Chapter 166: Chapter 166: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes
Summer felt a gentle shake and slowly opened her eyes. She seemed to remember hitting her head on a rock before passing out.
Seeing that Summer was conscious, Kenneth pulled her into a joyful hug.
"You’re finally awake," Kenneth asked with concern. "Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?"
Summer furrowed her brow. The back of her head, where she’d been hit, still throbbed with a dull ache, but it wasn’t too serious. Propping herself up, she managed to sit up. More than anything, she wanted to know what had happened.
"I’m okay. How did I get here?" Summer pressed a hand to her forehead, her face etched with exhaustion. She really was exhausted. She had already been terrified, her mind unable to bear any more pressure. And then, someone had sprung a trap on her. Overwhelmed with despair and not knowing what to do, she had simply lost consciousness.
Her last memory was of a pair of red high heels and the faint rose tattoo on the wearer’s ankle.
’Who could that have been?’
Kenneth grabbed the pillow and propped it up behind Summer. "Yvonne. It was her. Didn’t you two argue at school today? I found you in her club room. Don’t ever believe in that sisterly bond crap again. For being so heartless to you, I’ll make her pay tenfold!" A malicious look crossed Kenneth’s face. ’Anyone who dares touch what’s mine should be prepared to face the consequences.’
Summer tried her best to recall the scene. The person had clearly been lying in wait. And judging by her build, it wasn’t Yvonne. The woman was taller than Yvonne.
"No, it wasn’t her." Summer grabbed Kenneth’s arm, her voice laced with fear. "I saw her silhouette before I passed out, but I couldn’t see her clearly. But I’m sure it wasn’t Yvonne!" A deep fear enveloped her. It was impossible to defend against a hidden enemy. She was out in the open, a potential target at any moment, and completely powerless to fight back. That was the most terrifying part.
Kenneth’s brows furrowed, his expression turning grim as he looked at Summer with concern.
"Kenneth, don’t look like that," Summer said with a wry smile. ’Maybe that person was just passing by. Maybe the trap was just a prank.’ But what bothered her was the question of who had rescued her. She had no memory of that at all.
"Summer, I’m getting you a couple of bodyguards." The serious look in Kenneth’s eyes told her he wasn’t joking.
Summer laughed, covering her mouth. "Are you kidding me? I’m perfectly fine. Why would I need bodyguards? Besides, it was probably just a little accident. What would anyone get out of hurting me? I’m not rich, and I’m no great beauty."
The light in Kenneth’s eyes dimmed. ’I knew she’d refuse,’ he thought. ’She just wants to live a normal life without all the fuss.’
’The money part didn’t matter. He was afraid some of his enemies would see her as his weakness and target her. It wasn’t an impossible scenario.’
Kenneth’s phone rang. It was Ethan.
"Ethan, what’s the situation?" Kenneth answered anxiously, thinking, ’He must have found a lead.’
"Bro, I found out this is definitely related to Yvonne, but it seems like she wasn’t the only one involved!" Ethan said, his voice full of worry. "I questioned everyone in the club and finally found a small lead, but I don’t totally get it. I need you to come over and sort it out."
Kenneth thought for a moment before speaking. "Wait for me at Aurelian University. I’m on my way."
"Okay, got it." Ethan hung up and looked out at the quiet campus. For some reason, an oppressive feeling began to close in on him, just like that time...
From behind a tree, a woman in red high heels squinted, silently observing his every move. A light breeze stirred her waist-length hair as a strange smile crept across her face.
"Summer, I’ll have my mom come stay with you. I have to go take care of something, so you just rest here." Kenneth squeezed her hand, reluctant to leave. But to find out who hurt her and ensure her safety, he had to investigate and unmask the person behind it all.
Her heart ached seeing him so worried. He rarely smiled lately; his brow was always furrowed, his expression cold and grim. Reaching out, she caressed his handsome face. "Go on. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. You be careful, too."
Summer watched reluctantly as Kenneth left the room. Then she closed her eyes. Too much had happened recently, and she couldn’t quite process it all. The memory of a callous woman sneering and flicking a cigarette at her sent a wave of terror through her. She hugged her knees to her chest, burrowing deep under the covers...
Perhaps because she was so exhausted, Summer drifted off to sleep before she knew it...
「Aurelian University」
In the club room, Kenneth and Ethan scrutinized everyone present. Yvonne trembled at the back of the group, her head bowed, all her previous ferocity gone.
Kenneth sat on a chair, crossing one leg over the other and eyeing them sideways. "So? Anyone who doesn’t want to die, step up and start talking."
A tall guy, so scared his legs could barely hold him up, scrambled to step forward. He didn’t dare meet Kenneth’s gaze, his eyes darting around nervously. "...Yvonne... she doesn’t like that woman, so she... told us to scare her. The fake blood... in front of the ’Horror Research Lab’... we put that there, but..." The man lifted his head, trying to look sincere, but one sharp glare from Kenneth made his hands tremble.
"Keep talking," Kenneth said, clearly impatient, without even looking up.
Startled, the man hurried to continue. "But... we really didn’t set the trap. And we didn’t bring her here. We... we didn’t know there was someone in the locker, either. We honestly just wanted to scare her, not hurt her..."
BANG! Kenneth shot to his feet and kicked the chair to the ground. Planting one foot on it, he leaned slowly toward the man. "I never allow anyone to touch what’s mine on my turf. So, you’d better watch yourself." Then, Kenneth kicked the chair, sending it flying toward the man.
The chair slammed into the man and shattered into pieces, a testament to the deadly force behind the kick. Everyone else jumped in shock. Blood trickled from the man’s mouth. They didn’t know what to do. One by one, they turned to look at Yvonne. She was the culprit, yet here she was, hiding at the very back. ’The one who starts the trouble should take the blame,’ they all thought.
The others all stepped forward, pinning the blame on Yvonne. They claimed she had ordered them to do it, that it had nothing to do with them. It was all Yvonne’s fault.
Yvonne was dumbfounded. ’If they hadn’t been the ones going on about how hot Summer’s body was, I never would have come up with this plan. The idea was for Summer to get a scare, then they could grab her and have their way with her. But when they went to find her, she was gone. They just assumed she never passed by the little cabin and let the matter drop. And now they were pinning it all on me?’
’How ridiculous. They were all supposed to be such loyal friends. Is this how you help a friend when it really counts?’
When Summer woke again, she saw that her IV had already been removed. Propping herself up, she looked out the window and was surprised to see a familiar figure. Summer got out of bed, threw on a coat, and went downstairs.
The lawn was a beautiful carpet of green. A gentle breeze stirred, making the willow branches dance.
A lone figure sat on a park bench, leaning back wearily with his eyes closed.
Summer walked over and sat down on the bench next to him. The man started, opening his eyes to look at her. "Sister-in-law? What are you doing here?" Dominic Thorne didn’t seem too surprised, nor did he react dramatically. He was simply too tired—not a physical exhaustion, but a wound deep in his heart that ached at the slightest touch.
"I should be asking you that. Where have you been fooling around for the past few days? Did you wear yourself out so much you ended up in the hospital?" Summer said, her eyes wide as she pointed a finger at Dominic Thorne’s chin.
Her words made Dominic Thorne chuckle. "This young master is in peak physical condition. How could something so trivial land me in the hospital?"
"Then you must’ve gotten into a fight." Summer grabbed his arm and pushed up his sleeve, looking for injuries, but found nothing.
"Can’t you wish me well for once? Who would dare to lay a hand on me? The boss would lead an army to wipe them out," Dominic said with a smug look. Summer, however, wasn’t pleased by his words.
"And what if I asked Kenneth to wipe *you* out? Who do you think he’d choose?" Summer arched an eyebrow, tilting her head up provocatively.
Dominic waved his hands. "I surrender! You win!"
Summer laughed. Seeing how dispirited Dominic seemed, she figured he must have already heard that Melody Donovan had a new boyfriend.
"So you heard? About her," Summer asked casually, glancing at him.
Dominic blinked, then averted his gaze. "Yeah..." Summer really didn’t get it. Dominic was obviously upset about it, so why didn’t he just go after what he wanted?
"What are you planning to do?"
"Nothing. Just let things be." A hint of sadness colored Dominic’s melancholic eyes as he laced his fingers between his knees.
"You have to fight for your own happiness. If you ever change your mind, I can help," Summer said, patting Dominic’s shoulder and offering some earnest, if perhaps unsolicited, advice.
"Alright, alright, I get it. So what are you in the hospital for, anyway? Don’t tell me you came just to see me?" Dominic forced a smile. ’Pessimism is contagious,’ he thought, ’and the world keeps spinning no matter who’s missing.’
"I hit my head, but it’s nothing serious," Summer said nonchalantly. "Kenneth went to investigate. It seems like it’s more complicated than we thought."
"You can’t take this lightly," Dominic frowned. "The boss has a lot of enemies in our circles. They might not dare to go after him directly, but that doesn’t mean they won’t go after you, someone close to him." ’Things like this had happened before, but no one had ever been able to get to Kenneth. With Summer in the picture, however, it was a different story.’
