21:48 Wednesday, March 12th.

LoveDrug Chapter 23: No More Love-Struck Fool

Summer forced herself to refocus. The most important thing right now was finding Fraser and securing the investment. 52% Finished.

After thinking for a moment, she called Yvette Landon—one of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry and her longtime best friend. Their friendship was born from shared misfortune; both had grown up in broken homes. Yvette’s mother, Mandy, had been vicious. She favored her son and treated Yvette like she was worthless, often beating her in the streets and stripping her down to humiliate her. Mandy had even tried to sell Yvette to a seventy-year-old man for a fourteen-thousand-dollar dowry—just to pay for her brother’s wedding. Yvette had refused and ran away. That was how she was discovered by a talent scout and ended up in the entertainment industry.

At one point, she had even tried to convince Summer to enter the business with her. With Summer’s looks, she could’ve been just as successful. Back then, Yvette had clenched her jaw and declared, “Once I make it big, once I have money, I won’t have to live by anyone’s rules. Summer, we have to be the masters of our own lives. The day I have power, if anyone lays a hand on me again, I’ll beat them to death myself.”

But Summer had just been reunited with the Stewart family. There was no way they’d let their daughter become a public figure. Now, three years later, Yvette had gone from playing supporting roles to leading her own films. People like them—who had clawed their way up from the bottom—once given a chance, once truly awakened, would always become the main character of their own lives. Summer, on the other hand, had not. And Yvette never let her live it down.

“You’re different from me,” she would always say. “You still have delusions about love and family. Me? I gave up on all that a long time ago. That’s why I’m ruthless. You’re not.”

The call connected. Yvette’s assistant picked up first and asked her to hold. A moment later, a sultry, teasing voice came through the phone.

“I just wrapped up filming. Summer, dinner tonight? Haven’t seen you in ages—I miss you to death.”

“If I go out with you now, I’d have to cover my face.”

“Pfft, that just means I’m famous as hell.”

“Sure, sure, big star.”

52% Finished.

Summer got to the point. “Yvette, do you know anyone who has a connection to Fraser or a way to get in touch with him?”

“You’re looking for Fraser? Havenbrook’s Bossman?”

“Yeah.”

Yvette tapped her nails against something, thoughtful. “I’d love to meet him myself. If the Graham family invested in one of my films, I could go international overnight. But the second female lead in my current project, Amelia, always brags about him on set. She’s from some noble family and keeps name-dropping him.”

Yvette continued, “I remember her saying that Mr. Graham goes to Skycrest Villa a lot.”

“Skycrest Villa…the one at the top of North Hill?”

North Hill was lined with luxury estates, but there was only one villa above the halfway point—Skycrest Villa. Everyone in Havenbrook knew that entire area belonged to the Graham family.

Yvette picked up on the shift in Summer’s tone. “Wait a minute. Summer, why are you suddenly looking for another man? What about your boyfriend, Trevor?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you—we broke up.”

“…You’re serious? You actually broke up? You willingly broke up? Wasn’t Trevor your precious little baby?”

Baby? Baby, my ass!

Just hearing that made Summer’s skin crawl.

“It’s real. It’s over. Just like you said, why the hell should I lower myself for him? I’m done being his pathetic little lapdog.”

Yvette still had her doubts. She had scolded Summer about Trevor so many times before, but she had always gone running back to him.

“Summer, did Trevor save your life in a past life? Is that why you love him so damn much? Love him enough to share him with Peyton, that shameless bitch? You were embarrassing the hell out of me.”

Summer didn’t even try to argue. She just let out a bitter chuckle.

“You don’t understand, Yvette. That was love.”

Love? What kind of bullshit love was that?

In Yvette’s world, no man was worth devotion. If men went extinct tomorrow, she still wouldn’t beg for one. 52% Finished.

She raised an eyebrow. “Alright, then. I’ll make a bet with you. If you’re really over him, I’ll grant you one favor.”

“You better get ready to pay up,” Summer said confidently. “Because the old me is gone.”

They chatted a little longer, but then Yvette’s director called for her. Summer let her go. After hanging up, she made a decision. She was going to Skycrest Villa. Even if she had to try her luck, she would find Fraser.

The drive up the mountain was winding, flanked by towering sycamore trees.