There were many things that James could put up with. In fact, besides Summer, who was his weak spot, he could put up with just about anything else. She was the one thing that he wouldn't compromise on.James had asked Keith out this time, expecting him to apologize sincerely. However, Keith had challenged him instead, threatening that he would snatch Summer away from him. What a joke!James truly couldn't think of any other way to respond to such a tasteless joke besides violence.After saying that, James got ready to leave. After all, there was no point in staying back and continuing the conversation.But Keith held him back. "What? Are you thinking of running away when we're not even done talking yet?""There's no point talking any more. All ties between us are now severed. Tomorrow, I will announce the termination of the collaboration between Quigley Group and Ritter Corporation during Quigley Group's board meeting."James wasn't a forgiving person. He was one to take revenge
"Games will continue. I won't let my fun disappear." Keith left the coffee shop after saying that.The lights inside the coffee shop were shining brightly, casting an eerie glow as they reflected off the glass lamps onto the coffee cups.…Summer woke up unusually early the next morning. While brushing her teeth and washing her face, she wondered if James had already gotten up. She hadn't seen him last night before she went to bed. She was clueless about his whereabouts during the night.As she moved about the house, she found that James had slept in the living room. She covered him with a blanket as she worried he might catch a cold lying there on the couch.Suddenly, she noticed a scattered pile of documents on the table and decided to tidy them up.She was stunned upon seeing the titles of the documents in bold letters. "Termination of Collaboration with the Ritter Corporation".She wondered why they would terminate the collaboration when everything seemed fine. An uneasy
Summer exclaimed, "Will the board members approve of a decision like this?" She believed that anyone who could think rationally would definitely disagree with such a decision.However, James replied, "They have no choice but to approve."It was then that Summer realized that James was not only the president of the company but also the chairman of the board.In contrast to the heirs of the other four major prestigious families, Norman had transferred all of his shares to James upon his retirement. He had wanted to ensure that James wielded absolute power.Therefore, he had made James the sole heir of the Quigley family.In the other three major prestigious families, the heirs held the position of president within their companies. However, they were neither the largest shareholders nor chairmen of the board.Therefore, despite holding substantial power, they were susceptible to interference from the elders of their families. This distinction was notable. If James were to decide
"Summie, please don't be like this." James approached Summer and hugged her.As Summer spoke, her face displayed a hint of sadness, and her voice carried a mournful tone. James couldn't bear to see her in this state. Little did he know that it was all an act.Summer understood how much James cared for her, so she pretended to be heartbroken to sway his decision. As she had expected, James eventually relented.James truly loved Summer. He always approached things solely from his own perspective. He wouldn't listen if Summer patiently tried to persuade him.However, if she seemed sad because of the situation, James would listen to her. Realizing this, Summer acknowledged that she should have shed a few tears instead of wasting time trying to resolve everything earlier.Feigning sadness, she said mournfully, "Could you please listen to me? Please stop fighting with Keith. You two were good friends long ago."Even as you both grew up, you always made concessions for him. But now, y
In the afternoon, Summer went to the Charter Corporation wearing a red dress and carrying a black bag. She had come to check on the progress of the Sunflower Garden and Paradise Villa projects.However, a security guard stopped her at the entrance. "Ms. Charter, you can't enter right now. There's been an incident inside.""An incident in the company? What happened?""A woman came and created a disturbance. She insisted on seeing you. I believe she may have ill intentions. I advise you not to meet her."The security guard appeared to be genuinely worried about Summer. She had always treated the company's employees kindly, so his concern for her safety was sincere.Summer's curiosity was piqued. She asked the security guard about the woman's appearance. He told her that the woman had long hair. She had been dressed in a purple dress and had heavy makeup.Summer couldn't recall anyone matching that description.Considering someone was causing trouble for her, Summer felt compelle
Simone had shown up out of nowhere and started making baseless accusations that Summer was trying to seduce her man. However, this couldn't have been further from the truth.Summer said, "Simone, could you please be rational? I haven't done anything, let alone tried to seduce Hank."Simone retorted, "Are you absolutely certain you're innocent? Do you think I'm oblivious? I witnessed what happened between you and Hank at the cinema. I had discreetly followed him. You should be aware of your actions."Summer was stunned upon hearing her words. She remembered the incident when Hank had come to find her at the cinema before. He had even asked her to reconcile with him, but she had already turned him down.Now, Simone was stirring up trouble, falsely accusing her of seducing Hank. Apparently, there was some misunderstanding there."Simone, I want to make it clear that I have no connection with Hank anymore. When he came to the cinema before, he asked me to reconcile, but I declined."
When Simone grabbed Summer, Summer reciprocated by exerting force and grabbing her back. They struggled at the entrance of the elevator for a while.Soon, a crowd began to gather around them. Summer felt uncomfortable as everyone seemed to be observing them as though they were watching a show."Simone, release me! This is my workplace. What gives you the right to barge in and interrogate me? I will call the police!""Go ahead and call the police. Let's see who ends up looking more shameless." Simone showed no signs of backing down from confronting Summer.Summer hesitated to involve the police, fearing the situation might attract media attention as well.Summer's identity had shifted; she was no longer Ms. Charter from the Charter family, but Mrs. Quigley, wife of the president of Quigley Group. If the media became involved, James would also be affected.Left with no alternative, Summer said reluctantly, "Fine. You want to confront me, right? Call Hank downstairs. I'll confront h
Summer wouldn't let trivial matters disturb her work. Therefore, she turned and walked away coldly. Meanwhile, Simone didn't want to let her leave, so she rushed over in her high heels to stop Summer."You can't run away. Are you afraid of confronting Hank?""I can't be bothered to confront him. He's obviously too scared to come here. You were too stupid, so you fell for his trap."Hank was a jerk. Since Summer had realized his true colors, she wasn't willing to continue the conversation. However, Simone used to be her friend. Although the former hadn't treated her well, Summer still gave her a reminder. "Do be careful. You won't have a happy ending if you continue dating Hank.""Mind your own business." Simone was very ungrateful and scolded Summer. "You're a scheming bitch! Don't worry about our relationship. You're the one who seduced others first!"On the other hand, Summer felt a little helpless because Simone kept talking. Why was Simone so domineering? Summer had never
"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