Chapter 2 Shameless Bastard

Phillip's words brought a tone of finality to the argument. The rain continued to fall torrentially. Several raindrops slid on Penny's pale skin. Her long hair became wet and even her eyelashes were so misty that she had to blink repeatedly to have a clear vision.

The two of them stood in front of Cody's tombstone silently and bowed three times.

Penny straightened her body and stared expressionlessly at her uncle's black-and-white photo which was on the tombstone.

"You can now get what you've always wanted, right?"

Penny asked in a soft and ethereal voice. However, it seemed like her words were coming from the deepest part of her heart. She continued, "Uncle Cody is dead. He had no biological son in his lifetime and you are his adopted son. I'm not good with business and I have never been interested in it right from childhood. Now that the Lou Group is in a precarious situation and something needs to be done immediately, you are the only pillar..."

Penny paused and bit her lips slightly. She then asked, "Are you happy now? After so many years of humiliation and isolation, it's time to rewrite your story. You now have so much power at your fingertips."

Phillip first lowered his eyes and then turned his head to look at her eyes. His face was as cold as ice. He said in a husky voice, "How could it be? Even if I have gotten everything I want, there is one remaining... You!"

"Humph! You need to let go of the past. That chapter is closed. Do you want to drag it till eternity?"

"Well, it's fine. We should have gotten engaged three years ago. If you hadn't called everything off, we might have had a child now." Philip tried to underemphasize the incident with a shrug. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'll just take it as a harmless joke. I know you were just trying to have fun. I won't make a fuss about it in the future!"

"Oh, I had no idea that you could be this magnanimous even though you were cheated. You are really a bastard. You never cease to amaze me with your resilience."

Many years ago, Cody adopted a young boy named Phillip from an orphanage and brought him back home. No one knew who his biological parents were. At that time, Penny was a young and extremely thoughtless girl. They had a quarrel one day and she pointed at him and called him a "bastard".

This insult was like a spear into Phillip's heart at that time. Although he was always rational and restrained, his face suddenly turned pale and his whole body trembled.

However, it only happened once.

A few years had passed since then, Penny mentioned this word again today. She was no longer a child who could be pardoned for speaking recklessly. It was obvious that she had deliberately been so ruthless to him.

Phillip didn't get mad at her this time. The next second, he grabbed the back of her head tightly and said with a murderous look in his eyes, "You don't have to provoke me now. Anyway, I will marry you in the end!"

Penny swallowed hard when he let her go and resisted the sudden throbbing of her heart. With a mocking smile, she stared at him and said, "Don't even think about it. I can never be your wife. Even if you become the chairman of the Lou Group and have great power, I will never change my mind. I don't want to have anything to do with your prosperity!"

"Well, you seem to have forgotten one important detail. As long as your surname is Lou, you remain a member of the family. There's no way you can excuse yourself from this matter."

Phillip flicked his fingers over her lips roughly and added slowly, "The only way I can get rid of the taint of being the adopted son is by marrying you and becoming the legitimate son-in-law of the Lou Family. This is the only way Uncle Cody's overambitious subordinates can stop making trouble for the company. You shouldn't be so nervous. I don't like you at all. I just need to put you as a puppet at home to secure my position in this family."

Phillip spoke so frankly without one iota of shame. He didn't even try to conceal his true intentions.

When he saw the angry expression on Penny's face, he felt an unspeakable joy in his heart. He was glad that he successfully ruffled her feathers.

This was the first time in three years that he was able to relieve the depression he felt in his heart for a moment.

After staring at her for a while, he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You have every right to be unsatisfied. However, you shouldn't forget that this was also Grandma's idea."

"Aaargh! Don't threaten me with Grandma! You disgust me!" His last words had gotten on Penny's nerves. As a result, she pushed him away.

"You can take it as a contract between us. After you marry me, I will help you secure your position as the heiress of the Lou Family. I'm sure you know that the stakeholders of the Lou Group have been eyeing you when Uncle Cody was still alive. Now that he's dead, what do you think they will do to you? I'm afraid that they would make your life a living hell if you don't dance to their tune. Now I'm the only person in the world that can protect you. This would be a win-win situation for both of us. Don't you think so?"

Clenching her fist tightly, Penny resisted the urge to scratch his face. At this moment, she could only reply through her gritted teeth, "You are so shameless, Phillip!"

"Thank you."

Phillip gazed at her intensely and then flashed an evil smile. He said complacently, "Don't forget that you begged to warm my bed some time ago. In spite of my shamelessness, you still love me, don't you?"