Spencer was furious. His chest tightened, and he pointed at Penny as if she had committed some great sin. Julia was just as angry. Her face was contorted with rage and she lost her usual grace. They were glaring at Penny as if they wanted to strangle her to death.Penny was no longer afraid of them. She looked at Spencer and Julia and said, "Like father, like son. Even if what I've said is nonsense, these are the things I've learned from you."They had insulted Penny in many ways since she was a child. What she said was just what she had heard from the police officers."You're unbelievable! How dare you defy us? Is that what you learn in school?" Spencer roared. He raised his hand to slap her but remembered how Penny had just slapped him, so he held back. Besides, Julia was watching. It would be too embarrassing for him to get slapped by Penny again.Though Spencer was angry, he knew there was no point in provoking a person with nothing to lose. Still, he was embarrassed by the fac
"What's all this commotion about?" A hoarse voice cut through the silence in the room, drawing everyone's attention.An elderly woman with gray hair was ushered in, her presence dampening the simmering anger surrounding Spencer and Julia."Mother.""Mom."The two hastened their steps to greet Spencer's mother, Beatrice Holmes. On the other hand, in stark contrast, their daughter, Penny showed little to no warmth toward the old lady.Penny harbored little affection for Beatrice. Ever since she could remember, she knew her grandmother didn't like her, often calling her unpleasant names. Penny's focus was solely on her parents; she held no expectations or love for her grandmother.After all, her grandmother didn't like her. Thus, she saw no need to seek her grandmother's approval.At most, during their encounters, she acknowledged her as an elderly figure, offering a bit of respect with a touch of deference.But at this moment, Penny showed no deference toward Beatrice whatsoeve
Beatrice was livid, and Julia was equally enraged as well."Penny, do you even realize what you've just said?" Julia glared at Penny, her eyes betraying resentment and anger.Beatrice, clutching her chest, scolded, "This is madness. How could a young lady like you behave like this? No wonder your father reprimanded you! In fact, I think he's been too lenient, too gentle on you!"Penny stood with her hands behind her back, gripping her phone tightly.She had a plan. If she got hit again today, she'd call the police.Practice makes perfect, after all. Today, she helped Cecilia call the police in broad daylight, and tonight she'd be calling them for herself.There would always be someone to help her.Unfazed by Beatrice and Julia's words, Penny countered, "Is there something wrong with what I said? You called me a liability, but aren't you just insulting yourselves?"They were all women in this world, so why was she the only one labeled a liability?Aren't they liabilities too?
Penny escaped from the Lowe's at night. She had left voluntarily, so technically she wasn't kicked out. Plus, she would have returned home at night again.Penny's room was situated differently from Spencer's. It wasn't on the second floor of the villa's backyard, but a separate building in the corner.Although Beatrice also had her own separate building, her living conditions were much better. There were many flowers and trees planted around the courtyard. It even had a small prayer altar.Penny had never been to the backyard, as she would be scolded if she got close. She was called a jinx, and that her approaching the altar would bring about bad luck. In fact, she found these ridiculous claims quite amusing. Compared to Beatrice's building, the area Penny lived in was extremely desolate.It was located next to a small pond near the villa and had nothing around it. In the summer, the weeds grew wild, and the housekeepers only came to tidy up when there were guests. Otherwise, i
After Penny determined that the young man didn't seem like someone with bad intentions, she asked, "Hey, are you okay?"While she checked on him, she kept her distance since she hadn't completely let her guard down. After all, it was late at night. She couldn't casually judge someone's character based on what they wore. However, the young man's appearance also made Penny feel a bit sorry for him. Of course, there would always be sympathetic people in the world like her. Even if their own lives weren't going well, they still liked to help others.Penny grew up in a loveless family. During the day, she saw someone similar to herself, which was Cecilia. Now, at night, she encountered a homeless teenager. She couldn't help but categorize him the same as Cecilia and herself.He was probably from another disagreeable family and got kicked out. Or maybe, he ran away on his own.Since Penny didn't receive a reply from the young man, she continued, "It's cold at night. You should find a p
"Is the injury on your face from your family?"Comment by Samantha Lee: abit awkward. suggestion: Did your face get injured because of your family striking you?Sam had lowered his head again, and his clear voice came from under his hood.The wind brushed against Penny's face gently, soothing the swollen redness from the beating.Comment by Samantha Lee: if someone beats ur face up, u'll get more than swollen redness hhhh. she got slapped ya. the bottom paragraph got mention that also (she wouldn't let her rotten parents slap her again)She subconsciously touched her cheek and said after hesitating, "Well, sort of."Sam chuckled. "What does that mean? It was a yes or no question."Penny fell silent for a few seconds before explaining, "I'm not sure whether they count as my family. After all, no family would beat their child to death."She shrugged indifferently, adding, "This is just a minor injury, so don't worry about it. You should go home soon."Penny remembered reading
Penny's departure from the beaten path began at this moment.Before the Lowe family's elders could criticize her, she would first assess whether her actions were wrong, and then choose an appropriate way to fight back.As expected, after she returned home without her wallet that night, her irate parents indeed sent someone to ask her to come back to the hall. Unfortunately, she had already left.She only learned about this the next day.The servant had been waiting downstairs in her loft since early morning. They casually mentioned Spencer calling for her the previous night and explained why they were there."Mrs. Lowe got up early to prepare breakfast for you. Mr. Lowe is also there. Please go to the dining room to enjoy breakfast with them."Penny found the situation quite amusing.In the past, when she was still begging for her parents' love, it was a luxury for Penny to even sit at the same table with them for a meal. Even then, she had to gauge their mood first.It was eve
What surprised Cecilia was that Penny had willingly accompanied her to her rundown home, out of concern for her injury. On top of that, Penny didn't complain at all about the state of her shabby house.Cecilia remembered vividly that her elementary school classmate had said she wanted to come to her house to play.At that time, she didn't know anything better. She thought that she had made a good friend at school, so she happily invited her over.She never expected that classmate to mock her.Although Cecilia was very young at that time, the words she heard stayed with her for a lifetime.That 'friend' said that Cecilia's home was like a rat hole. A dilapidated building where dirty rats lived.Clearly, Cecilia's grandmother, Scarlett, kept the house very clean. She had even arranged a bouquet of flowers to welcome the arrival of Cecilia's friend. The house wasn't rundown, it was just a bit small. Cecilia and Scarlett even had a tabby cat, specifically to drive away the mice in