The guests who were all seated around Summer were all quite esteemed, and one of them was even an old business partner of Charter Corporation. As such, she caught his attention by staring at Simone intensely.Right now, Charter Corporation was nothing, so the business partner didn't need to bother keeping up appearances with the Charters anymore. The man was just about to make a snide comment to Summer when he was silenced by the frosty glare that the man seated beside her shot him.That glare made him extremely uncomfortable. And so, he decided not to say anything in the end and simply looked away, holding his breath.Now that both Hank and Simone had entered the ballroom, the host sang a few more praises for the new couple before finally handing the microphone over to both of them. The host then signaled for them to greet the guests.This was the moment Summer had been waiting for. Right as the hall went silent as everyone looked toward the stage in anticipation of what the new coupl
"Summie, don't be so unreasonable. I already let you throw coffee at my face yesterday. Is that not enough for you to vent your anger?" Simone sounded aggrieved. Tears were brimming in her eyes.Everyone around them could see her distress. Hank looked away from Summer. He held Simone tighter as he lowered his head to whisper comfortingly in her ear.They looked like the perfect couple. To bystanders, it was obvious why he would rather marry the heiress of the Young family over Summer, who acted like a madwoman."Oh, thank you for reminding me of your existence," Summer retorted. "Maybe that's why Hank is able to be so confident while he did all that sketchy stuff. Someone must have been helping him …"She trailed off there, but the implication was clear—Hank and the Young family might have conspired together to cause the recent upheaval in the Charter Corporation.As the gossip intensified, Summer continued, "Simone, I heard that you offered to buy my father's car off the second
The world seemed frozen the moment Summer laid eyes on the man. Just from his profile, she could tell that he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen.Through the haziness of her tears, his distinct eyebrows and chiseled features made him look otherworldly. His eyes were deep and unreadable, yet bright enough to make it feel like he could illuminate her world. At first glance, the man looked just her type. However, she could also feel that the man was rather uptight.The man's gaze was fixed on Summer. Lips pursed, he rubbed her shoulders comfortingly.It took Summer a few moments to get her wits back and realize that something wasn't right. Just as she was about to say something, Richard spoke first."Mr. Quigley! I'm so sorry, I didn't know that you were attending my daughter's engagement party," he said, sounding surprised and excited. "Simone, you should've told me you invited him! Mr. Quigley—"A cold glare stopped him in the middle of his sentence. His expression froze i
Summer's eyes glittered with anger.Even in the face of her anger, James remained calm and said, in a seemingly random change of subject, "Are you single or are you married, Ms. Summer Charter?"His deep baritone made Summer's heart skip a bit. That was a familiar sentence. A memory from the elevator flashed in her mind. It was him!But why did he ask if she was single or married?What kind of question was that?She stared at him, confounded, while he looked back at her calmly. His gaze was cool, yet held a deep affection that confused her further. For some reason, she answered, "I'm … I'm still single."At that, James lifted his chin and said slowly, "Good. In that case, I'd like to propose."It was the same angelic baritone, but this time, it was like he'd thrown a bombshell at her."Propose?" she echoed, shocked. Either she was hallucinating, or he was trying to humiliate her.At that thought, anger rushed through her. She tried to free herself from his grip, but she was to
Town hall? Summer wondered if she was having another hallucination.He'd just proposed not two minutes ago, and now he was bringing her to the town hall. What in the world was going on?Before she could say anything, James leaned in closer to her. His dark eyes stared deep into hers as his warm breath ghosted across her face. He smiled lightly.Shit, this was too close. Was he trying to take advantage of her?Instinctively, she tried to turn away and gaze out of the window, her ears burning. Then, she felt something tighten across her body before a click sounded—it turned out that James was just putting on her seatbelt for her."Next time, put on your seatbelt yourself!""Uh, thanks." Despite thanking him, Summer pursed her lips to stop herself from blurting out her real thoughts. She'd never asked him for help with her seatbelt in the first place. Why was he being such a smartass?James saw her embarrassed expression. He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind at
Unbeknownst to Summer, as she bent her head forward, James could see down the front of her dress from his higher vantage point. Everything that he wasn't meant to see was exposed, from her delicate collarbones to her white bra.James' throat went dry. He pursed his lips and averted his gaze, looking out his side of the window instead.Noticing his silence, Summer thought that he had really been hurt by her actions earlier. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out her hand and brushed her fingers against the wounds.She felt him stiffen under her touch. Thinking that it soothed the pain, she continued massaging his hand. "Is this better?" she asked. "I didn't do it on purpose, I swear, I wasn't taking revenge on you. It really was a mistake …"She trailed off when she realized how inappropriate that was. Why did she have to mention revenge, of all things?Falling silent, she continued rubbing his hand for a few minutes. Eventually, her fingers became sore from her actions
Summer trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. She glanced up at James.He caught her gaze. Tilting his head, he waited for her to continue. Summer couldn't help but recall her first impression of him. He was truly uptight and inflexible, and it annoyed her.Summer took a few moments to gather her wits and reassess the situation. Once she was less flustered, she said slowly, "I have a few questions, Mr. Quigley."That came out a little awkward. She paused and thought for a moment. "You don't have to say anything, you can just nod or shake your head. Is that okay?""It's alright, I don't mind answering your questions," James said. He nodded solemnly to emphasize his point.Summer was amazed by his naivete. She couldn't quite believe that he was as daft as that, but she couldn't deny that the innocence looked cute on him. He was cute, handsome, and very much her cup of tea …She quickly shook her head to get rid of her stray thoughts.What was wrong with her? She shouldn
James was silent as he thought about how he should answer Summer's question. As he was thinking, the car rolled to a stop."We've arrived, Mr. Quigley," the driver said, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. Summer took off her seatbelt and opened the door. Just as she was about to get out of the car, James appeared beside her and offered her his arm chivalrously. He even helped her lift the hem of her dress off the ground as she got out of the car.Summer gave him a quick glance as he did all this before looking around. To her shock, she found that they were really at the entrance of the town hall."We're at the town hall? I thought you were joking!""Where else could we go?" James raised his eyebrows. "We can't exactly register our marriage at the hospital.""You …" Summer was speechless with anger, but James had on that innocent look again, so she couldn't decide if he was playing her for a fool or just really that stupid.Recalling their interaction in the car, s
"Of course. I'm the chairman of Charter Corporation, after all. Why can't I continue working? I took care of Charter Corporation back when you got married, didn't I?" Fred patted his chest firmly, looking quite confident.Summer also believed that her father would be able to manage the company well if she left it in his care.Fred was the founder of Charter Corporation, after all. He had worked on it for decades, and he was the person who knew it the best. If he was the one taking over, Summer definitely had no reason to worry.However, Fred had already retired, so he should be relaxing at home at his age. Summer felt a little bad if he was suddenly asked to manage the company again.James comforted Summer, saying, "Summie, why don't you let him help you? Of all the people in Charter Corporation, he must be the person who's the most invested in the company other than you.""That's right." Fred smiled confidently. "How can I not care about my own company? Don't worry, Summer. Just
They were having a meal right now, so where was Fred going? Summer asked in confusion, "Dad, where are you going?"When Summer asked the question, Fred had already left the living room. He seemed to be on his way back to his room.Amelia explained, "He's preparing a gift for you.""Preparing a gift? What gift?"Soon, the gift Amelia mentioned was brought over to them.Fred was carrying a large cardboard box, which he processed to place on the table. He retrieved children's toys, baby clothes, and a jigsaw puzzle from the box.Summer was speechless when she saw that. So this was the sort of gift Amelia was talking about. But why would Fred give her these things out of the blue?Holding the clothes, Fred explained gleefully, "Several months ago, Amelia and I were shopping when we came across some baby products. We were wondering when you'd have children, and we feared that you wouldn't be able to buy all the baby products you would need, so we bought some ahead of time."Summer s
Nearby, James faked a cough as if there was another matter at hand. Noticing something off with his expression, Summer thought that he choked on something, so she asked, "Would you like some water?""No, thanks… Summie, did you forget why we came here in the first place?"Thanks to James' reminder, Summer finally remembered that she wasn't here for a simple visit. She had to tell her parents the good news of her pregnancy.At that moment, Amelia and Fred were leisurely enjoying the food. Summer knew that if they heard the news, they might get overwhelmed with emotion, so she decided to give them a heads-up. "Dad, Mom, we actually came here to tell you an important piece of news. Maybe you can stop eating for now.""What's the matter?" Fred asked curiously."Well… This is a very serious matter. Before I break the news, I'd like you to be as calm as possible. Please don't get too worked up."When Amelia and Fred heard that, they exchanged glances. They had no idea what exactly Summ
For example, Summer and James were taking a walk in the park. They might look like they were alone, but in reality, more than a dozen bodyguards were hiding in bushes and various corners of the park. To protect the child, the Quigleys pulled out all the stops to ensure Summer's safety."Alright, I get it." Summer chose to compromise. She was living a wonderful life at the Quigley residence, after all, so she felt like she shouldn't ask for too much.Also, as Caroline had said, Summer would regain freedom once she gave birth to the child. Summer would be able to live her happy life with James then, and Caroline wouldn't be around to nag her about the child.The next morning, the Quigleys arranged for a luxurious limousine to send Summer and James to the Charter Estate. Amelia and Fred already knew that their daughter would be coming over, so they were waiting at the entrance. When they saw their dear daughter, elated expressions appeared on their faces."Summer, you're back! We've p
Hence, Summer could do whatever she pleased. If Caroline dared to restrict her freedom, Summer would be upset, and Caroline wouldn't want that.As Summer walked along the even path of the park, she did some stretches to loosen up. "It's a nice life. Before this, I was worried that something bad might happen if I returned to the Quigley residence, but now, it looks like I was overthinking it. Caroline is very good to me, and the others respect me too.""I'm glad to hear that. I was also worried that you wouldn't be able to get used to staying in the Quigley residence. You're pregnant, after all." James glanced at Summer's belly, his eyes filled with fatherly love and tenderness. By the looks of it, he had intended to be a father a long time ago."Hold your horses. I've only been pregnant for three weeks. They say that the baby will be born after ten months of pregnancy, and it's not even been a month yet, let alone ten." With that, Summer suddenly held James' hand and guided it tow
What would it mean to Howe if he gave up on the position of the head of the family? It meant that he would have to depend on someone else to survive, and he would be giving up on glory and riches along with a life filled with extravagance.Thanks to his wealthy background, Howe was already used to life like this. If James became the head of the family in the future, he might exercise his authority as the head of the family to limit Howe's movements. Howe would be stripped of freedom.Maeve felt that Howe was right as well. Her current life of luxury was built upon mountains of cash. If Howe didn't get to be the head of the family, he would definitely face restrictions."Howe, I want you to be the head of the family as well, but do you really have confidence in your capabilities? Your brother is so outstanding, and he's the official heir, too."Maeve hit the nail on the head. This was exactly what Howe was worried about as well. There was a world of difference between him and James,
So, when Caroline asked her to stay in the Quigley residence, Summer somewhat reluctantly agreed.At noon the next day, dark clouds filled the sky, making it look bleak. However, in the bustling Rosseera City, things were as lively as usual.In a luxury hotel situated in the city center, Howe was sitting on a chair, holding a glass of wine in one hand while his other arm was wrapped around the waist of a beautiful woman. At that moment, his expression was as gloomy as the weather.The young woman was good at reading the room. Extending her fingers, she traced circles on Howe's pink shirt. She asked, "What's the matter, Howe? You seem to be in a bad mood today. Could there be anyone in Rosseera City who's bold enough to offend you?""Hmph…" Howe didn't say a word. Instead, he downed the whole glass of wine.Noticing that he wasn't saying anything, the young woman pursed her lips and planted a kiss on his cheek. Smiling, she asked, "What's going on? Are you going to say that women w
James didn't want to agree to this arrangement. Even though it wasn't explicitly mentioned, he was fully aware that Summer didn't want to stay at the Quigley residence. Hence, he said, "I'll take care of Summer, Mom. I even hired Tina to look after her needs. You know how dependable Tina is. With her around, everything will be fine.""Nonsense. Even if Tina was there, there's only so much she can do on her own. This Quigley grandchild is extremely important. I can't just let her handle everything by herself.""That won't be an issue, Mom. Besides, Summer won't feel comfortable staying here either." Summer's feelings were James' top priority. Caroline could see this as well. In the end, the decision was Summer's to make. So, instead of addressing James, she turned to Summer and asked, "Would you like to stay at the Quigley residence, Summie?"If it were up to Summer, she'd say no. There was no way she would want to stay here out of her own free will. Just the mere sight of Caroli
Howe was the quietest person at the table. He was dressed in a shirt with floral patterns, and his hair was slightly curly. He was as still as a rock. He had a look of terror on his face for a while now—he didn't know that Summer was pregnant.Now that his parents were talking about it, he immediately asked, "Pregnant? Is Summer pregnant?""Yes, she is—haven't you heard?" Caroline replied. "No… How is she suddenly pregnant? I didn't hear anything about it until now." "I only found out recently as well." Caroline's hand moved over her mouth before she continued, "Isn't it great? You're going to be an uncle soon.""Yeah. I can't wait." Howe put on a forced smile.Everyone in the family was overjoyed by the news—except Howe Quigley. The Quigleys had a family rule. If the heir had a child, his position as the head of the family would be set in stone.So, if James welcomed a baby, Howe would lose the opportunity to take his place as the family heir. By that logic, he would never be