“He is still sleeping,” Summer said. As she walked into the bathroom, she heard voices speaking from the living room. “Mark is still asleep. Let’s wait for him to have breakfast together,” Solomon said. “Alright. Keep your voice down. Don’t wake him up.” Daisy’s voice was not any softer, though. Listening on, Summer shook her head in an I-can’t-even fashion while her mouth was filled with toothpaste foam. When she came out of the bathroom, Amara was lying on the settee, whining about her hungry stomach. “Mom, let’s have breakfast. Just keep a small portion for Mark,” Summer said. “That’s not very gracious. Just wait a little longer. We will have breakfast when Mark is here,” Daisy said. While they were talking, Mark just woke up and walked out of the room, his eyes barely open. He was buttoning his shirt as he emerged, his bare chest exposed, revealing his sexy and charming wall of muscles. Amara looked on, wide-eyed as she was treated to such rare eye candy in the m
Before her voice trailed off, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw that it was Grace. “Where are you now?” Grace asked. “On the way back to the Valentine mansion. What is wrong?” “Nothing. I am just bored to death. I will see you at the Valentine mansion.” The line went dead. Mark cocked an eyebrow with his eyes squinted. “Who was that?” “Grace. She said she will come to see me in the Valentine mansion,” Summer said upon hanging up the phone. “Still in contact with Officer Singleton?” He turned the steering to the right as he casually asked in a deep voice. “Uh-huh.” She nodded. He looked over at her with concern. “Doesn’t he know you are married?” “That has nothing to do with befriending him.” Summer paused for a second before she continued. “He is a good person; sincere, kind, and honorable. He is a rare friend.” She was telling the truth. Few people were like Dean in society today. She did not want to lose a friend like him. Mark raised his eyebrows,
What Mark said was reasonable. Yvette could not find fault with him. “Really?” “Yeah,” Mark replied and went upstairs to get changed. Now there were only Yvette and Summer in the living room. Just when Yvette was about to speak, a series of footsteps was heard before Grace and Charlie came through the door. “Happy New Year, Ms. Yvette. It has been so long yet you still look as pretty as ever.” Charlie’s charming eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. No one disliked compliments. Yvette was no exception. She broke into a bright smile. “You sweet-talker.” While speaking, Yvette cast her eyes on Grace, looking at her up and down. “This is…” Grace was wearing fur and a short skirt with heavy makeup, her black wavy hair cascading down her shoulders. “Nice to meet you. I am a friend of Summer’s. I have always wanted to meet you because I have heard from Summer that you are young and beautiful,” Grace said politely. Grace was good with people. She knew what to say and when to
Summer quickly waved her hand. “Why don't you guys just play with me.” Grace tugged at her best friend’s sleeve. “What are you afraid of? Isn’t your husband sitting behind you? He has the money. Am I right, Mark?” Mark put his hands on Summer’s shoulders to sit her back down. “Of course.” “Look, your husband throws his support behind you. What more are you worried about?” Summer’s face was smitten upon hearing what Grace said. She had never called Mark as her husband. Her heart pounded uncontrollably when she heard that intimate address, even if it was someone else who said it. On the contrary, Raine’s hands on her sides pinched her thighs as she reflexively looked at Mark. There was a gentle smile on Mark’s good-looking face. But he was looking at Summer and teaching her how to play poker. Yvette was sitting on the settee, throwing glances at the poker table occasionally. Charlie bragged and blustered to demolish the other three right from the beginning. Mark shot
“I don’t know how long this atmosphere between them will last, sadly.” Summer sighed helplessly. Grace also shrugged helplessly upon hearing that. “Who knows? It will probably take a long time. It hurts her deeply, and there is nothing we can do except to comfort her.” The two sat there chatting for a long time. When Charlie came downstairs, Grace left with him. Summer saw them out. It was not until their car disappeared from her sight that she came back into the Valentine mansion. As she reached the landing of the stairs, Yvette suddenly called out to her. She stopped and spun around with a smile. “What is it, Mom?” “What does your friend do for a living?” Yvette asked with her legs crossed. “She is a public relations manager,” Summer said, hiding nothing from her. “Since she is a public relations manager, she should know proper behavior and etiquette. So why did she speak so rudely?” Yvette’s delicate willow brow turned upward. “As the saying goes, a person is judged
The next day It was 8:00 am when Summer woke up. The quilt beside her was cold, which meant Mark had been away for quite a while. She got out of bed and came into the living room, where Yvette and Raine were busy with something. There were many birthday presents delivered to the Valentine mansion, and they kept coming. There was no telling what was inside those boxes. But by the looks of the beautiful packaging, these presents were all expensive. Summer quickly walked over to offer to help. Yvette asked, “Have you discussed with Mark last night on how to celebrate his birthday?” Raine’s hands suddenly paused as she listened in to their conversation. “I did not discuss it with him because I was thinking of giving him a surprise. After all, it is his birthday. He said he will be available after seven in the evening. So I want to discuss with you and Aunt about the plan,” Summer said. At first, she was thinking of creating an element of surprise. But judging by the number o
Since Yvette was not there with her, she could choose whatever she liked. Besides, her favorite had always been shirts. When you see the man who you love wearing the shirt that you hand-picked for him, the sense of satisfaction and possession is beyond words. But she could not choose that way if Yvette was here. “Actually, in these recent times, wallets have been the best-selling item. It is simple yet presentable. It is definitely an excellent choice.” The salesgirl was enthusiastic as she walked around the counter, took out a wallet, and showed it to Raine. “You may consider this model, young lady.” The luster of the leather was just right. It was not too over-the-top, nor did it look dull. The flower-branch pattern added a noble and elegant touch to the wallet, which was highly presentable. Raine ran her fingers across the wallet. The leather felt soft and looked good. “You won’t go wrong with this wallet. Before you came, a lady bought one of these wallets, too.” “Rea
Charlie wailed as he placed his hands upon his chest in an exaggerated fashion. “Am I an embarrassment to you now? I can give all the fun that women can provide you with. Do you want to try, Mark?” Mark looked in disgust at Charlie, who winked at him flirtatiously, his eyebrows twitching. “You are disgusting.” “I am disgusting? How am I disgusting to you? I might not have what women have, but I have everything that women do not. Don’t you want to try?” What were those embarrassed and disgusted looks on his face about? Charlie did that deliberately. The more Mark found him disgusting, the more excited he would be and tried to push his luck. He lay on the conference table with his legs crossed in a charming and sultry posture. “Look at my body and face. Aren’t they great? Don’t you want me?” “I think you may find yourself a second job as a hustler. By the way, are you sure you don’t need me to call Grace to come over?” Charlie gave a nervous cough upon hearing that, and then