Chapter 202: Blood on Her Hands

Summer glared at Harvey, her stare ice-cold. Harvey sneered. “What are you even looking at? I’ve already said it—there’s no way someone like you could be my sister. Do you think we share blood? I’m the rightful one in the Stewart family. You and your mom? You don’t belong here. Get out. People like you aren’t welcome in this house. Neither of you is.”

He turned and started heading upstairs. Summer’s fists clenched, then loosened, then clenched again. Her eyes locked on a nearby vase. She grabbed it and, without a second thought, swung it straight into the back of Harvey’s head.

Summer didn’t even know how she made it back to Ravenshire Boulevard. Her mind kept replaying the scene of Harvey’s head covered in blood. After she hit him, glass shattered all over the floor. With a heavy thud, Harvey collapsed and passed out, landing right on top of the broken shards. The family doctor heard the noise and rushed out to treat him, then had him taken to the hospital for emergency care.

Just before he was loaded into the ambulance, Harvey’s eyes snapped open. He locked onto Summer with a dead, furious stare and growled, “You vicious bitch. This time, I’m not going easy on you. I’m done playing nice. I’m going to make sure you and your mom never come back from this.”

Even now, the feeling of Harvey’s blood on her hands hadn’t gone away. She turned on the sink and started scrubbing, over and over. She didn’t stop until her fingers were stiff and numb. Only then did she turn off the water.

Summer knew she had lost control, but she didn’t regret it. It was just the first time she’d ever attacked someone like that. She couldn’t stop shaking. A deep chill ran through her, and a wave of fear settled in her chest. She grabbed her phone and made a call.

The cold, robotic ringing on the other end made every second drag. Finally, someone picked up. “Hi, this is Mike, Mr. Graham’s assistant,” the voice said. Summer hesitated. “Is Fraser available?”

Mike looked through the glass into the conference room. Fraser was still in the middle of a meeting. “He’s in a meeting right now. If there’s something urgent, I can relay it.” Summer lowered her gaze and paused. Then, “Once he’s done, please ask him to call me.” She hung up.

12:16 PM

She grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and cranked up the volume—just to break the silence. A news anchor came on, reporting on something about the Gralian Group. Her eyes drifted toward the screen.

“In Oblistan, a fire broke out at Graham Group’s biggest factory,” the anchor said. “The company’s stock has plummeted, with an estimated 8.4 billion dollars in market value wiped out. Reporters have gathered outside headquarters, waiting for a statement from Mr. Graham. Was the fire an accident—or was it intentional?”

Summer bit her lower lip. Even if she didn’t know all the details, she could tell this was bad. Her phone rang. She answered.

Fraser’s voice came through—calm, but tired. “Hey, Summer, What’s going on? Why’d you call me out of nowhere?” Hearing his voice made a wave of emotion rush up in her chest. She sniffed quietly, not wanting him to hear it. “I saw the news. Is everything alright at your company?”

Fraser leaned back in his chair, rubbing his brow. He’d been in meetings all day but called her back the moment he saw her number. “It’s under control,” he said, “but I need to fly out to Oblistan.”

The fire at the Oblistan factory had been no accident. Brandon had taken advantage of Maximus’s illness and deliberately stirred up trouble. It was a mess that would take time to fix.

Summer wrapped her arms around her legs. “Is it bad?” “I wish I could do something to help you.”

Fraser gave a faint laugh. “Didn’t expect you to worry about me. Say that again.” But Summer didn’t joke. She spoke clearly and seriously. “I hope you get through this quickly.”

Fraser narrowed his eyes just a little. His expression shifted. She rarely ever called him first. “You still haven’t told me—why did you call?”

Summer didn’t want to bother him at a time like this. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to know if you were coming home tonight.”

“Clingy today, huh?” Despite how drained he felt, Fraser smiled. “I’m flying back tonight. Wait for me.”

But before Fraser came back, Summer ended up seeing Maximus instead.

The Graham family estate. It had been a while since Summer last stepped foot in this place.