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
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
"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
It was 6:00 pm at Sunshine Coffee Shop.Summer Charter sat by the window at a corner of the coffee shop as she watched the people walking outside. She was anxious.Hank Lovell, her boyfriend, had told her over the phone that he would be there soon. However, she had already been waiting for half an hour, and he still wasn't there. She sighed as she fidgeted with the leather wallet in her hands. The wallet belonged to Hank, and he had accidentally left it after they had lunch together earlier. Thus, she was waiting for him to come back to return it.Her long, elegant fingers opened the simple-looking wallet. There was a picture displayed in the card slot.The woman in the picture had sparkling eyes and a brilliant smile on her face while the man in the picture had her in his arms with a loving expression on his face.Summer smiled. She had taken this picture with Hank when they'd graduated from university. Back then, they had also made a pact that they would get married once they
Simone choked out through tears, "Summie, I understand how you feel right now." It was bullshit! Summer knew Simone well. They were best friends after all. So, she knew, better than anyone else, that Simone was only putting up an act.However, what boggled Summer's mind was that Hank also knew Simone well! So, Summer had no idea how he would fall for someone like her!"I'm sorry, Summie …" Hank said apologetically with a shrug of his shoulders yet his hand remained steadfast on Simone's waist.His handsome face, which she had loved so much, was like a stranger's face to Summer right now. She composed herself. She refused to lose control right now."You don't have to apologize. If anything, it's my fault for being so stupid and loving someone like you …"Summer then grabbed her bag to leave. She was in a mess right now, and she couldn't stand dealing with either of them.Hank froze at Summer's words. There was a flash of anger in his eyes. However, before he could do anythi
At 1:00 am, the rain had finally stopped, and the sky was clear again. James Quisley, a tall, well-groomed man with short hair, stood silently in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows at Carlat International Airport. "It's rare to see you finally take a break. Have a safe trip, almighty president of Ascentia Group!" Lance Darwin, James' friend, exclaimed jokingly.James' dark eyes were calm as he responded, "Thanks."James was an exceedingly handsome man and yet he had an air of aloofness, making it hard for others to get too close to him.After joking around with James, Lance had gotten into his supercar. Still, before he sped off, he said again, "Mr. Quigley, I'll be here waiting for you to bring the future Mrs. Quigley home, alright?"James ignored Lance's incessant teasing and simply waved to send him off. Under the bright lights of the airport, James' sharp features paired with his all-black outfit made him look regal and refined.The future Mrs. Quigley? That w
Debbie's grin fell. "Breakup? My God! That bastard! So, not only did he steal the company's project bid and give it to a rival company, but he also broke up with you?" she screeched in disbelief.That was too much information in a single sentence. Summer's mind spun.Steal? Project bid? Did Hank …"You're saying that Hank did that?" Summer asked in shock."No way! Don't tell me you don't know about this!" Debbie said as she slammed a hand on the table. "There's no use acting coy now. Go ahead and take a look!" Debbie continued as she searched for the news on her computer. The Internet was buzzing with the news. Summer shoved Debbie lightly to the side to get a closer look.The headlines made Summer freeze."Family Company Facing Potential Bankruptcy!""Charter Corporation Faces a Hostile Takeover!""Charter Corporation in Hot Water!" "Risky Project Bid Gamble Lands Charter Corporation in Trouble!" Each headline was more outrageous than the last. Charter Corporation
To be honest, Summer knew the upper management staff very well. Besides Hank, who was still quite new, most of the upper management staff were employees from her father's generation. Almost all of them started from the grassroots and worked their way up step by step.When she had just started dating Hank, she had introduced him to Fred. Hence the two men had interacted with each other quite a number of times.Hank was two years older than her and not only was he gifted academically, but his work ethic was also compatible with Fred's. This made Fred take a liking to him.Despite that, if it weren't for Summer constantly putting in good words for him to Fred, Hank would never have managed to be part of the upper management of Charter Corporation.The headlines flashed in her mind, and she thought back to Fred's warm and kind expression this morning. She wasn't sure if it was due to regret or fear over how Fred would react to the news but her knees turned to jelly. She remained sl