Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Summer stuck around in Rose’s room for a little longer. She was just about to find an excuse to leave when Rose’s phone started ringing.
As soon as Rose saw the screen, she snatched her phone up right away, as if she feared Summer might see something.
“I’d like to be alone for a while, Summer,” Rose
said.
Summer glanced at the phone Rose was hiding behind her back. She didn’t even need to ponder any further to figure out who was calling–Anthony.
Just recalling that name alone made Summer feel a ball of fire raging in her heart. From the moment she realized the truth, her unrealistic feelings for him vanished completely, leaving nothing but derision and resentment behind.
“Alright. Get some rest and don’t dwell on the situation too much,” Summer said.
“Okay.”
Once Summer left the room, Rose immediately took the call. As Summer expected, it was indeed
Anthony who called.
“What took you so long?” Anthony asked in
1/10
→ +15 BONUS
Chapter 11
displeasure.
“Summer was with me just now,” Rose responded, keeping her voice down.
“What’s the deal with the video that’s been going around online? I heard that not only was it posted online, but it was even shown at Summer’s birthday party. Is that true?” Anthony questioned grimly.
“It’s not easy to explain the situation right now. I’m guessing that someone is on to us!” Rose replied through gritted teeth.
Following a short silence, Anthony said, “Rose, didn’t you say that your plan was flawless? I’ll refrain from making any comments about the video of you that has been spreading, but now, you’re telling me that someone is on to us?
“What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to ruin my life?”
Compared to the Hartfords, Anthony’s family was far more insignificant. If the Hartfords found out that he had secretly schemed against Summer, his entire family might go down with him.
The thought of that made Anthony, who was usually kind and gentle in front of Rose, reveal his true colors right away.
Meanwhile, Rose had considered the possibility of Anthony getting jealous and upset because of the
2/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
video. She certainly didn’t expect him to react this way instead. Her heart immediately turned cold.
“What do you mean by that, Anthony? Didn’t I do all of this for you?” Rose growled. “Would I have had to suffer such an ordeal if the people you arranged last night hadn’t messed up? Would I have been the subject of such a video?
“You’re supposed to be my boyfriend, but you don’t even bother comforting me! All you can think about is yourself. What kind of guy are you?”
Before Anthony could say anything, Rose warned viciously, “We’re on the same boat now. Even if you regret getting involved and want to distance yourself from everything, you can’t anymore! You can try, but let’s see if the person who’s messing with us will let you!”
“Rose Sanderson!” Anthony snarled.
He never thought Rose would threaten him.
Feeling annoyed, Rose ended the call right away. As she thought about everything that happened the last two days, her rage grew to no end. It took quite some time for her to calm down.
Since things had come this far, she couldn’t give up. If she did, all of the physical and emotional torment she endured would’ve been for nothing. Therefore, her plan had to proceed. No matter what it took, she
3/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
was going to get her hands on Hartford Group!
In this digital era, it was impossible for someone to completely cover up a situation no matter how vast their wealth and influence were–especially not a scandal involving the elite society that ordinary people relished reading about.
Henry, Luke, and Kristen had swiftly removed all of the related keywords online and got the video to be taken off the Internet. Still, they couldn’t stop the online discourse about this incident.
Kristen was especially upset about this.
“Rose has always been a sweet and obedient child! Why would she end up facing such a situation?” Kristen exclaimed before looking at Summer.” Summer, you spend all your time with Rose. Didn’t you notice anything?”
Summer shook her head.
Technically, Kristen and Rose’s mother weren’t related by blood. Instead, her mother had grown up with Kristen and became her personal assistant later on. That was how she ended up meeting Rose’s father, who had been the director for one of Kristen’s filming projects at that time.
Later on, Rose’s father became a gambling addict, and his actions inadvertently resulted in the death
4/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
of her mother.
Kristen had always felt responsible. She thought that if it hadn’t been for her, her friend would never have ended up with such a horrible man. Out of her sense of guilt, she took great care of Rose.
“You two are best friends! Rose has always looked out for you. Why can’t you show her a bit more concern?” Kristen questioned Summer with a look of utter disappointment.
“That’s enough!” Henry snapped, cutting Kristen off. “Rose is her own person! Is Summer supposed to hang around beside her at all times?”
Kristen’s expression turned ugly, but she dared not rebut Henry.
Knowing Kristen, Summer knew that the former wouldn’t believe her if she told Kristen that Rose was a vicious person who wanted to ruin her life. Therefore, she didn’t plan on arguing with Kristen over this matter. She also knew that Kristen didn’t harbor any ill will toward her.
Summer also remembered that Kristen had been a lot more affected when she had been the victim in the previous lifetime.
“You must be tired, Summer. Go and get some rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow,” Luke said gently.
He felt bad for Summer when he saw the way she
5/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
simply sat there in silence, but he couldn’t do anything, either.
“Okay,” Summer replied with a nod and left without another word.
Once she was gone, Henry eyed Kristen sternly and snapped, “Kristen, since you know that Summer and Rose are good friends, you obviously know that she’s even more saddened than anyone by what happened to Rose.
“Why did you still say such a thing to her? Don’t you think she’d be hurt by your words?”
“Was I wrong?” Kristen retorted with a frown. ” Rose is just an ordinary young woman. She doesn’t go anywhere apart from school. How could she have offended anyone that would do such a thing to her?
“Don’t tell me you haven’t considered the
possibility that Rose suffered this fate on Summer’s behalf, Dad!”
“How dare you?” Henry roared.
“Alright. That’s enough!” Luke called out, instantly getting between the other two. “We’ve got enough of a mess on our hands right now, so why are we fighting among ourselves? Summer will be even more upset if she hears this!”
Henry remained silent for a moment before saying darkly, “Kristen, you’re Summer’s mother, and she
6/10
415 BONUS
Chapter 11
likes you. She’s even starting to try and mend her relationship with you. Why must you continue to be this harsh toward her? She’s supposed to be celebrating her 18th birthday today!”
Sighing, he walked off.
Kristen remained seated, her eyes slowly turning red at the thought of something.
After returning to her room, Summer checked her phone and read through the online discourse. They didn’t stir up much emotion in her.
Once she tossed her phone aside, her eyes fell on the black velvet box on the table. It was the gift from Mason. She had secretly instructed the staff to bring it over to her room.
Aware of how dangerous Mason was, she knew she should keep her distance, but… there were too many mysteries surrounding him.
Why did he want to buy over Hartford Group? Why had he given up just as he was about to succeed? They were clearly unacquainted, so why had he sacrificed his life for her in the previous lifetime? And did he really have some kind of personality disorder?
What was inside the velvet box?
7/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
“I just want to see what it is. I’ll still keep my distance from him!” Summer murmured to herself before opening the box.
The moment she saw what it contained, she froze. It was a pair of diamond earrings and a diamond necklace. The long, tasseled earrings were adorned with star–and–moon–shaped charms. Even the necklace featured a stars and moon design made out of diamonds.
Ever since Summer was a child, she adored the stars and the moon.
Although the earrings and the necklace didn’t look all that expensive, they were pretty and perfectly suited the gown she wore tonight.
Yet, in her previous lifetime, she had received the same gift and cherished it for many years. It had been Anthony’s first gift to her, and he claimed to have made the jewelry himself.
Had that bastard lied? But if he did make the jewelry himself, what about the ones Mason had given her now?
Summer felt chills running through her. She closed the velvet box and left it in a corner before getting
into bed. As she went over everything that happened the last two days, she still felt as if she were in a dream.
8/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
Having been reborn after experiencing such a painful lifetime, she didn’t plan on wallowing in the pursuit for vengeance. She wanted to make life better for both her and her family. She also wanted to lead Hartford Group to greater success.
Dealing with vermin like Rose and Anthony was merely an addendum to her goals. What she was about to do next was her main focus!
The next morning, a myriad of reporters had gathered outside the manor, but the Hartfords refused to accept any requests for interviews. Some of the reporters tried to use drones to sneakily take photos. The staff had spent the morning taking down quite a few of those.
Inside the dining room, Rose had her head bowed. Looking pale–faced, she said, “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault! Mr. Hartford Senior, why don’t you just tell the public that I’m not related to the Hartford family? I don’t want my scandal to affect Hartford Group!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Henry replied. “Why do you care about the reporters hanging around outside? Just stay put and don’t think too much about it. For the time being, you and Summer shouldn’t go to school. I’ll hire a tutor to provide you two with private lessons here.”
9/10
+15 BONUS
Chapter 11
“That’s right, Rose. Things go viral all the time these days. There will be new headlines popping up every single day. Soon, everyone will forget all about this incident,” Luke consoled.
Wiping her tears away, Rose asked, “Can I choose the tutor myself, Mr. Hartford Senior? I don’t want to be around strangers right now…”
“It’s up to you,” Henry said. “Whatever makes you happy.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hartford Senior!” Rose choked out.
Throughout this conversation, Summer calmly had her breakfast as usual. However, when Rose mentioned wanting to choose the tutor herself, she was reminded of something.
Back then, Anthony had appeared in her life under the guise of being her home tutor as well.
Today’s Bonus Offer
