Chapter 15 One Billion Dollars

• "From now on, you're grounded in your room for a month. Use this time to reflect on your actions. I'll arrange for the best moral tutor to help you improve your behavior." The outburst concluded with Dylan's stern reprimand.
• Janice felt a chill run down her spine. Her father controlled everything in the household. Without his favor and trust, she could be the next one to be kicked out.
• Summer looked at Janice with no trace of sympathy. Her eyes glinted with a faint, cold light. Despite the slap from Celeste, she felt it was a price worth paying. But she knew it would be the last time Celeste could hit her.
• After Janice went upstairs, Dylan approached Summer. "Jenny, that's your nickname, right?"
• She nodded. Yet, she began to dislike the nickname every time she heard it since it sounded too much like Janice's name.
• "Alright." Dylan sighed, looking troubled. "Janice is spoiled by me, and her bad behavior is my fault. I was going to call the police, but she's your sister, and we're family. Besides, nothing happened to you, and she's facing the consequences of her actions. Let's pretend this incident never happened. I'll handle her punishment privately and make it up to you, okay?"
• Summer's hand clenched inside her pajama' sleeve.
• What did "nothing happened to her" mean? If the snake had bitten her, Janice would have made sure no one found out. By dawn, Summer's body would have been a corpse. Yet, he wanted to act like nothing had happened and only ground Janice for a month.
• At that moment, Summer saw Dylan's true colors. He would never abandon Janice unless it threatened his own interests. After all, having another daughter was just another means to rise in social status.
• He was a man driven by self-interest. She couldn't understand how her mother ever loved such a man. Her heart turned cold, and the last bit of familial love she had for him vanished.
• But she masked her emotions with a smile and nodded obediently. "Janice is still young. I won't blame her. I'll pretend nothing happened and continue being a good sister to her. I hope she doesn't hold a grudge against me."
• "Don't worry. I'll make sure she forgets about it. No one will bring it up again, and you'll get along just fine."
• "We will." Summer smiled sweetly with her dimples showing.
• Anyone who saw her would think she was innocent and understanding.
• Dylan sighed in relief. He felt genuinely pleased that Summer was not just beautiful but also forgiving and obedient. She seemed even more docile than he had anticipated. This would make her easier to manage.
• Since he was in a good mood, he handed her another card. "There's a million on this one. With the other million I gave you, that's two million for you to spend however you want. When it runs out, just let me know."
• "Thank you, Dad. You're the best!"
• Dylan felt satisfied with his vanity. Janice's earlier misbehavior no longer bothered him, and he hummed a tune as he climbed the stairs.
• Summer returned to her room, and her smile faded. No matter how foolish Janice was, she had Celeste protecting her while Summer had nothing but herself.
• Her hand clenched into a fist as she lay on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. She thought being alone wasn't so bad.
• Besides, she wasn't entirely alone. Her parents abroad loved her dearly, and her brother relied on her. She knew he must be missing her terribly. Yet, to protect them from the current mess, she had to sever communication temporarily. While thinking of her brother, her lips curved into a gentle smile.
• Just then, her phone rang. Summer answered, and it was her friend from Morvania.
• "SUM, how have you been?" The voice carried a Lyranese accent.
• "I'm good, Vincent. What's up?"
• Vincent Hill sounded a bit sheepish. "Well, I'm working on an island project, but the later-stage costs are really high. I'm having some financial issues here and wondered if you could lend me some money or maybe consider it as an investment?"
• "How much do you need?"
• "One billion dollars. Is that possible?" he asked.
• "No problem. Consider it an investment," Summer agreed without hesitation. After hanging up, she contacted her private financial manager.
• Using her computer, she transferred one billion dollars to Vincent's account and instructed her lawyer to finalize the investment contract.
• Afterward, she glanced at the two bank cards from Dylan and smirked. She deleted all traces of her transaction from the computer. After all, money had never been an issue for her.
• With everything taken care of, Summer finally had some time to delve into her research on werewolves. Surprisingly, she did find some clues.