Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Let Her Go, Brother
He always acted as if nothing concerned him. Because of this, he had lost many things that should have been his. But now, finding the right person was so difficult. Since he’d found her, he couldn’t just let her go.
Dominic Thorne paused for a long time. ’Do I like her?’ He didn’t even know himself. All he knew was that seeing some other man get angry with her made him furious. So furious he wanted to pull her into his arms and ravage her. But what did it matter? ’It’s already come to this. What’s the point of struggling now?’
"I... it’s probably just my imagination," Dominic Thorne said, panting heavily. "It’s probably causing Melody Donovan trouble, too. I don’t want to bother her anymore. As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters!" His temperature felt like it was still rising. His throat had been itchy ever since he got back from the restaurant, and he never expected it to turn into a fever this morning. Dominic Thorne hadn’t told anyone. He had just taken some medicine at home and had been lying in bed in a daze, constantly on the verge of sleep. But every time he drifted off, he would see Melody Donovan’s sweet smile. Eventually, he’d turned on the television, but he had no idea what was even playing. His mind was completely elsewhere.
"What do you mean, ’as long as she’s happy’? She likes you! How can she be happy without you? How can you be so dense about this stuff? You’re giving me a run for my money." Kenneth practically exploded. He refused to accept such twisted logic. ’How can you even talk about happiness without the person you love by your side?’
Dominic Thorne laughed at Kenneth Yates’s words. Seeing him laugh instead of getting angry only infuriated Kenneth more. ’He’s a lost cause.’
"You’re right, Boss. We really are a perfect match. Why don’t we just get together?"
"Screw you. Who’d want to be with you? I have Summer Lancaster, and I’m very happy right now. I don’t need a third wheel—namely, you. You should go find your own true love," Kenneth Yates shot back without a moment’s hesitation, rejecting Dominic Thorne’s ridiculous suggestion.
"Boss, you’re so heartless. You’re going to break my heart," Dominic Thorne whined, feigning tears to gain Kenneth’s sympathy. ’Maybe he’ll reluctantly take me in. I’m all alone in the world right now, after all.’
"I can tell you’re already heartbroken. So get up, get dressed, and go out. Go find her and clear the air. Otherwise, this lovesickness of yours isn’t something I can cure." Kenneth’s sudden seriousness made Dominic feel an odd sense of pressure. ’Go find her? And then say what? That I like her too? That I want to be with her? Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t promise to protect her for the rest of her life, so why go looking for humiliation? Besides, she already has a knight protecting her, doesn’t she? Why would she need me?’
"Boss, I’m sick. Can we talk about this another day? Can’t you let a sick man recover in peace?"
*Sigh...* Kenneth Yates let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. It seemed he still couldn’t get through to Dominic Thorne. "Some people are just fleeting travelers on the journey of life. They leave a faint trace and then vanish without a trace. But others carve a deep mark on your soul, a constant reminder that they were there, one you can’t easily forget. Think about it carefully, then you decide. This is as far as I can help you." Kenneth raised an eyebrow and put his phone away. The rest was up to Dominic.
Let’s hope it ends with the lovers finally together, not just as two ships passing in the night, leaving no trace behind.
When Summer Lancaster woke up and didn’t see Kenneth Yates, she walked out of the bedroom. She saw his tall, lonely figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking. The entire office was filled with the acrid smell of tobacco. Summer couldn’t help but frown, covering her mouth as she started to cough.
Kenneth finally noticed Summer behind him. He tossed his cigarette and went over to embrace her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mhm, I’m fine. You should smoke less, though. It’s not good for you!" As the concerned words left her lips, Summer expected Kenneth to get cocky and boast about how great his health was, claiming a little smoke wouldn’t hurt him. But instead, she heard his gentle agreement from above her.
"I know. I’ll be more careful from now on."
Summer was so flattered she could hardly believe her ears. ’Is this obedient man really Kenneth Yates?’
"Oh, right." Kenneth released Summer. "Let’s go home tonight. Dad, Mom, and... Ethan all know what happened to you, and they’ve been really worried. We should go back to put their minds at ease and pay them a visit." When Kenneth said Ethan’s name, he avoided Summer’s gaze and paused for a few seconds.
"They know? You shouldn’t have told them! You just made them worry for nothing when there was nothing they could do!" Summer’s lovely brows furrowed. She had no idea what to say to his family. ’Of course, I only mean *his* family,’ she thought. As for her own, they hadn’t contacted her in months. They truly never showed up unless they wanted something.
"Of course I didn’t tell them. It was Dominic. That kid has a big mouth."
Summer pouted. ’Dominic Thorne again.’ ’It’s time to call him out and settle the score. I’m going to make him suffer.’
The afternoon’s work was bland and boring. There was a regular meeting at four, so Summer gathered her documents and went to the conference room. But among the attendees was a stranger she had never seen before.
He looked to be around fifty and held the title of director. Summer didn’t remember anyone like him at the company, so she asked the person next to her.
After asking, she learned he was Martin West, Reina West’s father. After "that incident," Kenneth Yates had acquired the West Group, turning it into a subsidiary of the Yates Group. Martin West, formerly the president of West Group, had been relegated to a position at Yates Group.
’To be honest, I’m pretty shocked,’ Summer thought. ’He was a bit too ruthless. A suitable punishment is one thing, but there was no need to be so vicious, to the point of nearly driving them onto the streets. Besides, from what I understand, Reina West planned that whole incident by herself. Did he really need to drag the entire West Group into it?’
After the meeting, Summer received a call from Kenneth Yates, telling her to leave work now and go back to the old family home with him.
「The Old Family Home」
Kenneth’s car pulled smoothly into the mansion’s driveway. They hadn’t told Lianne Vance or Lawrence Yates they were coming, planning to give them a surprise. There was another reason for the lack of notice: Ethan sometimes stayed at the university. Kenneth didn’t want Summer to run into Ethan, and he didn’t want to be in an awkward situation himself.
The moment Lianne Vance saw Summer, she rushed forward to hug her, her eyes welling up with tears. "Summer, it’s so good to see you’re all right! It’s so good! We’ve been so worried about you all this time! It’s wonderful that you’re back safe. You must have suffered so much!"
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Summer quickly comforted Lianne. "Mom, don’t cry. Look, I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I?" Wiping the tears from the corners of Lianne’s eyes, Summer felt deeply moved. ’My own family has never treated me with such sincerity. Here, I’ve found an affection deeper than any family ties.’
"Mom, what’s with all the noise?" Ethan Yates called out, walking down the stairs with a thick book in his hand, yawning.
Kenneth’s breath caught in his throat. ’So he’s here!’
"Ethan, come down quickly! Summer is here!" Lianne’s worry turned to joy as she hurriedly called Ethan down.
The heavy book in Ethan’s hand fell to the floor with a THUD. He bounded down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and rushed in front of Summer, throwing his arms around her. Summer’s happy expression instantly morphed into shock. ’We’ve only been apart for a few days, was this really necessary?’
Summer looked in astonishment at Kenneth, who was standing a short distance away. He actually averted his gaze!
Summer shot Kenneth a furious, pouting glare, feeling too awkward to know what to say.
"Welcome back," Ethan finally said after a long moment.
Summer had to forcefully pull away from Ethan. His grip was so tight she could barely breathe. "What are you talking about, Ethan? I wasn’t going to my execution. Is there any need to be so dramatic?"
Ethan’s tears turned to laughter. "You’re right. Come on, we were just about to eat. Set another place!" Ethan instructed the maid, but completely ignored Kenneth.
Kenneth watched them silently from a distance. ’Ethan must hate me,’ he thought. ’I took the person he loves most, only to let Summer suffer so much.’
Kenneth sat down at the spot farthest from them. He didn’t say a word throughout the meal, just eating in silence as his guilt toward Ethan deepened.
After dinner, Kenneth called Ethan, and the two of them went up to the roof.
Some matters had to be settled, no matter the relationship between them.
The weather was unforgivingly cold. Kenneth, wearing only a dress shirt, couldn’t help but shiver when he got to the roof.
"Ethan, I told you I would make her happy. Can’t you trust me with that? She’s back safely now," Kenneth began, his voice dropping to a freezing point.
Ethan shot him a cold glance, the corner of his mouth twisting into a sneer. "Yes, she’s back. But what about all the pain she suffered? How could you possibly understand what she went through? All you care about is possessing her; you never care about what she’s really feeling inside. It’s been three years. You two have been married for three years! What have you ever given her? One lonely night after another? One dashed hope after another? Is that what you gave her? I can’t understand why she’s so obsessed with you, but she’s truly suffered too much. Let her go, Brother!" Ethan was hysterical, refusing to back down. Kenneth was stunned. He had never seen Ethan desire something so desperately. He had always been the type to passively accept adversity, happily going along with whatever his parents or Kenneth arranged for him. But now... it was like he was seeing the real Ethan for the first time.
"I’ll tell you why. Because she’s just like you. She’s as devoted to me as you are to her. You’ve known her for so many years, but you never confessed, did you? If you can endure all those years of loneliness and emptiness just to stay by her side, then so can she!"
