Summer turned to look at him, eyes twinkling.
“Do you have alcohol?”
She hadn’t meant to ask, but in this moment, she craved something stronger. She wanted to keep this feeling alive just a little longer.
Fraser gave her an unimpressed look.
“You think I run a convenience store?”
So he didn’t have any.
Summer sighed in mild disappointment and reached for the water.
But just then, Fraser turned back to the car, rummaged for a moment, and pulled out a can of beer. He popped it open and handed it to her.
Summer’s smile brightened instantly.
“Thanks.”
She took a long swig.
The cold bitterness slid down her throat, sending a shiver through her body.
Fraser raised an eyebrow.
“Feel better?”
Summer downed the rest of the beer in one go before grinning.
“That was amazing.”
Fraser looked at her, deep eyes reflecting the city lights.
The gloom that had been lingering in her eyes earlier was gone. Now, there was only a carefree brightness.
He took a sip of the untouched water in his hand.
“A little thrill can be good for you.”
Summer turned her head slightly, gazing at the man beside her.
He was tall, his presence commanding even in silence.
There was a rawness to him – a blend of sophistication and untamed wildness.
Unlike her.
She had always been caged by expectations and responsibilities.
She had no idea why he’d brought her here tonight.
But she was glad he did.
“Fraser, thank you,” she said sincerely.
“Tonight was… the first time I’ve ever let loose like this.”
Fraser smirked.
“Are you thanking me with another dinner invitation?”
Summer smiled faintly and murmured, “Not dinner.”
The night was still and quiet, but her heartbeat raced.
Maybe it was the leftover adrenaline, or maybe it was something else.
Feeling self-conscious, she quickly turned away, focusing on the city below.
The entire city lay beneath her feet, its countless lights twinkling like a magnificent, sprawling crystal kingdom.
Summer couldn’t help but blurt out, “This place is beautiful. Can I yell?”
Fraser glanced at her flushed face, amused.
“What are you going to yell? Like a lost puppy?”
Summer’s ears burned red.
“I meant like in the movies. Where people stand on a mountaintop and just scream to let everything out. You’ve never tried it?”
Fraser gave a lazy shrug.
“Never had the need.”
Because he always dealt with things before they had a chance to weigh him down.
Summer stared at him for a long moment.
She envied that.
She envied that he had never had to endure the kind of humiliation and pain she had.
Then again, why would he?
He was born at the top. He had never lacked anything.
What could possibly trouble him?
Fraser suddenly looked down at her, his deep gaze locking onto hers.
The summer night sky stretched above them, dotted with countless stars.
He scoffed softly.
“If you want to yell, then do it. Don’t just stand there staring at me like that.”
The way she looked at him – like he had wronged her somehow – was amusing.
Summer, emboldened by the alcohol, took a deep breath.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the city below.
“Trevor, go to hell!”
Fraser’s brow furrowed slightly.
“And Peyton, and Margaret – you both can go to hell too!”
She laughed breathlessly after yelling, looking lighter than she had in a long time.
After a moment, Fraser raised an eyebrow.
“That’s it? Nothing else?”
Summer shook her head.
“I’m done.”
For some reason, Fraser’s expression darkened slightly.
He had brought her here, let her vent, and she still wasted her breath on some other man?
He let out a quiet, cold chuckle.
Summer thought he might want to try yelling too.
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.