‘Impossible!’
The absurd thought made Jaden Lancaster shoot to his feet, his expression grave.
‘He’s the man Wynn Shaw loves most in her life!’
For years, she had practically ripped her heart out for him.
Betrayal was out of the question.
She wouldn’t be able to bear hurting him!
‘Even if she entertained the idea of finding another man, it would only be to make me angry, to make me jealous.
That’s it.’
‘To think she could actually let me go and love someone else is just absurd.’
He set the diamond ring aside and reached for the photo frame Wynn Shaw had left in the corner—a picture of the two of them together.
She used to display it on her bedside table like a prized possession.
Now it was just tossed aside, covered in a thin layer of dust.
The photo captured a moment from four years ago.
He was twenty-three, and she was twenty-one.
In the picture, Wynn Shaw had a shy smile, looking pure and lovely.
He, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, stood tall and straight with one arm around her, his eyes deep and intense.
Back then, the Lancaster Group was just getting started, and they were fighting for their future together.
Back then, they only had eyes for each other.
At the thought, Jaden Lancaster’s heart softened, and his gaze gentled without him realizing it.
‘How could a bond like that be severed so easily?’
He took a deep breath, his resolve hardening once more.
‘Wynn must have gone to the old family villa.’
‘She probably asked me for that property just so she’d have a place to go when we fought.’
Jaden Lancaster left at once, driving to the old villa.
But after searching the entire place, he still found no trace of Wynn Shaw.
A wave of frustration washed over him.
He sat under a dim streetlight, dialing Wynn Shaw’s number over and over.
No one answered.
He resorted to sending a text: “Happy birthday, Wynn.
When you get back, we need to talk.”
Wynn Shaw still didn’t reply.
But Jaden Lancaster’s disappointment didn’t last long.
Something else soon captured his attention.
Summer Sullivan called.
The paternity test results were in, and she invited him to dinner.
Jaden Lancaster’s mood instantly brightened, and he replied with an eager smile:
“Okay, I’m on my way back.
Wait for me.”
‘He’d almost forgotten he still had a beloved woman and an adorable son.’
When he arrived at the apartment, Jaden Lancaster expertly punched in the passcode.
The moment the door opened, Summer Sullivan rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
They held each other for a moment before Summer Sullivan whispered:
“You’re so cold.
Where have you been?
I couldn’t get ahold of you.”
Jaden Lancaster avoided mentioning his search for Wynn Shaw and simply explained, “I was with a client.
Things have been hectic.
With Wynn not at the office, a lot more has fallen on my shoulders.”
‘She remembered the look on Jaden’s face the day Wynn left all too clearly.’
She made a move to pull away from his embrace.
“I’ll go get Chase’s paternity test results for you.”
Jaden Lancaster, craving her warmth, lowered his head and tightened his arms around her.
“Don’t move.
Let me hold you a little longer.”
“I don’t need to see them.
I trust you.
Even if Chase wasn’t my biological son, I’d still treat him as my own for your sake.”
Summer Sullivan froze for a second, then realized the last part must be a joke.
‘No man could truly tolerate that possibility,’ she thought.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe me.
The problem is your mother has never trusted me.
What are we going to do about that?”
Jaden Lancaster pulled her even closer.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll explain it to her.
I’ll just say I’ve already seen the results so she’ll stop doubting you.
I’m going to marry you, I promise.”
Summer Sullivan sighed.
“Okay, I trust you.
Since you can handle your mother, please take care of the situation with Wynn Shaw as soon as possible.
I want to marry you out in the open, not be some secret you have to hide forever.”
Her thoughts turned to the worst-case scenario, and she added a petulant threat.
“If you can’t, I’ll take Chase and marry someone else.
I’ll have him call another man ‘Dad’.”
She knew Jaden couldn’t stand to hear that, especially not when she held the paternity test results.
“Don’t say things like that,” he coaxed in a low voice.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll coax Wynn into coming back soon to handle the miscellaneous company affairs, and then I’ll find someone to replace her.
Once everything is back on track, I’ll give you the most spectacular wedding Eldoria has ever seen.”
Having gotten his promise, Summer Sullivan smiled in satisfaction.
‘She had Jaden Lancaster wrapped around her little finger.
What chance did Wynn Shaw have?’
“Jaden, let’s talk in the bedroom,” she said, her eyes glinting as the corner of her mouth curved into a slight smile.
Jaden Lancaster understood her implication perfectly.
“Okay.”
Summer Sullivan wrapped her arms around his waist, closed her eyes, and rose onto her toes, asking for a kiss.
Seeing her devotion, Jaden closed his eyes as well, his breathing growing heavier.
But then his phone chimed.
DING!
A text message.
An image of Wynn Shaw flashed through Jaden’s mind, and he abruptly pushed Summer away.
‘Could it be?
A reply from Wynn?’
He eagerly tapped the screen, but the light in his eyes died instantly. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
It was just an ad from his bank.
“What is it?
You don’t want to touch me?” Summer Sullivan asked, looking up from his arms.
Her tone was laced with dissatisfaction and suspicion.
Jaden looked down, his expression unreadable.
“A message from an important client.
I was mistaken, they haven’t replied yet.”
Summer was skeptical but ultimately chose to believe him.
‘Since Jaden trusts me so much, I should repay him with the same,’ she thought.
She hugged him again.
“Don’t overthink things.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
I’m not going to push for a wedding, as long as you genuinely intend to marry me and come with me to visit the Sullivan Family in Kaelus.
With everything you’ve accomplished, the Sullivan Family is sure to approve of you.”
‘Of course, more importantly, this was her chance to escape the arranged marriage her family had planned for her.’
Jaden Lancaster sighed.
“I’ll hold on to everything I have now.”
He needed Wynn Shaw to come back and stabilize the situation as soon as possible.
Ever since he’d botched the deal with that major client, rumors had been flying around the company, and the board of directors was putting immense pressure on him.
He either had to get Wynn back to fix things, or he had to find an even more valuable client.
He’d really been fooling himself.
He was holding the woman he supposedly loved, yet images of Wynn Shaw’s face kept flashing through his mind.
Summer Sullivan, oblivious to his thoughts, could only sense that something was weighing heavily on his mind.
Nothing happened between them that night.
Jaden’s mind was in turmoil, and he ended up just holding Summer as he fell asleep.
Seeing how distracted he still was, Summer Sullivan said gently:
“Jaden, I heard some of the important clients on your list are from Kaelus.
Why don’t I do my best to help you?”
Jaden’s eyes lit up.
“The Sullivan Family received an invitation to the biggest auction gala in Kaelus.
I can go with you to meet your clients.
My connections in Kaelus may not be top-tier, but I can certainly pull a few strings for you.
We can do it for the Lancaster Group.”
Jaden was deeply moved.
He’d never looked too closely into Summer Sullivan’s family background, assuming she was just the quiet heiress of a wealthy but low-profile family.
Now, he felt as if he had struck gold.
“Thank you.
Meeting you was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
‘Thankfully, he still had Summer to help him.’
‘No matter how capable Wynn was, she’d never be able to get a foothold in a place like Kaelus, where background is everything.’
‘And with how arrogant she’s been lately, why should he have to go begging her to come back?’
‘It was clear now.
Summer Sullivan was his true benefactor.’
‘He never made the wrong choice.’