LOGINThe moment Summer saw Evan standing in the doorway, her heart started pounding.Especially when her eyes met his cold, cutting stare.Had he heard them…?“St… Steven?”She froze for only a second before her eyes reddened. She looked at him with tears pooling instantly.They fell just as quickly.Evan glanced at the wrist wrapped in a pressure bandage. Even now, blood was seeping through.His eyes narrowed.Mrs. Mendes went rigid under that look.And Summer, under the weight of his presence, felt a wave of panic she couldn’t hide.“Wh-when did you get here?” she asked shakily.Evan’s voice was flat. “Are you scared?”“What?”That one word made Summer’s heart lurch even harder.She barely dared meet his eyes now.“What are you afraid of?” he asked.“I’m not afraid.”She said she wasn’t.But her whole body was trembling, and Mrs. Mendes beside her wasn’t doing any better.They had dared to build this scheme around the child.But the truth was, both of them were terrifi
He’s not exactly that powerful yet, is he?With how aggressively Summer had been scheming against her, Stella had almost thought Ruby’s mess in Eirden was already fully resolved.“Did she get out of trouble?” Stella asked.Aaron gave a low laugh. “Arthur Nevin is a very cunning man. He played her.”Stella went quiet.So she got played.Which meant they didn’t even need to make another move on their side.“Hogarth Group is already piling pressure on Wright Group from one end,” Aaron said. “You just need to pick your timing.”“Got it.”All the trouble Wright Group was dealing with now had come from her brother.His pieces were already in place. Originally, as long as Stella kept pushing, Evan would eventually crack and sign the divorce papers.But honestly, this situation worked even better.It wasn’t just Stella making trouble now.Summer was helping too.Let them all drive him out of his mind.…At the hospital, Dora and Fiona were just coming back from the doctor’s off
Right now, everyone had pinned the missing child on Stella.Jennifer was worried sick.At eleven that night, she was still on the phone with Stella.“Evan said if the baby isn’t back by morning, he’s calling the police himself.”Jennifer exploded on the spot. “Is he out of his mind?”They had lived together for years.And this was what it came down to?Not even the most basic level of trust?But then again… the way Evan was reacting now made it obvious. There had never been any real trust to begin with.If there had been, things wouldn’t look like this.When Stella didn’t respond, Jennifer pressed, “Do you have any kind of plan?”“I’m waiting.”“For what?”“For him to call the police.”Jennifer went silent.“…Wait, what?”She was actually waiting for Evan to call the police?In Harbor City, if Evan personally filed a report, the consequences for Stella wouldn’t be something to brush off.Then again…Stella had the Hogarth family behind her now.Before, she wouldn’t
Hearing the dial tone, Summer bit down so hard her lips nearly broke.Beside her, the housekeeper, Mrs. Mendes, handed her a glass of water. “Miss, drink some.”Summer took it and glanced at her.After Ruby left, this was the maid assigned to stay by her side.She wasn’t from the Wright family.She was from the Bailey family.Clearly, her mother had already anticipated everything. With the situation overseas turning this serious, there was a real chance Summer would be treated poorly in the Wright family.Her mother had seen it all coming.Sure enough, ever since Ruby ran into trouble in Eirden, Dora’s attitude toward her had already started to shift.Summer took a sip of water. “Can we just hand the baby over to Stella now?”Stella had already said it on the phone.If the baby was returned, she and Evan would divorce.And that was exactly what Summer wanted.Mrs. Mendes shook her head. “Wait a little longer.”“I don’t think we need to wait,” Summer said. “As long as they
The only reason Summer dared act this boldly was because she thought her mother’s trouble was about to blow over.The moment Stella brought up her mother, Summer’s breathing caught on the other end of the line.“What are you trying to do?”“You hid the baby, didn’t you?” Stella asked bluntly.That instantly set Summer off. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”Stella let out a cold laugh. “Nonsense? Summer, I know exactly what kind of person you are.”The thought of Evan’s unfinished warning before he left flashed through her mind.Wasn’t this exactly what Summer wanted?“You really never learn, do you?” Stella said before Summer could answer.Summer fell silent.“Your mother still hasn’t come back, has she?” Stella went on. “Did she send you good news?”“What exactly are you trying to do?” Summer bit out through clenched teeth.“Where’s the baby?”“My child is missing, and you’re asking me where she is?” Summer shot back. “Stella, you’re ridiculous.”Stella’s to
Evan’s voice was cold. “You’re in that much of a rush to divorce me because of Felix? This whole thing with the baby… he helped you, didn’t he?”Stella said nothing.At this point, anytime divorce came up, Felix would be dragged into it.After what just happened, she knew—anything she said would be useless.Seeing her stay silent, Evan turned to look at her.His eyes were bloodshot, like he wanted to tear her apart.Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang.The moment he answered—Dora’s weak voice came through. “Summer… she slit her wrist.”Evan froze.And in that instant, he looked at Stella.Dora was crying uncontrollably. “Ask Stella what she wants. What will it take for her to return the baby?“What exactly does she want Summer to pay?“…If someone has to pay, then I’ll do it for her.”These past few days, Stella had pushed things hard.And Summer had been spiraling just as badly.Dora was completely worn down.Evan didn’t say a word.He just hung up and wal
“You… you’re agreeing to it?”So the moment Evan showed up, she knew how to behave. Typical. All an act.“I’ll go now,” Stella said calmly. “I’ll give her a proper apology.”With that, she threw back the covers and got out of bed.Dora had pushed so hard for her to apologize to Summer. There was
Summer had been struggling nonstop.But the moment she caught sight of Evan and Dora out of the corner of her eye, her expression changed instantly. Tears welled up as she said shakily, “That’s not what I meant. I really didn’t mean that. Stella, please let go of me.”“Ah… it hurts. My incision hu
On the other end of the line, Dora sounded utterly drained.She really had enough.Why did fate have to punish her like this?Evan frowned and glanced at Stella.“I know Stella’s going to make a scene,” Dora said, her voice trembling. “But your brother is gone. I don’t have any other choice. Sum
Evan and Stella got into a full-blown argument in the hospital room.No matter what he demanded, she refused to back down about suing Summer.Jennifer had been standing outside the room the whole time. When she heard Evan say, “She fell last night. Her incision split open. She lost a lot of blood—







