Chapter 174: Chapter 174: A Night of Fury
Sometimes, when you’re truly exhausted, it’s better to stop and take a good rest.
Summer Lancaster was truly at her breaking point. She didn’t know if she could overcome this ordeal, or if she would fall here, never to get back up. Who could predict the future, after all?
Soon, Summer Lancaster received a call for a job interview. ’Sigh, forget it. No matter what, I still have to live.’ The past was the past, unchangeable. Now, she had to work hard to change her future and build a fulfilling life for herself.
She changed into a crisp white dress and put on a little makeup. She had been crying so much lately that her eyes were swollen, and she couldn’t face the interviewer like this.
Summer Lancaster drove to Veridia, another jewelry company. Although it wasn’t as renowned as the Yates Group, it could at least provide her with a basic living. She took a deep breath and walked in. The interviews had just begun, and after a short wait, it was her turn.
The interviewer was a woman with short hair who looked sharp and capable. When Summer Lancaster walked in, she merely glanced up for a second before looking back down. "Name."
"Summer Lancaster!" she answered, neither servile nor overbearing. With her qualifications, she should have been able to get a director position at a company like this directly.
"Pass. Next!" The interviewer waved her hand, gesturing for the next person. Summer Lancaster was stunned. Why was she being eliminated without being asked a single question?
"Wait a minute. Why are you eliminating me without asking anything about my professional background?" Summer Lancaster demanded, glaring at everyone.
Only then did the interviewer put down her pen and papers. "You’re Summer Lancaster. You’ve offended someone powerful. Don’t bother going to other companies either. In the jewelry industry, at least, no one will dare to hire you. Now, please leave. We don’t have time to explain this to you. We’re very busy!"
Summer Lancaster was flabbergasted. ’What does she mean by that?’
"Is it Kenneth Yates?!" After thinking for a long time, Summer Lancaster realized he was the only person in the jewelry industry with that much power who was also connected to her.
"I don’t know. Stop bothering us!" the interviewer said, extremely impatient. In truth, with Summer Lancaster’s skills, their company would have hired her under any other circumstances. But an order had come from above: do not hire Summer Lancaster. And just like that, a top-tier talent was lost.
Summer Lancaster walked out of the building in a daze. It seemed there was no place left for her in this vast world. And that man was so ruthless, not giving her an inch of leeway.
It was already noon when Summer Lancaster returned to her place. She hadn’t eaten all day, but she still didn’t feel hungry.
Her phone rang. Summer Lancaster picked it up. It was Caleb Bell.
"Hello? Caleb." Summer Lancaster’s exhausted voice reached Caleb Bell’s ears, making his heart ache for her.
"Summer, what’s wrong? You sound exhausted." Caleb Bell stepped out of the conference room, his hands in his pockets and his brows furrowed. He didn’t know what had happened between Summer Lancaster and Kenneth Yates.
"I... had a falling out with Kenneth Yates. We’ll probably get a divorce." Summer Lancaster said it nonchalantly, but every time she thought of it, her heart was in turmoil.
Caleb Bell was stunned for a few seconds. He hadn’t expected things to progress so smoothly. "In that case, Summer, where are you living now? You can stay at my place."
"It’s okay, I’ve rented a place. But I’m unemployed now. Kenneth Yates told all the jewelry companies not to hire me. I probably can’t stay at Ayers Group, so after a while, I’m planning to go to Francelia!" Summer Lancaster stared at the ceiling. It was time for her to let go of everything and start a new life.
"I can help you with the job situation. Come work at my company for now. As for going to Francelia, let’s wait on that. If possible, I’ll go with you!" Caleb Bell’s expression was grave. It seemed the divorce was hitting Summer Lancaster very hard.
"That could work. Can I start today? I’m so bored!" ’Actually, I’m just empty. An inner emptiness.’
"Okay, come over this afternoon and give me a call!" Caleb Bell’s brow relaxed. For now, he could only keep Summer Lancaster here temporarily.
After hanging up, Summer Lancaster lay on her bed, her past memories replaying endlessly. Her brows were furrowed. ’It seems it’s really over.’
In the afternoon, Summer Lancaster arrived at the Bell Group as planned. However, she didn’t call Caleb Bell, deciding to go straight up to find him. If she called, he would definitely come down to get her, and she didn’t want to trouble him anymore.
Just as she entered the lobby, Summer Lancaster was stopped by the front desk. She couldn’t see Caleb Bell without an appointment. Summer Lancaster was in a difficult position. Just as she was wondering what to do, she saw Caleb Bell walking out of an elevator with a group of foreigners. She hurried forward to greet him.
Seeing such a gentle and charming woman, the foreigners all asked Caleb Bell who she was to him. Caleb Bell smiled and said fluently in Italian, "She’s my girlfriend!"
After a moment of pleasantries, the foreigners left the lobby.
"What did you just say to them?" Summer Lancaster asked him quizzically. The way the foreigners had been looking at her made her feel like they had been talking about her.
Caleb Bell paused for a few seconds, building the suspense, before leaning in and speaking softly in her ear, "I said you are the muse of my heart!"
"Stop joking around!" Summer Lancaster pushed him away with an awkward laugh.
Caleb Bell arranged for her to work as a secretary. Although she had never done it before, the miscellaneous tasks wouldn’t pose any difficulty for her.
Yates Group
Zane Fletcher held a file, his expression grave as he knocked on the office door. He really couldn’t understand why Kenneth Yates would forbid all companies from hiring Summer Lancaster. If they had separated, shouldn’t he stop caring about anything related to her? And yet, here he was, constantly checking if she had found a job. ’So contradictory.’
"Come in!" Kenneth Yates sounded listless. After Zane Fletcher entered, he placed the file on the desk. "Ms. Lancaster has found a job. Bell Group. This is a copy of her employment contract!"
Kenneth Yates froze for a moment before picking up the file. He glanced at it for only a second before tossing it into the trash can. "I know. You can go."
"Yes, sir!" Zane Fletcher had no idea what had happened between them for the once-loving couple to turn into enemies in an instant. The moment the door closed, veins bulged on Kenneth Yates’s forehead. His eyes filled with hatred. ’It’s only been a day, and she’s already run to him.’
That night, Kenneth Yates didn’t go home. Instead, he went to a bar and drank heavily. ’Maybe if I get drunk, I’ll forget what she’s done. I’ll forget my own feelings.’
At eleven o’clock that night, just as Summer Lancaster had showered and was about to go to bed, the doorbell rang. ’I just moved in, who could be looking for me?’ With a sense of apprehension, she opened the door. The person standing before her made her heart stop.
The man who caused her so much pain she could barely breathe was now standing right in front of her.
"Hmph!" Kenneth Yates sneered, pushing past Summer Lancaster and walking inside. Summer Lancaster frowned. He reeked of alcohol; it seemed he’d had a lot to drink.
"Living alone seems to be treating you well, huh? What’s the matter? Didn’t move in with Caleb Bell?" Kenneth Yates scoffed, sitting down on the sofa and eyeing her coldly.
"What are you doing here? Why would I move in with him? We’re just friends!" Summer Lancaster fought back tears, forcing herself not to look at him, not to let herself be hurt.
"Friends? You sure have a knack for it, don’t you? Using your ’friends’ so perfectly. It’s only been one day, and you’re already working for him?"
"That’s because you made it impossible for me to find a job! You forced me to do it!" Summer Lancaster glared at him coldly. ’How did he become like this? The devil of the business world is now my devil—cold and merciless.’
Kenneth Yates suddenly stood up and advanced on Summer Lancaster. "I told you, you could have come and begged me."
Summer Lancaster instinctively backed away. His scent was still so familiar, but now, she was terrified of that icy aura.
"Why so quiet? Cat got your tongue?" Kenneth Yates grabbed her chin, glaring down at her imperiously.
Summer Lancaster remained silent. Kenneth Yates frowned and crushed his lips against hers. She struggled, but the more she resisted, the more excited he seemed to become.
"Ah, you dare to bite me!" Kenneth Yates winced in pain, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he stared at Summer Lancaster in fury.
The metallic taste of blood, bitter and acrid, spread through Summer Lancaster’s mouth. "You’re drunk! I’m not Thea Shaw! Look clearly, I’m Summer Lancaster!"
"I’m perfectly sober. You’re Summer Lancaster. The Summer Lancaster I despise." Kenneth Yates shoved his hand into her pajama pants. Summer Lancaster froze, trying to stop him, but her strength was no match for his.
"This place... is it Caleb Bell’s territory too?" Kenneth Yates’s eyes were hazy as he stared intently at Summer Lancaster’s flushed cheeks.
"No!" Summer Lancaster turned her face away. ’Why? We’ve already separated, so why does he still have to humiliate me like this? Why does he still want to be with me? He shouldn’t be short of women.’
"I told you, we’re just friends!"
Kenneth Yates gave a wicked smile, seemingly satisfied with her answer. He ripped her clothes, lifted her up, and carried her to the bedroom.
Tonight, he was utterly savage, completely disregarding her feelings. He unbuckled his belt and, without caring that she hadn’t even adjusted, forced his way in. The dry friction made Summer Lancaster gasp, a feeling like her whole body was being sliced by a scythe.
Like a doll, she let him ravage her, lying motionless on the bed as tears of despair streamed from the corners of her eyes, silently enduring it all. The man’s movements didn’t stop, even after she passed out.
Summer Lancaster woke up early the next morning. The man’s hand was still resting on her waist, but his skin was cold. She reached out and gently caressed his cheek—his fine, straight nose, his thin lips, his long eyelashes. ’From now on, none of this will be mine anymore.’
Summer Lancaster took out her phone and snapped one last photo of herself with him as he slept. Then, she got out of bed, prepared a simple breakfast, and left it on the table. She opened the door quietly and left for work, not waking him.
When Kenneth Yates woke up and found Summer Lancaster gone, he felt a surge of anger. He hated this feeling, this complete loss of control. The breakfast on the table was still steaming, proof that she had only just left.
