After leaving, Wynn Shaw treated herself to a nice dinner.
She decided to organize her new work plan and head to Kaelus in two days.
Late that night, she was in her hotel room, opening her laptop to check for new messages.
It was a notification from Vincent Preston.
In a few days, she was to attend the Kaelus business conference as a representative of the Shaw Family, and she needed to be ready to network with industry titans.
She replied with a quick “Got it.”
DING!
Her phone screen lit up with a new message.
Vincent: “Still awake?”
The message was retracted.
Wynn Shaw: “?”
Vincent: “There’s a new meeting tomorrow.
Where did you go?”
‘Wynn Shaw then realized she’d forgotten to tell Vincent Preston before returning to Eldoria.
But she had already requested leave from HR, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
Wynn Shaw: “I’m in Eldoria to retrieve something important for work.
I’ve already taken leave for the meeting.
I’ll manage, so don’t worry about me.”
Vincent: “Suit yourself.
Just catch up on what you miss.”
‘As Wynn Shaw breathed a sigh of relief, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was secretly displeased beneath that indifferent facade.’
‘Whatever.
I should stop overthinking what others think and just get some rest.’
The next day, Vincent Preston sent her a video.
It contained the important details from the meeting, covering the latest business trends in Kaelus that would affect most of the Shaw Group’s companies.
Vincent: “Study this.”
His message was brief, but it was a genuine gesture of help.
‘So much for “suit yourself.” This man…
what he says and what he does are two completely different things.’
Wynn Shaw: “Thanks!”
「Lancaster Family Living Room」
Three days later, when Summer Sullivan returned, she found Jaden Lancaster pacing anxiously in the living room.
He had just gotten back from the office, unshaven and disheveled.
The gentle, refined man she knew was gone.
The panic of being unable to contact Wynn Shaw for days, combined with the pressure from work, had turned him into a caged animal.
When Summer finally walked through the door, dragging her suitcase and radiating the languid air of someone fresh from vacation, his pent-up fury found its target.
“So you finally decided to come back?!” Jaden Lancaster demanded, accosting her before she even had a chance to take off her shoes.
“Give me back the fifty-million-dollar ‘wedding card’ I gave you.
You said it was to prepare funds for the company, so just give it to me directly!”
Summer Sullivan froze, the smile on her face stiffening.
She had never seen Jaden Lancaster like this.
She had been gone for days, fantasizing that her return would be met with at least a shred of concern from him.
Even an angry question would have shown he cared.
She never expected such a cold, direct demand.
“Why should I?
Didn’t you give it to me willingly, to make it up to me?”
“Willingly?” Jaden Lancaster sneered, his eyes bloodshot.
“Things have changed!
I need that money to get Wynn Shaw back!
That’s what she’s angry about, isn’t it?
She thinks I gave our wedding money to you to squander on some random investment!
If I get the money back and tell her it’s the return on an investment we made for our wedding, she’ll come back for sure!
She wants to marry me more than anyone else!”
Hearing him say Wynn Shaw’s name over and over, every word dedicated to winning back another woman, Summer felt a firestorm of jealousy and resentment ignite within her.
“Jaden Lancaster!
You’re still thinking about marrying her?
Do you still love her?!
Then what about me?
What about our son?!”
‘She had endured for so long.
Don’t tell me Jaden is going to choose Wynn Shaw in the end!’
“You have the nerve to bring up our son?!” Jaden’s rage intensified as he pointed a finger at her.
“If you had been taking care of our home and watching our son properly, my mother wouldn’t have taken him out and run right into Wynn Shaw!
Would things have gotten this bad?!
You ruined my whole plan!
Now Wynn is ignoring me.
Are you happy now?!”
“How was I supposed to know Wynn would suddenly come back?!” Summer shrieked.
“Did I ask her to return?
You couldn’t keep her in line, and now you’re blaming me for it?!”
They hurled vicious accusations at each other, their faces twisted in rage.
This was the man who had once loved Summer Sullivan enough to defy the world, the man who had abandoned Wynn Shaw—the woman who’d stood by him through all his struggles—and sworn to give Summer a home.
Now, he was utterly exhausted, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
But after screaming themselves hoarse, they fell into a mutual, exhausted silence, slumping onto the sofa without a word.
Summer Sullivan looked at Jaden Lancaster’s face—still handsome despite being twisted with anger—and then around the luxurious but cold villa.
A sudden wave of composure washed over her.
‘So what if I win the argument?’
‘I still have to depend on Jaden Lancaster.’
The pressure from the Sullivan Family was immense.
If she couldn’t secure her marriage to Jaden Lancaster, her family would likely use her as a bargaining chip, marrying her off to some pot-bellied businessman in his fifties.
She absolutely could not let herself end up in that situation.
She took a deep breath, forcing down her anger.
Her tone became calm, laced with what sounded like “rational” analysis.
“Okay, let’s stop fighting.
What’s the point of arguing like this?”
She walked over to Jaden, trying to make her words sound more convincing as she forced her tone back into the gentle cadence she knew he preferred.
We’re on the same side here.”
“Calm down and think about it.
Wynn probably doesn’t even know the whole truth.
She just saw our son at home, and then your mom lied to her.
She feels betrayed, tired…
it’s just a misunderstanding.
She loved you so much and sacrificed everything for you.
How could she just leave you like that?
Remember the last time she stormed out?
It was just to scare you.
She didn’t actually leave you in the end, did she?”
Jaden Lancaster hesitated.
Her “analysis” slowly began to soothe his volatile emotions.
‘That’s right.
Wynn used to love him so much.
She had sacrificed almost everything for him and for the Lancaster Group.’
‘Every time they fought, all he had to do was show a little vulnerability or bring up their plans to get married, and she would always soften and give in.’
‘This time…
it has to be the same!
She’s just throwing a tantrum, using her coldness to punish him.
Her real goal is to get his attention, to finally marry him!’
It was as if only by brainwashing himself with this logic could Jaden quell the anxiety gnawing at him.
After her reassurances, Summer watched as confidence slowly returned to his eyes.
She sneered internally, but her expression remained one of “thoughtful” concern.
“Just explain everything to her clearly, smooth things over about the money.
Once she’s calmed down, she’ll come back.
It’s just a woman throwing a tantrum.
I know how it is.”
It had to be said, Summer Sullivan’s methods and patience were remarkable.
No matter how jealous or furious she was, she could always regain her composure and personally coach the man she loved on how to win back another woman.
Jaden, now calm and composed, gently pulled Summer into a hug.
“Okay.
I’ll bring up the ‘wedding card’ with her now, just to test the waters.
She’ll definitely come back.”
‘Then I can just stall for a while.
It won’t even matter if I actually return the money or not.
Wynn will probably just let it go.’