Chapter 1

My 22nd birthday party was held at the Martins' house.

Ken Martins personally organized it, inviting the wealthy and influential people of Beijing, as well as socialites, to throw me a grand birthday party in the Martins family villa.

Ken helped me tie the back of my evening gown, creating a perfect bow: "I picked this out for you myself. Pure white suits you perfectly, you look stunning."

I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was styled in an elegant updo, and I wore a diamond-encrusted crown on my head, with starry diamond earrings dangling from my ears, sparkling brightly.

He kissed the back of my neck, his voice soft and affectionate: "I told you, every birthday from now on, I'll make sure you never have one worse than the ones at the Albert family."

I turned around and hugged him, feeling a warmth in my chest: "Thank you, Ken."

When I was 20, the Albert family went through a great upheaval, and I was left all alone.

Just when I thought I had nowhere to turn, Ken took me back to the Martins' house.

He had my back, showered me with love, and announced to everyone in the inner circle that Summer Albert could not be bullied.

I fell from a pit and was then held in the arms of the stars. The sorrow from the family's downfall was eased by his love, and from that moment on, I fell deeply in love with Ken Martins.

Ken patted my head: "Come on, let's go downstairs to the birthday party, my little princess."

I smiled and took his hand, walking down the spiral staircase together.

Several young masters from other companies called Ken over. He put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, "I'll be right back, wait for me."

I nodded with a smile: "Okay."

Ken went to greet them, while a few socialites approached with champagne flutes and greeted me: "Happy birthday, Miss Albert."

I graciously accepted their gifts and thanked them.

They looked at me enviously.

"Miss Albert, you're so lucky. Young Mr. Martins is so young, yet he's already inherited the Martins family business and became the CEO of Martins Group. He's so devoted to you; we really envy you!"

"That's right, Ken Martins has hosted your birthday party at the Martins' house for two years in a row. There are no other women around him, Miss Albert, you'll soon be Mrs. Martins!"

My cheeks flushed slightly: "It's not settled yet…"

"You'll be soon, you'll be soon!" they laughed and pointed at the brooch on my chest. "Isn't this the full-diamond brooch that Ken flew to Z City to buy at the auction? It cost thirty million!"

"Thirty million? Oh my God! I heard this is a piece by the famous French designer AZ, and she only creates one piece a year!"

"Miss Albert, Ken Martins really treats you so well! He didn't even blink when buying it! My man hesitated over a twenty-thousand-dollar bag, and it drove me crazy!"

I lowered my head and saw the full-diamond brooch on my chest, shaped like a white rose with a yellow diamond in the center of the petals, shining like the stamen. It was beautiful.

A while ago, Z City had just announced the auction collection. Ken secretly attended the auction without telling me.

When he came back, he cherished the brooch as if it were a treasure and pinned it on my chest: "It's beautiful. As long as you like it, Summer, no matter the cost, it's worth it."

He would give me everything he considered the best.

Thinking about this, I smiled happily: "I also think Ken treats me so well…"

They continued to praise me enviously, and someone asked, "Hey, where's Ken? Didn't we just see him chatting with my guy? Where did he go?"

I looked around the living room downstairs but couldn't find Ken.

Another person answered, "He probably went to the garden. I saw him take a phone call and head out there."

I put down my wine glass, smiling politely: "You all enjoy the snacks, I'll go look for him."

"Okay."

I walked to the back garden and saw Ken's tall figure standing in front of the rose bushes, his back to me, on the phone.

I didn't want to disturb his work, so I lifted the hem of my gown and quietly approached, waiting a few meters away.

The evening breeze blew against my bare shoulders, and I shivered slightly. As I rubbed my goosebumps, I overheard a part of his conversation.

"What? Kiwi Ann is back?"

I froze in my steps, my gaze fixed on Ken Martins a few meters away.

After being by his side for two years, I could almost instantly tell when his emotions changed.

There was a restrained excitement and a hint of anticipation in his voice, completely different from his usual demeanor.

Kiwi Ann.

I knew her.

Chapter 2

Ken Martins' first love.

In the years before I appeared, she was the one by his side.

They spent their youthful days together, experiencing the most beautiful moments of their lives as teenagers. They had each other.

But then, the most melodramatic thing happened in the wealthy circle—the elders of Martins Group didn't allow a poor female student to climb up the social ladder.

Even though Kiwi Ann had an exceptional design talent, they were eventually torn apart, and Kiwi Ann was forced to leave the country.

Later, Ken inherited the Martins family business, swiftly consolidating his power.

But he never sought Kiwi Ann again.

Then I appeared, and Ken poured all his love onto me, seemingly trying to make up for his past. I never asked him anything about Kiwi Ann.

The cool evening breeze made me lower my gaze, my thoughts a tangled mess.

Finally, Ken finished his call, turned around, and saw me. He quickly walked over, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over my shoulders: "Summer, why are you outside? It's cold."

I hid my emotions, smiling softly: "I was just waiting for you. They teased me into coming to find you, but I saw you were busy with work, so I didn't disturb you."

"Hmm, there is some work I need to attend to." He averted his gaze. "I can't be with you tonight, stay home and be good."

"Mm, okay."

As night fell, the birthday party ended quickly, leaving the living room in disarray.

Butler Mrs. Wu respectfully said, "Mr. Martins is busy with work, Miss Albert. You should rest now, I'll clean up here."

"It's fine, you can rest. I'll deal with this tomorrow. I need to rest now, and you might disturb me," I replied.

"Understood, Miss Albert."

After Mrs. Wu left, the clock struck midnight. I gazed at the empty living room, and a sense of suffocating pressure slowly rose from the depths of my heart.

Actually, this was my real birthday.

It was on my twentieth birthday, the same day as today, that my beloved parents suddenly passed away, and the Albert family fell from grace.

When I was crying my heart out, Ken Martins took me back home. That year, I didn't celebrate my birthday.

Later, Ken told me that we would celebrate it a day early, using joy to mask the sadness.

He said my parents would be at ease, and on my actual birthday, he would cancel all his work commitments to spend the day with me.

He did that when I turned twenty-one. But just over a year later, today, it seemed he had forgotten.

His mind was only consumed with the news that Kiwi Ann had returned, so much so that even when he pricked his finger on a rose thorn while making a phone call in the garden, he didn't feel the pain.

I stared blankly at the living room until the vibration of my phone broke my thoughts.

"Hello, Summer, it's Allen River."

I paused for a moment before remembering that he was a senior from my university.

"Senior, what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know, I'm in Italy right now. By the way, do you know Albert?"

"Of course. He's the one who established a one-of-a-kind jewelry brand, always at the forefront of fashion. He's an incredibly influential figure."

"Exactly. I've been working with him to create a new global brand, but we're short on staff," Allen's voice hesitated.

"I didn't tell you beforehand, but I showed him some of your work. He was very impressed and asked me to pass on a message—he hopes you'll consider joining."

I was stunned. "A new global brand with Albert?"

"That's right. I heard you've been working at the Martins Group with Ken, and I wasn't sure if this would interfere with your work.

It's just an offer, so if you're not interested, it's totally fine. I just thought it would be an amazing opportunity to work with Albert…"

Allen's voice wavered with hesitation and regret.

Indeed, Albert's reputation in the jewelry design world was monumental. Many people would give anything to work with him, but I hadn't expected him to notice my work.

But if I were to join Albert in starting this new brand, it would mean moving abroad, leaving Ken, and spending a few years in Italy.

I fell silent for a long moment. "Give me some time, I'll think about it."

"Sure, I look forward to hearing from you," Allen said.

Later, when I returned to my room, I wasn't sure when I drifted off to sleep. By the time sunlight poured into the room, I felt a warm hand enveloping my wrist. I opened my eyes.

Chapter 3

Ken Martins was sitting on the edge of the bed, still wearing the suit he had worn the day before.

"Summer, you must be exhausted. You went to bed without even changing out of your dress," he said, ruffling my messy hair, his voice full of concern.

"I should have cut back on the arrangements yesterday."

I was a little surprised to see him back at this hour. I bit my lip. "Aren't you busy with work?"

"I do have work to do, but Summer needs me too," he said.

A wave of emotion hit me, and I buried my face in his chest.

Ken wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you last night. Summer, are you upset with me?"

I shook my head, burying myself deeper in his embrace.

He was my savior—how could I be upset with him?

Resting against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, I caught a faint, unfamiliar scent in the air. It was a subtle blend of white rose and soft moonlight.

It wasn't my scent, nor was it Ken's.

My heart skipped a beat, and instinctively, my hand reached up to undo the top button of Ken's shirt. But before I could, his wrist seized mine.

"Work's been tiring lately. We'll do this next time," he said, standing up and fastening his shirt again. "By the way, I was talking to Mrs. Wu about learning to make shrimp and scallop porridge. You haven't eaten yet, right? Wait for me, I'll show you my cooking skills."

Ken turned and left the room. I stood there, momentarily stunned, before my gaze fell on the bouquet of white roses on the bedside table.

He would always pick a few white roses from the garden and place them on my bedside table, saying they were beautiful.

I lowered my eyes and, without a second thought, tossed both the white roses and the vase into the trash can.

Three

After taking a few days off, I returned to the office.

My major in university had been jewelry design, and after graduation, Ken had brought me into the Martins Group.

The company's jewelry line was separated into a subsidiary called "Inferno Summer."

At just twenty-one, I had become the head of Inferno Summer.

I instructed my assistant, Jasmine White, "The summer collection launch is coming up. Please gather the planning and design drafts from all departments. I need to review them one by one."

"Understood."

As I flipped through the design drafts and plans, my frown deepened.

During my absence, without my oversight, the quality of the work had seriously deteriorated.

Holding a stack of design drafts, I brought Jasmine to the design department, where I found a middle-aged woman snacking on sunflower seeds, chatting with the others around her.

Her name was Cloud James, a long-time employee who held the highest position and salary in the department, but her work performance was the worst.

I set the design drafts down. "Cloud James, explain the concept behind these designs."

"Ah, designs are designs, why do they need a concept?" Cloud James walked over impatiently. "We worked day and night to create these drafts. Aren't they pretty enough?"

"Pretty?" I took a deep breath, pulling out one draft after another. "This one is a direct copy of New Tree Studio's autumn collection from last year. And this one—didn't I reject this design last year? Why is it back again?"

"Wait a minute, Miss Albert," Cloud James' tone rose. "What do you mean by 'plagiarism'? Isn't it normal for designers to have similar inspirations sometimes?

You're calling it plagiarism, which is a bit too much, don't you think? And the reason I resubmitted this design is that I think it's really good. You rejected it last time because you didn't appreciate it."

Cloud James' arrogant attitude only fueled my frustration. The rest of the team fell silent, not daring to speak up.

Cloud James sneered,

"Miss Albert, you're young and still don't understand everything. You only got where you are because of Ken Martins. Without him, you wouldn't even have made it into the Martins family."

"No talent, just relying on climbing into bed to get everything you have. I can't stand people like you."

Before I could respond, Jasmine White retorted angrily, "Watch your words! What do you mean by no talent?

The best-sellers from last summer's release were all designed by Summer, while your designs had poor sales."

Cloud James stammered, "You little sycophant!"

"You!"

I turned to Cloud James coldly. "Then leave."

Cloud James had been causing trouble ever since I took over the subsidiary two years ago.

Out of respect for her seniority, I never fought back, but now her attitude had become too brazen.

One bad apple could spoil the whole batch. If I kept her around, there would be major problems for Hot Summer's upcoming release.