After I collected myself, I could finally talk about Summer’s decision calmly. “Are you really going to support Summer on opening a bar?”
Ashton was not some sly fox that played around with his words. He usually meant what he said, so him not denying my question was a sign of his support for Summer.
“Letty,” he said all a sudden and took a deep breath.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Summer should have the freedom to do what she wants.”
What he said hit me where it hurt. I could not refute that.
It was true that my manic caution should not be a shackle for the child.
“Let’s use the project I gave her as a test. If she can do it well all on her own, then you should also try and let go.”
Ashton took a brief pause before he continued. “I know it would be difficult if I asked you to stay on the sidelines, but you have to relax. Look at it from an objective standpoint. Summer’s a good kid. She’ll surprise you.”
He continued, “Don’t forget that I’m here if anything goes wrong.”
Not long after what Ashton said, I heard a faint and consistent snore behind me. He had fallen sound asleep.
Hence, I stayed in his embrace as it was unexpectedly soothing, even though I was still not sleepy.
I got up early the next day morning and, to my surprise, bumped into Summer as soon as I opened the door.
“Good morning, Mommy.” Summer was wearing a dazzling smile on her gentle face, reminding me of an angel.
I felt guilty for how I acted last night, as it was not something a good mother would do. Nevertheless, I put up a smile and walked with her down the stairs. “Why are you up so early? You don’t have school.”
“Did you forget, Mommy? Daddy asked me to take charge of the project in Wenville. I looked through the files last night. This is the first time Daddy’s company is involved in a project like this, so there’s no reference. On top of that, the culture relating to Hanfu is exceptionally meticulous. To make sure everything goes well, I asked Mr. Cress to meet up with me to research the related materials and catch up on my knowledge regarding that topic. Mr. Cress told me that the library’s usually packed on the weekends, so we won’t be able to find any seats if we’re late.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs right when Summer finished, and Jared was already waiting at the door.
Thus, Summer walked straight toward the door. “I’ll get going now, Mommy. I won’t be back for lunch.”
“Why don’t you eat something before you leave?”
“It’s fine, Mommy. I’m not hungry. Bye!”
With that, Summer disappeared out the door.
I exchanged looks with Jared, asking him to take care of Summer. He proceeded to give me an affirmative nod before leaving as well.
After that, my walk to the dining hall felt like it took a lifetime. My anxiety for Summer had made me very high-strung. Nonetheless, the truth was that she had grown up to be a capable and responsible person. Someone that was curious about everything and would not easily feel defeated.
With that in mind, I could not help but curl my lips. My emotion was like a ferocious beast, but it was no match for the innocence my children exuded as they unraveled my insecurities.
Then and there, I had decided to support Summer in her first business endeavor.
Ashton told me he wanted to test Summer’s capabilities. But he did not say I could not help. Besides, I was not the type of mother who neglects what their children do.
“What are you so happy about?” Ashton asked after coming down the stairs. His slippers squeaked as they rubbed on the wooden floor.
“Didn’t you know how to read minds? Take a guess.” I was not going to give him the answer that easily.
Hence, Ashton pulled out the chair opposite of me and sat down. He did not seem to be the least bit grumpy after just waking up. “Hmm. It’s probably because you finally realized our daughter has grown up. Am I right?”
It looks like he found out that Summer already left the house.
I did not get any sense of achievement from that, so I rolled my eyes at him. “Wrong! And I’m not telling you, so eat your breakfast!”
After that, for the next two weeks, I could actually count the number of times I saw Summer with just my hands.
Ashton already said that he wanted Summer to work on the project independently. He knew her well and knew that Summer would not ask me for anything unless she was in dire straits. Naturally, if she did not bring it up with me, I should stay put and not stress her out.
Therefore, things would become really awkward whenever I want to know what was going on.
