Summer had used to eat here with some of her friends when she'd been in high school.She was extremely happy to be back there. She found the old food stall she had used to frequent and grabbed James and herself a table. She said, "Mr. Brooks, I'll have one spaghetti aglio e olio and one chicken casserole, please.""Coming right up," answered Tom Brooks, the stall owner. Soon, the food was served. Tom said enthusiastically, "Summie, it's been a long time since I saw you, so I made you an extra large spaghetti aglio e olio tonight."Tom was a generous person. He had been running the food stall for a decade.Summer knew him quite well because she was a frequent customer. He was very happy to see her again, so he made an extra large portion for her supper. There was a huge pile of spaghetti aglio e olio on the plate.Summer had never eaten such a large portion of spaghetti aglio e olio. She wondered if she could finish it, but she still thanked Tom.Tom was about to leave when he
Summer didn't want to cause a commotion. Tom would probably be shocked if she admitted that James Quigley from Quigley Group was her husband."Mr. Brooks, you've got the wrong person. My husband just looks like James Quigley. How could he possibly be that guy?""But your husband really resembles James Quigley. It's like they're twins!" Tom looked closely at James again, his eyes boring holes into him.James felt uncomfortable when Tom gawked at him as if he were an animal in the zoo. Why should he let Tom look at him like that?He was about to say something when Summer said, "Mr. Brooks, you've really got it wrong. How would I ever marry the president of Quigley Group? You must be kidding me, right?" She laughed dryly.Tom found Summer's self-depreciating comment logical. Although she had a wealthy family, her family was worlds apart from the Quigley family. Besides, Summer had sworn that her husband only looked similar to James. Tom believed it."Sorry, Summie. My eyes are get
Summer took some spaghetti aglio e olio in front of him and ate it, chewing it with delight. "It tastes really good. You're definitely going to regret it if you don't try it."James was still hesitant. Summer knew why he was acting that way.Rich people like him usually eat specially crafted food. Their dishes were made with repeatedly cleaned ingredients to ensure hygiene. James didn't eat the spaghetti, probably because he was worried it wasn't clean and would be bad for him."Don't worry, eating spaghetti won't kill you. I used to eat here for so many years, and nothing ever happened to me," Summer said as she stuffed the spaghetti into his mouth. He was unexpectedly compliant as he opened his mouth when Summer fed him.A hint of surprise showed up on his cold face after a few bites. He narrowed his eyes a little, looking like he had formed a special liking for the spaghetti aglio e olio. "It's really good.""Of course. I recommended it after all. You've never eaten spaghet
"If you'd like that, I'll come with you, Summie," James replied.James and Summer ate the chicken casserole after finishing the spaghetti aglio e olio. They stayed at the food stall for an hour and a half before leaving with their stomachs full.They had to walk a couple hundred feet since James had parked his car away from the street. As they walked through the quiet, dark alley, a group of men suddenly came out of nowhere.There were six of them. The men all wore simple T-shirts, and they were tall and intimidating. Obviously, they weren't good guys. James and Summer couldn't see their faces since it was too dark.The men split into two groups, surrounding Summer and James from all sides. They were trapped in the alley.Summer knew what was going on. This was a robbery! She had gone through similar events before. Back then, several young men had robbed her and her friends. Summer had given the robbers her purse and immediately called the police afterward. Luckily, the police
Summer questioned, "What exactly do you guys want? We've given you the money. Aren't you leaving?""Stop playing me for a fool. I know you two, Mr. James Quigley and Mrs. Quigley." The leader had actually recognized them! Summer panicked. Things weren't as simple as she'd thought.But she wasn't the type to give up easily. She made an excuse. "You're mistaken. We're not James Quigley and Mrs. Quigley, or whoever you said. Besides, you better leave with our money fast. Otherwise, you're in for it when the police arrive.""There's no police around here. Even if they were around, they wouldn't reach here that quickly." The leader knew the area well. He was probably used to doing criminal stuff here. Under the moonlight, he stepped forward and raised his arm. "Guys, catch them and tie them up."The leader was a clever guy. He had already noticed Summer and James while they had been having supper at the food stall. After recognizing them, he'd gathered his lackeys to rob them.It w
The remaining two men were the leader and his lackey in black and red attire. They looked grim when they saw James' capabilities."I didn't expect a rich bastard like you to be so strong. But did you think I came here empty-handed?" The leader took out a knife around his waist. The veins on his arms bulged as he rushed toward James with the knife in hand.James wasn't scared. He punched the leader's elbow and yanked the knife from him with his right hand. Then, he went behind the leader with a 180-degree turn, placing the knife against the leader's neck instantly."It's over now." James held the leader hostage.The leader didn't dare to move. His body was stiff as he breathed carefully. His life was at James' mercy, so he immediately begged, "Mr. Quigley, please spare me. Please!"James kicked the leader in the butt, as if he hadn't heard the latter's plea. Then, he swiftly punched the leader in the back of his head, knocking him out in a single blow.The lackey panicked when
Summer was furious to see this. She was worried about James' safety, yet he didn't say a word."James, are you listening to me? Next time, don't do something so stupid like this again. You know your identity very well. If something happened to you, what would—"As Summer spoke, James suddenly stood up from the chair, skillfully moved behind her, and gently hugged her. "Summie, are you worried about me?"Summer was slightly stunned. It took her a while to realize that James was hugging her. She resisted and struggled, but she couldn't break free. She immediately said, "I'm not worried about you. Let go of me."James was very obedient. He let go of Summer when she asked him to. However, when she turned to face him, she could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. He seemed to be lost in thought.At that moment, Summer couldn't tell what he was thinking. She was worried about him, but he acted as if nothing had happened. Now, James seemed to be in a deep and gloomy state, and she did
James had received an elite education since he was young, along with many other heirs. He needed to acquire various kinds of knowledge and abilities.But for a truly outstanding person, knowledge and abilities were merely tools. Knowing how to use them wasn't enough. What was more important was to cultivate his own strength.So, one year before James had become the successor, which was when he was 17 years old, Norman had him banished to a deserted island. It had been a small, remote, and uninhabited island in the southern part of the country. He'd had to learn how to survive on his own, relying on his own strength without help from anyone else. It had been the same as living like a primitive man. On that lonely island, James had had to figure out ways to obtain food, hide from wild beasts, and cope with natural disasters. His goal that year had been to survive by any means necessary.However, things hadn't been that simple. Apart from natural disasters, wild beasts, and other