“I came here to sign a contract.” Mark appeared calm, his lips sharp. He glanced at Summer with his deep black eyes. He then looked at Charlotte, staring fixedly at her. It was not after a long while his lips moved. “Whose child is this?” He felt the child looked like Summer and him. Summer looked calm, rational, without a trace of panic. “She is my brother’s child.” Only she knew how hard her heart was pounding right now. “Really?” His eyes glanced at her with a lukewarm expression, and then again, he stared at Charlotte, who was enjoying her cotton candy. His stony expression had a trace of gentleness. “What is her name?” “Charlotte Hart.” Summer sounded indifferent. “Let me carry her for a while.” Mark reached out his arms. But for some reason, Charlotte resented. She writhed in Jazz’s arm and turned her back to Mark. Her two small hands wrapped around Jazz’s neck, her chin resting on his shoulder. She continued to lick the cotton candy. Mark’s hands were in the
“Mommy, why do I have to call you Aunt?” Charlotte could not understand, tilting her head in an I-wonder-why fashion. “I will explain it to you when we get home. But for now, can you listen to Mommy?” “Okay.” Charlotte nodded, her voice tender. Something made Summer curious, so she tidied Charlotte’s clothes and asked, “Why didn’t you let the gentleman hold you just now?” Licking her sweet lips, Charlotte sniffled and shook her body as if she was cold. “I don’t like that gentleman. It feels like he could freeze me. Besides, he is not as handsome as Uncle Handsome.” The world of a child is a little different from that of an adult. Everything that children like was usually full of vigor and vitality, and even more, they love people dressed in bright clothes. So Mark might be elegant and a charming, mature man, but his dark clothing and unsmiling face could not win the heart of the child. Just to be sure, Summer gently stroked Charlotte’s soft hair and asked again, “Do you
After a while, Mark got up from his chair and headed out of the private box without a word. “Where are you going, Mark?” Jazz looked up. “I’ve got to answer a call.” Mark waved his phone in his hand and walked out calmly. Summer dashed into the ladies’ room and took off her pants, which were stained. There was no way to clean it. But this was not the point. The thing was, she did not have a sanitary napkin in her handbag. Things got worse when she found she did not even have any tissue paper. Her period usually was delayed for three or four days. This time, it came a week earlier. She was caught unprepared. There was no toilet paper in the washroom, either. So she sat on the toilet and felt what a bad day she had today. All the bad things seemed to have come upon her at once. She let out a hapless sigh, unsure what to do for a moment. The only way was to call Jazz and ask him if he could help her buy a pack of sanitary napkins. It would be embarrassing, but that was t
She stared at the things inside the paper bag, and the corners of her mouth curled up in a mockery. It had been four years since they last met. She did not know that he had become so thoughtful. After changing into the new pants and tidying up things, Summer opened the cubicle door, washed her hands, and then walked out. Mark was leaning against the wall by the window outside the ladies’ room. He must have been waiting for her for a long time. “Since you have come out, Ms. Hart, let’s talk.” He now stood straight, his eyes dark that looked like a bottomless pool fixating on her. “I don’t think there is anything to talk about between us. There is even no need for us to talk,” Summer said flatly, her face calm. She then walked away without looking at him again. Mark looked on and frowned as she went, his charming face getting colder and colder. His lips twitched as he slowly forced words through his teeth. “Charlotte Hart…” The name startled Summer. The next second, her h
Summer was engulfed by panic and anger, not afraid of the pain. She head-butted Mark and forced her words through her teeth. “Let go of me!” The two heads collided with a dull thud. Mark groaned in pain and let go of her hands and feet at the same time. The impact hurt for sure. Summer clearly felt the pain, even numbness, on her head. “Undeniably, you really have a fantasy prone personality!” She snapped and left without looking back. After she disappeared from his sight, Mark raised his hand and stroked his lips with his slender fingers, the gaze in his eyes as deep as the sea. ‘I have a fantasy prone personality disorder? Heck! We shall see.’ When Summer came back into the private box, Charlotte was kneeling on Jazz’s lap. The two of them were playing the hand game of rock-paper-scissors. “Next time, I will form scissors, and you are to form paper. Okay?” “Why is that?” Jazz cocked an eyebrow. “Because Uncle Handsome has won one... two...,” she counted with her fi
Summer had her heart in her mouth when Charlotte fell just now. She took Charlotte from Mark. “Tell me, are you hurt?” “No.” Charlotte did not cry, just a little frightened. She hugged Summer tightly with her arms around her neck. Mark quietly put those hair strands into his pants pocket. His facial expression was as deep as a whirlpool, sucking in everything but giving out nothing. Just now, Jazz was so scared that his palms turned sweaty. He looked now at Charlotte, cracking jokes to make her happy, so that she would forget the shock she had just experienced. Mark got to his feet and gave Jazz a heads-up. He then glanced at Summer and Charlotte before he left.Summer breathed a sigh of relief when Mark left, but her worries remained. What Mark said just now clearly insinuated Charlotte’s identity. He must have been aware of Charlotte’s identity. So she could not let things go on this way. She would not let Mark take Charlotte away. She would not let that happen. By aft
“Did you rush back to Nokocola Bay like this usually? Is it because of his return that you have to go in such a hurry?” Summer had always been confiding in Daisy. This time was no different. “Yeah.” “You have been divorced for four years. Why are you still avoiding him like a plague?” Daisy was a little puzzled at first. But then she seemed to think of something and guessed the reason out right. “Is it because of Charlotte?” “Yeah.” Summer nodded, holding a glass of water and sipping on it. Daisy knew it. Summer could be better than this, Daisy thought, raising her hand and poked Summer on the forehead. “Don’t be silly. You don’t have to do this because of Charlotte. You married him because you wanted the child, and this was something he promised you. Now that you two have divorced, Charlotte should rightly belong to you.” Her daughter had always been smart. But how could she be so confused about her own affair this time? Gently kneading her forehead with her hand, Sum
She could have held her head high and told him in no uncertain terms that Charlotte was hers. He had given up Charlotte and should not want her back. But why could she not do that? This was not her, not her temperament. “This is normal, because you love Charlotte so much. Besides, Charlotte has become a part of your life, or even a part of you. You could not help thinking when sensing the slightest sign of danger, and what would happen to you if you lost her. So you will not tolerate anyone taking her away. As time goes by, it has formed a conditioned reflex. So when he appeared, your first reaction was not how to face him but thinking about hiding Charlotte so that he won’t find out. Only in this way will you feel at ease.” Daisy let out a sigh before she continued. “All mothers think alike. I can understand that you love Charlotte and care about her so much. That’s why you put yourself in this situation, and even your sober sanity is now affected.” Upon hearing that, Summer sta