Summer bought some groceries at the supermarket and got home while it was still early. After quickly freshening up, she went into the kitchen to cook.
She prepared four dishes: celery with lily bulbs, West Lake beef soup, sweet and sour pork ribs, and cashew shrimp. She was quite a good cook. Her family had once been prominent, so they were certainly accustomed to fine dining. She had always enjoyed cooking and studying recipes; back when her father, Gregory Lancaster, was in poor health, she often cooked for him. Summer's mother had passed away when she was little, and her father hadn't remarried for her sake. That is, until she was in her teens. Her father remarried, and suddenly she had a younger sister. The sister was only a few years her junior, which made her realize her father had long kept a woman on the side—and had another daughter with her. From that day on, Summer never cooked for Gregory Lancaster again. As for that mother-daughter pair, they were completely two-faced toward her, but she refused to stoop to their level and never once thought of them as family.
Hearing a sound at the door, she figured Kenneth had returned. The last dish was just being placed on the table.
"Kenneth, you're home so early today." She smiled as she untied her apron, pulled out a chair, and gestured for Kenneth to sit down. The moment Kenneth walked in, he smelled the fragrant aroma of the food. It was a feeling he hadn't dared to hope for—the feeling of a home.
He loosened his tie and took a seat. "So, did anyone at the company give you a hard time?" he asked, picking up his chopsticks.
"No. We're all colleagues working in the same company. We see each other every day, so why would they?" 'Except for Reina West,' she thought. Kenneth picked up some food with his chopsticks.
"So, how is it?" Summer asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"It's decent. I didn't expect a pampered young lady like you would know how to cook." Kenneth raised an eyebrow. 'Her cooking is actually excellent, easily on par with a five-star hotel chef.' The dinner table fell silent. Summer ate glumly, no longer speaking. Still, for the first time, she felt a sense of warmth between them, like they were actual newlyweds. After dinner, Summer went to do the dishes. When she finished, she was surprised to find Kenneth asleep on the sofa in his pajamas. 'Is he planning to stay the night?'
"Kenneth, are you...?" Before she could finish, Kenneth cut her off.
"This is my house. Am I not allowed to stay here?"
"But it's been two years, and you've never stayed," Summer said, avoiding his gaze.
Kenneth suddenly shot to his feet, the remote control clattering to the floor. Startled, Summer hastily backed away.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Summer stammered, her gaze wavering.
"Isn't this what you want, Summer? Don't you like me?" Kenneth's voice was soft and gentle.
"Huh?" she gasped in surprise, but in the next instant, Kenneth's lips were on hers in a domineering kiss, as if he meant to devour her whole.
"Mmph—mmph!" Summer shoved Kenneth away. She might like him, but she refused to let him use her feelings to humiliate her.
"Kenneth, what on earth is wrong with you? What's been going on these past few days?" Kenneth didn't look at her, his dark eyes flickering. He went into the bathroom, changed his clothes, and stormed out without saying a word, slamming the door behind him. Summer stood there, dumbfounded. 'Did I chase him away? Is he going to find Audrey again?'
Kenneth drove with frantic energy, running several red lights.
"Dominic. Vexx. Come out for a drink," Kenneth said, irritably undoing the top few buttons of his shirt.
Dominic Thorne was in the middle of a rather intimate moment, and he was annoyed when his phone rang. But hearing it was Yates's voice, he didn't dare delay. He hurriedly threw on his clothes and called their other friends to meet at Vexx. The beauty on the bed looked less than pleased.
"Young Master Thorne, we were just getting to the good part. Who's so clueless that they'd call you now? It's not your wife doing a bed check, is it?" the beauty said, showing a flicker of disappointment.
"Babe, something really came up today. Next time, okay? And just so you know, I solemnly swear I'm an unmarried man." He gave her a cheeky kiss and left. When he and the others arrived at Vexx, they saw Yates alone, furiously downing whiskey.
"Boss, what's eating you? Drowning your sorrows isn't your style. Come on, for a man, there's no trouble so great that the company of a beautiful woman can't fix it." As he spoke, he pulled a gorgeous woman into his arms.