In the blink of an eye, a busy month came to an end.That afternoon, Summer received a call from her apartment management. Someone from the floor below had complained about a leak from her unit, and they asked her to check it out.Summer immediately drove over.The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she didn't see the neighbor or the property staff. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of a massive bouquet, as well as Mason waiting for her right next to the door."You're back?" Summer's eyes lit up as her face bloomed with joy. She skipped over to Mason excitedly."I thought you said you wouldn't be back until next week?" Summer asked."I missed you so much that I came home early." Mason shifted the flowers aside and opened his arms.Summer lunged into his embrace with a radiant smile, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Welcome back, Mr. Hunt!"Mason held the bouquet with one hand as he gently stroked her head with the other. He lowered his head and kissed Summer on t
Even putting everything else aside, the incident that had taken Xena's life, according to Luke, had been a result of an internal family conflict. Xena had simply been caught in the crossfire.Cynthia had lost Xena—her sister—and then spent years in a vegetative state. If Mason ignored her, that would have reflected really poorly on his character. It would have meant that he had no sense of responsibility.Mason gave her a gentle smile. "That was a close call.""Let's go out for dinner tonight," Summer said suddenly.Mason was taken aback for a moment. "Go out? Aren't you afraid someone might see us?"Of course Mason wanted to, but Summer had always seemed reluctant to be exposed publicly like that.Summer said as she pulled Mason up. "No one will. Take off your suit. I'll bring you to a nighttime flea market. No wealthy folk will be there."Mason looked a little lost. He had never been to such places.While he went to change, Summer pulled out two baseball caps from a drawer an
"How would you know where I want to go?" Mason asked with a smile."I just do!" Summer answered confidently.After passing what used to be the flea market, the road opened up into the countryside. Mason could see stretches of fields rolling by.On the way there, a call came in from the company.Summer glanced at Mason before she answered the call.Very quickly, she heard Lionel's voice. "Summer, have you eaten yet?""I still haven't. What's up?" Summer replied. Her tone was totally different from the one she used with Mason."There's a problem with the structure of the Escape From the Asylum project. I kept calling Hunt, but he hasn't been answering. Could you try contacting him later?" Lionel said.Hunt naturally referred to Saul.Ever since the restaurant incident, Saul had rarely shown up at the company. Summer had been so busy lately that the two of them barely crossed paths. Even so, they had kept in touch on the phone."I got it. If it's getting too late and you can't s
"Hello," Mason greeted politely.Randall instantly lit up with the same warm smile as before. "No need to be so polite. The dishes are almost ready. Would you two like to eat inside the house or out in the open area out front?""What do you think?" Summer asked.Mason never expected that Summer treating him like her brother could have this sort of effect. "Whatever you like.""Let's eat inside first. We can walk around after dinner," Summer said.The owner chuckled and immediately had someone arrange it.It was the summer break, so there were quite a few guests at the farm, but not many were staying overnight.Summer had arrived late. Most people had already eaten and gone out for a stroll.Summer asked Mason softly, "What do you think? Do you like it? We can sleep here and go catch some shrimp tomorrow. There are many fruits and vegetables to pick, too. "When I came with my parents, they almost picked a whole carload and insisted on bringing them home. In the end, they gave
Mason was visibly pleased when he heard Summer say that there was still plenty of time. He nodded without hesitation.After dinner, Summer and Mason took a leisurely stroll outside.The countryside at night was far quieter than the city. The farmland was in full bloom. With everything growing strong and lush, they walked along a small path, and when they looked up, the sky was filled with stars."There are so many stars!" Summer exclaimed.Mason looked up as well. He wasn't really interested in them. Rather than stars, he was far more interested in looking at Summer."You liked stars a lot when you were a kid," Mason said.Summer looked at him before she shook her head in disbelief. "We met just once when I was young. How much did I tell you?""You told me quite a lot," Mason said.Summer shook her head again. "It looks like I've always been weak to good-looking people. I told you everything, I guess."That made Mason's grin even wider. "So, is that a compliment?""Isn't that
Once Snow was gone, the other women started to whisper among themselves."I bet she's going to look for Betsy. She probably wants to switch rooms to be next to that handsome guy.""For sure. She probably went to take a shower and doll herself up, too.""She's always throwing herself at guys but still acts so high and mighty. I really don't get what's going on in her head."Summer and Mason had already walked quite far ahead.Summer couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "What do we do, Mason? It looks like that pretty girl has a crush on you."Mason glanced at her.Before she could react, he suddenly pulled her into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her hard. "You're very happy, aren't you?"There were quite a few guests walking around the farm at that moment.Summer was startled and tried to break free, but Mason only held her even tighter."Mr. Hunt, it was my fault!" Summer surrendered immediately.Mason said nothing."If that woman comes looking for you, I'll hel
Otherwise, Mason truly didn't know what he would do.Would he try to snatch Summer away? What if she hated him for it? What if she was never happy again because of it?That wasn't what he wanted. All he wanted was for Summer to live a happy, joyful life. Whether or not he was a part of that life didn't seem to matter much."There are some water lilies over there. They might still be in bloom, so let's go check them out." Summer's cheeks were flushed, and she was still slightly out of breath."Alright." Mason nodded.The two of them walked over side by side and even held hands for a while. By the time they reached the water lily pond, Summer let go.There were two couples by the pond. One pair was leaning close to the other, while the other was taking photos.Mason looked at them, finding the scene both dazzling and enviable. Once again, he regretted accepting to pretend to be her brother."Look! There are so many water lilies!" Summer didn't notice Mason's gloom as she grabbed
Summer sat on the bed while Mason knelt at the bedside. He carefully applied ointment to her bites with visible concern.Summer reassured him, "It's just mosquito bites. They'll be gone after a good night's sleep.""Plenty of people have gotten sick from mosquito bites," Mason said.Summer reached out, grabbed his wrist, and attempted to pull him up. But she lost her balance and tumbled backward onto the bed, almost dragging Mason down with her.Luckily, he braced himself with both hands on either side of her, narrowly keeping them from falling. Now, he was hovering above her, and their eyes met.The scent of herbal balm filled the room, somehow making for a strange atmosphere."You got bitten on the cheek, too," Mason said as he looked at her face."Don't put that green stuff on my face. It's weird," Summer said."No…" Mason protested.Summer blinked. "It'll be fine. If you're really worried, just kiss it. Saliva has antibacterial properties, too."Mason said nothing as he l
Summer added, "Another example. You happily get home and reach your building when suddenly, some lunatic jumps out of nowhere with a knife. He slashes through everyone, not leaving a single one of you left."She shrugged. "Or maybe you make it home safe. But in the middle of the night, when everyone's sound asleep, there's a gas leak. Or better yet, a fire. Everything's gone in a blaze, just like that. Stories like that pop up among rich families all the time. You can give it a shot if you don't believe me.""Quit trying to scare me! I'm fearless!" Ruddy thumped his chest."Paul was a good man who had been nice to my whole family. Ten million dollars is no small sum. I believe I've shown more than enough sincerity. As for what you choose, I won't interfere," Summer said calmly as she motioned for someone to open the door.Seeing this, Ruddy rushed forward and pulled his relatives to leave. "Come on. Let's go first. We'll talk about it among ourselves later.""If you want to leave,
Bailey had never been one to make decisions.Her two sons had their own difficulties as well. They didn't want to betray the truth behind Paul's death, but Ruddy had a point. Pauh was gone, and the living had to carry on."Ms. Hartford, my uncle is right. This is a family matter. I think we should handle it ourselves," the eldest son, Dustin West, said with great difficulty.Bailey looked at him in shock, then lowered her head silently."I understand. We all have our own burdens." Summer didn't blame him.Only those who had truly suffered understood how hard it was to make choices in the midst of hardship."Come on, let's go! The lawyer's still waiting. As long as we sign the letter, that ten million dollars is ours!" Ruddy urged eagerly."Bailey, you really need to think this through! You're doing Paul so wrong here!" Phoebe felt like crying.Summer said, "If it's for the money, you don't need to leave. Paul died because of me, so I was planning on compensating you anyway.""
Summer didn't have much of an expression on her face as she walked down slowly.But Phoebe explained anxiously, "Let's not even talk about whether the ten million dollars is real or not. Ruddy, that's your brother's life! Are you really going to be the kind of person to take money in exchange for his life?""What's it got to do with you? You're already siding with this family anyway!" Ruddy glared at the lavish interior of the Hartford residence. "Just look at this place. Is this how you all make your money?"Ruddy's last sentence had been aimed at Kristen, it was obvious he knew that Kristen was the lady of the house.Summer walked over to Kristen and said, "Mr. West, what's the rush? You didn't even bother with basic manners before coming in, and you started shouting the moment you entered. Don't you think that's a bit out of line?"She looked at Bailey's arm and saw that her wrist was red from being grabbed too hard. "Why don't you let go of Mrs. West's hand first? Her wrist is
"I got it." Summer knew that going head-to-head with the Hunt family this time must have caused Mason to be caught in the middle of some immense pressure and criticism.So, she didn't want him to worry about her too much.Chandler's incident had stirred massive public attention following Summer's live stream. In the next two days, more and more people were speaking out online.The police department responsible for the investigation was finally compelled to issue a statement, promising a lawful and thorough investigation into the case.Paul's family had rested at the Hartford residence for a day before they started to recover a little."We won't hold the funeral here. Our family back home is already handling the arrangements," said Paul's wife, Bailey Oak. Her eyes were still swollen from crying.Kristen nodded. "Alright. Don't worry. Mr. West has worked with our family for over ten years. He was practically one of us, so we'll make sure to take care of your family in the future."
"You know how vicious the Hunt family can be. Back then, I…" Kristen instinctively pressed her hand to her lower abdomen with an expression of grief. "I'm afraid of losing another child."Luke had an expression that was full of heartache. He gently pulled Kristen into his arms. "That won't happen. From now on, we will face everything together. We'll definitely protect Summer."Can I really do that?" Kristen's tears fell uncontrollably.Back then, she thought she could protect the child in her belly, too. But in the end…Luke said firmly, "You can. You definitely can. My wife has always been the strongest person I know!""Yes." Kristen nodded as she leaned against his shoulder.They had never spoken of that pain over the past 20 years. This was the first time. Summer's actions today had been like a key that unlocked this long-suppressed wound in Kristen's heart.Neither of them knew that Summer hadn't gone to sleep, either. She stood at the window in her room and could just see th
"Something like that happened?" Rosanna looked shocked. She had been locked up at the time.Jane sighed deeply. "I just heard about it, too. The kidnappers told her not to go to the police. They said they'd kill the kids if she did. In the end, she didn't report it and ended up paying 70 million dollars in ransom."Jane sighed again. "But she ran into some real monsters. After they got the money, they sent her a location to get the kids. When she got there, all she saw were their decomposing bodies!"Rosanna covered her mouth. "Oh, my God! Did they catch the kidnappers in the end?"Jane shook her head regretfully. "They were professionals, so how could anyone catch them? She lost her money and her children. Mrs. Mills fell seriously ill and is still in the hospital.""Those kidnappers are truly heartless!" Rosanna said."They were only missing for three days. Based on the state of the bodies, the kids were probably killed the moment they were kidnapped," Jane said.As Rosanna lis
Jane always outshone Rosanna in every way, so how could Rosanna possibly like her?Jane said softly, "Rosanna, I know you don't like me, but you're still family. I know you're just a straightforward and blunt person. You've never meant me any harm.Rosanna rolled her eyes internally at that. Jane couldn't be more wrong."I don't want you and Aspen to get divorced." Jane helped Rosanna sit down and crouched to examine her ankle. "It's sprained. I'll call a doctor.""No!" Rosanna was incredibly vulnerable at that moment.A vulnerable person's greatest weakness was someone being gentle to them.Jane frowned. "How could you not see a doctor? Just wait here. I'll go quietly. I'll make sure no one notices and bring the doctor over. No one will find out."After a pause, Jane continued, "I won't tell anyone about the divorce, either."Rosanna's ankle was throbbing with pain. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. "Don't tell everyone!"Jane smiled gently and went off to find the doc
"As lawyers, we only need to achieve the desired outcome for our client. Nothing else matters," Malcolm said.The assistant fell silent.Aspen slumped down onto the hospital bed, looking defeated, while Rosanna sobbed uncontrollably."Enough crying. Go check on Mom," Aspen said impatiently.Rosanna choked out, "I refuse! Your mother never liked me to begin with. With what happened to Chandler, both of us are responsible as his parents, but your mother will definitely only blame me! You can go if you want!"After that, Rosanna grabbed her purse."Where are you going?" Aspen asked."I'm going to figure out a way to save my son!" Rosanna snapped and started to walk off.Aspen grabbed her arm. "I'm warning you. Don't go after Kristen again! This has nothing to do with her!""Kristen, Kristen! She's all you care about, even now. Her daughter stood there and humiliated you in front of everyone, making you out to be some creepy stalker, and you're still defending her?" Rosanna finally
"Chandler from that certain all-powerful family underwent a psychological evaluation every six months at his school abroad. Just over two months ago, when he had just returned to the country, he had one done. "His mental state is fine. You parents might've been driven crazy by anger, but not him."There was a frenzy online.The original post was quickly deleted, but people had already saved screenshots of all the relevant documents.Inside the Hunt residence, Aspen's hand was wrapped in gauze when he heard what the lawyer had to say. He exploded on the spot. "Who leaked something this private? Check with Chandler's school! I'm suing them! Every last person who leaked it!"The lawyer said gravely, "I've already checked. The school's digital database was hacked. Mr. Hunt, I told you yesterday to maintain a good line of communication with the victim's side. If you did, there might have been a chance for settlement. Why did you hire online trolls to spread lies?"The lawyer added, "N