Summer left after she had lunch with Douglas Jr., but before she set off, she laid down three house rules: keep the house clean, no buying on credit, and no venturing outside. At first, he was reluctant, so Summer threatened him, “I guess you don’t want me to tell Leonardo that you’re here.”
“He’s a busy man, not everyone gets to see him.”
“I managed to get his photo.” Summer grinned.
Douglas Jr. nodded reluctantly, looking curious. “Who are you?”
“That’s for you to find out.”
…
At nightfall, Summer got a call from “Douglas”.
“Are you beating a retreat?”
She had nearly forgotten what he told her in the morning.
“Right away.” Summer gritted her teeth.
She got changed and headed to the Golden Cauldron. Arriving at the entrance, she bumped into Carl.
He looked at her, all smiles, but his eyes continued to gaze past her. “Summer, what a coincidence. Are you here alone?”
“Stop searching, I’m here alone.”
Of course, she knew that Carl was more interested to know if Jessica had also come along. As a result, his smile became a little awkward. He realized that Jessica was on a promo tour for her new movie, but he could not help thinking of her when he saw Summer; they were besties, after all.
As Carl and Summer walked toward the entrance, he asked, “Are you here for dinner or are you looking for someone?”
She suddenly had a brainwave and naturally said, “I’m here to meet Leonardo. He asked me to come.”
“Leonardo? I know which private room he’s in. I’ll bring you over…” He suddenly paused, realizing that he just had a slip of the tongue. His facial muscles froze, and he sounded unnatural as he explained, “I meant-”
“I know everything.’Douglas’ is Leonardo. He’s told me, so you don’t have to lie for him anymore.”
She sounded and looked so natural that Carl did not doubt her words. After all, he knew that Leonardo was concerned about her, and sooner or later, they would be honest with each other. With that in mind, Carl was starting to envy them.
“That’s great.”
The last hint of doubt vanished from her mind. So “Douglas” really was Leonardo. He was never disfigured or impotent, and not nearly as ruthless as people claimed. The rumors were all not true. The victim of mockery and disdain had never existed. There was only one Leonardo in this world; he was healthy, handsome, and on the top of the pyramid of the rich kids. He did not need her sympathy because he could even make her play into his hands without her realizing it.
“Yeah, great.”
She sounded like her usual self, but her heart was sinking. Leonardo had been living a double life all along. He had made her believe that it was true. When he was in the mood, he teased and flirted with her, then pulled away just as quickly, making a fool out of her. He even made use of “Leonardo” to threaten her. Had she not been the fool, she would have admired his acting skills.
“Leonardo’s right in here.”
Carl was about to push open the door as they came before the private dining room, but Summer stopped him.
“Carl, no one knows about the things between me and Leonardo. I hope to keep it that way…”
There was a moment of puzzlement. Then Carl got the message. “Like role-play, the little things between husbands and wives, I understand. Leonardo’s ill-tempered and stone-faced, but he’s just cold on the outside. On the inside, he’s hot!”
Summer kept quiet. All she could manage was a smile to hide her shock and dismay.
She pushed the door open and entered. The spacious room was nearly half-full, and her eyes searched for Leonardo in the dim environment. There were no signs of him. Just then, a man approached her.
“Hey, beautiful lady. Are you here looking for someone or fun?
Summer ignored the man, walking straight in. The men there were all rich kids. Not too happy that Summer had brushed him off, the man tried to grab her. In that split second, a hand came out of nowhere and stopped him.
The man who came to her rescue was tall and stern. He had eyes that did not just pierce but also cut you into tiny pieces. Leonardo looked at the man with no expression, his voice monotone, “This woman is taken.”
The man knew that Leonardo was someone he could not afford to mess with. He quickly apologized and moved aside.
“So this is the where you enjoy yourself when you’re not home?” She cast her eyes around and saw several men as well as women cuddling and caressing each other in the corners of the room, just short of doing it on the spot.
“Of course, not!” Leonardo said. “You’re always in my heart, Mrs. Emerson.”
Mrs. Emerson my foot! She nearly flew off the handle, but she gritted her teeth and softened her voice. “I’m touched.”
“Then don’t forget to learn as much as you can afterward if you’re touched.”
Before his voice trailed off, Summer felt a hand wrapping around her. She did not manage to react as she was drawn into his arms and brought to a dim corner at the far end of the room. It was in the shadows, and no one would see them if they did not take a closer look. Summer did not know what Leonardo was up to, but she would find out soon.
Not long after they sat down, someone she knew walked in. It was Jerome. He was immediately ushered to their table, followed by another woman. The woman sat beside Jerome and got increasingly closer until she was on his lap in the end. Jerome did not reject her or push her away. He even started to slip his hand under the woman’s clothes. Summer looked away; it was an obnoxious scene.
Leonardo suddenly spoke, “What does it feel like to see a man you like with another woman? Sad?”
“Very sad, for sure.” Who cared when Summer was already in a bad mood.
She finally figured out why Leonardo had asked her to be there. He probably thought that she and Jerome still had some form of connection, and he wanted her to see Jerome caress another woman.
Disgusting. Both Jerome and Leonardo were disgusting.
After she said that, she could sense a jealous vibe in the man beside her. Her lips curled up, and she leaned to hug him as she spoke in a soft voice.
“I’m just kidding. You’re the man I like now.”
While she spoke, she slowly slid her hand from his chest all the way down below his abdomen. There, she gave it a little stroke and spoke softly, “It seems you really like me too. It responded with just a little touch.”