Next chapter would be so emotional. Prepare your heart, guys. Anyway, if you like this story, please hit the like button or give me a comment. Thank you. Stay healthy and happy!
"Ace," Louis sighed as he lowered his phone from in front of his face. He didn't care if his conversation with Sky hadn't been over. Grace's feelings were his priority. Instead of responding, Grace turned to leave. Seeing that, Louis spontaneously jumped out of bed. "Ace, wait." He held her arm. "Please don't misunderstand. Just hear me out." "What else do I need to hear? Isn't it all clear?" Grace pushed Louis' hand off her arm. "You said you would handle that brat. But look at the reality! You two are getting closer. You even slept with her last night!" Her ragged breathing made the atmosphere even more tense. Louis shook his head slightly. His eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Are you jealous of a little girl? Come on, Ace. She's not even five." "Don't play dumb, Louis. Do you think I don't know? You're starting to think of her as your daughter. So what are you going to do after this? Leave me to marry her mother?" "Ace," Louis held Grace's shoulders and looked at her gently, "pl
Louis stopped. Something in his heart kept him from moving. However, when he was about to turn around, Grace caught his hand. "Have you changed your mind?" Grace asked with a threatening expression. Louis took a deep breath. Taking her hand, he finally looked forward. "Let's go get breakfast." Meanwhile, two guards had stopped Summer. Seeing the little girl struggling, the oldest servant tried to calm her down. "Please don't chase after Mr. Harper, Little Lady. He has some business outside. How about having breakfast? My friends and I have prepared lots of delicious food for you." However, Summer kept struggling. Her head moved around, looking for traces of Louis. "Uncle Louis, please don't leave me. I want to go with you. Uncle Louis!" Louis heard the heartbreaking voice, but he ignored it. As the elevator doors began to close, Summer finally burst into tears. She no longer fought back. Sobbing, she wiped her eyes with her arms. "Uncle Louis, why did you ignore me? I s
"You're bleeding," Louis murmured as he examined Summer's hand. Summer glanced at her palm. Turned out, there were some scratches there. "Does it hurt?" Louis asked. Summer nodded. "But I've fallen a lot. That's why I carry plasters and antiseptic in my bag," she said between sobs. Louis smiled wryly. He took a look at Summer's knees. There were dust spots on her jumpsuit. "Come here. Sit." Louis, still half-kneeling, lifted the toddler onto his lap. With one hand, he rolled up her pants to her knees. As expected, he found scratches on her skin. "Are there any other injuries besides this?" he asked softly. Summer lifted one of her legs with furrowed brows. Her back was slightly hunched. "I think I have a hole in the sole of my foot. I accidentally stepped on something sharp. It hurts right down to the bone." Hearing that, Louis rushed to check. Finding the sole of her tiny foot full of red spots, he let out a sigh of relief. "Your foot doesn't have a hole, Summer
"Then what else? Pick a few," Louis said stiffly. He felt silly for trying to match Summer's taste to his. "Oh, this is difficult. I like food. I can eat everything heartily, except for those curly greens. I don't really like broccoli, but Mommy said it has a lot of benefits. So, I'm forced to eat it." Louis froze again. It was exactly the same as what he had experienced when he was a child. "But Uncle Louis," Summer's voice made him blink, "is all this food safe? I mean, no almonds or shrimps, right?" Louis' eyes were as wide as they could be. He knew that Sky was allergic to almonds. It was very possible that it was inherited to Summer. But shrimps? Why was Summer afraid of shrimps? "What's with the almonds and shrimps?" Louis acted stupid. "They're bad, Uncle. They can make me itchy and short of breath." Louis tried not to change his expression. However, his mind was too noisy with questions. His forehead frowned even more. Who was Summer actually? Why did she have s
After breakfast, Louis took Summer to his study room. There, they sat facing each other. A book was spread out on the table, right in front of Louis. "What are we going to do here, Uncle? Are we going to play? Or are you going to teach me about business?" Summer smiled sweetly. Her hands were folded neatly under her chin. The table was indeed too high for her. "I'm here to help you," Louis said as he uncapped a pen. "Can you tell me the criteria of a father you want?" "What is criteria?" Summer tilted her head. "Criteria are standards or measurements used to determine something. In short, what kind of father do you want?" Summer's eyes lit up instantly. She thought Louis was learning to be a good father to her. "I want to have a father like you!" "Can you describe it in more detail? What do you like about me?" Summer pointed out her finger. "First, you are handsome and cool. You will make a good couple with Mommy, even though Mommy needs to dress up a little." Louis
Louis took a deep breath. He realized that it was no use trying to persuade Summer. She would not change her mind. Louis would rather wait for Sky to arrive. Maybe only she could conquer Summer. Suddenly, the toddler rubbed her eyes. Seeing that, Louis leaned his head closer. "Summer, are you crying?" Summer didn't answer. Her back was hunched, her head bowed. She only peeked a little. Before Louis could see her eyes, she bent her neck again. "Oh, Summer," Louis knelt beside her. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I have to do this. You have to learn that, in this life, we can't have everything we want." Summer let out a faint sigh, her shoulders dropped lower. Her silence made Louis feel bad. He had to find a way to cheer her up. "Summer, instead of being sad, how about playing with me?" Summer lifted her head slightly. "Play what?" "Anything you want. For the next 24 hours, just pretend I'm your father. You can take me anywhere, do anything. I won't mind as lo
"Since when did your mother write books?" Louis asked stiffly. Summer chuckled. "Isn't Mommy amazing? Since she gave birth to me, Mommy didn't want to bother Grandpa and Grandma. She said she could raise me on her own. That's why," she took a quick breath before continuing. "Mommy worked hard as a guide. In her spare time, she would make illustrations and write stories to make into books." Then, Summer touched several books in turn with her tiny finger. "These are the stories about Mommy's adventures when she was little. While this ...." Summer slid her hand over to another pile. Her name was written on the title. “This is the story of my adventure.” Louis was stunned again. He reached for the book Summer first showed him. A boy was pictured on the cover. As expected, the book told the story of Sky's adventures with Emily and himself in the past. His name was disguised. However, he knew very well that the boy in the story was him. “Why are you showing me these books?” Lou
Without Summer knowing, Louis quietly called the shop assistant. When the young man approached, he whispered, "Distribute all of Summer Hills' books to the schools in this city. I'll cover the costs." The shop assistant widened his eyes. "All of Summer Hills' books? Do you mean everything on this shelf, Sir?" "Everything displayed on shelves and stored in warehouses in all branches." The employee's eyes grew wider. "A-all branches?" "Is that enough to make it a bestseller?" Louis whispered. "I-I don't think so, Sir. The book has only been printed once and not in large quantities. Maybe because the prospects are not so profitable." "Then, contact the branches in other cities. I want all Summer Hills books sold out in this country." The shop assistant sighed in disbelief. While suppressing admiration, he nodded vigorously. "Okay, Sir! We will do it right away. Is there anything else we can help you with, Sir?" Louis fell into a thoughtful consideration. After one blink,
Seeing her mother's panic, Summer stopped peeking from behind the wall. She revealed herself, asking, "Mommy, what's wrong?"While shifting the couch to block the door, Sky shouted, "The bad guys are coming, Honey. Get in your room and lock the door. Call the emergency number!"Suddenly, a thud was heard. The door vibrated, pushed by something big. Worried that the lock would be broken, Sky held it with all her might. "Honey, hurry up!"Summer blinked in confusion. Instead of obeying, she climbed onto the couch and helped her mother to hold the door with her tiny hands. "What about Mommy?""Mommy will be fine. Call for help now!"Suddenly, a thud came from the window. Someone was apparently pounding the shatterproof glass with a gun.Knowing that time was running out, Sky shouted again, "Honey!"Summer finally ran away. She went into her
"You created the abyss yourself, Kendrick!" Louis replied firmly. "Don't blame me for what has happened to you. Once again you disturb me and my family, I will make you stay at the bottom of the abyss forever."Kendrick laughed evilly. "You're still arrogant, apparently. Alright. I accept your challenge. Let's see who reaches the bottom first. Me or that little girl?"Louis' eyes immediately widened. Red lines began to circle his pupils."This is our business. Why did you involve another person? She's innocent! She has nothing to do with this matter!"Hearing Louis' anger, Kendrick's laughter grew louder. "Isn't she the root of our problems? If she hadn't ruined your proposal, the truth wouldn't have been revealed. We're still friends and I would still live in peace.""We were never friends! I never have a friend as cruel as you!""Yes, you're right. I am ind
Omega came out of his tent. "There's nothing here.""What about the stuff?" Louis inquired with a serious expression."It's safe. I didn't bring any important stuff here. It's all in the car."Alice, who had just finished checking her tent, reported the same thing. "I don't think it was a robbery. Nothing was missing."Edmund's brows were furrowed even more. "Then what was he after? Did he leave any clues?" He entered the tent, checking among Summer's belongings.From the tent door, Louis' eyes fell on a small piece of paper that had been crumpled into a ball. He picked it up. Turned out, it was an ATM receipt for a withdrawal balance. The final amount was quite large."It seems like someone got paid for this task," he concluded with a serious expression.Alice gasped and covered her mouth. "You mean someone wants to hurt Summer? For what
Edmund's face turned sullen again. He wondered why his granddaughter had fallen for Louis so easily. In fact, he thought Freddy was more charming.As a result, he didn't talk much for the rest of the night. Even when they returned to the camping area, he just took Alice into the tent. He was disappointed because, up until that moment, Freddy still hadn't managed to attract Summer's attention."What else should I do? How can I make Sky and Summer like Freddy more?" he thought as he stretched out his sleeping bag.While Edmund was seriously contemplating, suddenly, Summer's scream was heard. As fast as lightning, he and Alice crawled out.Sky immediately let go of the chair she was setting up. She ran to Summer's tent too, followed by Louis and Freddy."Honey, what's wrong?" Sky asked spontaneously from the tent door.It turned out that Summer had been standing
"In two months, it will be autumn here. The air is too cold for Summer and Sky to wear beautiful dresses. They'll freeze. Besides, they prefer to be warm," Freddy stated.Louis' face turned stiff. "Do you think I will let them get cold? I can build a building with glass walls and a roof with a heating system. They can still dance in cool clothes while watching the aurora with me."Hearing the argument, Summer frowned. "I don't think you need to do that, Uncle Louis. That building must be very expensive. You'd be better off saving the money for something more useful. Besides ...."Summer moved to Sky's lap. "Mommy and I don't mind dancing outside. We can wear coats over our pretty dresses. We'll stay warm and still look stunning. Isn't that right, Mommy?"Sky smiled a little. She was proud of her daughter. "That's right, Honey. You're beautiful no matter what you wear.""Mommy too
Louis spontaneously laughed. He was amused to see how expressive his daughter was. However, realizing Edmund's cynical glance, he closed his mouth again and listened."After many efforts, Mommy decided to use a rope. I was in charge of holding it from above while Mommy tied the other end to the baby elephant's body. It was an important task because the rope must not fall. If it got wet, it would become slippery. It would be difficult for Mommy and I to pull it.""Your mom wasn't strong enough to push the baby elephant out of the hole. Wouldn't it be harder if you guys pulled it from above?" Freddy's voice suddenly caught all their attention. It was Louis' turn to have a sour expression."We weren't strong enough at first. I had used all my strength, though. The veins in my hands were sticking out."The toddler looked down, pointing to where the veins she meant. After a brief silence, she raised her h
"Summer," Freddy called loudly.The toddler, who was already a little ahead, turned around. "What's wrong, Uncle Fred?""Didn't you say you wanted to listen to the story of my adventure? How about I tell you about it now?"Summer glanced at Louis. Hesitation dimmed the light in her eyes. "Uncle Louis, do you mind?"Louis shook his head slightly. "Just do what you like, Summer.""Okay. Let's talk again later. Okay, Uncle?"Louis nodded. After that, he switched positions with Freddy. The path was narrow. There was no way he could force himself to walk side by side with Summer and the adventurer."Hey, what were you guys talking about?" Louis whispered when Sky arrived at his side.Sky took a deep breath, "He said he was jealous of you. He doesn't like seeing you close to Summer and me."Louis snorte
Sky frowned. She didn't agree with what her father said. So did Alice. She realized Louis' face had turned sour.However, before they could say anything, Summer shook her head firmly. "No, Grandpa. I have Uncle Louis now. We have agreed to treat each other as father and daughter. After he marries Mommy, I will call him Daddy."Edmund froze, but Freddy was still trying to keep a smile. "Uncle Louis?" he whispered, sounding surprised."Yeah, you should meet him, Uncle Fred." Summer patted Freddy's shoulder, then extended her hand to Louis.Seeing her gesture, Louis approached them. "Hi, I'm Louis." He was reluctant to say he was pleased to meet Freddy.The man carrying Summer raised the corners of his lips. "Finally, I get to meet the famous Louis Harper. Hi, I'm Freddy. Just call me Fred." He shook Louis' hand while carrying Summer with one arm.Louis shook hi
"Gosh, Freddy. I never thought we'd meet again. How are you?" Sky asked in a cheerful voice.After patting Sky's back twice, the man replied, "Fine. How are you?"Sky took the distance while nodding, "Fine.""Are you sure? Even though my job is just adventuring, I still have time to observe the media."Sky slowly lost her smile. "I've caused quite a stir, apparently. Even the guy who only stares at nature knows. You don't have to worry, Fred. I'm fine. That problem has been resolved. By the way, why are you here?""Believe it or not, I came to see you."Sky narrowed her eyes. "See me? Do I owe you anything?" she whispered softly.Freddy chuckled. "No. It's just that, ever since I saw you on the news, my heart has been restless. I wanted to see you in person, to make sure you're okay."Freddy's eyes were full of warmth