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
"Please start the car," James said to the driver. Everything was ready. Summer was already waiting for him in the car. They were prepared to leave immediately. Meanwhile, Caroline hurriedly knocked on the windows once the car engine was switched on. She yelled, "James, wait for me. How could you do this?"Before she finished speaking, the engine made a loud sound. The car soon left the gates of the Quigley residence and drove away. After leaving the Quigley residence, Summer felt very relieved. The stress she felt was finally gone. However, at the same time, she felt a bit guilty. She asked James, "Is this appropriate? You left your family because of me.""You're the most important person in my life, so it's appropriate."James would place more importance on love than familial relationships. This was because no one else mattered that much to him apart from Summer. He didn't mind leaving his family members for her. Anyway, it wasn't a life-or-death situation, and they could
The purpose of the garden was to provide soundproofing. The city center was very noisy, so the garden helped to block out those sounds. As such, the residential area was very quiet. At a glance, one wouldn't realize that they were in the city center. Beaut Moon residential area had nine buildings. Almost 70% of the area was filled with greenery. That meant that there were more trees than buildings. After arriving at a small pathway in the residential area, Charlie pointed at the nine buildings and asked, "Mrs. Quigley, Mr. Quigley told me that you can choose any building for you to stay in.""Oh? Can I really choose the building to live in? Aren't these buildings occupied by people?"Since the place was a commercial area, it would usually be sold to others. Besides, the buildings were very peaceful and had great accommodations.As such, some wealthy people would've already started living in the buildings by now. Charlie replied, "This building is used for private purposes, a
"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