Anne almost went out of breath from crying. She deeply regretted everything. If she hadn't tried to snatch Summer's phone and thrown it into the water just now, things wouldn't have been so bad for her. Now, it seemed like she was done for."Leave a person behind to deal with this mess." Kristen's face was full of disgust. After that, she took Summer's hand and walked away without sparing a single glance at Martha and Anne, who were still pleading to her.In the crowd was a flamboyantly dressed man. That man was Terrence. He had just been dining in a private room and happened to stumble into the commotion when he was going to use the restroom.Kristen led Summer past him. When they brushed past each other, he suddenly asked, "X?"After that, his gaze was fixed on Summer.Yet, Summer didn't react at all as she kept her head down and talked to Kristen.Terrence frowned as he watched the two of them disappear. He took out his phone. That blurry picture he had of Summer was his wal
Summer lowered her head, but she could tell that Terrence's gaze never left her. She knew very well he had his eyes on her, regardless of whether or not he knew she was X.What was supposed to be a pleasant banquet ended up an unhappy one thanks to those two earlier. But if there was any good news from tonight, it was that Kristen had decided to make a comeback.Summer heard about what became of those two troublemakers later on. Hartford Group's legal team went after Martha relentlessly for slander.As for Anne, the entire cast had already been set, and they were about to start filming in the next few days. Anne's role was quite significant, so in consideration for the production, Kristen didn't replace Anne.But Anne became increasingly paranoid, afraid that Kristen was out to get her. She kept on making mistakes during the script reading, which frustrated the director to no end. In the end, they scrapped her role entirely.But all of that happened later on.The night was peacef
"That's good," Summer replied.The conversation between the two of them remained dry. Neither of them mentioned Xena.Summer suddenly regretted it. Maybe she should have had a proper talk about it with Mason yesterday. She could have just asked Mason if she was a replacement.But no amount of frustration could change the past.The van stopped in front of their home. When they got back, Summer could clearly feel that something was wrong."What happened?" she asked Phoebe.Phoebe stammered and seemed like she was afraid to speak."Tell me!" Summer's tone was stern."Mr. Hartford Senior got injured. There's a big gash right under his eyebrow," Phoebe finally blurted out nervously."What?" Summer was shocked. She didn't even take off her shoes as she ran to Henry's room."So you're back," Luke greeted Summer in the living room."Dad, what happened to Grandpa?" Summer asked"He's sleeping. It's been a long day. You should go wash up and get some rest, too," Luke replied."I kno
Henry sighed. "I might hate Mason, but I do hope that little wolf cub will come back alive tomorrow.""Why?" Summer asked in confusion."At least he's openly ruthless, unlike those scheming rats!" Henry shook his head."Grandpa, your words are as good as gold. If you say he's alive, then he'll definitely be!" Summer said earnestly."I just hope so." Henry's wound was still throbbing painfully.Summer's heart ached just looking at him. She clenched her teeth and decided she would definitely find out the mastermind behind all this tomorrow.Summer stayed by Henry's side until he fell asleep. By the time she went back to the living room, Kristen and Luke had already gone back to their room.She poured herself a glass of water. Glancing into the courtyard, she happened to catch sight of Robin standing in the yard.Summer put down her glass and walked over.Robin lowered his head when he saw her."Mr. Cohen, are you punishing yourself by standing here?" Summer asked.With Robin's
"Does he have a job?" Summer asked.Summer looked at the information on Terrence online and didn't find anything useful."If being a playboy counts as a job," Robin answered. That meant that Terrence didn't have a job."Oh." Summer fell deep in thought.The name X might already be known in the hacker circles, but X was just another letter in the alphabet for ordinary folks. So, why had Terrence called out X when she walked by?"Ms. Hartford?" Robin's voice pulled her out of her thoughts."Yes?" Summer looked at him.Robin wasn't interested in some random playboy at all. "How do you plan on catching the person who secretly harmed Mr. Hartford Senior tomorrow?""Just give me some men. Focus on staying by Grandpa's side tomorrow and protecting him. There'll be a bloodbath in Royal Financial Group tomorrow, and things in our company won't be much better," Summer said."I understand," Robin answered."You should stop punishing yourself. Get some rest and save up your energy." Summ
There had been many eyes on Hartford Group lately due to the situation with Royal Financial Group. Every few days, someone would try to sneak into the company to take some photos. Just the day before, a woman claiming to be Summer managed to get inside.With another person claiming to be Summer now, the receptionist didn't even bother to look up."Get lost while we're still being nice about it. Otherwise, we'll call the police on you." The guard was getting impatient as well.No one knew exactly what was going on with the company.There was a chance that the company would collapse, which would mean that the guard would be out of a job. Just thinking about that left him with no patience to deal with any visitors."What are you doing?"At that moment, several men in black walked out of the security checkpoint.They were Robin's men, and both the guard and receptionist recognized them.The guard said in a hurry, "There's another person claiming to be Ms. Hartford. I was just going
Summer headed right to the 17th floor, where Hartford Group's administrative department was located. When she arrived, the department seemed eerily lifeless.Everyone looked up when they noticed someone walk in."Who's that?""Is she looking for someone?""Aren't those people from the top floor? Could they be sending an intern to our department?""Who would dare intern at a time like this?""She looks quite pretty. I wonder if she's some department head's daughter.""Where's your manager?" Summer asked."In his office. If you're here for onboarding, it's over there. The manager doesn't handle that. Which executive are you related to? What's your name?" an employee asked."I'm Summer Hartford," Summer replied neutrally."Summer Hartford." The female employee was stunned for a moment. "Wait… Summer Hartford? As in Mr. Hartford's daughter?""Yes." Summer nodded.That instantly caused the listless department to erupt with activity."I'm not here to join the company. Call all t
The group entered the conference room one after another.The first thing they saw was those towering bodyguards. Then, they noticed Summer holding a small spray bottle as she watered the potted plants in the room.From the side, she looked demure and quiet, like a finely crafted doll displayed in a shop window."Is everyone here?" Summer glanced over with an unfriendly expression.The managers exchanged looks of clear displeasure."Everyone is here except for a field manager. He's out on a business trip," Kate answered."Okay." Summer gently put down the spray bottle as she walked over to the table and took a seat.She didn't sit at the head of the table. Instead, she sat across from the managers."Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Summer Hartford, the legal heiress of Hartford Group," Summer said seriously.There wasn't a hint of childishness on her face. All that remained was an imposing presence and an air of authority.The managers quickly introduced themselves."
"If I really did make a scene, we'd be on the front page of the news tomorrow. I even thought of the title for them, 'Heiress to a Financial Empire Has a Mysterious Background. Online Rumors Claim that Grandpa is Actually Dad!'" Summer shrugged.Luke couldn't help but laugh at that."By the way, I said I'd sue that lady who kept on saying I cheated on my SATs at the Dincht residence that day. So far, it just looks like all talk and no action. Dad, could you help me sort it out?" Summer asked sweetly."Alright. I'll have the legal team draft the paperwork tomorrow," Luke replied."Dad, you're the best!" Summer exclaimed."Alright. I'll go over to your mom. You should keep Grandpa company." Luke ruffled Summer's hair.Summer agreed, and they parted ways.When she got back to the car, Henry was already snoring. She pulled out her phone and saw a missed call from Mason.Then, she remembered what Luke said that afternoon.After some thought, Summer sent him a message. "I'm with Gra
"Where did you even hear all this?" "The sources are reliable, I swear!"Just as they were chatting away, a cool voice came from behind, "Oh? Is that so?""What the heck?" Turning around, they laid their eyes on the exact woman they had just been gossiping about."Ms. Hartford, what are you doing here? If you're looking for the restroom, it's that way." A curly-haired woman, Peggy Sue, was the one who had sworn her information was credible. Her lips twitched awkwardly. "So, tell me. Where did you hear all this? I'll help you verify whether the information is reliable or not," Summer asked slowly."Ms. Hartford, she said it! We had nothing to do with it…" the others hurriedly said."It's not what you think! I was only joking around. There are plenty of ridiculous rumors around. Please don't take it to heart," Peggy blurted out, glaring at the others. They were all just happily listening to her gossip just now, but they were so quick to throw her under the bus when something hap
Summer lowered her gaze. "That's wonderful. I hope I can have a husband as good as Dad in the future."Henry said firmly, "You definitely will. I'll keep an eye out for you. Any bad man won't even get close. I'll beat them away with a big stick!""Alright!" Summer grinned, linking her arm through Henry's.A vague memory resurfaced at that moment. Back then, Henry adamantly refused Summer's marriage to Anthony. He really had tried his best to chase Anthony away, just like he said. In the end, Summer was the one who let herself down."I'll definitely listen to you, Grandpa. I won't want anyone that you say is no good," she promised.Henry patted the back of Summer's hand. "You are the best granddaughter I could hope for. Don't be in a rush to find a husband. We're not like other financial conglomerates, marrying off their children just to strengthen business ties."When you choose a husband, the only thing that matters is whether he treats you well, loves you, and whether you lov
"He's always flying around everywhere. Isn't that normal?" Henry scoffed.Luke suddenly dropped his serious demeanor. "There's a small rumor. Do you still remember his fiancée who passed away unexpectedly?""Didn't you just mention her?" Henry didn't seem inclined to interrupt Luke."Well, that accident took a lot of lives, including her family members. I heard her sister was seriously injured and ended up in a vegetative state. Mason sent her overseas for treatment. I'm guessing his sudden trip has something to do with that," Luke explained.Henry frowned.After a long time, he said, "Luke, I'm starting to think you have way too much free time lately."Luke was confused."Do you even have the time to dig up gossip?" Henry's gaze turned serious."Dad, it's not what you think. Dad, we're still at the company. Don't do this, Dad! Summer, save me!" Luke cried out.Just like that, the father and son pair started chasing each other around the office.Summer sat on the couch. She d
Henry was one of the earliest entrepreneurs of his generation. Back then, society wasn't so disorganized. Veteran businessmen also valued morality and ethics.But Summer knew very well that ethics was easy to talk about nowadays, but only contractual agreements truly mattered."I understand what you mean, Grandpa. That's why I said we should retain the right to claim damages. When it comes to reputation risks, it refers to scandals that harm societal values or severe product issues that cause major harm to users," Summer patiently explained.After a pause, she said, "If that happens, it's entirely their fault. There's no need to talk about ethics with people like that."Henry was deep in thought for a moment. "You're right."Summer said, "That's why you should just add the clauses. Even if you don't do it now, I'll add them when I take over Hartford Group anyway."Henry looked at Summer and feigned anger, gently patting her arm. "You little brat, are you threatening me now?""I'
"Alright! I won't disturb you anymore. Have fun!" Henry was clearly flustered.He had called just to see if Summer was home or not. Ever since that morning, the possibility of Summer being in a relationship had popped into his head, causing him to feel uneasy."I'm already out. I'm heading home now." Summer paused for a moment. "Are things busy at the company? If they aren't, I can pick you all up after work.""Great! Come over!" Henry replied.Then, he hung up.Summer drove right to Hartford Group.Ever since the security guards and the reception failed to recognize her the last time, both departments had undergone emergency training. So, this time, the moment she got out of her car, a security guard rushed up. "Ms. Hartford, welcome!"Summer was startled. "There's no need to be so formal."The security guard acted like he didn't hear her as he followed closely behind her and even pressed the elevator button for her.Summer looked helpless, but she couldn't refuse him, either
Lindsey was stunned for a moment. "You're joking, right?""What? Do you think you can't do it?" Summer looked at her.Lindsey started to shake her head before she quickly nodded. "The people who work in Eridanus should all be amazing. The art in After School was really incredible!"Summer patted Lindsey's shoulder. "Not as incredible as you. Alright! I've got nothing else to say here. Get some rest. I'll head back now.""Wait a bit. My grandma went out to buy groceries. Why don't you have some food before you leave?" Lindsey tried to stop Summer.She was still in a daze. She had been prepared to take on freelance jobs to support her and Mary, but she never expected such a massive opportunity to just fall on her lap.Summer politely declined Lindsey's offer and left. When she got in the car, she remembered what Henry had said to her before.The more kindness one put out in the world, the more it would come back one day. Lindsey was basically the first act of kindness she did afte
"Not telling you," Summer said. Though, it would be stranger if she did know which bakery it was from.But thinking about it, the cake was probably made by Mason's own chef, right? The craftsmanship on this chestnut cake was exceptional, after all.That night's dinner was the happiest one the Hartford family had had in the past six months.Around the same time, the news report of Summer's interview aired. Due to her being a major heiress and her incredible results, she started trending online right after the broadcast.This delighted some people. Mason, Saul, Terrence, and a few others were incredibly proud.Of course, there were those that were infuriated as well. Of those were Carol, Janice—who knew she had scored well—and those wealthy ladies who were laughing at Summer. Of course, there was also Rose, who was living abroad at that moment.In a dimly lit room, the air was thick with the stench of medicine.Rose was curled up on a couch with half her face wrapped in bandages
Summer went to the restroom. When she came out, the entire sky above the school had been dyed in red by the setting sun. She stood there and looked around.She had been back for so long, but she never took a proper look at the school. This was the first hell of her past life.She had been pushed into the fountain, locked inside the bathroom, had her homework thrown away, and found insects and trash stuffed into her desk drawer…Those memories now felt like a dream that was slowly fading into the distance."I'm finally leaving." Summer took a deep breath and stretched."Summer." As if to ruin the moment, Anthony appeared out of nowhere.Summer looked at her. "How did you get in?"Anthony adjusted his glasses. "I came back to grab some things. Congratulations!""Congratulations to you, too, Anthony," Summer said.Anthony's expression paled for a moment."Summer, I know you know things aren't as they seem," he said."I don't care," Summer replied coldly."I will prove myself t