Just as they reached the elevator bank, Audrey hooked her arm through Kenneth Yates's and asked what he wanted for lunch. He was startled by the person stepping out of the elevator—it was Lianne Vance. She was a stunningly beautiful woman who had rarely appeared in the public eye after marrying Lawrence Yates. More than twenty years had passed, yet she hadn't aged a day.
"Hello, Auntie," Audrey said, speaking first. Her hand was still hooked around Kenneth Yates's arm.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Kenneth Yates asked, his expression cold. Lianne Vance didn't say a word, her eyes simply flicking to Audrey's hand on his arm.
Audrey was unfazed. 'Since Kenneth Yates is daring enough to fool around in public without fear of the press, then Summer Lancaster must not be in his good graces at home.'
To her surprise, Kenneth Yates pulled his arm free. "Audrey, go on by yourself." Audrey opened her mouth to say something, but Lianne Vance beat her to it, pulling Kenneth away and leaving her to swallow her indignation.
"Son, it's time you settled down," Lianne Vance said, her tone earnest.
"Mom, you never come to the office. What brings you here today?" He knew his mother; she wouldn't show up without a reason. He wondered what it could be this time.
"Son, I came to bring lunch for you and Summer." Lianne Vance had seen how things were between them these past two years. Kenneth Yates didn't care for Summer Lancaster, treating her with cold indifference. The family had tried their best to change the situation, but to no avail. If anything, Kenneth had been fooling around even more lately.
"Mom, we can get our own food. You don't have to go to all this trouble. If you leave Dad home alone, he'll get mad at me."
"Of course, my son is more important. As for that old man, it's good to give him the cold shoulder every now and then."
"Did you two have a fight?"
"Let's not talk about us. I'm not here to report on family matters."
Once they were in the CEO's office, Lianne Vance sat gracefully on the sofa and began to speak. "Kenneth, you've been married to Summer for two years now. You've had your fun, and it's time to settle down. Think about Thea Shaw—she left back then without so much as a word. Do you really believe she still loves you? Summer has been fond of you since you were children. You should move back into the apartment, work on building your relationship with her, and give your father and me a grandchild. That's all we ask."
"Mom, you don't need to trouble yourself with our affairs." Kenneth Yates stood up, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and lit a cigarette.
Lianne Vance sighed. 'It had been so obvious back then that Thea Shaw was only after her son for his money. She nearly turned father and son against each other. The woman was far too manipulative and would have been the ruin of Kenneth, which was why Lianne had paid her to leave.' A moment later, Summer Lancaster arrived. Lianne had called her beforehand to tell her to come to the office for lunch.
At the dining table in the CEO's office, Kenneth Yates ate with his head down, his expression as unreadable as ever. Summer Lancaster didn't dare to look at him, and the food tasted like ash in her mouth. Lianne Vance left halfway through the meal. Once she was gone, Kenneth stood up, looking down at Summer from his full height.
"Did you ask Mom to come?" he asked, his tone laced with displeasure. Summer knew he was angry. 'He doesn't like me,' she thought, 'and he especially doesn't want his family meddling in our affairs. It's not like we aren't going to get divorced sooner or later anyway.'
Summer was about to speak, but Kenneth Yates didn't give her the chance.
"Summer, stop playing games," he said. "It's useless, even if you try to use my mother." At that moment, the door opened. It was Audrey. A vicious look flashed in her eyes when she saw the food on the table. Kenneth said nothing more and simply left with Audrey, leaving Summer all alone.