Kristen took the phone and immediately froze."All the surveillance footage from that bar that night, including the alley cameras, is completely gone. I refuse to believe it wasn't deliberate! This video was taken by some playboy at the bar that night, and it clearly captured Rose spiking Summer's drink," Luke said seriously.After the video played through, Kristen was silent for a long time."If she really drugged Summer, then there's no way I'll protect her!" she said as she took out her phone, calling Rose right away.The call quickly connected.Before Rose could say anything, Kristen got straight to the point. "The night before Summer's birthday, what did you put into her drink at the bar?"Rose was silent for a while before she exclaimed in surprise and confusion, "Aunt Kristen, what are you talking about?"Kristen snapped, "Don't try to deny it. Someone filmed you spiking her drink that night. The video is in our hands. Rose, when did you become like this? Hasn't Summer tr
Kristen hesitated for a moment before she looked at Luke. "Honey, let's not tell your dad about this."Luke naturally understood that Kristen didn't want to force Rose into a dead end.If Henry found out that Rose had tried to drug Summer, then there was no way he would let Rose off easily, even if the plan didn't succeed.""I understand," Luke said.That night, both the husband and wife were occupied with their own thoughts. They shared the same lingering question and unease about the night before Summer's birthday.If Rose really did drug Summer that night, then why was Summer completely fine in the end? Meanwhile, Rose was…The doubt continued to weigh on them.That night, neither of them slept well.…Before dawn, Rose called. Kristen answered the phone to hear her sobbing on the other end. "Aunt Kristen, are you really abandoning me?""Rose…" Kristen started."It's so high up here, Aunt Kristen. If I jump, will all the pain go away?" Rose cried out.Kristen jumped
Henry's expression darkened.Before he could say anything, Summer was the first to ask, "Why are you here?"Rose started sobbing. "I made plans with Aunt Kristen and Uncle Luke to talk about my studies abroad, but I heard their car flipped in the mountains and exploded on the way here. How could this happen? Aunt Kristen was just talking to me this morning. How could something like this happen?"Henry frowned. "The car flipped and exploded in the mountains? Who told you that?"Rose cried as she said, "They called me before the accident and said they were on the mountain road. I checked the license plate that was released online, and it was Aunt Kristen and Uncle Luke's car. Mr. Hartford Senior, please stay strong!"Henry's eyes widened with rage as he roared furiously, "Nonsense!" If Rose weren't a young lady, he would have slapped her on the face."Mr. Hartford Senior, it's true!" Rose insisted between her sobs."Are you sure?" Summer asked again."I'm certain!" Rose said, f
Rose stared at Luke. "I'm the one who's vicious? Uncle Luke, you can't just throw baseless accusations at me just because you want to protect Summer after she found someone to ruin me. I have no idea what this broken car you're talking about is. What do your car's issues have to do with me?""You got someone to sabotage the car!" Luke shouted furiously.This morning, when he and Kristen were about to rush out, they were stopped at the garage by Phoebe.Initially, the two of them had insisted on leaving. It was only when Summer came downstairs and intercepted them that they learned that their car had been tinkered with."The surveillance cameras in the garage have been tampered with," Summer said lazily.Rose rolled her eyes and laughed. "So, you don't have any evidence? I'd always treated you as my family since you raised me for years. Since you're going to cover for Summer so shamelessly, let's just lay everything on the table today!"With this mess, there was no way Rose would
The person who had tampered with the car was one of the gardeners that had been recently hired to tend to the Hartford residence's yard, Terry Bullard.Rose had overheard him on the phone and learned that he was a hopeless gambler who racked up massive debt. His creditors were pressing him so hard that his life was basically on the line.Rose had been desperate when she chose to harm Luke and Kristen. So, she paid off all of Terry's debts, which nearly wiped out all the savings she had secretly accumulated over the years.Even though the surveillance footage had been destroyed, Rose still took some precautions. After Terry sabotaged the car, she ordered him to immediately flee as far as possible and only to return once the storm had settled.She was certain that he had been on the run. That was why she was being so arrogant in front of Summer."Rose, are you still refusing to admit it at this point?" Luke, who was usually very composed, was angrier than he ever had been.That nas
"Ms. Hartford, everything I said is true. I just wanted to pay off my gambling debts. How could I dare to kill anyone? You have to believe me!" Terry panicked as he pleaded with Summer."Rose already said she doesn't know you. What else can I do?" Summer said helplessly."I have proof!" Terry suddenly shouted.Rose's expression instantly changed as she kicked Terry. "What else are you going to pull out to frame me?"Terry grabbed her foot and shoved her away. Rose lost her balance and ended up falling to the ground.It was the beginning of summer, so the housekeeper had taken the thick carpets away for cleaning two days ago. Rose fell directly on the cold, hard floor, and she lay there for a moment, unable to move."Good thing I knew to protect myself, or I'd be dead because of you!" Terry spat.After that, he looked at Summer, "Ms. Hartford, she told me that she would give me 150,000 dollars to pay off my debt if I tampered with the car. Then, she would give me another 50,000
"Yes! I ordered it! I wanted the two of you dead!" Rose shouted at Kristen and Luke."You wretched thing!" Henry, who had been watching dumbfounded, finally snapped out of it. He let out a furious roar as he raised his hand to slap Rose.Summer stopped him. "Grandpa, she's not worth dirtying your hands over.""I spent so much money to raise you, and this is what you've become? You're a heartless, venomous creature." Henry frowned as he looked at the recording.Rose sneered. "Did I ask you to raise me? Do you really think you're my savior? If you hadn't stood by and done nothing back then, would my parents have died? Would I have become an orphan? I would never have needed to rely on your so-called pity and lived in this house.""How could you say something like that?" Kristen looked at her in shock."Am I wrong? Don't think that I don't know why you took me in." Rose's face was full of ridicule.She continued, "Back then, my parents' deaths caused a huge stir. How did the public
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
"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