Jessica had a point. Though there wouldn't be any public announcements for arrests made, it was hard to guarantee word about this wouldn't get out. Jessica could be considered an A-lister; someone was bound to recognize her if she were to be arrested. Though they'd threatened the guests to keep their mouths shut, they couldn't possibly threaten the police. Karen was panicking on the inside but still patted Jessica's hand in consolation. "Don't worry about that. I'll handle everything, so all you need to do now is go along with the police. I'll get you out tomorrow, okay?"Jessica thought she was going to beg Daniel for help. After all, he was the only person in Riverwood capable of getting her out of there. She wept and tightened her grip on Karen's arm. "What if Dan refuses to help? He has to be mad at me because of what happened tonight. Who knows whether he'll still marry me in the future?" She wanted to die at the thought of Daniel refusing to marry her.The police car stopped at
"It's no trouble. After you, Mr. Winston." Sam wasn't a petty man. Although Sam had only invited Daniel along out of courtesy, Daniel wouldn't reject the offer since it was already made. Sam opened the backseat door for Daniel to get into the car. As he did, he glanced at Daniel's palm. He could still see traces of blood seeping out. From that, he knew that the wound was quite deep. For a moment, he didn't know if he should feel happy about Daniel's misery or not.But Sam didn't take an extra look. Once Daniel took a seat, he closed the door and headed to the driver's seat. After getting into the car, Rebecca closed her eyes. She seemed to have fallen asleep. Daniel and Sam didn't talk either. Thus, the car ride proceeded in silence. Half an hour later, the three arrived at the hospital.When the car stopped, Rebecca opened her eyes and got out before anyone could wake her. It seemed that she hadn't been sleeping during the trip at all. After Sam parked the car and
Seeing Rebecca's reaction, Ethan became anxious. He was afraid that she would cry, so he quickly comforted her. "I'm really fine. You can look if you don't believe me."As he spoke, Ethan reached his hand out from under the coat. His wound had been bandaged in a thin layer of gauze, but Ethan could still move it. It was obvious that the wound wasn't too bad. It was just that his cut-up shirt had lots of bloodstains on it. It made it look a bit horrifying.Penny helped Ethan out too. "The wound wasn't very deep, just a bit wide. The doctor said it'll be fine in two days as long as it doesn't get wet. There won't even be a scar." She said all this quickly and smoothly. It was only after she did that she recalled Rebecca's own injuries. Feeling that she'd done something wrong, her expression turned guilty.But it seemed that she was overthinking. The three didn't seem to mind her words at all.Sam even joked, "Don't you move. If you do, there might be an even bigger injury."
"You don't get it?" As Sam stared at Penny, who looked thoroughly confused, his eyes became tinted with mirth. "If you drive, I won't be the one sending you home."Penny was at a loss for words. She suddenly couldn't find anything to say in answer to him. Sam, however, seemed proud of himself. "Any more questions?" he asked.Penny shook her head. "N-no." She'd been turned around by Sam's logic, and now her brain was in a bit of a mess. Based on the logic, there wasn't much issue with this arrangement. She didn't want to trouble Sam, so Sam wouldn't be the one to send her home if she drove. She would be sending him home instead!That was it. Penny managed to convince herself of this, even if she still felt like there was something wrong with the logic.Sam didn't give her more time to think about it. Seeing how confused she was, he only laughed. "Since there's no problem, go ahead and drive.""Oh, alright." Penny couldn't figure it out, so she nodded and assented. Then, she unloc
Ethan raised an eyebrow. He didn't ask about the supposed gift, putting it aside for the moment. The anger on his face had dissipated a lot. He couldn't help but say, "You sent your company's talent home? Are you sure you didn't use Ms. Lowe as a driver? Ethan, Becca said that's not how people pursue someone they like. You …""Who said I'm pursuing her?" Sam immediately refuted. He twisted the bottle cap open and glugged down some water. "I think you and Rebecca have too much free time, speculating about nothing from the sidelines.""Yes, alright. You're not pursuing her at all." Ethan snickered. Sam put down his bottle of water and said, "You don't believe me, do you, punk? You dare tease me!""Of course not. By the way, didn't you say you received a huge gift? What is it?"Sam gave up on the previous topic and switched to this one. He smiled once this matter was brought up. He splayed lazily on the couch. "It's nothing much. Just that my company's talent recorded clearer video
Rebecca had heard the news from Ryan since not many in the wealthy circles knew about this. Ryan said that Daniel had left after receiving a call early in the morning. Even without putting the phone on speaker, the sounds of crying could be heard through the line. Just listening to it caused a headache to come on.Now, though, Ryan's tone was calm. He didn't sound like he felt bad for his friend at all. Conversely, he seemed to be quite happy about it."I really don't know why Daniel still bothers with that woman. It's bad enough that he was so blind in the past. Why is he still going to see her after yesterday? Don't you think he's being an idiot?"Ryan didn't much like the Brown family, so he didn't go to the banquet last night. But their circles were only so big, so the news of what happened had already spread everywhere. It was just that everyone was smart and talked about it quietly. They were not like Jessica, who was dumb enough to sell the news to the media.At the mome
After Rachel said that, Rebecca really felt embarrassed. Just as she was wondering if she should reject or delay the visit, Rachel spoke again."Since we're talking about it, why not tomorrow? Do you have time, Becca? It's George's birthday tomorrow, too. Although he's not here anymore, he always liked a celebration. And he liked you even more. Let's all gather at the Winston residence. George will be overjoyed to see us together even in heaven."Rachel's reasoning was absurd, but Rebecca couldn't reject her for it. George … He was someone who treated her well even after Jessica had returned. He treated her sincerely and earnestly well. If George were still alive, he would have wanted Rebecca to visit him and celebrate his birthday.Rebecca looked down and stayed silent for a moment. As Rachel waited silently for an answer, Rebecca made a noise of assent. "Mrs. Winston, what if I come by after work tomorrow? It might be a little late, but if you don't mind …""I don't mind. It's
Fearing that Daniel wouldn't agree, Rachel hurriedly spoke up."You can discuss marrying Jessica later, but we owe an explanation for the suffering Becca has endured. Since you've already decided to divorce Becca, you shouldn't have kept dragging it on! Now, you're showing concern for the woman who mistreated her in her childhood as her husband. Have you thought about how Becca feels?""I admit I didn't think this through, but this is too urgent. I will apologize to Becca when I see her tomorrow night."Surprisingly, Daniel didn't remain silent this time. After Rachel finished speaking, he continued.Rachel hadn't quite grasped the situation yet. She assumed Daniel wouldn't come back. So she continued speaking her mind."When I called Becca, she sounded like she didn't want to return to the Winston's residence. She's been back for quite some time but still hasn't found time to visit me. Do you know what that implies? It means the girl wants to sever ties with our family! I'm makin
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