Chapter 1

Penelope Hall had married her own student. Although the marriage had been going on for eight years so far, the passion between husband and wife was still there. Even tonight, her husband, Jacob Thornton, was extremely turned on by her. "We've been married for so long, Ms. Hall. Yet why are you still dressed so seductively just to seduce me?" Penelope's body was pinned against the glass. She wanted to tell Jacob that all she was wearing was a thin nightgown. But the next thing she knew, her voice came out in broken moans. "You're the one being elated tonight." "Oh honey, I'm elated tonight because it's your birthday." Once the moment of passion receded, Jacob carried Penelope back to bed. "You must be exhausted, right? Get some rest. I need to discuss some work matters with Robert and the others." Since they just shared a moment of passion together, Penelope was still feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside. She was worried that Jacob would suffer terribly from intoxication, so she whipped up some supper hurriedly and delivered it all the way to Room 1001. She was about to open the door when she heard a voice booming from within. "Jake, the moment Rebecca's pregnancy is confirmed, you're going to pay her 100 million dollars. Does that mean you'll get a divorce with Penelope once Rebecca gives birth to her child?" Penelope's hand was still resting on the doorknob at that time. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. Then, she heard Jacob's stern response. "You'd better keep a tight lid on this secret and not ruin my plan!" As soon as he was done speaking, everyone in the private room quickly appeased him. "Don't worry, Jake. Rebecca's child is meant to be your family's future heir, after all." "Wow, Jake really is a hopeless romantic! Rebecca was the one who had caused the Thorntons' downfall and bankruptcy, yet he remains hopelessly in love with her this whole time! "In fact, he even plotted against Rebecca's husband's company just to bring it down. Rebecca and her husband eventually got a divorce, leading to Jake reaping the benefits." "Precisely! Meanwhile, Penelope is just a filthy bar escort. Not only is she four years older than Jake, but she's also sterile. It was a shame that Jake had to maintain the façade of being a devoted partner to Penelope for the sake of securing the investment before his competitors did. If not, he wouldn't have married Penelope at all!" "Jake still carries a photo of Rebecca around in his wallet. She looked really pretty and vibrant with her long, flowing hair. Seriously, he really is head over heels in love with her! I can't wait to attend their wedding!" Penelope was shell-shocked after hearing Jacob's words. It turned out that he was still in love with Rebecca this whole time. His cold and aloof attitude toward Rebecca was nothing but a disguise. Those two had already gotten together a long time ago. Heck, they even had a child together! Poor Penelope staggered a few steps backward. That was when she heard her phone ringing. She just stared at the handsome face that had popped up on the screen. Memories of the past began flooding her mind at that moment. Once upon a time, Jacob was a rich scion who didn't care about studying at all. As for Penelope, she was a brilliant student with good grades who came from poverty. When Jacob was a junior freshman, his stepfather, Peter Thornton, had hired Penelope as Jacob's tutor simply because she was the valedictorian of the STEM branch. During their first meeting, young Jacob had dumped a glass of red wine onto Penelope right away. He shot her a grin cockily after that. "What do you think of the warm welcoming gift I've prepared for you, Ms. Hall?" At the end of the day, Penelope was just a university student. It was inevitable for her to be attracted to Jacob's devilishly handsome looks. Jacob's attitude toward Penelope might be flippant, but her heart still raced at the sight of him looking like a total masterpiece. Since then, she had been infatuated with him. Of course, Jacob could tell that Penelope harbored a crush against him. He enjoyed her attention without feeling guilty whatsoever. Although Penelope knew Jacob was in love with Rebecca Fitzroy, she still willingly served him at his beck and call. She tutored him and aided him in passing the entrance exams of Fernova University, known as the most prestigious and elite university in Belroth. Upon graduation, she drank for him and often attended business meetings with him. Not only that, but she also picked up mixed martial arts and boxing in order to protect him. The year Jacob turned 18, Rebecca and her unknown acquaintances had plotted to destroy the Thornton family. After that, she chose to abandon Jacob and flew abroad to pursue her studies. Left stewing in despair and depression, Jacob ended up suffering from severe schizophrenia and was admitted into a psychiatric hospital. His family and friends gave up on him. Penelope was the only one who stayed with Jacob. She did all she could to provide him with psychological counseling and psychiatric treatment. Some time later, Jacob was discharged from the psychiatric hospital and founded his own company once again. In just a span of three years, he rose as one of the richest and most influential men in the city. Since Penelope had spent eight long years with Jacob through thick and thin, she thought her actions were enough to melt his icy heart. After all, he had fought against Peter just to take her in as his wife back then. But now, Penelope finally found out that the efforts she had put in over the past eight years were nothing but a joke. All this time, Jacob was devoted to Rebecca. He never cared about Penelope at all. Penelope raised her head in an attempt to hold back her tears. She then hung up on Jacob before calling another number. "Mr. Thornton, I've decided to fly to Drusvia. Tell your men to proceed with my identity termination procedures."