It was rare to see Mason Crawford lose his composure like this.
He was a man born into privilege who, after taking over the Carrington Group, had proven his exceptional business acumen. He was proud, accomplished, and saw no one as his equal.
For a man who was always so high and mighty, a single look or a sharp word was usually all it took to express his anger.
Yet he had condescended to personally visit the Sutton home, a place he had never deigned to enter, and had immediately laid his hands on her.
So viciously, so hatefully.
He had to be truly enraged to act this way.
Summer Thorne's pale face gradually flushed an unnatural red in his grip. She gasped for air under his gaze, neither struggling nor answering.
Every dragon has a reverse scale; touch it, and you'll face its fury.
Summer Thorne knew all too well what—and who—was taboo for Mason Crawford.
Serena Garrison.
If she dared utter a single word about anything related to that name, Mason Crawford would likely strangle her to death right then and there.
But even though she said nothing, Mason Crawford was still ruthless.
The moment before she thought she would suffocate and pass out, Mason Crawford's hand suddenly loosened, only to grip her face hard instead. "Nothing to say? Aren't you usually so silver-tongued?"
Summer Thorne was in so much pain his face was a blur. She finally managed to gasp for breath. "You've already made up your mind. What's the point of me saying anything...?"
"Do you think I've wronged you?" Mason Crawford leaned closer, his expression cold and sinister. "Summer Thorne, do you think I don't know what you're plotting?"
Summer Thorne closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply. When she heard his words, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
She opened her eyes. They were bright and clear as she looked straight at him.
"You have your plans, and I have mine," Summer Thorne said. "Since you refuse to grant my wish, can you blame me for looking out for myself? If you had simply agreed to the divorce in the first place, none of this would have happened."
Mason Crawford abruptly tightened his grip. "Let me tell you again: stop daydreaming about a divorce. I will never let you have it."
"Then don't blame me for doing something drastic," Summer Thorne said. "You know I've never been one to follow the rules."
"So you finally admit it, do you?" Mason Crawford's gaze was terrifyingly grim. "Summer Thorne, you're asking for a death wish—"
"Mason Crawford!" Summer Thorne shouted his full name, her expression still open and fearless. "I don't owe you a thing. Therefore, my conscience is clear."
After she spoke, Mason Crawford actually froze for several seconds, just staring at her fiercely.
Summer Thorne didn't quite understand his reaction. In the next moment, she heard Mason Crawford's voice, almost ground out between clenched teeth—
"A clear conscience. How wonderful. Summer Thorne, just you wait. I will make your life a living hell."
'Of course. That was the response I should have expected from him.'
"Mason Crawford! What do you think you're doing!"
Suddenly, Austin Sutton's furious roar and approaching footsteps came from behind. The instant he rushed forward, Mason Crawford nonchalantly shoved Summer Thorne aside.
Austin Sutton's eyes blazed with fury, but he ignored Mason, rushing forward to steady Summer Thorne.
"A man willing to sell his own daughter shouldn't be putting on some show of fatherly affection for my benefit," Mason Crawford sneered, his composure fully restored. "You might fool others, but don't start fooling yourself."
With that, he turned and left without a backward glance.
While supporting Summer Thorne, Austin Sutton clutched at his heart, his face a terrible color. He couldn't manage a single word of rebuttal.
Summer Thorne leaned against the door, struggling to stand. Once she caught her breath, she reached out and gently patted her father's chest.
...
Summer Thorne spent a week recovering at home before she finally got over her cold.
On the rare occasion she woke up early and came down for breakfast, Iris Pryce was already there, sitting at the dining table and reading the news on a tablet.
"Good morning, Iris." Summer Thorne went into the kitchen, ladled out a bowl of congee, and sat down across from her. "Is Dad up yet?"
Iris Pryce slowly looked up from her tablet. "His sleep has been getting worse lately. He barely slept a wink last night."
Summer Thorne frowned.
"You know his heart. It can't take this kind of strain," Iris Pryce said, her expression serene. "That's why I don't want him going to the company anymore, wearing himself out over all those stressful matters."
Her gaze landed on Summer Thorne. As their eyes met, Summer had a pretty good idea of what was coming next.
"I don't understand company matters, so I can't help, and Georgia and Louis are still too young." She let out a slow breath. "When it comes down to it, you're the eldest. I'm hoping you can take on more of the burden."
After a moment of silence, Summer Thorne looked up and smiled. "Sutton really should be resting. If you trust me, Iris, and you're not afraid I'll just mess things up and run the company into the ground, then of course I'll take over."
Iris Pryce said, "I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't trust you."
"Alright, I have no problem with that." Summer Thorne gave an easy shrug and went back to eating her congee.
Iris Pryce went back to the news on her tablet. A few minutes later, she suddenly spoke again. "This York... he's really become a hot commodity lately."
Sipping her congee, Summer Thorne hummed in agreement.
In the space of a week, a flood of news had come out. The gossip surrounding her had quickly faded, replaced by stories about the dramatic return of Timothy York, the mysterious third son of the York family, who had been parachuted in as the new executive CEO of the York Group.
In an age of rampant online information, this York's personal history was a complete blank.
No one knew what his life had been like before the age of twenty-eight. The rumor was that he had been abroad long-term, recovering from an illness, but what the illness was, which hospital he was in, and how he had been groomed to become the new heir to the York Family were all complete mysteries.
All anyone knew was that upon taking his position, he had immediately announced a series of major initiatives and key projects for the York Group for the coming year. This sent the York Group's stock price soaring and drew a massive amount of public attention.
On top of that, his extraordinarily handsome face garnered intense online attention, sparking a wave of women calling him their "husband."
Iris Pryce scrolled through a couple more news articles, then suddenly asked, "You met him the other day. This Mr. York—what kind of person is he, really?"
The spoon in Summer Thorne's hand paused mid-air.
A few images flashed through her mind, but in the end, she only replied, "He's very handsome... and has a great body."
Summer Thorne's answer was enough to make Iris Pryce look up from the news.
"I asked what kind of person he is, not what he looks like. And 'a great body'? Have you seen him with his clothes off?"
Summer Thorne lowered her gaze and went back to her congee.
'Well, as a matter of fact, I have.'
'Besides, what else could she say?'
'She'd met him a few times, and he'd even helped her twice, but people are complicated. Was he a good person or a bad one? Did he have some ulterior motive...'
'Even with a thousand theories running through her head, she couldn't be certain about any of them.'