My body was soft like water, and it instinctively got closer to him.
“Why are you so nice to me today?” I asked him.
“Aren’t I always like this?” His voice was hoarse.
“Nope.” My lips curled as I was pleased and relaxed. “All you wanted to do back then was take advantage of me.”
“Then, consider today an exception and let me be a saint for once.” Anthony adjusted his position and buried his chin in my neck.
I could vaguely tell that he knew my mind was going wild, and that was why he did all that quietly. He wanted to calm me down, bit by bit.
However, right or wrong, it did not matter. Anthony let me understand that as long as I stay with him, all my worries would go away even if I did not say anything.
After I collected myself, I could finally talk about Summer’s decision calmly. “Are you really going to support Summer on opening a bar?”
Anthony was not some sly fox that played around with his words. He usually meant what he said, so him not denying my question was a sign of his support for Summer.
“Letty,” he said all a sudden and took a deep breath.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Summer should have the freedom to do what she wants.”
What he said hit me where it hurt. I could not refute that.
It was true that my manic caution should not be a shackle for the child.
“Let’s use the project I gave her as a test. If she can do it well all on her own, then you should also try and let go.”
Anthony took a brief pause before he continued. “I know it would be difficult if I asked you to stay on the sidelines, but you have to relax. Look at it from an objective standpoint. Summer’s a good kid. She’ll surprise you.”
He continued, “Don’t forget that I’m here if anything goes wrong.”
Not long after what Anthony said, I heard a faint and consistent snore behind me. He had fallen sound asleep.
Hence, I stayed in his embrace as it was unexpectedly soothing, even though I was still not sleepy.
I got up early the next day morning and, to my surprise, bumped into Summer as soon as I opened the door.
“Good morning, Mommy.” Summer was wearing a dazzling smile on her gentle face, reminding me of an angel.
I felt guilty for how I acted last night, as it was not something a good mother would do. Nevertheless, I put up a smile and walked with her down the stairs. “Why are you up so early? You don’t have school.”
“Did you forget, Mommy? Daddy asked me to take charge of the project in Wenville. I looked through the files last night. This is the first time Daddy’s company is involved in a project like this, so there’s no reference. On top of that, the culture relating to Hanfu is exceptionally meticulous. To make sure everything goes well, I asked Mr. Cress to meet up with me to research the related materials and catch up on my knowledge regarding that topic. Mr. Cress told me that the library’s usually packed on the weekends, so we won’t be able to find any seats if we’re late.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs right when Summer finished, and Jared was already waiting at the door.
Thus, Summer walked straight toward the door. “I’ll get going now, Mommy. I won’t be back for lunch.”
“Why don’t you eat something before you leave?”
“It’s fine, Mommy. I’m not hungry. Bye!”
With that, Summer disappeared out the door.
I exchanged looks with Jared, asking him to take care of Summer. He proceeded to give me an affirmative nod before leaving as well.
After that, my walk to the dining hall felt like it took a lifetime. My anxiety for Summer had made me very high-strung. Nonetheless, the truth was that she had grown up to be a capable and responsible person. Someone that was curious about everything and would not easily feel defeated.
With that in mind, I could not help but curl my lips. My emotion was like a ferocious beast, but it was no match for the innocence my children exuded as they unraveled my insecurities.
Then and there, I had decided to support Summer in her first business endeavor.
Anthony told me he wanted to test Summer’s capabilities. But he did not say I could not help. Besides, I was not the type of mother who neglects what their children do.
“What are you so happy about?” Anthony asked after coming down the stairs. His slippers squeaked as they rubbed on the wooden floor.
“Didn’t you know how to read minds? Take a guess.” I was not going to give him the answer that easily.
Hence, Anthony pulled out the chair opposite of me and sat down. He did not seem to be the least bit grumpy after just waking up. “Hmm. It’s probably because you finally realized our daughter has grown up. Am I right?”
It looks like he found out that Summer already left the house.
I did not get any sense of achievement from that, so I rolled my eyes at him. “Wrong! And I’m not telling you, so eat your breakfast!”
After that, for the next two weeks, I could actually count the number of times I saw Summer with just my hands.
Anthony already said that he wanted Summer to work on the project independently. He knew her well and knew that Summer would not ask me for anything unless she was in dire straits. Naturally, if she did not bring it up with me, I should stay put and not stress her out.
Therefore, things would become really awkward whenever I want to know what was going on.
It was like Summer was not a fourteen-year-old but a strong and independent businesswoman. When people have their own business, it gives off an illusion of them being held back whenever their parents get involved.
After a few days of thinking, I finally came up with a dignified reason to visit Summer at her workplace. And coincidentally, Emery called.
“Let’s go. Come with me to see how your wonder girl is doing.”
“Sure!” I answered without even thinking.
When I got ready, Emery’s car arrived and bumped into Anthony, who had just gotten back. So, I quickly said something like, “Why are you back?” and hopped into Emery’s car under Anthony’s sad gaze, leaving him immediately.
“That was Anthony, right? Why didn’t you ask him to come along?” Emery asked as she took a side-eye glimpse at the villa.
“This is between us women. Besides, he’s a busy man. He needs to make money for me to spend.”
“True.” Emery nodded in agreement.
Anthony would probably be thinking something like, “Why didn’t I know I’m busy?” if he heard that.
Wenville was adapted from Featherstone Corporation’s previous project involving movie films and was going to be a large-scale showcase of the culture of Hanfu.
Any and all transportation was halted at the entrance, and people in traditional attire could be seen everywhere, along with tourists.
Currently, it was still in the hype-up phase of the festival, where they set up all the businesses and infrastructure to fulfill the consumer’s needs.
Thus, we got out of the car and did a simple registration before going in. Even the securities were in traditional uniforms for soldiers, so Emery and I looked highly discriminable.
“Mommy?”
I heard Summer’s voice behind us and turned around. Her hair was in a bun while she dressed in green, waving her hand at us from on top of the wall. Jared was beside her in a white robe. Even his hair got specially styled. Looking at them reminded me of the scenes from old stories.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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