"Okay. I understand," Summer said, finally easing James' concerns. But deep down, she knew this was just the beginning. The mystery surrounding the deaths of York and his wife and the secrets Keith was keeping were still looming. When she asked James what their next move should be in uncovering the truth about Keith, he dropped a surprising piece of news."Summie, there are two people I want you to meet," James said, a hint of mystery in his voice. He led her out of the house and over to level three of the Beaut Moon residential area. The villa was just as luxurious as one would expect—gleaming tiles and spotless white walls.But what really caught Summer's attention were the two men sitting on the sofa—Bradly and Zach!"What are you two doing here?" Summer blurted out, clearly taken aback."Hey, Mrs. Quigley," Bradly greeted her with a grin. He casually picked up a fruit basket from the table and continued, "Just a little something for you."Summer couldn't help but roll her
This was a serious criminal matter, and if Zach decided to press charges, Kelly could face severe consequences, which included prison time.Summer felt helpless. What was Kelly thinking? How could she have made such a mistake?The more Summer thought about it, the more she realized that Keith's interest in Kelly was far from genuine. He must have made use of Kelly's position as the finance manager at Myers Corporation. This would make it easy for him to steal their business contracts."I'm sorry, Zach," Summer apologized sincerely. Kelly had gotten the job at Myers Corporation largely because of her recommendation. Hence, Summer felt partly responsible for Zach's losses.Zach quickly waved off her apology. "You don't need to apologize, Summer. No one could've predicted Kelly would do something like this. Besides, I should have been more vigilant. If I had been, this could have been avoided."Bradly clapped his hand and added, "Exactly. Zach didn't do a good job. He shouldn't be bl
Summer couldn't be bothered with Bradly anymore, so she turned to Zach and asked, "What about you? What's Keith holding over you?"Zach was the epitome of a good guy. Why would he have any scandals? Zach and Yola were happily together and about to get married. Could he be a playboy like Bradly? If that were the case, Summer would definitely be having a word with Yola. Fortunately, Zach's issue wasn't anything scandalous—it was something from the previous generation of his family."The previous generation engaged in some shady dealings, bribing officials to expand the business. Somehow, Keith got wind of it and threatened to expose the evidence if I didn't comply with him."Summer nodded. It finally made sense why Zach was under Keith's control. If Keith handed over the evidence, it wouldn't be Zach in trouble. Instead, his father, Ryan, would be facing serious consequences. Bribery was a serious crime, and depending on the amount involved, it could lead to a heavy prison sen
The problem was that Summer couldn't locate the driver's family. After two days of searching, she had come up empty-handed.James had also tried to help with the investigation of York's death, but his time was limited. As the president of Quigley Group, his schedule was packed. With the recent upheaval over the head of the Ritter family, James was swamped with negotiations and new business arrangements.Monica reached out to Summer. They arranged to meet at a café near the Beaut Moon residential area early that morning.Monica arrived in a flowing dress, her demeanor subdued. It was clear that she was disheartened after losing the family head position."Why did you ask me out this time?" Summer asked."I know you've been investigating my father's death. I think we should work together because, as I've said before, I'm convinced my brother is responsible for my father's death," Monica stated firmly. Summer was unsure why Monica was so confident, as until now, Monica had no concre
Summer responded, "Oh, Monica, please don't sound so confident. I can investigate on my own. In fact, teaming up with you might even mess things up."Monica scoffed, "I can't believe you think I'm a hindrance. Don't underestimate my abilities, Summer."Summer noticed Monica's confident and aloof expression and wondered what leverage she had left. Wasn't Monica powerless? Now that Keith was the family head, she could no longer rely on the Ritter family's resources. This meant that she was not the powerful heiress she once was—and that she was possibly even less influential than Summer.Summer asked, "Okay. You claim to have the resources. Show me what you've got."Monica had anticipated Summer's challenge. She pulled a tablet out of her black handbag and showed Summer a map on the screen. A red dot flashed on the map."What's this?" Summer asked, confused by the red dot."Don't you get it? That red dot is where your good friend Kelly is. I've already located her.""What?" Summ
"I considered it, but my brother wouldn't do that because it's too risky." Monica stated. She reasoned that since York had only recently died, any additional deaths within the Ritter family would make people suspect something was amiss.Moreover, there was no point in killing Monica as she no longer posed a threat to Keith. She could no longer contend for the position of family head. Given Keith's cautious nature, he was unlikely to act against her.Given these reasons, Monica could move around freely and secretly investigate her father's accident. After hearing Monica's perspective, Summer felt some degree of respect for her. She had initially thought of Monica as a spoilt young heiress. However, through their interactions, she realized that despite her youth, Monica was perceptive, strategic, and had a holistic understanding of the situation. Indeed, one should never underestimate those born into influential families."All right. Monica. I hope our cooperation will be successf
Summer had to be discreet about finding Kelly. If she rang the doorbell, the occupants of the house would likely avoid answering. Moreover, Kelly intentionally avoided Summer and might not have come out if she had seen her.After considering her options, Summer decided to climb over the iron fence, which was six feet high and topped with sharp iron spikes. Fortunately, Summer was dressed in black sportswear, which was both comfortable and practical. Her experience with scaling school walls during college made the climb manageable. With a bit of effort, she successfully made her way over.Once inside, Summer crept quietly across the lawn and slipped through an open window, moving stealthily like a thief.Inside the house, Summer could hear sounds coming from the living room. It seemed like someone was watching television. Was it Kelly?Summer approached quietly and realized that it was indeed Kelly! Kelly was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in a TV drama. The living room was spars
"Can you please leave, Summie?""Kelly…""Please leave," Kelly pleaded once again. She was clearly in no state to continue the conversation. Pushing her any further would only cause more distress. Summer had no choice but to leave. She slowly backed away until she reached the door, yet she didn't step out; she merely opened it."Kelly, do you really want me to go? Have you forgotten that we're best friends? No matter what happens, you can always talk to me," Summer asked, her voice tinged with worry. She was concerned for Kelly and didn't want to miss a chance to uncover the truth. However, Kelly maintained her stance. Her eyes were filled with panic, her face tense. She didn't respond to Summer's question. Instead, she waved her arms frantically, urging Summer to leave.Summer had no choice but to leave. No matter what she said, Kelly was unwilling to talk. All Summer could do was wait for her to calm down.That evening, Summer returned to the Beaut Moon residential area. She