"My dear Summer, don't you know that I'm crazy? Why would I listen to reason?"Summer was so terrified by Susanne's threat that she kept her guard up."What do you want?" Summer asked warily. "Summer, if you follow me to a place, I won't hurt you. However, only two of us can go there. We must escape the bodyguards first."Summer wasn't stupid. If she listened to Susanne and left the bodyguards, wouldn't that give Susanne a chance to do whatever she wanted? If Susanne led her to a secluded place, killed her, and buried her body, she would disappear without a trace. She regretted her decision. If she had known what Susanne had been planning on doing, she wouldn't have gone out with her. Summer had dug her own grave. She didn't know what to do. The best thing she could do was escape quickly. As long as she ran to the bodyguards, Susanne wouldn't try to kill her. With that thought in mind, Summer immediately made a run for it. There were many people in the beautiful city. Su
Susanne was a wolf hiding in a sheep's skin. She was feigning ignorance, so Summer couldn't do anything to her. Since that was the case, Summer didn't continue questioning her. She didn't want to kick up a fuss. Instead, she made up an excuse about feeling unwell and said that she didn't want to shop any longer. …Two hours later, Summer sat on the bed. She was in the master bedroom on the second floor at the Quigley residence. Meanwhile, Lexi was massaging her shoulders. "Mrs. Quigley, don't be mad." "Lexi, did you notice that something was off? Susanne tricked me intentionally.""Of course. I believe in you, Mrs. Quigley." Although Lexi didn't know about Susanne's illness, she had done more research on Susanne and found that the latter was a little strange.She had also noticed that Summer had been avoiding Susanne for the past few days. It seemed that the two women were on bad terms. Lexi believed that Summer had been tricked. After all, Summer was kind and had never do
She also couldn't tell Caroline that Susanne was schizophrenic and wanted to harm her on purpose. Even if there was substantial evidence to prove that, Summer had already promised James she wouldn't tell anyone about it. Hence, she could only lower her head in silence. Caroline asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you usually sharp-tongued? It's not like I'm not giving you a chance to explain yourself first. I want to hear what you have to say.""I have nothing to say." Summer lowered her head. "Do you admit to framing Susanne?""Yes.""Why did you do that?"Summer wanted to curse at the unfairness of it all. Why would she frame Susanne? The latter had nothing to do, so she'd set her up!However, she couldn't say that to Caroline. Things had escalated to this point, and nothing she did could resolve the situation. So, she resorted to keeping quiet. Caroline said sternly, "Since you're remaining silent, I'll take it that you had personal grievances. Yet, we must punish you accor
Herbert kept his high and mighty act up as he said, "Are you apologizing? Forget it. You're James' wife, after all. You don't have to beg for mercy with me. I didn't say I wouldn't forgive you.""So, you've forgiven me? That's great," Summer said in glee.But Herbert demanded, "Well, I can forgive you. But it won't be enough if I'm the only one who forgives you. You need to get Susanne to forgive you too."Herbert wanted Summer to apologize to Susanne. In what way was this reasonable? Susanne had tried to kill her and made threats, but she was the one who had to apologize.Summer really wanted to frown at him and leave on the spot. But if she did that, she would probably be kicked out of the Quigley family.Caroline already thought that Summer was bullying Susanne. If she didn't comply with Herbert's demands, he would take action against her before the Quigleys could punish her.Summer bit the bullet and went to apologize to Susanne. At this point, she seemed like a lowly worke
James cut to the chase. He stared at her as he questioned, "I know what happened tonight. Why did you do it?""James, what are you talking about?"Susanne played dumb. If she was exposed for messing with Summer, she might give James a bad impression. What she didn't realize was that James already had a foul impression of her.James inched closer to Susanne as he spoke sternly, "Are you still going to lie? I warned you not to mess with Summer, but you threatened to kill her tonight. I'm very disappointed in you.""James—""Why did you do it? Summer has never treated you badly, nor did she ever hurt you." James was furious as rage burned in his dark eyes. This was the first time Susanne had seen him like this.She stepped back and explained, "You've misunderstood. I didn't do anything—""Are you still making excuses?"James was giving her immense pressure, and the air around him felt heavy, as though it were weighing her down. Susanne was frightened. James no longer seemed li
James asked, "What is it? Tell me.""If I tell you, will you promise me?" She had asked that as if she had been scared that James wouldn't agree. Her little eyes had gleamed in anticipation.James hadn't known what she wanted to say, but he had nodded and agreed anyway. "Tell me. I'll promise you anything.""Great! Well, I'm going to say it." Susanne had taken a deep breath and held his hand. She said solemnly, "You must marry me when we become adults. You can't break your promise.""Okay, I'll marry you. I won't break my promise."Since they had been kids, they had thought of marrying each other as they were good playmates. It was an innocent, pure promise. But because of that promise, Susanne had thought of James as her dream husband all these years.But all good things came to an end. After the promise on the balcony, James had accompanied Susanne to the door downstairs. Herbert had already been waiting there.Susanne had kept looking back at James reluctantly, with affec
Susanne closed her eyes and grew calm after her realization. "James, I understand now. I'm a family member to you, and so are you to me. I won't have any other thoughts from now on.""That's good, Susanne."James was glad. At least Susanne was no longer obsessed with him or thought that her feelings were romantic love. But his positive feelings didn't continue for long.The next second, Susanne said, "James, since we're cousins, I think I have the responsibility to help you find an excellent wife. Summer doesn't fit that standard."James' eyes darted toward her, feeling speechless. Susanne's feelings toward him had changed, but she hadn't accepted Summer.He wanted to say something, but Susanne stood up excitedly. She declared, "Summer's not qualified to join the Quigley family."I know Dad and Aunt Caroline have certain opinions of her, and I have to say that I agree with them. Summer's status and credentials—nothing about her is a match for you, James. If you are to marry, it s
Summer was startled when she heard it, but she quickly hid the look on her face. She asked calmly, "I don't understand what you're saying.""Summer, it's so obvious that you're lying. If you don't tell me the truth, I can't help you, even if I want to."Summer hesitated when she heard that. She didn't know what Howe was thinking, but she really needed his help at this time. Caroline kept making things hard for her, while Susanne could go crazy and kill her at any time. Summer couldn't cope with the two of them coming at her like this.Howe was now a beacon of hope for her to fight against Caroline and Susanne. But she was also wary of him. James had warned her that Howe wasn't the person he appeared to be. Although James hadn't said much about Howe, it was enough for Summer to be cautious.Everyone had their secrets in the Quigley family. Each of them was formidable.Howe looked at Summer as she stayed silent for a long time. He knew she had her concerns. He said, "Summer, y
"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