Summer got up at six in the morning because she had to prepare for the parent-teacher conference.The nights were longer in the Winter, so it was still dark outside. When she looked out the window, she could vaguely see the branches swaying in the chilly wind. The climate had changed, apparently.Christmas was coming in two days, but there was no snow—probably climate change was real. Holding a glass of water in her hand, she stood by the window, and her mind was elsewhere.Just then, there were loud footsteps. Amara Lincoln, Summer’s sister-in-law, staggered into her room. Amara wore a heavy makeup and reeked of alcohol. Summer frowned. “Are you drunk, Amara? Did you go gambling again?” she asked in a low voice.Amara looked at her. “Who told you I lost? Who dares to say I lost? I was just having bad luck. I will win it all back in two days.”Summer glanced at her, picked up her scarf and handbag, and walked out of the room without saying a word again.School.It was 10:00 am
Summer took several steps back. She was startled when the car’s window rolled down and saw that it was him again.Mark first glanced at her, and then looked at Jazz, who was sitting on the front passenger seat. “Get off.”The door opened, and Jazz got out of the car. He again acted like a gentleman, with a smile on his face. “Mark wants to talk to you, Miss Hart.”'Why does he want to talk to me?'Summer’s heart skipped a beat. She glanced at the man in the car with caution. “What is it about?”“It is about my study.” Jazz hemmed and forced a smile.She must have been stressed out and overthought. She licked her lips. “Since it is about Jazz’s study, why don’t you go to my office?”“Considering who Mark is, reporters must have gotten the wind and are on their way here. We had better find a better place.”While speaking, the school principal, who had got the wind, rushed out to meet Mark. “You should have told me earlier that you would come, Mr. Valentine, so I could come out to
“What do you think, Miss Hart?” Mark looked up and asked again.“I still refuse.” Summer looked at him in the eyes and spelled out the answer.He narrowed his eyes and stared at her but said nothing, as if he had read her mind at this moment.She looked up in surprise when she heard nothing from him. It was at this moment that their eyes met. She plunged into his penetrating gaze with her heart pounding uncontrollably.As the air of silence built up between them, Mark suddenly opened his mouth, his voice sounding so unquestionable and confident. “I suppose your refusal has something to do with what happened that night.”Summer expression changed. She was afraid of this man. He was like a cheetah in a gentleman’s clothes. He would kill its prey in an instant.She did not deny what he said was correct. She even nodded in admission.“I have something to say about that night.” Mark looked at her. “It was out of good intentions to suggest a hymen reconstruction. I think you must have
Summer sensed something was wrong and realized her blunder. Things were not what she thought.Out of doubt and curiosity, she walked through the foyer quietly.As soon as she stepped foot into the living room, a giant, wall-mounted LCD screen came into view.She was blushing big time. She looked down, and only then she noticed the two guys on the sofa.Jazz’s eyes were glued to the TV while expressing his opinions. “Look at her boobs, Mark. I am dead sure they are fake. She has really long legs, though.”Mark had apparently just come out of a shower. His hair was damp, and he was wearing casually, yet still elegantly. He was looking at a stack of documents in front of him.Just then, he sensed her stare. His hand holding a pen paused as he looked up and saw her.He was not surprised nor felt embarrassed. He cocked an eyebrow and looked at her. “Hello, Miss Hart.”Jazz, who was still staring at the TV when he heard Mark called out Summer’s name, spontaneously looked back.He bl
Just when Mark was about to speak to break the silence, Summer looked away. She took a deep breath and then said with an unusually calm tone of voice with a hint of sarcasm, “If you have time, Mr. Valentine, you should still pay more attention to your younger brother.”After saying that, she walked out of the door at once. As she walked out, she kept telling herself repeatedly to calm down, and that she need not bother with what Mark said.Nevertheless, she still lost her cool by slamming the door shut behind her with a loud bang.Mark had heard that. He raised his eyebrows and spoke to Jazz casually. “Miss Hart seems to have a hot temper; she gets worked up easily.”Jazz retorted with a hiss. “Not at all. She is recognized in the school as a good-natured person.”“Really?” Mark’s response was casual and perfunctory. He shrugged off what Jazz said.Jazz sat down and extended his hand in front of Mark’s eyes, showing off and in defense. “This is the Christmas gift she gave me. She
She still had classes at 1.00 pm. But when she hurried out in the morning, she accidentally dropped two teaching materials.“As much as I want to drive faster, the traffic sucks. It is Christmas today, lady.”It usually took only half an hour to cover the distance, but today it took 50 minutes, which just showed how terrible the traffic jam was.Knowing that she was going to be late, Summer called Nancy Atkinson immediately, hoping that they could swap classes.Nancy did not ask why but readily agreed. Summer could have a sigh of relief. Nancy’s class was at 3.00 pm, so she still had plenty of time. When she arrived home and pushed open the door to the yard, she was puzzled when she saw a large group of people standing there. “Who are you all?”A middle-aged man in his forties came up and looked at her. “Are you the former house owner here?”“What do you mean by former house owner?” it startled Summer to hear that.“Let me tell you. I am the owner of this house now. You are th
Summer lunged up and grabbed Amara’s hair, then gave her a couple of slaps again. “Do I have to remind you of the conscienceless things that you have done?”She had hit no one until Amara came along. Right now, she wished she could strangle Amara.Amara sneered in a low voice that only Summer could hear. “So what if I just did it? You had better kill me now, or else I will make sure you regret it later.”Not only did Amara have no sense of remorse, but she also behaved arrogantly.Summer lost her last trace of sanity as she hit Amara again to vent the monstrous anger in her.Amara did not fight back but took the slaps with a sneer. More and more onlookers gathered and caused traffic jams. Some people finally could no longer sit by and watch. They called out loudly, “Call the police! If this continues, that poor lady will die. Call the police!”Hearing those words, Amara shouted, “Help! This woman hit me! She is a teacher. She hit me!”Those onlookers despised Summer even more,
A smile broke across Jazz’s face, his voice euphoric when the front door was opened from the outside. “Miss Hart!”It was not Summer, but Mark, who came in. Mark casually threw his black coat on the sofa as he walked in. He glanced at Jazz and sat down lazily on the sofa. “You seem to be very excited about seeing Miss Hart, eh?”Jazz slumped on the sofa, feeling disappointed. He just stared at the clock without saying a word.It was half-past eight. Why had Miss Hart not arrived yet?Mark took off his tie that he had worn for an entire day. His sturdy chest muscles almost burst out of his gray shirt. He glanced sideways at Jazz as he spoke in a low voice. “Rest early. Miss Hart is not coming today.”Jazz turned around immediately. “Why is that?”“She has been detained by the police.” Mark said saintly as he flipped through the documents on the coffee table with his slender fingers.“Why is she detained? And how do you know?” It shocked and puzzled Jazz upon hearing that.“I saw