"Mom, I don't get it." Zelda was completely puzzled.The atmosphere was thick with tension from the moment she fetched Angela at the airport. However, Zelda felt sorry for Mary and Serena when she learned that Angela told them to stay in a hotel.Back in the day, Zelda's health wasn't great, so she couldn't visit her parents as often. She relied on her kids to bring gifts to her parents as a kind gesture. Slowly, her health improved.She took it upon herself to handle these gestures, especially on special occasions. Regrettably, things would go awry, and Mary and Serena were frequently the source of these unpleasant situations.This time, Angela decided to visit Fairport, and Zelda knew it was mostly because of James. The thought of Angela's visit brought joy and excitement to Zelda.Maybe memories just got better with time. The love Angela gave Zelda in her childhood now felt like something out of a fairytale. Thinking about those moments helped Zelda forget the difficult times s
"Mom, do you think it's okay if we just leave them outside and grab dinner now?" Rebecca asked.Zelda gave her a look and raised an eyebrow. "You were practically dragging me. I thought my arm was going to be torn off."Rebecca playfully made a face and loosened her grip on Zelda's arm. She silently hoped that Zelda wouldn't be visiting Angela in the hospital after Angela's rude comments.The villa area wasn't sprawling, and even though some villas were sizable, it was mostly due to their spacious yards. The villas were designed to fit a family comfortably.Setting up a separate house for James was primarily because they believed the elders preferred peace. Thus, living nearby but without disrupting each other seemed like the optimal arrangement.They understood that personal space was essential not only for children but also for parents. Various issues might crop up if they were to live together.Since the Johnsons owned numerous properties in the villa area, it made more sense
Angela blinked her eyes open shortly after they wheeled her into the hospital ward. She was surprised to see that the people who usually dropped by during her past hospital visits were missing this time. James was the only one there. He was talking with a nurse.In her hospital bed, Angela could only catch a glimpse of half of James' face. Even with the limited view, she sensed his weariness and worry. James heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed Angela stirring awake. He quickly made his way over to check on her condition."Are you feeling any better?" James asked with concern as he pulled up a chair beside the bed.Angela stayed quiet. She looked around the empty room with weary eyes. After motioning for James to raise the bed, she finally said, "Where is everyone? Didn't anyone come?"James settled into a chair and asked, "Who were you expecting? Who should be here?"Angela gave James a stern look and snapped, "Who else? Can't a mom hope her child would visit?"James snorte
Angela looked awkward after hearing James' words. She looked away and snorted, "Well, she's my daughter, so respecting me is a given. What's there to complain about?"James gave her a sarcastic look. If nobody had any complaints, they would have visited Angela in the hospital instead of leaving James alone in the empty ward.James didn't say anything else. He figured if Angela didn't get it, more words wouldn't help. He lowered his head and started tapping on his phone.When Angela noticed his indifference, she couldn't resist asking, "James, what are you doing?""I just texted Mae to tell her you're in the hospital and asked her to come by," James admitted.Angela grew worried. "Why involve Mae? Why stress her out?"The message was already on its way. James tilted his phone and remarked, "Can't undo it now. Someone's got to look out for you, right? You've upset Zelda's family, and if not Mary, then who else? Hire a caretaker? Plus, I bet Mae will be pleased to drop by."He was
Angela quietly savored her meal. No one could tell if it was the delicious food or if James' words had truly touched her, but surprisingly, her gloomy expression gradually faded away. She was in a lighter mood.Angela blurted out those hurtful words to Zelda before fainting because deep down, she just wanted Zelda's well-off family to show a little more concern for Mary.Unfortunately, Angela's harsh words not only hurt Zelda but also brought back memories of past mistreatment. Eventually, Zelda's family stayed away and didn't visit her in the hospital.Back then, Angela pretended to be overwhelmed at first but ended up fainting as her anger grew real. Fainting easily due to emotional swings wasn't new for Angela, and being in the hospital was normal for her age.Before passing out, she had hoped to take control of Zelda's family once she woke up. However, when she did wake up, she found that Zelda's family had already left her, and the scene mirrored what she saw before fainting.
Mary had her back turned to James. She was clueless that he was shooting angry looks at Angela as she chimed in, "Totally! What's the deal with Zelda and her family? They behave like bloodsuckers, who are enjoying the good life while pulling off disrespectful acts. Don't they care about karma?"James's deep voice echoed from behind, "Karma, huh? Even someone like you, who plotted against your own family, hasn't faced any karma. Zelda and her family are successful in business and often give to charity. Why do you see them as bloodsuckers? What does that say about you?"Mary broke into a cold sweat. She didn't dare to look sideways. She sent a pleading gaze toward Angela, who was lying in the hospital bed.Angela was about to respond when James abruptly stood up and admitted, "I made a mistake. I thought bringing you here would prove the Zelda family's commitment and secure a peaceful retirement for you. "I didn't expect your strong bias. Once the hospital reports are ready, and the
James knew why Mary had come to Fairport. He had sensed it on their way to the villa, but he chose to ignore it. Little did he expect Mary to view him as favoring Zelda's family. She thought that he had given them all his money.However, James had divided Gourmet Haven equally among his three children. He had shown no favoritism. He gazed at his daughter with a heavy heart. She'd been spoiled since she was little. A storm of feelings churned inside him.Mary could tell from James' expression that something was off. Yet, she remembered that no matter how much she messed up before, like when she purposefully hurt Rebecca, James never scolded her much. At most, he just uttered a few stern words.Even back when Mary made a fuss during the family property split years ago, James didn't kick her out of the Johnson residence. In her eyes, James seemed tough on the surface, but deep down, he had a soft heart.She straightened her shoulders and boldly declared, "Dad, spare me that expression
Mary couldn't bring herself to look up when James revealed all her wrongdoings. She felt a heavy guilt weighing on her.She realized she wasn't young anymore, and even her daughter, Serena, was old enough to be a mother. Those carefree days of asking her parents for money without a second thought were now just a distant memory.Mary was simply a good-for-nothing person. As long as her parents didn't object, she was happy being a boomerang child. She believed that the money Gourmet Haven had amassed would surely support her for a lifetime.It was only when Mary assumed control of a few Gourmet Haven branches that she realized the business wasn't thriving as she had imagined. Rather than taking responsibility, she shifted the blame to others.She blamed James for entrusting Gourmet Haven to her, even though she lacked any culinary skills. She thought Zelda was heartless for not looking out for her and Serena, even though their family was rich.She blamed Henry for seeming to forget
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