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
Even if the Hartford family never mentioned the connection between Rose and Terry, the investigation still eventually led back to Rose.After Rose was kicked out of the Hartford family, she used the little money she had left to rent an apartment.Terry had ruthlessly beaten her up that day. Her bruises on her face hadn't yet fully faded."Ms. Sanderson, we've discovered that you helped the deceased pay off a large gambling debt," the officers said.Rose's face was full of shock. "How could he be dead? When I lent him that money, he promised me he would turn over a new leaf and never gamble again."The two officers exchanged glances. "There's no need to panic. Just answer our questions. Did you lend him that money? That was no small sum. Are you very familiar with him?"Rose lowered her gaze and looked nervous. "He was just a gardener my family hired—a temporary worker. I met him once or twice, so we're not very familiar with each other.""Did he force you to give him that money?
After finishing everything, Rose walked back to the couch and sat down.She never expected Terry's body to be washed downstream.After a brief moment of panic, she suddenly let out a sinister laugh. "So, killing someone is just that easy?"After saying that, she clenched her fists tightly. "Summer, you forced me into this. One day, I'll make sure to pay you back a thousand times over!"…Terry's murder became something of an unspoken understanding among the Hartford family. For an entire day, not a single person brought it up.After having breakfast, Summer found an excuse to leave the house.This time, she drove herself using a small car that was meant for groceries. She headed right to the underground market on the outskirts of the city.It wasn't just computer parts that were sold there. It also served as a hub for virtual transactions.Summer went to the same store as last time. Before she left the house, she had even arranged things with Lionel. When she arrived at the ma
"So, this is the expert you were talking about?" Summer asked.Lionel quickly nodded. "That's right. Saul was the one who did the marketing for that interstellar game last year.""I didn't expect you to be good at this despite your mediocre coding skills." Summer raised an eyebrow slightly.Lionel was taken aback and hurried to explain, "Hey, miss, Saul is…"Saul calmly interrupted him, "My skills aren't great, so if you're willing to teach me, I can give you a discount. How about 30% off?"Lionel blinked at Saul in confusion.What the hell? The big bad wolf was hiding and pretending to be a puppy just to get close to this little fox?Oh, men!"You haven't even seen my work, and you've already decided to take my project?" Summer crossed her arms, showing no excitement over the discount. Instead, she was incredibly cautious."I already saw what you're capable of last time. Besides, didn't Lionel already review your work? He's got a sharp eye. If your design wasn't good, he woul
Saul had just so unexpectedly run into his first love, and the person was X, who drove Terrence out of his mind.This time, she seemed livelier than before. She seemed even more energetic and adorable."You still haven't told me your name," Saul said.Summer thought about it for a moment before she turned and looked at him. "Call me Harvest."Saul was stunned for a moment. That was probably not her real name.He nodded. "Alright, Harvest. Can you show me a demo of the game?""Of course," Summer agreed. Then, she spent over an hour explaining the game to Saul.Summer was incredibly confident in the game.In her past life, Anthony had taken this exact game to Hartford Group. It was a massive success once it launched, making an incredible fortune for the company. Anthony himself basked in the spotlight for a long time.However, when Summer was explaining the game, Saul would occasionally interject with a few questions. From those questions, she realized ways to optimize her gam
"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