The two security guards were surprised to see Summer. One of the skinny security guards was the first to react and shouted to arrest Summer. But Summer put on a cold and stern look, imitated James' tone, and said, "Stand down. What do you want to do?"The skinny security guard was clearly new. Moreover, the head of security wasn't around, so he was shocked by Summer's tone and immediately retreated."Who said Caroline didn't allow me to go out? I just got her permission. She said that I looked tired lately, so she allowed me to go out for a walk." Summer used to make up things like this during her university days. At that time, she had pretended to be sick to skip class. Now, she used the same trick and pretended to have asked for Caroline's permission. Just like that, she managed to deceive the skinny security guard.The skinny security guard was doubtful. He asked, "Mrs. Quigley, don't lie to me. Are you being honest?""Of course it's true. Why should I lie to you? If you d
In order to prevent Summer from escaping once again, the head of security was extra cautious this time. He doubled the number of guards in charge of escorting Summer and kept a close eye on her. He was afraid that she would try to escape when he wasn't paying attention.However, as they were in the middle of escorting her, a cold and sharp voice stopped all the security guards in their tracks. "Leave Mrs. Quigley alone."The voice was devoid of any emotion. The head of security was wondering who had the audacity to order him when he realized that it was James. Immediately, he waved his hand to signal the others to let go of Summer."Oh, it's Mr. Quigley. Wasn't Mr. Quigley supposed to be entertaining Mr. Yancey Senior? Why..."The entire Quigley family was busy entertaining Herbert. So, the head of security had thought James would be with Herbert as well. He hadn't expected to see James out here.James had come out because he had heard someone running outside the house. He h
Summer understood what James was trying to say. All in all, he was afraid that she would cause trouble.Summer said indifferently, "I won't cause any trouble. Things haven't been going well for me since I came to your house. But you should go back. I'll go out for a walk.""No," James said.Summer's eyes widened. She was shocked at James's objection. Even he wanted to control her now?Just as Summer was about to get angry, James suddenly held her hand and said, "Let's go together. I don't feel safe letting you walk alone."Summer suddenly felt embarrassed, especially when James' hand touched hers. Her heart pounded.Yet, she didn't stop James from holding her hand. She asked, "Why? Aren't you busy? You have to entertain Uncle Herbert and Susanne.""My parents will take care of them. I'm not needed. Let me go with you," James said.Summer initially wanted to refuse his offer because she wanted to take a stroll on her own. It would be inconvenient to have a man with her, especial
Although she had been hurt before, Summer still longed for romance.When James asked her out, she immediately agreed. "Sure, let's have a date."She forced herself to say it in such a way that she didn't give away her excitement. She didn't want James to think that she was excited about going on a date with him. In reality, she felt giddy, like a child who had just gotten a lollipop. She just didn't want to admit it. After 20 minutes, they got a cab and went to a famous shopping mall near the city. The mall was bustling with people, mostly young couples or groups of friends. They all looked happy.Summer and James walked on the tiled floor. All they could see were clothing stores filled with arrays after arrays of luxurious and beautiful products. As soon as Summer entered the store, she started picking out clothes and comparing them against each other. If she liked it, she would put it aside. She tried on more than ten pieces in one go.James, on the other hand, simply stood
"The dress looks good," said James."Really? Oh well, then it looks good," said Summer. She was already getting annoyed. She turned around and went back into the fitting room to try on other clothes. From then on, she didn't ask for James's opinion anymore. Since he didn't give any input, asking him for an opinion was pointless.She tried over ten pieces of clothing, and they all felt great on her. This store was famous for its luxurious clothes. Their clothes had unique and tasteful designs. It could be considered a high-end international brand. With the help of the sales assistant, Summer decided on two pieces of clothing and went to the counter.James came over and asked, "Why did you only take two?""Why do I have to buy so many? I can't wear them all anyway," said Summer. Actually, it was a lie to say that she couldn't wear so many clothes. Which women would complain about having too many clothes? If there were really too many, she could just get rid of some. The mai
But what had happened in the end? James still ended up paying for Summer and even buying eight pieces of designer clothes for her."Why did you buy the clothes for me?" Summer put on a disdainful expression. "I don't need so many clothes. Who is going to wear them all?""Don't you like them? You seemed to really like them when you were trying them on," said James.Thinking that James had read her mind, Summer was momentarily speechless. But if she wanted to pretend, she had to keep pretending. She said, "I didn't like them at all. I just thought the clothes were nice, but there's no need to buy them. Besides, how am I going to take eight pieces of clothing back?"While Summer was complaining, the sales assistant spoke up kindly. "Miss, don't worry. We offer a delivery service. You just have to write down your address, and we will deliver the clothes to you." After saying this, the sales assistant added, "Miss, you're really lucky. Your husband is not only handsome, but he is
"Why would you say that?" said James."Because I've never seen you smile. Why do you always look like you are annoyed?"James didn't respond. He raised his eyes. Under the lights in the shopping mall, his features were distinct. He had a slim figure. It seemed like he was pondering something before he finally answered, "I don't know what it feels like to be happy.""You don't know? Being happy is just being happy. Like how I feel right now. Don't you enjoy going on a date with me?""Being with you makes me happy," said James. His eyes became gentle and clear. Summer was enchanted by them. But she couldn't understand. If he felt happy, why did he still look like he was annoyed?Summer's first thought was that James was lying to himself. He was probably not happy at all and was pretending to be. Being happy shouldn't look like this. Could he have some kind of illness that caused facial paralysis?"You don't have to pretend anymore. You're obviously not happy being with me.
As Summer had thought, James had indeed never been on a date before. It was only natural, after all. James was the CEO of Quigley Group, which was the most important companies in Rosseera City. It not only had an impact on the economy of the entire city but also the entire country.Although James had never been out when he was an adult, he must have been out when he was younger, right?Summer asked, "What about before you became 18 years old? Didn't you go out often before that?""No. Before that, I had to undergo training," he replied.After hearing this, Summer sighed deeply. She had actually heard Charlie talking about this before. The heirs of the four most prestigious families had no childhood. It wasn't just the heirs; almost anyone born into such prestigious families had no childhood. From a young age, they had to undergo elite training that filled their schedule with either social etiquette or lessons for some hobby that they didn't even know if they would ever use
"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