In the previous lifetime, Summer had been so traumatized by those photos that she refused to leave the house. To avoid letting that affect her education, Henry resorted to finding a tutor who could teach her at home.Anthony was a model student who was known for his academic accomplishments. That, combined with Rose's machinations, allowed him to use that opportunity to enter the Hartford residence and become a part of Summer's life.Slowly sipping her milk, Summer sneered to herself. It seemed like despite suffering such a severe setback, Rose hadn't chosen to give up on her foolish plan. If nothing else unexpected happened, she would most likely be running into Anthony in the Hartford residence soon enough.Just then, Robin returned."How are the investigations coming along? Have you figured out who those people were?" Henry asked grimly.Shaking his head, Robin replied, "Ms. Sanderson doesn't remember the time or place of the incident. Moreover, the people in the video were all
"I'll tell you a secret—it's my favorite game! No matter how upset I am, as soon as I whack one of those little moles on the head, all my sadness disappears!"But you know, I do feel bad for the little moles always getting hit. So, I've decided that when I grow up, I'll make my own whack-a-mole game and design sturdy little helmets for them!"On the screen, the mole that was whacked had on a helmet with an "S" on it.S…It stood for "Summer".Just as everyone was still processing, Mason casually remarked, "Cute."Kyle turned to look at the screen showing four blocky characters bouncing around.Cute? This outdated, cheesy thing? What on earth was cute about it?"Is it not?" Mason looked up at the group."It is! Very cute indeed!" They all nodded in unison.Mason then asked, "Has the entire system been breached?""We're trying to fix it!" Tim Bryant, the IT guy, blurted, cold sweat beading on his forehead."Save this program and send it to me," Mason said.Suddenly, he snapp
Summer cracked her neck, ready to tackle the hackers on the site.Just then, Phoebe knocked on the door. "Ms. Hartford, are you still napping?"Summer shut her computer and went to open the door. As soon as it opened, the warm, sweet aroma of chestnut cake wafted in."Chestnut cake!" Her eyes lit up immediately, and she happily took the cake from Phoebe.Phoebe chuckled and said, "Ms. Hartford, you're such a slave to chestnut cake! Is it really that good?"Chestnut cake was Summer's absolute favorite treat. On second thought, she realized she hadn't had any for three years—not since her time in that dreadful psychiatric hospital.Summer set the cake down and hugged Phoebe. "Phoebe, how did you know I was craving this?"Oh, Summer… How big of a fool were you in your past life to have lost someone like Phoebe?"The pastry chef noticed you've been in a bad mood and made one for you," Phoebe explained. "Hurry up and try it. It smells amazing!""Okay!"Summer took a bite of the ch
Phoebe fell silent.Rose was indeed a master at disguising herself. If Phoebe hadn't stumbled upon her little schemes by chance, she might never have realized Rose was a backstabber."So, what should we do now?" Phoebe asked."Nothing," Summer answered with a smile. "Everything stays the same. We don't make any sudden moves. Considering how cunning Rose is, we have to strike at the right time to crush her at once. Otherwise, she'll find a way to retaliate.""You're right!" Phoebe quickly nodded. "The more critical the situation, the calmer we need to be.""Also, don't confront her or try to warn her in any way," Summer instructed firmly.Phoebe had never been one to mince words when it came to Rose, often making cutting remarks or mocking her in front of Summer.Summer was worried that Rose might once again target Phoebe in this lifetime. But fortunately, Phoebe was quick to catch on and nodded in agreement.Summer couldn't help but reflect on the tragic end of her previous lif
The manor was adorned romantically inside and out for Summer's birthday. She stepped onto the soft carpet, her expression blank as she walked toward Rose's room.Fragments of false memories she once shared with Anthony flitted through her mind.It had been a long time since she last saw him. Ever since that wedding night when he tricked her into signing the stock transfer agreement, the three years of inhumane torment that followed had blurred even his face in her memory.Now, as Summer was about to see Anthony again, she thought she might feel something. After all, she had truly loved him once.Yet, hatred had devoured every trace of that deluded affection.At this moment, her only thought was to drag Anthony into the depths of hell and make him suffer a thousandfold for the agony he had inflicted upon her.When Summer arrived, the maid respectfully opened the door to Rose's room.Inside were three women and one man, along with Kristen and Rose.Rose greeted her with a smile,
"We have plenty of rooms. If the tutors are willing, of course they can stay," Kristen replied.As in the previous life, all four private tutors agreed to stay. Rose's mood visibly brightened.After chatting with the tutors for a while, Kristen called Summer to step outside."Mom, is something wrong?" Summer asked.Kristen was still not fully accustomed to Summer calling her "Mom" so casually. She cleared her throat and asked, "Do you not like Anthony?""Why do you ask?""You're always rude to me, but not to others," Kristen replied as she glanced at Summer. "If you don't like him, just say so. I can make an excuse to keep him from coming."Summer shook her head. "No need. Rose trusts them. Haven't you noticed? Her mood's a lot better than it was this morning. Right now, there's nothing more important than making her happy.""Then, they will only teach her. I'll find other tutors for you," Kristen said."No need." Summer smiled, shaking her head. "Actually, I was about to talk
Rose couldn't believe her eyes.Weren't Summer and Kristen always at odds? When did they become so affectionate?Noticing how Kristen was gazing at Summer with such tenderness, Rose felt her heart burn with jealousy.No! She couldn't let them make up! Kristen's attention should only be on her! This was something Rose felt she was owed. She clenched her fists tightly and then retreated into her room with a stormy expression.…Convincing Henry went far more smoothly than expected.Initially, he had strongly opposed it, much like Kristen. But after hearing Summer's reasoning, he pondered for a long time and eventually agreed.Rose, however, was still unaware of this decision. She spent the entire night brainstorming ways to create opportunities for Summer to fall in love with Anthony as soon as possible.As for Anthony, he had been conflicted about whether he should continue with his involvement before arriving at Hartford Manor. He had even considered telling Henry about Rose'
"School?" Rose was shocked.Anthony, who had been chatting with Henry, was also taken aback."Yes. She didn't want to take lessons at home, so I let her go," Henry explained.Rose's face turned pale, while the private tutors exchanged awkward glances."Um, Mr. Hartford Senior, we've finished our breakfast. We should go prepare the teaching materials for the lessons," one of the tutors said."Of course. If you need anything, just ask the maids," Henry replied kindly.Then, the tutors, including Anthony, got up and left the dining room."Rose, Summer probably didn't want to worry you. She has her reasons for doing this," Henry said gently."I know. It's just… I don't understand why she didn't tell me…" Rose fell silent, her lips pressed in a thin line.Damn it! Why on earth would Summer choose to go to school instead of attending private lessons at home in the middle of all this turmoil? Was Summer out of her mind? If she wasn't going to stay home for lessons, then what was the
"Mason, I'm not doing this for the Fridman family. I'm now a part of the Hunt family as your aunt. Even if you don't want Violet, that's fine. Summer really isn't right for you!" Jane still wore that sincere, gentle expression."Have you ever thought about why a girl with such ambition would want to be with you?" Jane asked.Mason looked at Jane. "That's where you're wrong. Summer wasn't the one who came looking for me. I'm the one who chased after her."Jane was speechless.Who in their right mind would believe that?At that moment, the elevator arrived. Mason didn't say another word to her as he got in the elevator and left.Jane stood in place.She never imagined that everything she had so carefully planned would be thrown off by the Hartford Group heiress who appeared out of nowhere."All that effort, Jane, and you were paving the way for someone else." A flamboyantly dressed woman walked over at that moment.She, too, was one of the many daughters-in-law of the Hunt family
"Tell Grandma I was here," Mason said before he turned to leave.These past few days had been unbearable for Aspen, especially with everything Summer exposed that day.All these years, people had assumed that there had been something between him and Kristen. It had always been something he could brag about, but the truth was exposed to the public today. That last shred of connection he had with Kristen had shattered as well.On top of that, Chandler was about to face serious criminal charges. Aspen felt like his heart was being set on fire."Mason!" he shouted after Mason, but Mason ignored him.Aspen clenched his teeth and rushed toward Mason with a sharp fruit knife in hand.Things had come to a point of no return anyway. If he had nothing left to lose, he might as well drag Mason down with him. If he killed Mason, maybe Royal Financial Group would fall back into Victoria's hands.But Aspen had underestimated Mason too much. His blade didn't even graze Mason. Mason merely gra
In the end, Mason still went to the private hospital that the Hunt family owned. As he stepped out of the elevator, all he saw were members of the Hunt family, gathered in full force.Mason knew exactly what was going on.These people hadn't shown up out of affection. They were just afraid that Victoria might actually die, so they were here early to wait for the inheritance."Mason, what the hell did you do to Grandma?"The moment they saw Mason, they pounced like a pack of wild dogs, but not a single one of them actually dared to touch him.If Victoria did die, Mason's threat level would skyrocket a hundredfold."This is a hospital. Why are you all being so loud?" Mason asked coldly.Jane ran over. "Everyone, calm down. This had nothing to do with Mason. She only got a heart attack because of Ms. Hartford's press conference."After that, Jane looked at Mason. "Mason, everyone's just worried, so they're a bit emotional. Don't take it to heart.""Where is Violet?" Mason asked.
"Mr. Hunt, is Ms. Hartford seriously that fierce?" Kyle was stunned after watching the live stream."She is." Mason nodded."But won't her attitude cause you a lot of trouble?" Kyle asked.Mason seemed completely composed. "It's a good thing. This gives me the perfect excuse to tear off that fake peaceful facade in the Hunt residence. I won't have to go back there anymore.""Where did Ms. Hartford even get all the evidence from?" Kyle wondered.Kristen and the others were wondering that at home as well."Summer, getting the footage from the school is one thing, but where did you get the other stuff?" Henry asked, pointing to the case files and mediation records Summer had shown during the press conference."Yeah, I don't even have those myself," Kristen said emotionally.She had never imagined that this matter could ever be cleared up. In fact, one of the reasons she'd refrained from making a comeback for so many years was because of that."Mr. Cohen!" Summer looked at Robin.
Summer paused in disgust. "I don't know how Mr. Aspen Hunt defines courtship these days. At the very least, I was taught that if someone dislikes you to the level of reporting it to the police, they want you out of their lives."Summer said, "Continuing on, Mr. Aspen Hunt, in a mediation from September 26 years ago, promised that he would no longer stalk or harass Ms. Kristen Woods."Summer put down the documents in her hand and faced the camera. "That's about it for now. I'll upload everything online later, including the surveillance footage I showed earlier. Anyone interested can go take a look."With how calm she seemed to be, those who didn't know she was trying to set the record straight might have thought she was giving a lecture."My mother has never been a fighter. She's gentle by nature. Because of Mr. Aspen's background, she didn't want to cause Hartford Group trouble and has endured silently all these years. But as her daughter, I couldn't keep letting filth like this spr
Summer played two segments of surveillance footage. She said calmly, "This is only a part of it, but it's enough to prove that I never knew Chandler before. He was the one persistently harassing me. With that, the rumors should collapse on their own."Everyone had assumed that the purpose of her conference was just to clarify the relationship between her and Chandler. But everyone was wrong."Let's set that part aside for now. I'm sure you all saw the trending news this morning. Chandler deliberately ran over and killed my family's driver," Summer uttered.Violet and the others sitting in front of the television were on the verge of losing it.The live stream had drawn over ten million viewers, and the number was still steadily climbing."I also know who's behind these disgusting rumors. After all, this isn't the first time they've resorted to these tactics. I don't like being in front of the media, and I didn't hold this press conference today for the sake of clearing my own nam
Jane hung up the phone.Victoria immediately asked eagerly, "What's going on? What's Summer doing now?""She's invited the media for a live stream," Jane replied.Victoria frowned. "Live stream? Is she planning on airing out all the dirty laundry and blowing things up even more?"Violet smiled faintly. "Logically, this isn't the time for her to speak up. The more she says, the messier it will get. In the end, it will only backfire on her. It looks like we won't need to worry too much. Ms. Hartford might just ruin herself on her own."Jane then chimed in, "When I met her this morning, I could already tell that she's impulsive. I just didn't expect her family to indulge her this much."Jane and Violet were both professionals in Victoria's eyes. They were much more reliable than Rosanna.So, after hearing what the two of them said, she relaxed a little.Not long after that, Summer's live stream began.Over at the Hunt residence, Victoria had someone put it up on the screen for eve
"That's how it should be," Kristen said softly.Summer sat with her for a while before urging her to go and rest.After Kristen went back to her room, Summer went on her computer.Because the video had spread widely, there was no way to suppress the incident. Major mainstream media outlets were now heavily broadcasting the case. Even the police issued an official response immediately.Basically, the first step had been a victory. Since it was exposed publicly, then no matter what the Hunt family did, Chandler would have to suffer for it.However, by around dusk, a wave of accounts suddenly popped up online, attempting to steer public opinion.They started talking about the real reason behind Chandler ramming into that car, stating that it was because Summer had emotionally deceived him.Just like what they'd done to smear Kristen in the past, they fabricated a whole series of stories that seemed logical.Basically, Summer was portrayed as a flirt who toyed with multiple guys at
Mason felt a bit helpless. He really regretted it now. Why did he decide to acquire Hartford Group back then?After that, Summer left with Robin."Mr. Cohen, do you think someone who's willing to give up their life for you is worth trusting your future with?" Summer asked."Of course, but Mason is as cunning as a fox. You can't trust what he says!" Robin immediately shut down any notion that Mason would do such a thing.Summer looked ahead and said slowly, "Mason never said anything like that. He actually did it.""What do you mean? Ms. Hartford, was your life ever in danger?" Robin was alarmed.Summer nodded. "Yes. I don't want to talk about it in detail, but just know that he treats me like that. And I'm still young, so it's not like I'm planning on taking things that far with him anytime soon. "That's why I won't tell Grandpa yet. Not unless we're certain we want to spend the rest of our lives together."Robin frowned."Relax. The most important thing is not to tell Grandpa