Caroline was delighted to hear that James would be coming home for dinner. As of late, she didn't really get to see him unless it was a holiday. Anticipating his return, she prepared many dishes. Caroline was afraid that the food might not suit James' taste, so she made both local and foreign dishes. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she gathered all that was delicious in the world on their dining table that evening.Summer was asked to join too, along with James, Norman, and Howe. The Quigley family members were all present for dinner that day.Dining with so many people made Summer a little nervous. On regular days, she would either eat alone in her room or join Caroline occasionally but rarely with everyone. Everyone in the family was busy. So, it was rare for everyone to be present at the same time.As soon as James took his seat, Norman started talking to him. Their conversation mostly revolved around business matters, such as the company's operation, policy-maki
After hearing Summer's views, Norman fell silent, seemingly pondering something. Then, he turned to look at James. "What about you, James? What are your thoughts?""My thoughts are similar to Summie's. I think there's a high chance that the profit margins in real estate will shrink in the future.""Oh? Please tell me more." Norman was very interested in James' perspective. After all, the latter was his future successor. He was sure James could see some unique aspects.James said, "Real estate developers share a common belief that land is finite. Once a property is built and the land becomes occupied, its value will inevitably increase over time. "However, this mindset is only applicable to smaller enterprises. It won't work for a large company."Big corporations aimed to make significant profits. They wouldn't rely on the potential appreciation in the value of real estate properties, which would take a long time. As for how much the property would increase in value, that was un
Caroline's words caused the atmosphere at the dining table to become awkward.Norman had just praised Summer, but now Caroline seemed to view her as a calamity. She had even implied that Summer's involvement in the company would only bring trouble to them.No one dared to speak. Even Norman, who was the head of the family, let Caroline speak her mind without openly opposing her. Thus, the harmonious and cheerful family dinner became a tense affair.Summer knew letting this go on wouldn't do anyone any good. She attempted to lighten the mood with a laugh, saying, "Why don't we just eat? I'm starving."The moment Summer spoke, Caroline seized the chance to criticize her. "All you know is eating. You're useless. I have yet to give you a piece of my mind. It's been over half a year since you married James, and you haven't gotten pregnant yet. Your worth is less than that of a pig."Caroline's harsh words suggested that Summer's inability to conceive a child made her more worthless t
Summer was very upset, and her eyes filled up with tears. She often cried. Once, when she had been a student, a teacher had wrongfully accused her of cheating during an exam and wanted to call Fred and Amelia. Though further investigations had proven that she was innocent, she had still cried because of that. She had become stronger as she grew older. Although her tears were starting to fill her eyes, she still stopped them from falling. Anyway, she had known that the marriage wouldn't be easy from the moment she had married James. She had known that Caroline would cause trouble for her. After Caroline scolded her, Summer raised her head and pretended to look sincere. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll do my best.""Do your best? Did you even work hard? If you really worked hard—" On the other hand, Caroline looked as if she wanted to continue her tirade.Meanwhile, James noticed that something was off, so he immediately stopped Caroline. "That's enough, Mom.""What? Are you going to f
After leaving the table, Summer went to the master bedroom on the third level. She hid in the covers and started crying profusely. She was very upset. Though she had suffered a lot after entering the Quigley family, it was the first time that she had felt so sad. It seemed as if all her pent-up emotions had burst out that night. Summer wept loudly into her blanket. She didn't understand the purpose of her marriage. Was it only to give birth to a child? Or was she supposed to become a punching bag for Caroline?Summer didn't want to live like that, and missed Fred and Amelia immensely. All her frustrations overwhelmed her. She felt like she was buried in freezing snow. Her entire body felt cold, and there was no warmth around her. She lay in the room, engulfed in sadness. The gloomy lights illuminated the big bedroom. Summer's trembling body looked very pathetic. However, unbeknownst to her, a person appeared in the doorway. He heard her pitiful sobs and stared at her lo
Summer initially wanted to ask Lexi where James was, but the latter had also left. Lexi must have gone to bed by then. So, Summer walked out of the room. The corridors outside were dark, and she couldn't see a thing. She wanted to find James. Since he had come home and eaten dinner with the family that day, he would still be home.Summer carefully walked down the wooden stairs. She noticed a light on the second level while she was walking down the stairs. Caroline was still awake. Usually, Summer would have avoided meeting Caroline entirely. However, she had a feeling that James was in Caroline's room at that moment. As such, she decided to approach the room. Summer sneakily walked forward like a thief. Just then, she heard the sounds of a quarrel. Though the voices were soft and she couldn't hear what they were saying, she knew that James and Caroline were talking.She didn't know why James was in Caroline's room, so she stood outside the room and eavesdropped on the conv
Caroline wanted a successor for the Quigley family. Therefore, having children was important to her. However, James didn't want anyone to hurt Summer. He couldn't forget how she had hid under the covers and cried that night. Even though he could pretend to be aloof and unconcerned, he didn't want to do that when Summer was involved. "Mom, having children isn't important to me. It doesn't matter if the Quigley bloodline ends with me in the future. But no one can hurt Summer!" James grew louder as he spoke. His voice sounded very intimidating. This was the first time Summer had heard James sound so agitated. He always remained calm in every situation, and the volume of his voice always remained the same. However, he was very angry with Caroline at that moment. It seemed that he was trying to protect Summer. Caroline was very unhappy that James was protecting Summer. This was the first time she had felt like her position was being challenged. It was as if James didn't care abo
Lexi stood beside the bed and said, "Please wake up, Mrs. Quigley.""What happened?" Meanwhile, Summer felt that something had happened when she saw how Lexi blinked eagerly. So, she immediately sat up from the bed. After listening to Lexi's explanations, Summer realized that James had ordered his subordinates to move their things out. He was leaving the Quigley residence. He had done as he had promised. Once he had ended his argument with Caroline the previous night, he had moved out of the Quigley residence the next morning. Once Lexi finished speaking, she noticed the expression on Summer's face. Though the latter looked happy, she wasn't extremely overjoyed. "What's wrong, Mrs. Quigley? Why aren't you very surprised? Don't you want to leave this place too?""Of course, I'm very surprised. Who wouldn't be shocked?" Then, Summer smiled joyously. Though she was happy, she wasn't surprised. After all, she had already heard about it when she had eavesdropped on the conversat