adult, and now look at how ungrateful you've become!" Karen exclaimed in dissent, finally revealing her true self. Jessica chimed in, "That's right. When I returned home at fourteen, you agreed to give me the room after my parents said I was their biological daughter. Besides moving into a smaller room, your life was still the same, right? We ate the same food, lived in the same house, and we gave you everything you needed. We even studied together. What have we done to mistreat you?" Both of them had staunchly maintained their position on this point. After so many years, Rebecca had no evidence to support her claims. Who could testify about any mistreatment she might have experienced in the past? The maids who worked for them had long returned to the countryside to care for their grandchild
Daniel stepped back to put some distance between himself and Jessica. He looked down at her with an unfathomable gaze and said, "You always blame it on your illness. When Becca and I got married, you tried to commit suicide and blamed your illness for making you lose control; that's why I sent her abroad. When she returned to the country, you hired people to sully her, then blamed it on your illness again. You washed, rinsed, and repeated this with the surveillance footage, using your illness as an excuse while begging for forgiveness. Now, you're doing it again! Do you think your illness is a golden ticket to make everyone accommodate you and suffer silently when they shouldn't have been subject to such treatment?"Jessica was ashen when Daniel finished his sentence. She could let this go if anyone other than him were saying these things; why did it have to be Daniel? He had to be incredibly disappointed in her! Could she still marry him? Jessica's worry deepened, as did her hatred f
Jessica moved so quickly that everyone was caught off guard. Rebecca was stunned, as was Ethan. He instinctively tugged Rebecca away from Jessica's line of fire. Though he'd moved as quickly as possible, the dagger still slashed him on the arm. The guests screamed and scrambled away. There were also people who lunged forward—Daniel and Sam. Jessica had just brandished the dagger for another attack when they tried to stop her. Daniel was closer to her, so he got to her and grabbed her wrist before Sam could. "Jessi, calm down!" he growled.However, she'd lost her mind so thoroughly that she couldn't be restrained. Amidst the chaos, she swung the dagger again and sliced Daniel's palm. As the blood spattered on the floor, Jessica stopped and stared at his wound in disbelief. The dagger fell to the floor with a clatter, and the chaos died down. Ethan, who had been shielding Rebecca, relaxed and loosened his grip on her. Sam hurried to her and asked in concern, "Are you okay?"Rebecca nod
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