Relieved, James rested on the sofa in his room on the third floor. He was quite exhausted from the party. On the way back, some senior relatives even tried to force him into a conversation. Nevertheless, he was able to relax now.Why wasn't Summer here yet? James couldn't help but worry. He tried calling her again, but it still went to voicemail. Feeling uneasy, he asked Charlie to search for her in his stead. Since he couldn't excuse himself from the party, he could only instruct his bodyguards to help him look for her.Right after the latter left the room, James could hear his frantic voice from the other side of the door. "Mr. Quigley is resting, Ms. Camberwell. You can't go in—" Charlie didn't get to finish his sentence before the door swung open. Dressed in a black, printed gown, Suzanne made her way toward James. "I've been looking everywhere for you, James."She looked overjoyed. James didn't know why she would be here. The Christmas party was a family event—only fami
Afterward, Luca added, "It seemed like an urgent matter, Mr. Quigley. I think it's best if you go to her."James knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. Moments ago, he was nothing but cold toward Suzanne. Now, he received a message from his mother. She probably wanted to tell him off.He had no energy for such troublesome matters. But since he couldn't hide from her forever, he still made his way downstairs to see her.He slowly made his way down the stairs. As soon as he reached the first floor, he caused a huge commotion. The guests were drinking and dancing in pairs. At the news of James' appearance, everyone flocked over.Fortunately, he was surrounded by bodyguards. When the young people crowded around him, the guards kept them a distance away. As the family heir, James had to be courteous. Hence, even though he didn't want to socialize, he still greeted everyone with a stiff smile. To his dismay, this made his relatives even more enthusiastic. "Mr. Quigley! Mr. Quigl
The Christmas party was a family gathering. The center of attention was naturally the main Quigley household. This time around, Norman and Caroline wanted their son to impress their guests. James understood what they meant. Summer was actually absent. It wouldn't be fitting for him to not participate in the waltz. However, if he really needed to get a new partner, he wouldn't pick Suzanne, no matter what. He promised Summer he'd try his best to keep his distance. If she were to find out about this afterward, she might get upset at him. Even if she didn't, he'd be upset with himself.He gently lifted his head and wanted to refuse for a second time. All of a sudden, a bright voice was heard. "How about I partner up with James instead?"The voice belonged to a woman in a tulle dress. She had striking features and a refined aura. It was none other than James' cousin, Susanne Yancey. She swiftly made her way over to James. "I couldn't help but overhear the conversation. Since Su
If James ended up dancing with Suzanne, people would definitely start gossiping about it. It could've jeopardized his relationship with Summer. Nevertheless, everything seemed to have worked out in the end.Everything seemed to be over, but Caroline wasn't planning on giving up so easily. Under the excuse that they had private matters to discuss, she dismissed Susanne. "Even if you're planning to dance with your cousin later, you can't possibly ignore Suzanne like this. Besides, aren't you working with the Camberwells at the moment too?"She was relentless. She'd stop at nothing until she managed to set the pair up with each other. Unless James put his foot down, he knew that there was no way she'd be letting the matter go.Hence, he decided to be direct. "I promised Summer I'd keep my distance from Suzanne, Mom. You want me to marry Suzanne, don't you? I'm sorry, but that won't happen.""James, you—""I've told you everything that needs to be said, Mom. I will fulfill my obliga
"Hello, James. My name is Claire Quigley. Do you happen to remember me?" The girl stared at him in anticipation. James remembered her. She was the granddaughter of his great-grandfather's seventh son's third daughter. They had the same surname, but they were distant relatives. Hence, they would only meet during Christmas and Thanksgiving. James nodded briefly in response. Subsequently, a couple of other girls popped up from behind and started to introduce themselves impatiently."I'm Anna-""I'm Carol!"He responded to each of them politely and shook their hands. Now that introductions were over, Howe said in a teasing manner, "Wasn't everyone curious about what Mrs. James Quigley looked like? What type of woman managed to bewitch my brother? Don't you guys want to find out?""Yes!" The group of girls shouted in unison.Additionally, a couple of other guests joined in. James was a great man. Everyone wanted to meet the woman who managed to steal his heart.Howe leaned tow
Susanne and Summer were quite close. If something were to happen to Summer, the latter would definitely feel uneasy about it. Now that everyone was adamant on meeting her, she didn't know what else to do. So, she turned to James for ideas. James looked calm, but he was panicking internally. He had no idea where his wife was, and his bodyguards hadn't returned with any news either. Since everyone wanted to see her, he could only claim that she was unwell and thus wouldn't be receiving guests.Just as he was about to speak, Charlie squeezed his way through the crowd. Then, he muttered next to James' ear, "Mrs. Quigley is back."Since Susanne was standing quite close to James, she managed to overhear Charlie's report. Subsequently, she got excited and accidentally exclaimed out loud, "Summer is back!"Her words caused a massive stir. The younger people in the crowd promptly craned their necks in order to catch a glimpse of the famous Mrs. Quigley. Suddenly, the massive wooden doo
Some of the older guests held themselves in high regard and didn't want to join in on the discussion. Despite that, they were secretly listening in from a short distance away. Many of them were weighing in on the issue from an outsider's standpoint. In their opinion, the main household of the Quigley family was an embarrassment. How could they accept such a mediocre woman as a daughter-in-law?There were countless conflicts within the previous generation. For example, Norman Quigley overthrew his father and took his place as the head of the family after a huge amount of effort. Hence, the older relatives would seem respectful, but they would secretly pray for the main family's downfall.Caroline was talking to a group of women about jewelry when she overheard the commotion. After asking Luca about the situation, she discovered that Summer returned looking like a mess. She was furious. How could Summer possibly show up at such an important event looking like that? She had embarras
Summer knew that she might give off a terrible first impression, but she had no choice. She sprinted over as soon as she remembered the party. The snowstorm outside made it difficult for her to make her way back. So, she ended up looking extremely disheveled upon her arrival.She shook her head and tried not to overthink. The party was still going on. At the very least, she still needed to make an appearance downstairs. Otherwise, people might think that she was too embarrassed to even show her face.In the main hall, slow music filled the air. Ten minutes later, it was finally time for the main event of the night—the waltz.In the middle of the room, there was a polished, circular-shaped platform about 4 inches off the ground. The surface of the platform was covered with crystals. The Quigleys had it specifically made for the Christmas party. The younger generation of the family loved dancing on top of it. At the moment, James felt incredibly awkward. The people around him