Caroline had found out their secret. As expected, a perfunctory reply wouldn't be able to trick her. Every morning after James left, she would enter the room and observe it. Then, she had noticed that the couch looked like it had been slept on. Since then, she had started to have her suspicions.Hence, she had sneaked into the couple's room to check if they were sleeping together. There was sufficient evidence to prove that the couple wasn't sleeping next to each other. Caroline crossed her arms. Though she loved James, she didn't let him off this time. James wanted to continue talking, but Summer stopped him. Even though she knew he meant well, explaining the situation wasn't the solution. Instead, it would harm the relationship between him and Caroline. So, Summer spoke up instead. "Mom, we were in the wrong."If she hadn't apologized, Caroline might have punished her severely. However, the latter cooled off a bit since Summer had apologized. But James and Summer could
He looked calm and peaceful, like a lake. The moonlight illuminated his cold face.He always had the same expression, no matter the occasion. It made Summer wonder if James experienced the same feelings she did. Did he feel anxious or nervous?She carefully said, "Hey James, are you asleep?"She still didn't get an answer after a long while. It seemed like he was really asleep. But he shouldn't have fallen asleep this fast, right? Hadn't it been just 10 minutes?Summer gave it some thought. He had been grinding at work. He would probably fall asleep within minutes of getting into bed, right?She decided to go to sleep too. At this moment, James, who had been silent, said, "What's up?"Summer was startled at his sudden reply. She looked over to realize that he was staring at her. Below his defined eyebrows, his black orbs were deep.Summer thought her soul was being sucked into his eyes. This was the first time she had looked at James up close. He was absolutely enchanting.Th
James was the last to wake up, and he was oblivious to how they were entangled with each other just now. Now that he figured things out, he explained, "Sorry, I didn't mean it.""I-I know you didn't mean it," Summer replied in a low voice. Despite her words, she still felt awkward. They were acting like a man and a woman who had done the deed in medieval times.But she had to understand something. They were legally married. So what if they really did something? Summer shook her head and decided to forget all about what just happened.She tried to get out of bed, but she didn't expect it to be so soft. She lost her footing and fell on the bed. Unfortunately, she fell toward James.He caught her in his arms. They locked gazes as an inexplicable look flitted across their eyes. Awkwardness filled the air between them.Summer scrambled to get out of James' embrace when she felt the weird sensation. This caused her to fall once more.Fortunately, she fell on the bed and not the har
Summer had an ominous feeling whenever Caroline invited her. She didn't know what Caroline would do to her this time. But she couldn't refuse when Caroline wanted to see her. She hurried over to the study.Luca reverted to his serious expression as he saw Summer hurrying off. That was because he saw James, who was tidying his clothes in the room.James was a well-known workaholic. Ever since Norman had retired from Quigley Group, James had taken on the former's position as CEO.James had an extremely fixed routine. He would rush to the company every day at 6:00 am and come back at 8:00 pm. He worked hard like a robot, without any exceptions.It was 9:00 am now, which was way past James' time to get to work. Luca was surprised. It was his first time seeing James slip up in managing his time. Maybe only Summer could bring about such a change in James.Luca greeted James respectfully, "Mr. James, Madam Caroline has breakfast ready for you. You may head over to the company after h
"That's great. Did you do it with James?"Caroline looked slightly awkward as she asked that. She was nearing her 50s, so she felt uncomfortable asking the youngsters such a question. But she had to ask. The Quigleys' future depended on it, after all.Of course, Summer understood what Caroline meant. Caroline was talking about doing the deed.To Summer, Caroline was going crazy over the prospect of a baby. Summer was a carefree person. She really wanted to tell Caroline that she and James had done nothing the previous night. In fact, she hadn't even let James touch her. But if she did, Caroline would probably kick her out.Truth be told, Summer wouldn't mind being kicked out. But she was afraid she would drag her family down. Charter Corporation was finally booming with the Quigleys' help. They had managed to come this far. If they continued, the company Fred had built from scratch wouldn't meet its end easily.So now she had a problem. She didn't know how to reply to Caro
"Oh, we're just going to enjoy some tea and talk to each other. Well-known women will show up at the tea party. It's organized by the four major prestigious families."Caroline continued to ask impatiently, "Why do you ask? You sound like you don't want to go. Is it because you don't want to keep an old lady like me company?""No, no, how would I dare to do that?""Then, you should join me. Remember to dress up well. Don't embarrass me." Caroline made the decision for Summer before the latter could agree. It was like she was forcing Summer.After that, Luca led Summer to an opulent room on the first floor of the Quigley residence. About four stylists were waiting there. They were probably there to style Summer's hair.A woman with straight hair dressed in a long, fashionable floral dress walked over to welcome Summer. "You must be Madam Summer. We're here to dress you up as per Madam Caroline's instructions.""Dress me up… Yeah, I know." Summer took her seat. She watched as t
Summer got a little worried when she saw Lexi so shocked. Her outfit was way different from her usual appearance, and she didn't know if she looked good or not. She asked, "Lexi, do you think my outfit suits me?""It suits you! Of course, it suits you. Mrs. Quigley, you're pretty to begin with. With this outfit, you look even prettier than those celebrities now." Lexi paused and raised her brow as if she thought of something.She took out her phone and snapped a photo of Summer. She said, "I'm going to send a picture of you to Mr. Quigley. He'll be very happy to see this.""No, don't!"Summer wasn't sure if the icy James would laugh at her for being pretentious and dressing up like this. She stepped forward, wanting to snatch the phone from Lexi and delete the photo.But she was no match for Lexi. Lexi stepped back and quickly dodged. Then, she tapped the send button immediately after. The photo was sent to James.Summer looked at the sent timestamp and felt a sense of resign
There were already plenty of women seated when they arrived. Everyone spoke in a low voice, so the venue was eerily quiet, although all of them were clearly talking.Caroline drew a lot of attention when she showed up. Many people greeted her as she walked past. It was a given since Caroline was a Quigley. She had a high status and was respected by everyone in their circle.But Caroline treated the nobodies coldly and arrogantly. She either pretended not to notice them greeting her or gave them a silent nod. Those women probably had little influence and were not worthy of Caroline's attention.There were also women whom Caroline talked to enthusiastically. When Caroline and Summer were seated, a middle-aged woman in extravagant clothes and jewelry came over to them. Caroline stood up immediately when she saw the woman, and the two hugged each other."Mrs. Walsh, long time no see.""Yes, Mrs. Quigley, it's been so long. If it weren't for the things going on in my family, I would
"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