Chapter 31: A Surprising Investment

The man seemed to eagerly anticipate her typing something extraordinary into the notes. Summer slowly typed “Fra…” Suddenly, she felt the air around her chill by a few degrees. She immediately backspaced. Instead, she wrote “Pudding’s Dad.”

Fraser Graham glanced at the remark. His previously cool gaze gradually warmed and brightened. He curled his lips into a slight smile, picked up his phone, and, under Summer’s watchful eyes, changed her WhatsApp contact name to “Pudding’s Mom.”

Summer sensed something odd. “This doesn’t seem quite right,” she said. She had only met Pudding today. Meanwhile, Fraser had been raising Pudding for thirteen years.

“The dog thinks of you as Mom. If I don’t remark it like this, it’ll get angry,” Fraser replied.

Summer was speechless and thought, Alright. He really had Pudding’s best interests at heart. After updating the remark, Fraser also pinned Summer’s WhatsApp to the top of his list. Summer blinked. “Will this be inconvenient for you?” she asked.

Fraser’s WhatsApp must have been worth a fortune, yet he had pinned her at the top. And if she wasn’t mistaken, hers was the only name pinned. “It’s a courtesy,” Fraser’s voice was low and alluring. Summer understood; this was Mr. Graham’s business etiquette.

“I’ve arrived, I’ll head home now,” she said.

“Summer,” Fraser called.

“Hmm?” As Summer stepped out of the car, she heard her name and turned back. Fraser’s dark eyes locked onto her deeply. He ruffled her hair, his voice soft like a summer breeze brushing past her ear. “Good night,” Fraser said.

Fraser thought, Good night, Summer. For a long time, I’ve wanted to say good night to you. Every night.

The next day, at Stewart Group, Jasper received a massive surprise and was brimming with excitement. Graham Group was investing one billion dollars in their Global Plan—doubled! It was truly a windfall. Jasper strode excitedly to the assistant department.

“Jim,” Jasper called.

Jim, Jasper’s top assistant, stood up. “Chairman, what can I do for you?” Jim said.

“Quickly call Margaret to the company; we’ll sign the contract with Graham Group soon,” Jasper said. Jasper recalled that this investment from Graham Group had been secured by Margaret.

Jasper thought, This daughter hadn’t been raised in vain. I had underestimated her this time. Fraser had actually invested one billion dollars in one go! Men understood men best. Perhaps there was a deeper meaning; maybe Fraser was genuinely interested in Margaret. If Margaret truly climbed this big tree and married into the Graham family, then I’d become the father-in-law of Havenbrook’s Bossman. The Stewart family could then strut through Havenbrook unchallenged. Stewart Group’s asset value would skyrocket.

With this thought, Jasper’s mouth curved upward like an AK rifle, uncontainable. It felt as though Stewart Group would hit the Forbes list the next moment.

When Margaret received the call and heard that Fraser had invested in Stewart Group, she couldn’t believe it. She distinctly remembered Fraser showing little interest in the project that day. Margaret thought, Why had he suddenly invested, and doubled it?

“Are you sure Graham Group invested in us?” Margaret confirmed again.

Jim, smooth as ever in his high-ranking position, flattered her over the phone. “It’s true! Even the chairman says it’s thanks to you that Stewart Group secured this investment. He said Ms. Margaret did an excellent job this time; you’ve got real talent. Mr. Stewart’s impressed,” Jim said. “Not just the chairman, the whole company’s proud of you. If you join us, with your skills and hard work, you’ll outshine Summer. Stewart Group’s future prosperity will rest on you,” Jim added.

Margaret’s head floated high from the praise. Margaret thought, Perhaps Fraser had been won over by my beauty and sincerity.

“Okay, I’ll head to the company right away,” Margaret replied.

After hanging up, Margaret rummaged through her wardrobe and settled on a bright red velvet dress with a deep V-neck and a floor-length, lotus-leaf skirt. Margaret thought, It had been custom-made in France, costing me 400 thousand dollars, a full month’s allowance. I’d saved it for important occasions. I received 400 thousand dollars in monthly pocket money. Compared to Summer’s 14 thousand monthly salary, it was a fortune. But so what? My standard of living had always been leagues above Summer’s. When Summer was brought into the family, I had dug into her past. It turned out her family had lived on just 400 dollars a month. I spent more than that on a single meal.

So when Yolanda saw her, tears streaming down her face, calling her name and saying how much she’d missed her, Margaret found the old woman repulsive and even slapped her.