A woman in her 40s stood in the middle of the room. She had wrinkles on her face, but she didn't look too old because she took good care of herself. When she saw Caroline and Summer, she greeted them respectfully. "Hello, Madam Summer, Madam Caroline.""Amber, I asked you here today to teach my daughter-in-law some knowledge. Just do as I told you before." After Caroline instructed her, Amber Bishop nodded.Then, Caroline told Summer to stay there and learn from Amber. She didn't specify what Summer would be learning. She just gave a few more instructions and left.Summer and Amber were left alone in the spacious room. Amber had a fair and tender face and was full of smiles. She looked like a friendly person. Summer greeted her, saying, "Hello, how should I address you?""Madam Summer, just call me Amber. We don't have much time. Let's begin learning."Summer was puzzled as to what she was supposed to be learning, and Amber didn't explain much either. She simply asked Summer t
Summer wanted to leave, but Amber wouldn't let her. Caroline had paid a large sum of money to invite her over. If Summer left, wouldn't she have to return the money?Amber grabbed Summer and pleaded, "Madam Summer, you can't go. Madam Caroline wants me to teach you properly." After a pause, she added, "In fact, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. If you can't conceive a child with Mr. Quigley, it could be because the methods weren't used properly. "I'd like to know how you usually do things with Mr. Quigley."Any adult would understand what Amber meant by "things". The point was that Summer had never done it with James. The two slept on the same bed, but they never had any physical contact, let alone engage in that kind of activity.Feeling awkward, Summer shook her head. "Amber, I already said I don't need to learn about that.""Madam Summer, you must be shy. Listen to me, if you want to have children, the best position to use is missionary. This is beneficial for the f
Caroline was a shrewd person. After giving Amber a glare, she waved her hand and said, "You can leave. Luca will compensate you."The so-called compensation was a large sum of money. When Amber heard this, her eyes lit up, and she bowed. "Thank you, Madam Caroline. Thank you."After that, Amber finally left. But Summer and Lexi were in trouble.Caroline had sharp eyes and an equally sharp tongue. She went to Lexi and said, "Lexi, right? I know you're the bodyguard James hired. Your duty is to keep Summer safe, not to disobey my orders. Don't think I can't do anything to you."Lexi didn't dare say anything and just let Caroline scold her. But Caroline wasn't one to be lenient. Maybe with Summer, she would just say a few words, but she wouldn't be so kind to others.After reprimanding them, Caroline waved her hand and pointed at Lexi. "You're fired. Luca will compensate you according to the labor laws. Now, leave this manor."Lexi was thunderstruck. Her job was to protect Summer. S
Three bodyguards struggled to restrain Lexi, while the last bodyguard carried Summer out as if he were carrying a kitten.Summer was filled with fear. She hadn't misheard Caroline. The latter had said that she was going to be taken to the dark room.Summer knew about the dark room. She heard that it was a room specially built for punishing people. In the past, Howe and James had been locked in there when they had done something wrong. It was pitch-black inside the room, with no food or water, and the space was extremely narrow. Summer had never been inside, but just hearing about it made her tremble with fear."No, I don't want to go there." Summer struggled, but it was useless. In the Quigley residence, Caroline's words were absolute, and no one could disobey her.The bodyguards were like robots, devoid of any sympathy. They forcibly took Summer to a room at the end of the corridor on the first floor. As she slowly approached the dark room, Summer's fear grew and overwhelmed
Summer was afraid that she might end up in such a situation. Although she was calm at that moment, being locked in a dark room for a long period of time could cause her to collapse mentally.Damn it! Summer cursed inwardly. She hadn't asked Caroline how long she had to be locked up in there. One or two hours would be no big deal, but if it were a few days, it would be a death sentence!What was she supposed to do if she needed to use the toilet? There was no restroom there. Did she have to urinate or defecate in this room?Countless worries filled her mind, like garbage piling up. Now, the garbage had filled up and was overflowing."James, when will you come back?" Her only hope was James. If he came back and found out she was locked up, he would definitely figure out a way to save her.Summer firmly believed in that. That millennia-old iceberg would definitely come to her rescue!Time passed by slowly. In the small, confined, dark room, there was no concept of time. Every se
As Summer hummed her song, she pictured a lush grassland. She imagined running in the green forest, with birds flying high and chirping in the sky, and a small deer galloping among the trees. Everything seemed natural and beautiful.But even singing could get tiring. Summer had been out shopping for the whole day, and now she was facing this torture at night. Her last bit of energy was depleted, and she finally collapsed. Her eyes, which had been hard to close, finally shut, and she fell asleep. The world became truly quiet.Time ticked by. The hour hand on the ancient clock completed one round. When Summer regained consciousness, she found herself in bed.It was a familiar bed. When she opened her eyes, everything was no longer unfamiliar.The furniture, the painting on the wall, and even the man—they were all familiar. Summer looked at James, who was sitting on the office chair in front of the bed, working. He was so focused that he didn't notice that she had woken up.Gla
Moreover, the more time they spent together, the more Summer gradually found herself depending on James.Although she sometimes appeared to be strong, deep down, she was still a fragile woman. In the process of getting to know James, she had slowly found the sense of security she had been longing for. It felt like every time she faced danger, as long as she called out James' name, he would be there."James, don't blame yourself. You've actually done very well. At least, I don't regret marrying you," Summer said sincerely. Hearing this made James calm down a lot. He gently rested his head against Summer's forehead, and their shadows leaned against each other under the light.In truth, Summer hadn't fully accepted James, but she was grateful for his presence. Just like she'd said, she didn't regret marrying him. He gave her everything she needed and pampered her like a princess. Since she'd met a man like him, she had nothing to complain about.Time stood still as the two hugge
Summer asked, "What's it about? Is it related to me?""Of course, it is definitely related to you," Lexi replied. Then, she started telling Summer everything.It turned out that James had had to work late until 3:00 am the night before. Upon his return, he'd heard about Summer being locked up in the dark room. He had immediately taken his bodyguards to break down the door to rescue her. The key was with Caroline, so James had to forcefully kick the door open. Lexi had been present at the time and witnessed the entire scene.As Lexi described the incident, she exclaimed, "At that moment, Mr. Quigley was so cool. After kicking the door open, he completely ignored Luca's attempts to stop him and went straight to carry you out. "You were sleeping soundly at that time, so you might not have noticed, but Mr. Quigley was really cool!"Lexi had become James' fan and praised his coolness countless times. Summer also thought that she would have also praised his bravery if she'd seen it
"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