Yvette picked up on the shift in Summer’s tone.
“Wait a minute. Summer, why are you suddenly looking for another man? What about your boyfriend, Trevor?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you – we broke up.”
“…You’re serious? You actually broke up? You willingly broke up? Wasn’t Trevor your precious little baby?”
Baby? Baby, my ass!
Just hearing that made Summer’s skin crawl.
“It’s real. It’s over. Just like you said, why the hell should I lower myself for him? I’m done being his pathetic little lapdog.”
Yvette still had her doubts.
She had scolded Summer about Trevor so many times before, but she had always gone running back to him.
“Summer, did Trevor save your life in a past life? Is that why you love him so damn much? Love him enough to share him with Peyton, that shameless bitch? You were embarrassing the hell out of me.”
Summer didn’t even try to argue. She just let out a bitter chuckle.
“You don’t understand, Yvette. That was love.”
Love? What kind of bullshit love was that?
In Yvette’s world, no man was worth devotion.
If men went extinct tomorrow, she still wouldn’t beg for one.
She raised an eyebrow. “Alright, then. I’ll make a bet with you. If you’re really over him, I’ll grant you one favor.”
“You better get ready to pay up,” Summer said confidently. “Because the old me is gone.”
They chatted a little longer, but then Yvette’s director called for her.
Summer let her go.
After hanging up, she made a decision.
She was going to Skycrest Villa.
Even if she had to try her luck, she would find Fraser.
The drive up the mountain was winding, flanked by towering sycamore trees.
The dense canopy of leaves cast a shadow over the road, dimming the light like an endless tunnel.
Then, suddenly, the darkness broke.
A grand estate emerged ahead, towering like a castle, majestic and imposing.
At the entrance, a security guard stepped forward, blocking Summer’s car.
“Who are you?”
Summer rolled down the window.
“I’m here to see Mr. Graham. My name is Summer Stewart.”
This time, she was smart enough to add, “I’m a close friend of his.”
The guard gave her a skeptical look.
A fair-skinned beauty, dressed in professional business attire – different from the women before her, who arrived in flashy, revealing outfits.
“Every woman who comes here claims to be his ‘close friend.’ Some even say they’re his girlfriend. Miss, that excuse is outdated.”
Summer was speechless.
Fair enough.
She had underestimated Fraser’s charm in Havenbrook.
Just then, a loud woof woof woof broke the conversation.
A massive, fluffy white Samoyed came barreling toward the gate.
Behind it, a flustered dog sitter, Hailey, was chasing after it, breathless.
“Hey, Pudding, slow down! Slow down! Someone stop him! He never runs beyond the garden – why is he charging the gate like a wild horse today?”
“Pudding, you little menace! How did you get out?”
The security guards immediately forgot about Summer and scrambled to stop the dog.
But they hesitated to grab it too forcefully.
Everyone knew – this dog was Mr. Graham’s most treasured pet.
Years ago, a housemaid had made the mistake of underestimating Pudding.
She had been raking leaves in the garden when Pudding, playful as always, jumped into the pile and scattered them everywhere.
Irritated, she lightly tapped him with the broom.
That one small act got her fired on the spot.
Since then, the entire Skycrest Villa staff knew – Pudding was the real master of the house.
Pudding barked even louder as he dodged the guards, sprinting straight toward Summer.
It was as if he were shouting: “Move! I smell someone very familiar!”
Summer stared at the enormous white fluffball hurtling toward her.
A Samoyed, strong and nearly half her height.
It was clearly older, but its movements were still agile and full of energy.
Strangely, Summer felt an instant connection to it.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had seen this dog before.
A childhood memory surfaced.
Summer had always loved animals.
Once, she had found an injured stray puppy on the street and secretly taken it home.
The next day, Yolanda had crushed it under her foot, right in front of Summer.
Summer had screamed, sobbed, and fought back for the first time in her life.
Yolanda had simply sneered, poking her forehead.
“You’re already a burden – now you expect me to raise a dog too?”
The memory made Summer’s stomach twist.
She instinctively opened the car door and stepped out.
Pudding skidded to a stop about six feet away, staring at her with bright, intelligent eyes.
Then –
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
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.