Chapter 22: Chapter 22: What Should Be Known Will Be Known

The contentment after dinner was beyond words. Lianne Vance and Lawrence Yates were watching TV in the living room. Lianne seemed especially excited, chattering away to Lawrence.

“Honey, I think Kenneth and Summer’s relationship seems to have improved,” she said with a smile.

“What have you figured out now?” He knew his wife well. She would only be this excited if she’d discovered some shocking secret.

Lianne Vance suddenly sat up on the sofa, her eyes shining. “It’s Kenneth’s lip! Didn’t you notice there’s a story behind that injury?” ’How could I not? We’ve been through this ourselves. That’s clearly a bite mark. As for who bit him… heheh, who else could it be but Summer Lancaster?’ Even though Lawrence had figured it out, he didn’t say anything. He wanted to let Lianne have the joy of telling him. Seeing his wife happy made him happy too.

“Honey, that’s definitely a bite from Summer! Kenneth must have kissed her. Summer has liked him since she was a little girl. We’ll surely be holding our grandchildren in the near future!” The more she spoke, the more excited she became, until she was practically dancing with joy. Lawrence smiled. ’My wife is so adorable…’

「On the Rooftop」

Winter was approaching, and the weather had grown cool. A gentle north wind was blowing, and the stars were shining brightly, but the one admiring the view didn’t seem to feel the biting cold. Ethan Yates took off his own jacket and draped it over Summer Lancaster’s shoulders.

“It’s so cold out. Why are you dressed so lightly? You’re making me give you my jacket.” Ethan Yates said, not looking at her but gazing at the nightscape in the distance. ’The sky in our own country is still the most beautiful.’

“Ethan Yates, I didn’t ask you for it. You gave it to me yourself.” As she spoke, she pulled the collar tighter, as if to say, ’Now that you’ve given it to me, I’m not giving it back.’

Ethan Yates chuckled at her antics. He turned to face her, gently tapped her nose with his finger, and pulled her into a hug. He held her for a long time without moving or speaking. Finally, Summer asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“Summer, you’ve lost weight,” he murmured after a long moment.

Summer pulled away from him and looked at him with a smile. “Don’t you know girls have to watch their figures? Who would even look at me if I got fat?”

“I would!” Ethan Yates answered, his voice firm and resonant. Summer suddenly saw a different kind of deep affection in his eyes and hastily gave him a little push.

“Stop joking around.” She really didn’t know how else to defuse the awkwardness.

Ethan Yates just smiled…

It was getting late, and it was time to go back to the room. ’Ugh, I have to sleep in the same room as Kenneth Yates again.’ When Summer entered the room, she didn’t see Kenneth, so she sat on the bed alone and played on her phone. After a short while, Kenneth’s phone started ringing. ’He’s so careless, he even forgot his phone.’ Summer hadn’t planned on paying it any mind, but the caller seemed incredibly persistent. Finally, Summer couldn’t take it anymore and answered his phone. Before she could say a word, the person on the other end spoke first.

“Boss, we found a woman in Canopia who resembles Thea Shaw. We’ll continue to investigate the specifics.”

The silence was so profound you could almost hear a heartbeat. The hand Summer was using to hold the phone dropped to her side.

“Boss? Boss, what’s wrong?” Ronan Jenkins asked anxiously, but in the next instant, the call was disconnected. Summer placed the phone back where she’d found it.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes. She collapsed onto the floor, crying silently. ’So he’s been looking for her these past two years? Heh, of course. She’s the one he truly loves. Then what have these past few days been? Just some passing affection from Kenneth on a whim? How far is it from heaven to hell? Maybe just an instant. All the pain that had accumulated in her heart felt like it exploded in that one moment.’

Summer was still awake when Kenneth returned. After he finished showering, he lay down beside her. But at almost the exact same moment, Summer grabbed her pillow and blanket and walked over to the sofa. She was tired; she didn’t want to play his games anymore. Kenneth, thinking she was still angry about his kiss, walked over to her. “You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.” Summer got up. ’Who wouldn’t take the bed? The only reason she’d go for the sofa was to avoid sleeping with him. Since fate was being unkind to her, she had to be a little kinder to herself.’

In the middle of the night, Kenneth’s phone rang. He quickly silenced it, then quietly slipped out and closed the door behind him, not wanting to wake her.

“Boss, what’s up? Why didn’t you say anything when I called earlier?”

Kenneth was confused. “I didn’t get a call earlier.”

“Then who answered your phone?”

“Did you say something on the call?” Kenneth suddenly grew tense.

“Ah, that we found a lead on Thea Shaw.”

“What? Where is she?” Kenneth nearly crushed his phone. ’Have they found Thea? The photo of her that used to sit on his desk had long since been moved to a drawer.’

“Just someone who looks similar. We’ll continue to investigate the specifics.”

“Right. Keep investigating.” He hung up.

’His phone was in the room the whole time. The only person who could have answered it was Summer. Does she know? Is that why she’s angry?’ Kenneth’s head throbbed. He had always thought Thea Shaw was the one he loved, but now, he was no longer sure of his own heart.

The next morning, Kenneth left for the office early. He didn’t know what to say to Summer, and he figured it would be awkward if they saw each other, so it was better if they didn’t. When Summer woke up, she was told that Kenneth had already gone to the office, supposedly for something urgent. ’Heh, what “urgent business”? He’s clearly avoiding me. She was starting to waver. Did she still need to stay at the Yates Group?’

“Summer, don’t you have to go to work?” Ethan Yates asked, stretching languidly as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Yeah, I’m about to go,” Summer said, keeping her head down without looking at him. Noticing she was in a bad mood, Ethan immediately dropped his languid air. “My brother took the car. Let me give you a ride to the office.”

「Yates Group」

In the end, it was Ethan who gave her a ride. His car was flashy—not something a regular salaried employee could afford—so gossip spread through the company like wildfire: the woman who used to ride in the CEO’s car was now riding in another man’s. Summer couldn’t be bothered to explain. ’Let them misunderstand all they want. I don’t think I’ll be here for much longer anyway.’ The day was frighteningly peaceful, as if things had returned to how they were before Kenneth started messing with her. ’But why does my heart ache so much? Wasn’t I all alone back then, too? Don’t I have to be strong, no matter what?’ Summer gave a bitter smile.

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