Rose's mind went completely blank under Summer's constant bombardment of questions.When she got her hands on that photo last night, she had thought that Summer wouldn't have any evidence against her. Otherwise, there was no way Summer would have let her run free for so long.She never expected that Summer had everything she needed to completely destroy her.Summer chuckled softly. "As for your claim that I used you to clear my own name, weren't all of the so-called stains on my reputation caused by you in the first place? Shouldn't I be using you to clear my own name?"Rose looked at Summer, furious. "So, it seems like you know everything.""I know far more than you think," Summer said slowly."Summer, you really do know how to put on an act. It's a shame you weren't an actress!" Rose spat."Rose, you harmed Summer, and now, you're acting like she's in the wrong? You're just like that useless father of yours!" Henry said furiously.That was what Rose hated to hear the most. He
Those words felt like a dagger to Rose's heart."You've already been completely exposed. There's nothing more to say, so just get out. From tonight onward, you have nothing to do with the Hartfords," Summer said.Rose thought her threats had scared Summer, and she immediately grew emboldened. "You think you can just kick me out like that? What you said earlier just reminded me. You caused me to lose all my money, and I've been defiled. You should at least compensate me.""How can you be so shameless?" Luke asked in disbelief.They were already being more than merciful by not holding her accountable, and she was still shameless enough to ask for compensation.Rose sneered. "You can say whatever you want. I don't want much. Get me a standalone villa and three million dollars in cash. Since you're kicking me out, I need to survive myself. I need to eat and have a place to live. This amount is nothing to you anyway."Summer suddenly laughed.Rose eyed her with caution. "What are you
Was severing ties with Rose a negative move for the Hartfords? Strictly speaking, it wasn't. Back then, Summer had faced the press for Rose's sake, which made it clear that the Hartford family supported Rose. So, why would they suddenly sever ties with Rose now?This question alone would spark a lot of discussion.But no matter how much discussion it stirred, it wouldn't affect the Hartford family at all.On the other hand, Rose, who had always flaunted the Hartford family name outside, would lose their protection. She would be having a miserable time ahead."Are you just going to let her go crazy like this?" Rose was on the verge of breaking down thinking about how much she would be affected after they severed ties.Henry looked at Rose in disgust. "Summer is right! Since you think we only showed you kindness and raised you for the outside world to see, then we'll just sever our ties with you. The Hartfords won't take advantage of you any longer!""You're insane! You're all in
Kristen held Summer's hand tightly. "You should be just like this from now on. If anyone bullies you, don't endure it. Fight back! But you can't take these risks anymore. You have to tell us, okay?""Okay." Summer nodded."What do we do with the gardener?" Luke asked.Since they weren't pursuing the matter with Rose anymore, the question of what to do with Terry became an issue.Summer raised an eyebrow slightly. "Let him go.""Wouldn't we be going too easy on him if we just did that?" Henry objected."Bad people will always be dealt with by other bad people," Summer said meaningfully.The three adults exchanged confused glances with each other. But in the end, they did as Summer said and released Terry.Rose was thrown out of the Hartford residence in broad daylight. There were a lot of people passing by. Thus, she suppressed the anger inside her, stopping herself from yelling."Summer, just you wait!" She glared fiercely at the Hartford residence one more time before she tur
The Hartford family's statement was released very quickly. The message was simple and direct, stating that they were officially severing ties with Rose effective immediately.Since Rose had been at the center of public controversy, the news started trending by evening.Henry was visibly shaken after he learned everything, and Summer was by his side the whole day.Summer knew that both her parents and Henry had treated Rose genuinely. They raised her as if she were a true part of the family.When the night was about to fall, Rose responded to the family's statement on social media."She dared to post a reply? Did she try to slander you again?" Henry asked angrily.Summer glanced at the post with a hint of mockery in her eyes. "She wouldn't dare."After that, she handed the phone to Henry.Henry read the post, and his eyebrows furrowed even more.The post read, "I apologize for taking up public attention due to my personal matters. I'm truly grateful for all the care and educati
Summer thought for a moment before accepting the friend request."What do you want?" Summer asked.Chandler's reply came quickly. "Are you sick?"Summer responded, "Yeah, do you need something?""I'm just checking on you. Is it serious?" Chandler wrote.Chandler seemed like a well-behaved and harmless guy. He was the type that many women would like.Yet, for some reason, even just reading his concerned message made Summer think of Anthony from her past life.She found herself losing patience.Summer decided to just toss her phone on the bed, ignoring Chandler's messages.Meanwhile, Chandler sat on a plush couch with his legs crossed. There was deafening music blasting around him, and beside him were two scantily clad women."Not replying anymore?" he mused when he didn't get a reply from Summer after a while.The smile on his face slowly disappeared."Mr. Hunt, since it's your first time here, we can't let you leave without getting properly drunk!" One of the women slinked
"What happened after that?" Summer asked."It looks like Mr. Sutton's mother wanted to bring the baby over to continue causing trouble, but his mother-in-law wasn't going to allow it," Lindsey continued."I see." Summer nodded.In the end, one's mother would always have her daughter's best interests at heart."How can that old lady be so awful? Why hasn't she been arrested yet?" Lindsey muttered.Summer didn't answer her, and Lindsey didn't continue, either. Instead, Lindsey quickly packed up her textbooks and moved to sit beside Summer.…During their break, news of Summer moving into the dormitories quickly spread throughout the school.Somehow, by the end of the day, more and more people decided they wanted to stay at the dormitories to focus on the SATs.After school, Summer carried her things and headed toward the dormitory. Halfway there, Chandler appeared beside her."Why are you following me?" she asked bluntly."I'm not following you. I'm staying in the dorms, too,"
Those rich heirs already had their futures arranged by their families, so they never cared much about the SATs. Yet, looking at how Summer, the heiress of Hartford Group, was studying like her life depended on it, they were unknowingly influenced and pulled into it as well.Just like that, Friday night arrived.The senior students were now required to attend study sessions in the evening. The study session ended around 9:00 pm, and Robin was already waiting to pick up Summer and send her home.As their car pulled up to the house, two police cars arrived at almost the same time. Summer looked over before she opened the car door and stepped out."Officers, can I help you with anything?" she asked politely.Four police officers got out of the cars and showed Summer their identifications. "Miss, are your guardians home?"Summer brought them inside.Henry rushed over from the study after one of the housekeepers notified him."What happened to Summer?" he asked anxiously as he rush
"What does it have to do with you?" Mason sneered."You…" Snow was shocked by his indifference.She'd just caught them doing something inappropriate. Shouldn't he be panicking? Shouldn't he be begging for her to keep their secret?Then, Mason forcefully pushed the door, shoving Snow outside and slamming it shut.Snow stomped her foot on the ground furiously, but there was nothing she could do. She thought to herself that she would go look for Summer tomorrow. If Mason didn't care, surely Summer would have some shame.Then, with a huff, she yanked up the pajama top that had slid down her shoulders and stormed back to her room.…Early the next morning, Summer woke up, washed up, and went to knock on Mason's door. After that, the two of them went to have breakfast in the dining room.Snow, as a volunteer, was in the dining room as well. When she saw the two of them walk in and how attentive Mason was to Summer, she felt a surge of jealousy in her heart."You still haven't gotten
Summer sat on the bed while Mason knelt at the bedside. He carefully applied ointment to her bites with visible concern.Summer reassured him, "It's just mosquito bites. They'll be gone after a good night's sleep.""Plenty of people have gotten sick from mosquito bites," Mason said.Summer reached out, grabbed his wrist, and attempted to pull him up. But she lost her balance and tumbled backward onto the bed, almost dragging Mason down with her.Luckily, he braced himself with both hands on either side of her, narrowly keeping them from falling. Now, he was hovering above her, and their eyes met.The scent of herbal balm filled the room, somehow making for a strange atmosphere."You got bitten on the cheek, too," Mason said as he looked at her face."Don't put that green stuff on my face. It's weird," Summer said."No…" Mason protested.Summer blinked. "It'll be fine. If you're really worried, just kiss it. Saliva has antibacterial properties, too."Mason said nothing as he l
Otherwise, Mason truly didn't know what he would do.Would he try to snatch Summer away? What if she hated him for it? What if she was never happy again because of it?That wasn't what he wanted. All he wanted was for Summer to live a happy, joyful life. Whether or not he was a part of that life didn't seem to matter much."There are some water lilies over there. They might still be in bloom, so let's go check them out." Summer's cheeks were flushed, and she was still slightly out of breath."Alright." Mason nodded.The two of them walked over side by side and even held hands for a while. By the time they reached the water lily pond, Summer let go.There were two couples by the pond. One pair was leaning close to the other, while the other was taking photos.Mason looked at them, finding the scene both dazzling and enviable. Once again, he regretted accepting to pretend to be her brother."Look! There are so many water lilies!" Summer didn't notice Mason's gloom as she grabbed
Once Snow was gone, the other women started to whisper among themselves."I bet she's going to look for Betsy. She probably wants to switch rooms to be next to that handsome guy.""For sure. She probably went to take a shower and doll herself up, too.""She's always throwing herself at guys but still acts so high and mighty. I really don't get what's going on in her head."Summer and Mason had already walked quite far ahead.Summer couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "What do we do, Mason? It looks like that pretty girl has a crush on you."Mason glanced at her.Before she could react, he suddenly pulled her into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her hard. "You're very happy, aren't you?"There were quite a few guests walking around the farm at that moment.Summer was startled and tried to break free, but Mason only held her even tighter."Mr. Hunt, it was my fault!" Summer surrendered immediately.Mason said nothing."If that woman comes looking for you, I'll hel
Mason was visibly pleased when he heard Summer say that there was still plenty of time. He nodded without hesitation.After dinner, Summer and Mason took a leisurely stroll outside.The countryside at night was far quieter than the city. The farmland was in full bloom. With everything growing strong and lush, they walked along a small path, and when they looked up, the sky was filled with stars."There are so many stars!" Summer exclaimed.Mason looked up as well. He wasn't really interested in them. Rather than stars, he was far more interested in looking at Summer."You liked stars a lot when you were a kid," Mason said.Summer looked at him before she shook her head in disbelief. "We met just once when I was young. How much did I tell you?""You told me quite a lot," Mason said.Summer shook her head again. "It looks like I've always been weak to good-looking people. I told you everything, I guess."That made Mason's grin even wider. "So, is that a compliment?""Isn't that
"Hello," Mason greeted politely.Randall instantly lit up with the same warm smile as before. "No need to be so polite. The dishes are almost ready. Would you two like to eat inside the house or out in the open area out front?""What do you think?" Summer asked.Mason never expected that Summer treating him like her brother could have this sort of effect. "Whatever you like.""Let's eat inside first. We can walk around after dinner," Summer said.The owner chuckled and immediately had someone arrange it.It was the summer break, so there were quite a few guests at the farm, but not many were staying overnight.Summer had arrived late. Most people had already eaten and gone out for a stroll.Summer asked Mason softly, "What do you think? Do you like it? We can sleep here and go catch some shrimp tomorrow. There are many fruits and vegetables to pick, too. "When I came with my parents, they almost picked a whole carload and insisted on bringing them home. In the end, they gave
"How would you know where I want to go?" Mason asked with a smile."I just do!" Summer answered confidently.After passing what used to be the flea market, the road opened up into the countryside. Mason could see stretches of fields rolling by.On the way there, a call came in from the company.Summer glanced at Mason before she answered the call.Very quickly, she heard Lionel's voice. "Summer, have you eaten yet?""I still haven't. What's up?" Summer replied. Her tone was totally different from the one she used with Mason."There's a problem with the structure of the Escape From the Asylum project. I kept calling Hunt, but he hasn't been answering. Could you try contacting him later?" Lionel said.Hunt naturally referred to Saul.Ever since the restaurant incident, Saul had rarely shown up at the company. Summer had been so busy lately that the two of them barely crossed paths. Even so, they had kept in touch on the phone."I got it. If it's getting too late and you can't s
Even putting everything else aside, the incident that had taken Xena's life, according to Luke, had been a result of an internal family conflict. Xena had simply been caught in the crossfire.Cynthia had lost Xena—her sister—and then spent years in a vegetative state. If Mason ignored her, that would have reflected really poorly on his character. It would have meant that he had no sense of responsibility.Mason gave her a gentle smile. "That was a close call.""Let's go out for dinner tonight," Summer said suddenly.Mason was taken aback for a moment. "Go out? Aren't you afraid someone might see us?"Of course Mason wanted to, but Summer had always seemed reluctant to be exposed publicly like that.Summer said as she pulled Mason up. "No one will. Take off your suit. I'll bring you to a nighttime flea market. No wealthy folk will be there."Mason looked a little lost. He had never been to such places.While he went to change, Summer pulled out two baseball caps from a drawer an
In the blink of an eye, a busy month came to an end.That afternoon, Summer received a call from her apartment management. Someone from the floor below had complained about a leak from her unit, and they asked her to check it out.Summer immediately drove over.The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she didn't see the neighbor or the property staff. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of a massive bouquet, as well as Mason waiting for her right next to the door."You're back?" Summer's eyes lit up as her face bloomed with joy. She skipped over to Mason excitedly."I thought you said you wouldn't be back until next week?" Summer asked."I missed you so much that I came home early." Mason shifted the flowers aside and opened his arms.Summer lunged into his embrace with a radiant smile, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Welcome back, Mr. Hunt!"Mason held the bouquet with one hand as he gently stroked her head with the other. He lowered his head and kissed Summer on t