Sumr Monroe smiled innocently and said, "Doesn’t the water in the bathroom take a while to warm up? When I was in the countryside, it took about five or six minutes for the water to get warm."
Coralie Hughes studied Sumr closely, relieved to see no odd expression on her face.
So it turns out this country girl has no idea that their water is temperature-controlled and cos out hot straight away.
Sumr continued, "I figured since you’d be bringing clean clothes anyway, I might as well wait and take a bath after you bring the clothes over."
Hearing this, Coralie’s last doubt dissipated.
She had overestimated Sumr.
Concealing her disdain, Coralie smiled and said, "Actually, you don’t have to wait. Our house has temperature-controlled hot water; you can shower without preheating."
"I see," Sumr said in surprise. "Your place is really advanced. My house isn’t like this."
Coralie had never bathed at the Stanton Family ho, so she didn’t know Sumr was lying with a straight face.
She looked down on Sumr even more now, along with the entire Stanton Family.
No temperature-controlled hot water? How amusingly poor!
Rembering her main task, Coralie said, "Alright, go take your bath quickly. After you’re done, co down for cake. My father should be done with his bath, too, and he’s waiting for you. He’s definitely prepared a big gift for you, so don’t refuse it. You deserve it."
The "big gift" she was giving Sumr was also what Sumr deserved.
After all, how could soone so unappealing not deserve it?
However, what Coralie didn’t know was that Sumr had already understood her subtext and had even guessed what Coralie’s "big gift" might be.
A locked room, a scented candle; Coralie and Felix Jennings’ plan was laid bare.
Sumr just didn’t expect them to resort to such underhanded tactics!
But, they were destined to fail.
Sumr gave Coralie a grateful smile, picked up her clothes from the floor, and walked toward the bathroom.
But after just two steps, Sumr frowned and turned back to look at Coralie, saying, "There are a lot of people at the birthday party; I’m afraid soone might accidentally walk in. Why don’t you wait outside, and I’ll lock the door?"
Coralie’s heart lifted when she heard Sumr ntion locking the door.
If the door was locked, how would she carry out her plan?
Indeed, Sumr was ticulous and left no loopholes.
Nonetheless, with the plan not going smoothly, Coralie grew calr inside.
If everything went too smoothly, she’d find it strange—had Sumr suddenly beco stupid?
Her once hectic heart settled down, and she calmly reached into her bag for the scented candle and placed it on the entryway.
Sumr glanced at the scented candle and deliberately asked, "What’s that? A candle? The lights are so bright, why would you light a candle, Coralie?"
Coralie internally mocked Sumr for not even recognizing sothing as common as a "scented candle."
But being quite the actress, she hid her true feelings and explained patiently, "This is a scented candle. Once lit, it purifies the air. Several guests rested in this guest room earlier, and I’m worried about odors, so I lit this for you."
Sumr smiled indifferently, "You’re so thoughtful, Coralie, but I’m not that particular."
Coralie also smiled along.
"Just because you’re not particular doesn’t an I am not. You are a great benefactor to the Hughes Family; I can’t allow you any discomfort."
Upon saying this, she pulled out a lighter and lit the scented candle’s wick.
Having lit it, Coralie held her breath and said, "Alright, I won’t bother you any longer. I’m heading out. But no need to lock the door; I’ll watch out for you."
Sumr showed a hesitant expression, waiting two seconds before saying, "Okay, just make sure to watch carefully. There are so many people; it would be bad if soone accidentally ca in."
Coralie, barely able to hold her breath any longer, quickly said, "Don’t worry, I’ll watch for you" and then swiftly left the room, closing the door on her way out.
Sumr watched the door close and confird that Coralie’s footsteps had receded before quickly walking to the window to open it and inhale fresh air.
The mont the scented candle was lit, she realized Coralie was holding her breath.
She imdiately knew the scented candle was problematic, so she held her breath as well until now.
After calming her breath, Sumr took a deep breath, held it, returned to the entryway, and blew out the scented candle with a "whoosh."
She brought the candle to the window, ensuring the scent dispersed, and then studied it closely.
At first, she found nothing wrong because the wax used in the candle was quite ordinary. It wasn’t until she checked the wick that she found the issue.
The wick was hollow, containing a solid light blue substance inside.
The problem wasn’t with the candle itself but with the wick.
Sumr pulled out her bag and used a tool to extract the wick for a closer examination of the light blue substance’s composition...
Downstairs.
Coralie swiftly found her distant cousin, Mason Monroe.
Mason was Clarissa and Sumr’s cousin, but his connection with the Hughes Family was distant, only a remote relative. Still, for convenience, Coralie also called Mason her cousin.
When Coralie found Mason, he was drinking alone.
He was presumably quite drunk, his cheeks flushed the color of liver.
With his already unattractive features and acne-marked face, the flushed color made Mason look even worse.
Mason’s family wasn’t wealthy; he relied on the Hughes and Stanton Families to get through college. After graduation, it was through Stella Monroe’s connections that he got a job at Stanton Group.
But due to his diocre abilities, even with backing, he was only a low-level project manager.
Last ti, Stella sent him to eliminate Sumr, promising a promotion to manager if he succeeded. He never expected to be outsmarted by a country girl, failing to eliminate Sumr, and almost dying at sea!
Afterwards, Stella ignored him, leaving him feeling hopeless about his future.
Seeing Sumr again, he was shocked by her transformation from a country girl to a beautiful, noble woman with exceptional dical skills, leading to more self-doubt.
If a country girl’s transformation could be so swift, how could he, a native of Crestfall, balance himself earning only seven thousand a month?
Hence, Mason sat alone in a corner, drinking one mug of glum ale after another.
He raised a new glass of champagne and was about to sip it when a delicate hand gripped his hand holding the stemware.
Who was so inconsiderate to interrupt his drinking?
Unhappy, Mason looked up, his gaze eting the beautiful face across from him, his heart stirring. He hesitated a little, getting up from his chair to ask, "C-Cousin, what’s wrong? Did sothing happen to Uncle?"
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