Opening her eyes, all that Summer saw was the bed. The spot beside her was already empty. She took out her phone and looked at the time. It was 5:00 am.Every new year, she would get up earlier than usual. When she was at home, her parents would have been up at 4:00 am to prepare roasted tomato soup.She was certain that she slept on the sofa last night. He must have woken up during the night and carried her onto the bed.Not feeling at all sleepy, she got out of bed after stretching her limbs, washed her face, and went downstairs.Everyone in Valentine mansion was already awake and was all seated in the living room.Mark and Jazz were playing chess. The maid was giving Yvette a manicure while Raine was watching TV.Upon greeting Yvette, Summer walked up to Mark and watched him and Jazz play chess.Jazz was obviously not his match and lost terribly.She couldn’t stand watching it and said to Jazz, “Let me help you.”He couldn’t have asked for it; immediately, Jazz moved his se
“What did she say? Is it fire that makes you as nervous as cat, uh?”“Sherman’s crying, Billy had cheated on her and she caught him red-handed.” She frowned.‘They had only been married not long ago and this happened; what more, right on New Year’s Day. Was there a misunderstanding?’Slightly restraining his brows, Mark got up too; he muttered, “Come on, I’ll go with you.”Summer nodded.They arrived at their usual gathering place—a premium room in Club Nightshade.The moment they entered it, Summer saw Sherman sprawled on the counter, her shoulders twitching, followed by intermittent sobbing.Grace, on the other hand, was merciless with her words, keeping their glasses full. She never knew how to comfort anyone. If not, she wouldn’t have called Summer.Summer was like her savior; upon seeing her, she signaled with her eyes for Summer to comfort Sherman.Sherman had been crying since morning for nearly two hours. Grace was panicked and shaken but could only watch helplessly.
She leaned forward and hugged Sherman with sympathy. Patting her back, she said, “Tell me, what do you want to do?”“I don’t know…” Sherman gripped her collar tightly with both hands, in front of where it hurt the most, as though being stabbed. “I want to forgive… but there’s an obstacle in my heart…”That scene would surface in her memory from time to time, and no matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t able to erase it.“Listen, this is different. I can help you decide on other things, but for this, you do what makes your heart feel good and comfortable.”Summer’s voice was slow and solemn, but they were words from the bottom of her heart.“Hmph, what makes you feel good? Cut off his d*ck. That would be the best feeling!” Grace gritted her teeth as she uttered coldly.“Can we speak with reason? If not, just shut up, okay?” She had no idea how to deal with Grace.Grace waved with her wine glass in her hand. “Alright, alright, alright. I just need to keep quiet, yeah?”Summer tur
Charlie coughed lightly and huffed. “I’m suffocating, what’s the condition over the other side?”Mark shrugged, expressing that he knew nothing too. He looked at the state Billy was in and frowned. “Did you think that by smoking here, your problems would be settled?”“How about you give him a solution?”“First, settle it peacefully; second, divorce—”Before he could finish, Billy got up from the sofa and became very agitated. “I will not divorce her! Never!”At that moment, the door was pushed open. Sherman appeared at the entrance; she threw a cold stare at Billy, and then she left!Billy threw away his cigarette and rushed out after her. He appeared careful and dared not call out her name.Nevertheless, it was his own doing. Who else could he blame?When they arrived at Valentine mansion, the sky had turned dark. Throughout the journey, Summer didn’t utter a word but was lost in her wandering thoughts.Mark had focused on her a few times, but he, too, said nothing.Raine wa
Aside from what happened to Sherman, which exhausted her, this New Year wasn’t at all bad…The next morning.Raine woke up early and was strolling in the back garden at 6:00 am. In fact, she had a sleepless night.Her insomnia had kept her awake even though her eyes were closed.Lifting her head, she saw a stout figure approaching.He had a habit of jogging around the back garden at 6:30 am every morning, and it had been ever since the last ten odd years.Mark was jogging along the winding track of the garden. He exhibited the vigor and gracefulness as those of a lion.Raine observed him secretly as he approached from afar, drawing closer to her.Yet, he did not seem to notice her. There was not the slightest change in his expression. As he was about to pass by her, she called out, “Mark!”His attention shifted onto her, and he responded calmly, “Yes, Raine?”His gaze made Raine anxious, and she was jeering at herself.She was at a lost for words, her arms tightened, and she
She was fascinated by his gentle laughter and his relaxed eyebrows. He was elegant and handsome.Summer was speechless. ‘Alluring? Did he think he was the woman of the century? What a bold statement!’“Didn’t you know that only women were described as alluring?”“Nope, it doesn’t sound bad at all for a man. How about we say that you were charmed by my allure, and stuck with me forever?”‘how can he be so arrogant?’They knocked at the door and were greeted by Amara. She called out to the living room when she saw Mark, “Mom, dad, it’s Mark.”Summer frowned at Amara’s words and her behavior.But Amara wouldn’t be bothered and took over the gifts from Mark as she smiled, calling out his name affectionally along the way.Solomon and Daisy were preparing the room. When they saw them, they immediately stopped what they were doing.“Coming…”Solomon first looked at Summer, then Mark, and greeted them with a smile, but awkwardly.On the other hand, Mark acted casually and naturally,
“…” Summer said nothing.Mark purposedly took notice of her annoyed expression. He smirked playfully, so much that his lips formed a sharp curl.She stared at him. ‘Is he joking now?’In the kitchen.Daisy was cleaning the vegetables and stretching her sight toward the living room. ‘My son-in-law, the more I look at him, the more I am pleased!’Summer noticed her actions while she peeled the potatoes. Puzzled, she asked, “Mom, what are you doing?”“Look at him” Daisy smiled. “Who knew that my daughter had a good eye for men!”Summer twitched her brows. She was speechless.“What is my son-in-law’s favorite meal?”Summer was annoyed further, “Mom, can you not?”“Don’t mind me, this is how I like it, and I love the way it sounds. You haven’t told me what his favorite meal is, I need to prepare it.”“I don’t know,” she replied without raising her head.Hearing that, Daisy slowed down her actions and said, “From the looks of it, my son-in-law must be well brought up, his parents
Amara was watching their every move. She sighed, ‘why hadn’t she met anyone like him?’There was nothing planned after lunch. Itching, Amara suggested, “How about a few rounds of poker?”Since there was nothing else to do, Summer agreed.Solomon, Daisy, Amara, and Summer sat around the table; Mark stood behind her, his tall figure bent subtly as he watched her.Summer was in luck; she had not lost a single round.Amara was not happy and insisted that Mark joined in in place of Summer.Unable to resist, Summer vacated her seat and sat beside Mark.At first, Mark understood nothing about the rules and lost round after round. Summer could only sit there and pay out the losing bets. As a result, her winnings were almost reduced to scraps.Unable to tolerate it, Summer leaned closer and guided him.A few rounds later, Mark seemed to have gotten hold of the rules and won back much of the bets placed.Summer sat beside him and counted the winnings, and looked at Amara’s irritated fa