The car came to a stop in front of a clandestine high-end clubhouse.
Summer froze in the middle of undoing her seat belt and looked suspiciously at “Douglas”. “We’re getting lunch here?” Was he sure that he was not there for fun?
Leonardo glanced at her and got out of the car. Summer followed.
They walked toward the entrance in tandem. The waitstaff saw Leonardo, bowed, and greeted him, “Welcome, sir.” In contrast, when Summer came along, he stopped her and scanned her from head to toe with disdain. “What are you doing here?”
Summer looked down at her scrubby clothes and replied matter-of-factly, “I’m here for lunch.”
However, the waitstaff still did not let her in. “This is a high-end club. Not any Tom, Dick and Harry can enter.”
There had been many gold diggers there, but they were beautiful. If the ugly woman was allowed to enter, it would only drag down the clubhouse’s image.
Summer curled her lips. It was not like she wanted to go in.
Realizing that Summer was not following him, Leonardo doubled back and heard what the waiter said. He went up, pulled Summer behind him, and looked at the waiter with his icy eyes. “What’s your name?”
The people who visited the clubhouse were all wealthy as well as powerful, and the waitstaff there had an eye for the affluent. Seeing Leonardo’s tall build and imposing aura, the waitstaff flinched and stuttered. “Al… Alfred.”
Leonardo glared at the waitstaff and brought Summer inside. No one stopped them again. He was tall, and his legs were long, whereas Summer was a lot smaller than he was. So, when he walked, it looked like he was dragging Summer with him. Unlike his untamed rich-kid personality, his large hand felt safe and warm. Summer looked up, and her eyes were on his broad shoulders while her mind was in space.
The ding of an elevator pulled her back to Earth. She raised her head and realized that Leonardo had stopped. He was staring at her with a capricious look in his eyes.
She pulled her hand away from his as if she had an electric shock and scurried into the elevator. Her heart was pounding because she could not believe that she had allowed “Douglas” to hold her hand.
When Leonardo entered, Summer retreated to the farthest corner of the elevator.
Glancing at her with an indifferent expression, Leonardo asked, “Why are you standing that far away? You think I’m going to eat you alive?”
Looking away, Summer ignored him.
…
Arriving at a private dining room, Summer thought she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but there was someone else there.
The man was handsome and wore a pinstripe suit and a pair of elegant gold-framed glasses. He was either rich or powerful. Probably both. Everyone in the entertainment industry knew this man; he was the CEO of Tip Top Entertainment Group, Carl Jones. As if he had sensed Summer was looking at him, Carl Jones looked up at her with a gentle smile.
Leonardo came to the table, pulled the chair out and sat Summer down. He looked at Carl and said casually, “This is my cousin’s wife.”
Carl was initially startled as if he had heard something funny. His eyes flickered with amusement, but his voice remained respectful. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Emerson.”
Summer found the atmosphere weird, but she politely replied, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jones.”
This ugly woman knows Carl Jones? Leonardo cocked his eyebrow and dropped the menu in front of her. He seemed cold.
Summer wondered when she had stepped on his toes again. Not wanting to make a fuss in front of someone else, she remained silent and kept her eyes on the menu.
Leonardo’s phone beeped, and he took out his mobile phone, seeing a message from Carl Jones. “Role-playing with your wife?”
Already displeased because Summer and Carl Jones knew each other, he prodded Carl Jones with his leg.
The kick was heavy, but because Summer was there, Carl Jones had to groan in silence.
The table shook as a result. Puzzled, Summer looked up at Leonardo.
“Have you decided on what to order?” Leonardo leaned over affectionately with his hand on the back of her chair.
“Yeah,” Summer replied and put the menu away. She felt uneasy.
During lunch, “Douglas” did nothing that “crossed the line” again. He just chatted with Carl Jones. By the looks of things, it was easy to figure out that they were buddies.
Summer said nothing at all during the entire course of the meal. After that, she made up an excuse and got out of the dining room.
The minute Summer left, Carl Jones exhaled deeply and took off his glasses. He was entirely different from his gentle self earlier once he went bananas. “While you role-play with your wife at home, I’ve had to work my butt off in the office and wear this goddamn glasses to look old and mature! I’m done! I want a vacation!”
Leonardo was apathetic. “As the CEO of Tip Top Entertainment Group, you’re talking about a vacation? Don’t you think you should work harder when even a bumpkin like Summer knows you?”
“Bah! My social media fans number in the tens of millions, many people know me. Plus, don’t forget that you’re the real boss of Tip Top Entertainment Group. I’m only working for you!”
Carl Jones was getting angrier. “If you don’t come back to the office, I’m going to jump off the top of the office building.”
Yet, even if Carl Jones threatened him with that three times a day, Leonardo could not have cared less. He took a few sips of water and asked, “Did the HR Department not receive a job application from Summer?”
Sulking, Carl Jones said, “I’ve asked the secretary to keep an eye out, but there’s really none.” He then became curious. “How can you find your wife palatable when she looks like that?”
Leonardo stared at him, his eyes icy. “Like what?”
“Carl Jones swallowed, then flattered Summer, “Sweet and pleasant, beautiful and elegant…”
“Are you blind?”
What was he supposed to say? He could neither tell him that Summer was ugly nor pretty. Carl Jones felt that Leonardo had been behaving weirdly ever since he got married.
Before Leonardo left, a thought crossed his mind. He told Carl Jones, “Fire the waitstaff, Alfred.”
…
By the time they were back at the mansion, it was late in the afternoon. Summer went through the door with Leonardo closely behind.
“Is the young master home?” she asked a bodyguard.
“The young master is not in.” After all that “training”, the bodyguards could now lie through their teeth without blinking.
Back in her room, Summer lay in bed, thinking about how she should tell Leonardo about the press conference. But then, “Douglas” drifted into her mind. He had acted out of character today and treated her really nicely.