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Prologue
Charles Sutherland had money, power, and the most precious gift of all: his granddaughter, Summer Sutherland Weston. And he’d lied to her, her entire life.
He couldn’t take the guilt and shame of his behavior anymore. His sweet girl deserved the truth.
So he was going to fix this situation, because his Ladybug deserved the world. Most of all, she deserved to be loved.
In business, he could solve anything one way or another. But he didn’t know how to fix his Ladybug’s feeling that her mother never loved her.
Would Summer forgive him for what he’d done at his daughter Jessica’s behest?
He’d spoiled Jessica to compensate for his long work hours and leaving her alone all the time after her mother died. He knew it was wrong, and he did it anyway, making her believe that anything she wanted would be handed to her on a silver platter.
He’d done better by his granddaughter, raising Summer to work hard and take the reins of Sutherland Industries one day. And that day was coming sooner rather than later.
He stood in his office doorway and watched Summer and the first step of his plan play out.
“You won the monthly office raffle!” Kennedy, one of the executive assistants, informed his granddaughter.
Summer stared at the gift bag on her desk. “But that’s not fair. I’m a Sutherland. This should go to someone else.” Summer didn’t want any special treatment and tried to hand the package back.
Kennedy held her hand up to stop her. “It’s okay. This month, your grandfather put five gifts in the raffle. They came from the company Sutherland Industries just acquired. You’re not taking the only one given out. It’s fine. Besides, every employee is eligible to win.”
Summer opened the package and held up the box inside. “I have to say I was intrigued by these when we did the research on the company.”
Kennedy did exactly what he knew she’d do and pushed Summer to open the DNA test kit. “Don’t you want to know if you have a long-lost relative, or if you’re descended from royalty?” Kennedy’s excitement ignited his granddaughter’s.
Summer laughed that off, but Charles saw a spark of an idea light her eyes. “I’ve often wished that my uncle had a secret love child out there somewhere.”
Charles frowned. He’d expected Summer to wonder about her father, not his brother, who’d passed away three years ago, leaving Summer his estate. He’d had no other immediate family besides Charles to inherit.
Charles and Jessica had done too good a job of lying to Summer about her father. Now she didn’t even think about the man she never knew.
Kennedy pushed again and pointed to the boxes on her desk. “The others have already done their tests. I’m going to mail them back right now. Do yours and I’ll send it, too.”
Summer shrugged. “Why not?” She opened the kit, and Kennedy spelled out the instructions and even helped Summer set up the online account and register her kit.
Summer spit into the tube, then Kennedy affixed the barcode sticker on it, packaged it back up to ship, and beamed a smile at Summer. “In three to four weeks, you’ll know everything.”
Charles hoped so.
Though he didn’t want her to know he’d set this all up.
His granddaughter picked up a call.
Kennedy met him by his office door. “This is such a wonderful idea, trying out the company’s product this way.” Kennedy had no idea why he’d really done it.
“I hope the kids enjoy them.”
Kennedy’s eyes brightened with excitement. “I confirmed with the biology teacher at the school this morning. They received the kits, and the kids are doing them today, too. What a fun science experiment. Nothing like this existed when I went to school.”
Everything was going according to plan.
Now all he had to do was wait for the results to come out and the dots to be connected.
Summer would finally get what she’d always wanted but had given up on.
Maybe this would make her happy, even if it made her angry with him.
