Leonardo did not care about what Carl was saying. As though he had sensed that someone was listening in on them, he looked up and caught Summer there, about to scurry away.
“Summer,” he called her.
Summer turned around and put on a plastic smile. “I’m just passing by. Please continue.” She walked past them into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. But on her way back out, Leonardo and Carl did not seem to be talking anymore.
At that moment, Carl grinned at her like a Cheshire Cat. “Summer, did Jessica call you?”
“Yeah.” Summer went up with her glass of water and sat on the couch across from them. Carl’s eyes lit up until her next sentence. “She told me that you’re a piece of trash.” She had a harmless smile on her face, but that did not make Carl feel any better.
“I’m innocent. I did nothing with the two women. That day, I was just…” Carl suddenly paused, glancing over at Leonardo. Leonardo was the one doing everything so secretly by registering the Golden Cauldron and Tip Top under his name. Meanwhile, he had to keep his mouth shut.
“I had one too many that day and just stayed in the Golden Cauldron. I didn’t spend the night with the women.”
“Tell that to Jessica.” Summer looked at him with a shrug.
“But she’s not answering my call.” Carl buried his forehead in his hands.
“You can go and see her. You should know where she lives, right? If you can’t even diffuse this little misunderstanding, you’d better leave her alone.”
After she said that, Summer did not want to say more. She took a sip from her glass, got to her feet and was about to leave. Leonardo had been silent the entire time. He suddenly reached to grab the glass from her hand and drank from it.
“That’s… mine.” By the time she realized it, he had drunk the water. Her face began to turn red, unlike that of the thick-skinned Leonardo. Leaving the glass with him, she scurried back upstairs.
Carl gazed at Leonardo with a thoughtful look. “I didn’t know Summer had such a sharp tongue.” Not waiting for Leonardo to respond, he continued, “She’s nearly as good as you are now.”
“Cut the crap. Go and find your starlet.” Leonardo got to his feet, ready to head upstairs.
“Aren’t you inviting me to stay for dinner?”
“Get out of my sight.” Leonardo looked back at him with no expression on his face. Thanks to Douglas, he got a bowl of the world’s saltiest noodles this morning. Since the day Summer found out he was Leonardo, she had been giving him the cold shoulder. There was no way she was going to cook for him. Since he did not get to eat, Carl would not have the chance either.
Carl did not know what he had done to get Leonardo so mad, but he did not have time to harp on it. He had more important things to do.
…
Returning to his bedroom, Leonardo saw Summer snuggling on the sofa with her laptop. She had her earphones on and was staring unblinkingly at the screen as if she was watching a movie. He walked up, leaning over to see what she was watching. It was a Adams movie. He closed the lid of her laptop, sulking.
Summer took off her earphones, demanding, “What are you doing?”
She seemed to be angry, but a little cautious about showing it. There was no change in her expression, but he could make out a hint of displeasure in her eyes. She looked a little cute, too.
The corner of Leonardo’s lips curled up, half-smiling at her. “You’ve heard?”
“Heard what?” She was pretending.
“News about Carl, of course. It was the Jarrett Family that bought off the media outlet. Carl is a mover and shaker in the entertainment industry. They created this smokescreen to divert public attention away from Jarrett Group’s scandal.” He was talking slowly in a calm manner, but his eyes were trained on at her, observing her reactions.
“Who did that?” Summer thought for a while. “Vicky?”
Apart from Vicky, she could not think of anyone else who could be so silly. Carl was in the entertainment industry, and Tip Top was the top dog in the business. It could eat Jarrett Group for breakfast, lunch, and dinner anytime. People like Carl would not let the Jarretts off the hook so easily. She heard what Carl had said earlier.
Leonardo neither confirmed nor denied it, but his voice was serious when he said, “You want me to help Jarrett Group?”
“What do you mean?” Summer sensed that he meant for it to be tongue in cheek.
“If you want me to help, I’ll help. If you don’t, I won’t.” He broke into a faint smile. His pampering of her was plain to see.
Summer had always thought that Leonardo was the most handsome guy in the entertainment industry. No one ever came close, and she lost herself in his pampering eyes. However, was this just another one of his teases? Did he mean what he said?
Their eyes met, but no one spoke until someone knocked on the door.
“Young Master, Mrs. Emerson, dinner is ready.”
Summer severed the thought and bit her lip. “Please help Jarrett Group.”
“You got it.”
There was no hesitation in his voice, but Summer did not really want to help Jarrett Group; she just did not believe that Leonardo would do it. It did not benefit him in the slightest to help Jarrett Group; it was just a waste of time and effort. People in their right mind would not want to do that.
…
Yet, Leonardo quickly put his words into action.
He first made all the negative news about Jarrett Group disappear online. Those customers and vendors who initially wanted to end their agreements with Jarrett Group had changed their minds. Very quickly, Jarrett Group was back in business. There were even banks coming forward to offer them financing.
Summer took it all in, feeling bittersweet. She thought Leonardo was bluffing. However, he not only delivered on his promise, but he had also gone the extra mile. Online discussions on Jarrett Group’s factory exposure that cropped up occasionally were quickly taken down. The media, as well as popular Weibo accounts, seemed to be infected with collective amnesia, and no one ever mentioned the issue anymore.
Jessica had returned to Hoover City from her movie promo tour. Meanwhile, Summer had just received her pay today, so she was treating Jessica for dinner.
In the evening, the chauffeur came to pick her up. It was not Tim, but somebody else, however. She then told the driver the name of the restaurant. “Just drop me there, and you don’t have to pick me up later. I can go back by myself.”
“Business” had been good for Douglas this year. He counted the primary-school workbooks, then turned to her. “Where are you going?”
“Dinner with a friend.”
“I’m going with you.”
Summer did not really want him to tag along, but she could not stand his badgering, and finally gave in.
The minute Jessica saw Douglas, she asked Summer, “Who’s this kid? I didn’t know anyone in the Jarrett Family has such outstanding genes.”
Indeed, Douglas was a good-looking kid. He had curly hair and fair skin. Even though he still looked kiddish, he also had that cute smile on his face. Plus, he was never shy. “My name is Douglas.”
When she heard the name, water spluttered out of Jessica’s mouth.