Janice had once been an outstanding student who excelled in every manner. Compared to Janice, Nora's own child fell far behind.On top of that, Brad had retired a few years ago, and the position of CEO for Power Construction had been given to Patrick, which made Nora incredibly unhappy.With Janice getting caught up in one scandal after another, Nora took full advantage of it. She moved back right away and spent her days whispering into Brad's ears.She embellished all the rumors from the outside and fed them to Brad. Otherwise, there was no way Brad would be so furious."Shut up!" Janice was already sick of Nora's mockery."Oh, my! Dad, just look at her talking to her elders like that. She's completely lost her manners," Nora feigned fear.Janice felt her whole body trembling.What Summer said earlier constantly echoed in her head.She had spent all this time looking for Rose, but she never expected Anthony to barge into her own home. She really didn't know what Anthony said t
Janice glared at Anthony. "Drop the act. Who used you? Weren't you trying to climb your way into a rich family?"Anthony said slowly, "I love Summer, and the one I want is her, too! She gave me so many hints before, and she was the one who invited me into her tent that night. Otherwise, why would I have gone in? I had no idea the person inside wasn't her!"Janice frowned.Thinking it over, that did make some sense. Why did Anthony need to do that to her in Summer's tent? And there were a lot of rumors surrounding Anthony and Summer in school as well.Anthony grabbed Janice's shoulder. "You can die right now if you want to, but those who harmed us won't feel guilty about it at all. Instead, they'll be pleased that their wicked plans worked. But we can't let that happen, okay? The more we're hurting, the more we need to get revenge on them!"Janice looked a bit surprised. "Revenge? On Summer?""Yes!" Anthony said firmly."How would we get that?" Janice asked.She was definitely u
Anthony took a step back. "Alright. Let's go back now. We can talk to your parents together. Don't be so emotional and stay calm. Don't make them worry anymore. I can tell that they love you very much. It's just that they're a little too old-fashioned."Janice sneered. Her face was still stinging from when Patrick slapped her earlier.Love? The only thing they loved was the family's reputation and social standing."Anthony, if you want to get involved in Power Construction, you'll need some real skills. That woman just now was my aunt, and her husband is the general manager of Power Construction's IT department. Bring him down for me." Janice watched Anthony.Anthony nodded without any hesitation. "I'll get it done within three months."…Summer was swamped with the launch of her game, as well as taking care of Mason, the little puppy. The entire day had been a whirlwind of work.Mason realized she was really busy with something important, so he stopped bothering her too much. H
Summer was stunned as she looked at Mason in shock. "You…""And that special whack-a-mole game…. I happened to see it when someone hacked into my company's computers a while ago." Mason leaned closer to Summer. "X."Summer felt chills all over as she dropped the cotton swab and took a few steps back. "Jesus! Who the hell are you?"He actually knew about the first game she ever made as a child and even knew she was X.Mason watched her and confirmed that Summer didn't remember anything at all. She wasn't that young back then, so how could she not remember anything?"I'm Mason," Mason answered.Summer's thoughts were in chaos.Mason had mentioned that special game she never told anyone about from when she was young, and he recognized that special whack-a-mole and determined that she was X.It meant that he had the right person.After Summer calmed down, she hurried back to Mason's side and lightly grabbed his neck, pretending to strangle him. "Tell me where we met right now. O
Mason's complaint seemed laced with complicated emotions. When Summer heard it, she felt her heart skip a beat.She frowned. "How could I not remember anything at all? That doesn't make sense. I was pretty smart when I was six years old. I was thinking about it, and I could even remember getting scolded by my mom after stealing some cookies.""And you look so…" Summer almost blurted out that he looked so good. There was no way she wouldn't remember Mason since she had been a sucker for good looks since she was young.If Mason wasn't lying, then she probably ran over to console him because he was just too good-looking. Otherwise, there was no way she would have dared to get so close to a stranger."And I look what?" Mason asked innocently."You know exactly what you look like," Summer answered vaguely. "I'll go back and ask my parents if I went to that cemetery back then.""Good." Mason nodded.Summer put her arms around his neck again. "I'll believe you for now, but you'd better
Summer felt a sharp pain in her heart, and her eyes started to redden as well.Mason was stunned, not knowing what he did wrong at all. He started to panic. "What's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have? Don't cry.""Idiot," Summer scolded as she looked at him.Mason was utterly confused. He lightly patted her on the head and asked, "Why are you so upset?"Summer shook her head. "It's nothing. Didn't you see all the dirt about me online? You still like me after all of that?"Mason shook his head. "I didn't see those. Even if I did, I'd still like you. I know how you are. There's no need for me to learn about you from others.""Wow! Someone's a smooth talker." Summer finally smiled.Mason let out a sigh of relief. "Do you have anything else you want to ask about?""There's nothing else." Summer shook her head."Then, can I…" Mason actually didn't forget about him wanting to pay Henry a visit."You can't!" Summer shut him down immediately before she picked up the cotton s
That night was a night filled with unease for a lot of people.Anthony switched on his computer and copied two files from an encrypted folder. He had learned that Power Construction was trying to get into the IT industry as well and was looking for a product that would help them break into the market.The two files contained an application and a game. In his eyes, as long as these were developed and released, they would rake in massive profits. Those two files were both from Rose.Initially, they had been meant for him to use as a way to enter Hartford Group."Summer, I'll make sure you regret the decisions you made in the past," Anthony said as he looked at Summer's photo.Initially, he hadn't suspected Summer at all for what happened on the mountain. But when he was leaving, he secretly took that bottle of alcohol with him. Upon closer inspection, he realized the bottle wasn't the one he had tampered with.That was when he finally understood. Summer had probably known all about
"Go sit down over there!" Summer pointed at the dining room.Mason looked like he wanted to protest, but when Summer glared at him, he sat down obediently."When are you going out?" he asked.She answered, "I need to go out and discuss some things, so I'll be leaving around 10:00 am. I'll try my best to come back before 3:00 pm.""That long?" Mason frowned.Summer poured the chicken broth over the freshly cooked noodles and added two eggs inside before she put the bowl in front of Mason. "Mr. Hunt, I don't like clingy boyfriends. Keep that in mind."Mason didn't know what to say to that. Was he clingy?"Is there anything you want to eat? I'll bring something back for you." Summer decided to offer a small reward after scolding him."Crayfish that you made," Mason said without any hesitation."That's something for next year, so pick something else." She waved it off."How about that place you brought me to last time?" Mason said after some thought. He remembered her enjoying th
"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