Old Hag… Yvette put her hand to her forehead, looking at Charlotte with anger. “How could you be so rude?” “You called my mommy a mistress first. That was you are the Old Hag. You were being rude first, not me.” Charlotte knew who was first at fault. Like mother, like daughter; Charlotte was rancorous and mean, Yvette thought. Mark should see the true faces of this mother and daughter. “Where is Mark?” Yvette was boiling with anger. She looked over at Maria, who was standing nearby. “Mr. Valentine has just gone out for work.” Maria did not like Yvette either, as Yvette was mean. Yvette sat down on the settee, looked at Maria, and spelled out her words. “Kick her out.” She was referring to Summer. Maria was in a pickle. She glanced at Summer and then at Yvette again, then stood still. Yvette picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. “Aren’t you listening to me now? She is no longer my daughter-in-law, but a stranger. It is getting late now. How can you let
Even if she could not agree with Yvette and Yvette was at fault, Yvette was still Mark’s mother. She could not badmouth the mother in front of the son. No one would like to hear that. Mark’s voice deepened as he asked Maria to call Summer. He wanted Summer to send Charlotte back to the apartment, or he would pick them up from the hotel tomorrow afternoon. Maria heard voices in the background, as if Mark was in an important meeting. The line went dead after that. It was 10:00 pm by the time Summer reached the hotel. She carried Charlotte and used the elevator to return to her room. Charlotte was sleeping the whole time. The screen of her cell phone lit up as soon as she placed Charlotte on the bed. It was Sherman calling. She picked up the phone and walked away from the bed. “How are you and Billy doing? Have you two talked it over?” “He said that Natalie was ill in the past few years, and she had no family or friends. He felt guilty for what happened between Natalie and h
“Well, it doesn’t matter what, as long as you want it, I will stand by your side and support you,” Summer said. “Okay, after telling you so much and for so long, I feel better now. Go to sleep. Good night.” “Good night.” Summer did not feel like sleeping at all. She sat in front of the window, staring out at the night and thinking of him again. Yvette’s words were ringing in her mind; Raine canceled her engagement because of Mark, and they would get engaged and married when Raine was back. Mark had accompanied Raine for four years in Athana. He naturally knew that Raine had canceled her engagement for him. When she was in Santabaca, she had witnessed how Mark forced Raine to think for herself about what she really wanted and what their relationship really was. Now Raine had found her true feelings, and Mark had gotten what he wished. There was no wonder he did not mention Raine again after the two met, nor did he mention it once in front of her. Maybe Mark thought it wa
”Hurry up to clean yourself up. After breakfast, Mommy will take you out to buy it.“ Charlotte opened her eyes in the morning, thinking of nothing else but what to eat. She really was a child. Summer tied Charlotte’s hair after coming out of the bathroom. Her hair was black and thick, unlike hers, which was too soft. “Mommy, why did you quarrel with that grandma yesterday?” Charlotte stood there and asked. “Then tell Mommy, who taught you about the Old Hag? Who did you learn that from, eh?” Charlotte pursed her lips. “I learned that from TV. There is the Old Hag in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” “Isn’t it Snow White and the Huntsman?” “No. It’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s an animation film. There is a character called the Old Hag. I learned it there.” Summer’s brows twitched involuntarily. She wondered what happened to animated films nowadays. “Don’t call people that next time. Okay?” “But she scolded Mommy.” “That is my business, and I will hand
“Dean, it is your birthday, not mine. So I am fine with anything,” Summer said. “Then we will go for Estainian cuisine.” Dean decided. He had dined in foreign cuisine restaurants with her several times, but he was not a big fan of them. They entered a private box, inside which was fully seated except for three empty seats. Those men in there were all Dean’s colleagues from the same police department. When they saw Summer walk in, they all whistled and teased Dean. “We have beautiful Mrs. Singleton here!” “Absolutely. No wonder Captain has been refusing to bring her out. He is afraid that we might steal her from him.” “Oh, isn’t this the little princess in the photo on our captain’s desk?” “Sure, she is.–Hey, Little Princess. How are you?” Charlotte was not afraid of strangers. She stood there, smiled, and spoke with her tender voice. “Hello everyone, my name is Charlotte Hart. I am three years and seven months old, and I am a kindergartener.” Everyone at the table was
“Look how protective you are. Your thinking is still a little too conservative.” “What is wrong with being conservative? You are not married and have children. You will know when you do. Whether it is a boy or a girl, they must receive proper teaching of conduct.” Immediately afterwards, those men at the table started to discuss parenting. Summer was genuinely impressed. They knew not only how to solve crimes but also a thing or two about parenting, and they all talked like experts. Charlotte poked out her little pink tongue to lick the strawberry cake in front of her, while her two little hands were busily unpacking the present box. There were so many presents, all for Uncle Dean. Well, Uncle Dean said, as long as those presents were his, they were all Charlotte’s. But when Charlotte finished unpacking them, she looked at those leather shoes, ties, belt, and wallet in disappointment. There was not a single piece of candy. They ate and chatted for a long time. At the end
But she did not find Charlotte, nor heard her answering. Dean was calm. He asked around if anybody had seen a four-year-old in a pettiskirt with a strawberry cake box in her hand. At last, one person responded. “I saw a little girl you just described. She ran out of the supermarket seconds ago.” Dean chased out at once, while Summer was on his heels. Men run faster than women. Dean had his heart in his mouth when he found Charlotte standing in the middle of the road, picking up a kite in the traffic. He quickened his pace and ran as fast as he could while calling out to Charlotte. “Stand there, Charlotte! Don’t move!” Charlotte heard Dean’s voice and turned around, happily raising the kite in her hand to show Dean. “A kite, Uncle Dean!” Just when Dean was two steps away from Charlotte, a car suddenly came to a couple of meters away from Charlotte. The driver of the car did not see this coming and panicked, mistakenly stepping on the gas instead of the brake pedal. The c
In the apartment. While preparing dinner, Maria could not help sighing when she saw the quiet living room. When Charlotte and her mom were here, the place was always full of life and laughter and the child’s innocent voice. But now… She could see that although Charlotte’s mom and Mark were constantly giving each other cold shoulder, they had feelings for each other. Mark was unsmiling and had an intimidating, stony face. But since Charlotte and Charlotte’s mom came along, things had been different. Maria could see a smile always hanging on Mark’s lips, his expression never this soft. They had been getting along like a happy family for the past few days. But now, alas! Mark walked in just then, and the first thing he did was ask, “Are they back?” Maria shook her head. “I called Ms. Hart last night, and she agreed to come. But she hasn’t come back yet.” Mark’s brows were raised slightly. He spun his tall body around and walked out of the house. Maria quickly asked, “W