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Chapter 5

Penulis: Good Night
Rose received a call from Anthony when she was in the shower.

Anthony's family was in the hardware supply business. Although he wasn't considered one of the wealthiest guys, he was at least good-looking and ambitious. Rose was quite fond of him and picked him to carry out her plan of taking over Hartford Group.

His call sent her into panic mode. She knew him too well. He'd definitely turn up his nose at her if he found out she had been gang-raped!

Rose decided to keep it a secret from Anthony. She quickly regained her composure and answered his call in a coquettish manner, "Anthony, have you found Summer?"

"She's back at the Hartford residence," he replied grimly. "I lost touch with that hooligan I hired."

Of course, he couldn't get in touch with that hooligan because that guy had snapped his SIM card in half in front of Summer.

"How did that happen?" Rose's eyes were filled with shock. She thought she had spiked Summer's drink with a strong dosage. Summer couldn't have possibly walked out of the bar herself, not to mention getting home!

"We hatched this plan for a while now, but it has failed." His tone was fraught with irritation. "I was right. It's not that easy to take power in Hartford Group."

"Our plan will not fail!" she snapped at him resentfully. "We failed to take her photos, but AI tech is pretty advanced nowadays. We can get some deepfake photos that look just as real!

"Whatever happens today doesn't matter. Everything will still go according to the plan tomorrow!"

After hanging up, she scrunched up her eyebrows in frustration. No matter how she looked at it, the incident that night was freakish.

Summer, whose drink had been spiked, managed to get home safely. At the same time, the hooligan they hired had lost touch with Anthony. On top of that, Rose herself had unluckily become a gang-rape victim.

Rose's heart sank. Could Summer have…

However, she quickly dropped the idea when she recalled how naively sweet Summer had been. She was a gullible girl who wouldn't even realize she was being taken advantage of.

That dumb girl couldn't have possibly come up with such an elaborate plan.

Anyway, she decided to put aside what had happened to her for later investigation. She vowed not to spare any one of the perpetrators.

Her more pressing goal was to get the deepfake photos ready before Summer's coming-of-age ceremony at her birthday party scheduled for tomorrow night.

Having come up with the plan for a long time, Rose did not want to miss out on that golden opportunity.

In the wee hours of the morning, Summer once again woke up in shock from a nightmare.

In her dreams, she was back at the mental institution, tied to an electric chair. An agonizing pain shook her body when the electricity passed through her body. Rose and Anthony watched and laughed at her.

Birds were chirping outside her window. The sunlight streamed into the room through the ceiling-to-floor windows. After taking a while to catch her breath, she reached out to hold the ray of sunlight.

The warmth of the sunlight touched her slender fingertips.

Back at the mental institution, she had dreamed of sunlight before, but they were cold to the touch in her dreams. That was how she realized she wasn't in a dream at all. She had traveled to the past.

"Wait a minute! It's already bright out there. Dad, Mom, and Grandpa should be home by now!" Summer flipped her blanket and hopped out of bed. She hurried out of her room and down the stairs without bothering to put on her slippers.

Luke Hartford was patiently peeling an egg for his wife, Kristen Woods, in the dining hall. Kristen had put on a face mask while reading a fashion magazine.

Henry had put on a pair of glasses and was reading the paper with a serious face.

"Look at this jerk Mason Hunt! He's forcefully acquired another legacy business!"

Luke scooped out the yolk and placed only the egg white on Kristen's plate. He commented, "Mason might look successful on the surface, but I heard from others that many of his family members wanted him dead. They resorted to all sorts of methods, from hiring hitmen to attempted poisonings."

"He deserves it!" Henry harrumphed, clearly still not over the attempted acquisition of Hartford Group.

Summer stood there, watching her family members chat. It felt like ages ago. Tears welled up in her eyes.

She thought to herself, "Thank God…"

"Summer, are you up?" Henry's expression relaxed. He gazed at Summer with a friendly and kind look. "Join us for breakfast! Phoebe made your favorite bread pudding!"

"Okay!" Summer gathered herself and joined them at the table.

"Darling, happy 18th birthday!" Smiling, Luke said to her, "The gifts from me and your mom are in your room. Have you unwrapped them? Do you like them?"

Summer stole a glance at Kristen, whose eyes were fixed on her magazine. Kristen acted as if she hadn't noticed Summer at all.

Henry was the nicest to Summer out of all her family members. Luke and Kristen rarely spent time with her because they worked abroad. Luke was good to her, but Kristen was… exceptionally distant.

In the past, Summer never really had a good relationship with Kristen. But it all changed after her scandal. Kristen started to defend her.

Before Summer could recover from the emotional scars, she lost both her parents in that car accident. Until her death, she did not have a chance to talk things out with Kristen.

"I haven't unwrapped the gifts yet. I came down right away because I missed you all so much in my dreams!" Tears shimmered in her eyes.

She missed her family like crazy. To her, the best birthday gift was to have them back by her side.

"Did you miss us?" Henry looked surprised. The smile on his face was replaced by a look of guilt. "We've been busy with work lately and couldn't spend much time with you. I'll make sure not to do that again."

"Summer is not a child anymore. She doesn't need adults around her all the time." Kristen finally set down her magazine, removed the mask off her face, and handed the used mask to the maid.
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  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 6

    Kristen was an award-winning actress before she married Luke. People had described her looks in this way—heart-stopping and breathtakingly beautiful.Many lamented her decision to retire when she was at the peak of her career. She might be near her 50s, but she looked like she was in her late 20s."Mom, are you free today? I can't get in touch with Rose. Can you go with me to shop for a dress for my birthday party instead? I know you have great taste, and you'll definitely pick the best dress for me," Summer asked Kristen sweetly. She did not want to miss out on the chance to repair her relationship with Kristen.Kristen shot her a shocked expression. It had been a few years since Summer called her "Mom".Henry and Luke appeared stunned as well. Their eyes darted between the mother and daughter. Despite feeling awkward, Kristen agreed to the invitation with a grunt.In the past, Summer would have flown into a rage at Kristen's nonchalant attitude. However, she was excited to g

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 7

    The birthday party was a luxurious and breathtaking affair. Everyone knew Henry very much doted on Summer, his only granddaughter. More than once, he had formally declared his intention to let her inherit Hartford Group.Thus, it went without saying that no expense was spared for her 18th birthday party, much to the envy of the many heiresses and socialites in attendance.Soon, the party began. When Summer appeared on Henry's arm, she instantly captivated everyone with her beauty. All eyes fell on her, and no one could tear their eyes away. She was far too beautiful.Some of the socialites who had met Summer on other occasions started whispering among themselves."That's Summer? Did she get some work done? She didn't look like that the last time I saw her!""I bet she got plastic surgery. She probably even bleached her skin, too. She definitely didn't look that fair the last time. Her skin was so dull and sallow-looking. Look at her now! Her skin looks flawless!""Where did she g

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 8

    Once the guests were gone, Henry turned grim."What on earth is going on? Robin, find the person who changed Summer's birthday video at once. I don't care what the mastermind's goal is. I'll make whoever it is pay for ruining my precious Summer's 18th birthday party!""Yes, Mr. Hartford Senior!" Robin Cohen, a hulking man with a fearsome expression, replied.Henry had brought Robin back from a human trafficking ring over two decades ago. Apparently, Robin had been trained since childhood to be an assassin, but Henry took him in as a godson. Having grown up in such a harsh environment, Robin had a rather cold personality. He listened to no one but Henry and was loyal to him alone.Summer wasn't sure what happened to Robin in the previous lifetime, but had he been alive, he probably wouldn't have allowed anyone to torment Henry to that extent.Once Robin left, Henry looked over at Summer and saw the sorrowful expression on her face. He instinctively assumed she was worried about R

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 9

    Rose felt as if she had somehow taken Summer's place. Everything Summer should've been suffering through right now was happening to her instead. She wanted nothing more than to rip Summer to pieces right now, but she couldn't.Her plan had failed, so she still needed to rely on the Hartfords to survive."Summer did nothing wrong. I understand how you feel, Rose, but when something like this occurs, it's best to uncover the truth and clear your name as soon as possible. Otherwise, who knows how many ridiculous rumors would've been spread by the time you got someone to verify the video?"Once that happens, who would be willing to believe you even if you have ironclad evidence to prove yourself?" Henry said solemnly.Rose turned ghostly pale, but she continued to plead, "I really don't want to let a stranger see that video, Mr. Hartford Senior! Please, I'm begging you! Please make the call and get the video back!"Summer eyed Rose calmly.On this night in the previous lifetime, Rose

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 10

    Rose stiffened. As it was, everything that happened over the last two days felt strange to her. It was as though someone knew what her plan was and had secretly messed things up for her. She was worried that if such a person did exist, that person might tell Summer what her plan had been.Thus, her heart trembled when she heard Summer's question."No. It's just… a similar outfit," Rose replied stiffly."Thank goodness," Summer said as she reached out to take Rose's hand with an expressionless face that was rather unlike her.Frightened, Rose instinctively shrank back slightly, but Summer pretended not to notice Rose's reaction as she tucked Rose's hair behind her ear and said, "Here I was thinking that I'd failed to take good care of you last night, so that's why…""Summer, how did you get home last night?" Rose asked."Weren't you the one who brought me home?" Summer replied, looking rather startled. "I'm not sure what happened either, but my memory of last night is rather fuzzy

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 11

    Summer stuck around in Rose's room for a little longer. She was just about to find an excuse to leave when Rose's phone started ringing.As soon as Rose saw the screen, she snatched her phone up right away, as if she feared Summer might see something."I'd like to be alone for a while, Summer," Rose said.Summer glanced at the phone Rose was hiding behind her back. She didn't even need to ponder any further to figure out who was calling—Anthony.Just recalling that name alone made Summer feel a ball of fire raging in her heart. From the moment she realized the truth, her unrealistic feelings for him vanished completely, leaving nothing but derision and resentment behind."Alright. Get some rest and don't dwell on the situation too much," Summer said."Okay."Once Summer left the room, Rose immediately took the call. As Summer expected, it was indeed Anthony who called."What took you so long?" Anthony asked in displeasure."Summer was with me just now," Rose responded, keeping

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 12

    In the previous lifetime, Summer had been so traumatized by those photos that she refused to leave the house. To avoid letting that affect her education, Henry resorted to finding a tutor who could teach her at home.Anthony was a model student who was known for his academic accomplishments. That, combined with Rose's machinations, allowed him to use that opportunity to enter the Hartford residence and become a part of Summer's life.Slowly sipping her milk, Summer sneered to herself. It seemed like despite suffering such a severe setback, Rose hadn't chosen to give up on her foolish plan. If nothing else unexpected happened, she would most likely be running into Anthony in the Hartford residence soon enough.Just then, Robin returned."How are the investigations coming along? Have you figured out who those people were?" Henry asked grimly.Shaking his head, Robin replied, "Ms. Sanderson doesn't remember the time or place of the incident. Moreover, the people in the video were all

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 13

    "I'll tell you a secret—it's my favorite game! No matter how upset I am, as soon as I whack one of those little moles on the head, all my sadness disappears!"But you know, I do feel bad for the little moles always getting hit. So, I've decided that when I grow up, I'll make my own whack-a-mole game and design sturdy little helmets for them!"On the screen, the mole that was whacked had on a helmet with an "S" on it.S…It stood for "Summer".Just as everyone was still processing, Mason casually remarked, "Cute."Kyle turned to look at the screen showing four blocky characters bouncing around.Cute? This outdated, cheesy thing? What on earth was cute about it?"Is it not?" Mason looked up at the group."It is! Very cute indeed!" They all nodded in unison.Mason then asked, "Has the entire system been breached?""We're trying to fix it!" Tim Bryant, the IT guy, blurted, cold sweat beading on his forehead."Save this program and send it to me," Mason said.Suddenly, he snapp

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  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 319

    The manor was quite grand. It was almost on par with the one owned by the Hartford family."Kristen, you're finally here!" By the entrance was a tall, slender woman in her 40s or 50s. She looked the image of someone who was very socially adept."I'm so sorry, Mrs. Dincht. I've been so busy helping my daughter with the SATs. I was preparing for my comeback afterward. That's why I've had to turn down quite a few of your gatherings," Kristen said calmly."Your daughter's education is the most important!" Mrs. Dincht, Gloria Nial, laughed as she looked over.Her gaze landed on Summer. "Summer?""Hello, Mrs. Dincht," Summer said loudly.Gloria looked even more delighted. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing your daughter? Come on. Let me take a good look at you, Summer. After what happened at your birthday party last time, I didn't get the chance to take a proper look at you."Summer obediently walked over.Gloria studied Summer carefully before she looked at Kristen. "Such a p

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 318

    Robin walked in and paused when he saw the three of them together."What is it?" Henry asked."News just came in. Rosanna and Aspen have been released," Robin said.The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze."If they're out, then so be it. No need to make a fuss about it." Henry waved it off before he redirected his focus to the exams."Summer's SAT results are more important right now," Kristen said.Robin nodded. "Understood.""Mr. Cohen, who got released?" Summer walked down at that moment."Rosanna and Aspen," Robin answered.Summer frowned. "Why were they only locked up for a few days?""I heard they spent a lot of money to bail themselves out," Robin replied.Summer nodded. "That's good. Wouldn't want Ms. Rosanna to miss out on my exam results."Robin was speechless."Summer, you're up?" Henry immediately waved her over.Summer ran over with a smile. "Good morning, Grandpa. Why are you clutching the edge of the table like that?"Henry quickly released his hands a

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 317

    Luke, ever the intellectual, looked shocked. "Dad, when did you believe in all this?""I'd rather be safe than sorry!" Henry then looked at Summer's arm with a heartbroken expression. "You must have been terrified.""I wasn't." Summer spent a long time comforting Henry.It was deep in the night when everyone returned to their rooms.Summer was feeling incredibly inspired after she spent the past few days on set, so she stayed up late working on her script. She only stopped when she started to feel hungry and quietly made her way downstairs.When she reached the kitchen, she found some bread to nibble on."Why are you eating bread here alone? Are you hungry?" Summer looked up to see Luke standing by the door."Yes." She nodded.Luke smiled and walked in. "Go sit in the dining room. I'll make you some chicken noodle soup.""You know how to make that?" Summer looked surprised."Back when your mom was an actress, her meal schedule was all over the place. It ended up causing stoma

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 316

    The next afternoon, Summer went to see Lily."Does Kristen not want to see me?" Lily almost cried when she saw that it was only Summer there.Summer's expression remained indifferent. "I didn't let her see you."Lily stared at Summer in shock before she hurriedly said, "Ms. Hartford, I really didn't mean to. Don't worry. I won't let anything like this happen again."Summer took out a business card and said, "Lily, I told you before. I only care about my mom. This is the contact information of Morning Star Entertainment's CEO. I pulled some strings and gave them a call on your behalf. You're a well-known agent, so they're willing to give you better pay.""You want me to leave Kristen?" Tears started to fall from Lily's eyes.Summer remained indifferent. "My mom might forgive you, but if I hadn't found out in time, my mom wouldn't even be alive right now. I won't forgive you so easily. The fact that I've done this for you is already taking a lot of kindness."Lily lowered her head

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 315

    "That would be best." Summer's expression remained unchanged.Channing thought for a moment. "What are you going to do with her?""She's committed too many despicable crimes with too many lives involved. There's no way the law will let her off," Summer said calmly.Channing let out a long sigh.Summer wasn't sure if his story was entirely true. If Channing had really wandered around since he was young, and if Claudia had really changed his life, then losing Claudia would have been a big blow.But if Claudia truly never turned Channing into a pawn, then it meant that Claudia still had some humanity left in her.That thought crossed Summer's mind until she suddenly remembered the coffee incident from yesterday.Forget it. It wasn't that Claudia didn't turn Channing into a pawn, but it was because Summer didn't give Claudia enough time to.Yesterday was coffee, but what about the future?Basically, Claudia was completely blinded by her hatred.As long as Claudia kept failing, th

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 314

    "Sorry. You can't come any closer," the bodyguard said."Could you please let Ms. Hartford know I'd like to talk to her?" The voice sounded a bit familiar.Summer closed her laptop and opened the door.Outside was Channing, the artist under Claudia, being blocked by guards."Do you need something?" Summer asked."I just want to talk to you," he replied.Summer glanced at him.Channing hurriedly patted himself down. "I don't have any weapons on me.His clumsy honesty amused Summer. She draped on a jacket and got out of the van, sitting down on a chair outside. "Keep it short. If you're here to pour your heart out, then forget it."Channing sat down next to her. "I heard Claudia sent someone to hurt you?""Did you?" Summer glanced at Channing.In all honesty, Summer had intended for Channing to be kicked out as well. She saw him as another one of Claudia's accomplices.But Kristen said the production couldn't be delayed. If they replaced the male lead now, the entire producti

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 313

    Summer didn't know whether to be amused or frustrated.That day, she hadn't contacted Mason much.That was just how the two of them were. When they were together, they were inseparable. But when they were apart, things would cool down.After hanging up on Kyle, Summer started to think about how she should bring up her arm injury to Mason.Thinking about it, she felt like it was just a minor cut. It would be overly dramatic for her to make a big deal out of it, so she decided not to say anything. The wound should have more or less healed when she went back in two days anyway.Because of what happened the previous night, the atmosphere on set was a bit strange.Stana arrived early at the dressing room. The moment she sat down, she heard people gossiping."How was Channing's agent involved with last night's incident?""Who knows? But I saw someone take her away in the middle of the night.""That makeup artist was obviously targeting Kristen. Could Channing have gotten his agent t

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 312

    Claudia could feel tears of hopelessness, despair, and rage burst out."Two," Summer counted.Just as she was about to say the final number, Claudia shouted loudly, "I'll choose the second option!"Summer lowered her head. "Very good. Mr. Cohen, I'll leave the rest to you.""Where's Kristen? I want to see her!" Claudia shouted."You're not worthy." Summer motioned to Robin, and Robin immediately stepped forward and gagged Claudia before having his men drag her and Xander away.The living room went quiet. Summer looked toward the bedroom as the door slowly opened. Then, Kristen walked out from within."Why won't you let me see her?" Kristen asked.Summer answered, "There was no need. She wouldn't have believed you no matter what you said.""What a pitiful child." Kristen sighed.Summer didn't respond to that.If it was her in the past, she might have sympathized with Claudia, too. But she would not do that now.So what if Claudia had a pitiful past? She had schemed tireles

  • The Many Faces of a Vengeful Heiress   Chapter 311

    Claudia froze after hearing that. Then, she started to shout hysterically, "You're lying! Your mother forced her to death! Summer, you're so young, but you're already so cruel-hearted. How could you falsely accuse someone who's already dead just to clear your mother's name?"Summer watched as Claudia broke down. She felt nothing in her heart at all.She picked up the remote control and turned on the TV behind Claudia."You shameless slut! How dare you seduce my husband?" The angry shout of a woman could be heard.Claudia stiffly turned around to watch.It was an old recording from over 20 years ago, so the quality wasn't the best, and the footage was shaky.On the bed were a man and a woman. The two of them were in a panic when those people walked in with the camera. The woman frantically grabbed a blanket to cover herself.Even if the image was blurry, Claudia could tell who the woman was in an instant."Dorothy? Unbelievable! I treated you as my best friend and introduced you

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