latelenovela Chapter 280: All Your Gentleness Was Just a Lie to Me
Chapter 280: All Your Gentleness Was Just a Lie to Me
Varden Villa, Summer Lowell stood in the living room, watching the news playing on the large screen in the distance.
On the screen, Justin Huxley was surrounded by a crowd, giving a speech. His demeanor was something Summer had never seen before—so spirited and ambitious.
No wonder they say every man has a weakness for power.
She used to think Justin Huxley was devoted to academics, uninterested in the world of financial gain.
But now, Summer had completely changed her perception.
During these days of captivity here, she had been pondering which part of the Justin Huxley she knew was genuine.
Where had the gentle and refined senior gone?
Summer stared into space, absent-minded, but to others, she seemed to be intently watching Justin Huxley on the screen.
This scene, unfortunately, was caught by Maxim Sinclair, who had just returned.
"Watching the news on your phone isn’t enough, you’ve got to use the big screen in the living room? Why not go to the home theater upstairs; the sound system is better and can make you feel as if you’re in your dear senior’s arms, listening to him speak into your ear," Maxim Sinclair said sarcastically as he walked up to Summer, blocking her view.
Summer felt speechless. She didn’t bother to explain that she had only randomly switched to this news channel and wasn’t standing there specifically for Justin Huxley.
Knowing full well Maxim wouldn’t believe her, she didn’t even try to explain and tossed the remote into his arms, "It’s yours, I’m not watching anymore."
"What do you mean by this? I just got back and you’re leaving. Do you really not want to see me that much?" Maxim, unwilling to let her leave, stopped Summer and asked through clenched teeth.
Summer found him annoying. Recently, she had been feeling listless, the energy draining from her body, and often found herself particularly irritable.
At this moment, seeing Maxim blocking her way with an insistent, almost rogue demeanor made her head ache: "Can you just calm down? I’ve been trapped here by you for almost a month now, my phone calls are monitored by you too, what more do you want? I’ve said it countless times, I have no interest in Justin Huxley. I only helped him because I didn’t want to owe him anymore, nothing else."
Their argument, growing louder, made the servants around them feel awkward and unsure of what to do.
Maxim glanced at the onlookers in the distance, then grabbed Summer by the wrist, "Let’s go upstairs and talk."
Summer didn’t want to talk with him, but she also didn’t want to stay downstairs to be the center of attention, so she had no choice but to follow Maxim upstairs obediently.
Once upstairs, Summer pulled her hand away from Maxim’s grip, "Go ahead, what’s your problem today? As soon as you get home, you’re sarcastic towards me. I was just channel surfing, taking a glance; is it necessary to get angry over that?"
"Of course, it’s necessary. The two of you have some history, even if it was one-sided on your part," Maxim said, crossing his arms as he looked intently at Summer, "Your dear senior is quite impressive now."
"Impressive or just a facade?" Summer turned to face Maxim, staring at him without blinking, "With your temperament, would you really let him act so arrogantly right now?"
Maxim chuckled and shook his head, "Staying under the radar, is that so strange?"
"It’s not strange for anyone else, but for you, it is," Summer remained skeptical, "You must have done something behind the scenes, otherwise you wouldn’t be so calm."
Maxim looked at Summer, smiling silently.
Summer grew anxious and took a step closer, "You definitely have a plan."
"What’s the rush? The show is just starting. Do you want to know what’s really going on? Then keep watching the news. Best to keep an eye on the Huxley Family, the main event is next." Maxim smiled meaningfully, but as he remembered the news he had just received today, the smile vanished from his face.
Summer watched his entire change of expression, perplexed yet feeling an inexplicable chill down her spine, "What scheme are you up to now?"
"I’m not scheming," Maxim gently touched her face, "Justin Huxley is too greedy, wanting everything. What I can’t tolerate is him setting his sights on you."
"Fight your fight, don’t use me as your banner. The feud between your families has been festering for a long time, and it’s time to resolve it, without dragging me into it. Did you even get my consent?" Summer became increasingly agitated, even casting a questioning look at Maxim.
"If you had refused Justin Huxley from the start and hadn’t collaborated with him, you wouldn’t be in this situation now." Maxim spoke, his eyes blazing with even more anger, and his tone grew more discontent, "It’s all Justin Huxley’s fault. We could have been fine if it weren’t for him...."
"Even if it weren’t for him, once the contract ended, I would have left anyway," Summer interrupted him.
Maxim looked at her with a knowing smile but said nothing.
Just then, Maxim’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and shook his phone gently at Summer, "It’s my assistant. Can you guess what he’s calling to report?"
Summer was about to say "how should I know," but when she met Maxim’s deeply meaningful gaze, she vaguely guessed something.
Maxim answered the call in front of Summer, "What is it?"
Summer unconsciously pinched the edge of the table with her fingers, nervously watching Maxim, trying to discern what was being said on the other end from his reactions.
Unfortunately, the call was extremely short, lasting less than two minutes before it ended.
"Watching me so intently, are you worried about Justin Huxley?" Maxim narrowed his eyes slightly, asking in a dangerous tone.
"Neither of you do I worry about," Summer stated frankly, "I just want to watch the drama unfold. Whoever gets taken down between the two of you, I’ll be quite happy."
Maxim chuckled helplessly, looking at the indifferent Summer with a mix of resignation and admiration, "If you had heeded my warning earlier and realized Justin Huxley wasn’t a good person, would you still be like this?"
Summer looked down, saying nothing.
Maxim slowly approached, "So how’s it been? Playing along in front of me all this time, feeling aggrieved, isn’t it frustrating?"
"???
"Surprised? Did you really think your little tricks could fool me?" Maxim looked at Summer with an amused expression, "You’ve been complying and not opposing me because you’re hoping I’ll get tired of you soon, so you can run away then, am I right?"
"You’re mistaken, I’ve never planned such a thing," Summer retorted coldly, "How could I escape when you’re watching so closely?"
"If you wanted to escape, there would be ways," Maxim said, holding her by the waist, "Though I’m not sure what your exact plan is, I know your recent gentleness is all an act."