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
Confused, Summer questioned, “Where are you sleeping, Mr. Valentine?”Raising a brow, Mark responded casually, “Where would you be sleeping?”“My room of course,” she answered.“Hmm, where do you think I should be sleeping then?” he questioned.Summer’s heart raced. She gulped. ‘My imagination isn’t going to come true, right?’“You’re not going to sleep in my bedroom, are you?”Mark maintained his cool expression. He looked at her intriguingly and smiled, “Kudos, Mrs. Valentine, very wise indeed…”Upon hearing, she pinched her finger and tried to talk him out of it, “My room is very small, it’ll be very uncomfortable for you.”“I don’t mind it, why should you, hmm?”“…” Although he didn’t mind, it didn’t mean the same for her!“Besides, I would love to explore a woman’s room. Any objections? Or… should I get permission from the hosts?”‘It’s obvious that they will agree to his request, what are the chances of them rejecting it?’“Do as you see fit,” she answered grumpily.
Mark tightened his brows at her actions and reached out his arms toward her waist.She flinched, and before she could react, his muscular arms lifted her and flipped her over, and she lay flat on his chest.Looking at her, Mark gently squeezed her jaw and asked, “Are you in bed with me or the wall?”“I was just facing the wall. Could you first let me go? You’re scaring me…”In fact, it was not scary, but because they were so close to each other and there wasn’t the slightest gap between them.She even clearly felt his heartbeat; it was strong and energetic, and she couldn’t stop her heart from racing further.He mischievously smirked as he stared at her and purposely breathed into her face; his voice was deep, slow, and seductive.“Are you scared? How has my chest scared you?”Summer flushed at his words and scolded him angrily, “Shameless!”“Is it? How about…”He pressed her forehead against his own; their eyes met, and noses rubbed against each other. Their lips were just a
“He and Summer went over there. They must have stayed there last night.” Jazz was upset and irritated when talking about this. Yvette hit the spoon on the table with a loud clunk. “She shows no respect for me at all!” “Mom, why do you say that?” Jazz was not too happy. He frowned and retorted, “It was only natural for her to visit her family a day after New Year. Since Mark did not come home yesterday, they must have discussed and agreed to do so. Can you just leave them alone?” They visited Summer’s parents yesterday and had not returned since then. They must have stayed at the house of Summer’s parents last night. Only then did it hit Raine, whose hands holding the bowl of soup tightened. She found that her understanding of Mark was getting foggier. And Mark seemed to stray off his original course. Her heart ached, the feelings of pins and needles spreading all over her body. She even had slight difficulty breathing. She put down the bowl and got up, the muscles of her
With a sarcastic expression, Yvette earnestly urged, “Do you think she will show her true self in front of you, Jazz?” “I know her very well.” Jazz’s face sank. “How can you be so sure? I think she must be a scheming woman. Otherwise, she would not have thought of using pregnancy as a trap to force your brother to marry her.” Having reached his limit, Jazz flung his cutlery on the dining table and left without even looking at Yvette. He did not like to hear any of those words, nor did he want to hear them. He knew Summer well enough. Yvette furrowed her brows, wondering why he lost his cool. She thought it must be Summer who had influenced him. Otherwise, he would not have sided with Summer. She hated Summer even more when she thought of this. Raine just emerged from the washroom when Jazz stormed out of the living room. “What is going on with Jazz, Yvette?” she asked. Yvette suppressed her emotions and said calmly, “I reprimanded him about his studies and he did not