“All of you know my elder brother?” Douglas was surprised. He knew his brother was an actor but did not expect him to be this famous in the country.
“Of course, we do! Adams’s a senior in the industry. He has good acting skills and is nice. On top of that, he has tons of fans!” Jessica took out her phone and asked Adams, “Could I have a photo with you?”
“Yes, of course.” Adams wore a gentle smile. “But please keep this between us.”
“We will!” Jessica switched on her phone camera and pulled Summer over. “Let’s have a wefie.”
“No, no, I’ll leave you to it…” Summer was not a fangirl; she just liked Adams movies and that was all. She was not really into wefies.
Adams looked at her, his voice gentle. “Ms. Jarrett, please join us.”
He said it so gently that Summer thought it would be impolite to decline. The three of them stood together, and Douglas became the cameraman. Adams was standing in the middle with Jessica and Summer on either side. After the photo session, Jessica got a call from her manager. Without hanging up, she turned to look at Summer. “My manager just called, I have to go.”
“Then I’ll let you go.” Summer nodded at her.
“See ya!” Jessica waved at Adams before she ran out of the restaurant in a whirlwind.
Summer turned to look at Douglas and Adams, surprised at how similar they looked. Maybe, since Adams and Leonardo were also close cousins, they looked alike to some extent. She thought about the time Adams met them in the Golden Cauldron; he did not even talk with Leonardo. It was likely because he knew about the things going on between her and Leonardo. However, being Leonardo’s elder cousin, it was only natural that he was Leonardo’s accomplice. That man had gone to great lengths to lie to her.
The corners of her mouth curled up, her smile filled with ridicule.
Adams knew what she was thinking. He was very restrained and sincere. “I’ve helped Leonardo lie to you. I’m sorry.”
She pursed her lips, then said, “Mr. Wilson, please don’t. We were just not on the same side.”
Mr. Wilson? Adams forced a smile. “Are you guys planning to go home now? I can send you back.”
Summer glanced over at Douglas curiously. Under Leonardo’s strict discipline, he may have to go home with his elder brother, she thought. Yet, judging from Adams’s tone of voice, he would still have to return to Leonardo’s place.
Again, Adams could see the doubt on Summer’s face. “I’m too busy to look after Douglas. It’s better for him to stay with Leonardo.”
…
With Adams at the wheel, they arrived at the mansion. Summer and Douglas walked in front, while Adams was only half a pace behind them.
As Summer stepped through the doorway, she saw Leonardo coming down the stairs.
He glanced at Summer, looking natural. But when he saw Adams behind her, he squinted with a mysterious expression on his face.
“Leonardo,” Adams said before he opened his mouth. “I bumped into them during dinner earlier, so I thought I may as well send them home.”
“Mm.” As Leonardo sat down, he instructed his bodyguard to pour them some tea.
The two men sat down, apparently having some business to discuss. Thus, Summer and Douglas went back to their respective rooms upstairs. Douglas started to work on homework-not his but the primary school children’s-and Summer washed up. After that, she received a message from Jessica on Wechat.
“Have you slept with Leonardo? Is he’okay’?”
“Since he isn’t like what the rumors say, I think he should be’okay’?”
Summer forced a smile, then replied, “Go to bed. Stop talking nonsense.”
Not only did Jessica not go to bed, but she also sent Summer a voice message.
“What nonsense? I’m serious. What Leonardo did was detestable, but you have to conquer him. Otherwise, Vicky the bitch will fall over backward to get him if she finds out’Douglas’ is Leonardo.”
The words struck home as she listened to what Jessica said. Vicky had been eyeing “Douglas” all this while. If she discovered that “Douglas” was Leonardo, she would not give up.
“So what if she falls over backward? It’s not like Leonardo will care.” She was not so sure about “Douglas” last time but looking at Leonardo now, there was no way he would be interested in Vicky. As soon as she sent out the voice message, Leonardo’s voice traveled from the doorway.
“Really? It looks like you know me well.”
Summer froze, then looked in his direction, her mind a muddle. When did he come? Did he hear her conversation with Jessica?
Jessica replied instantaneously, but Summer locked her phone screen, not bothering to check the message.
“When did you-”
“I’ve heard everything I should hear.”
Leonardo did not answer her question directly, but his reply told her everything. While Summer got hot under the collar, he smirked and smiled with pleasure.
“I’m going for a shower now. Think about it.”
“Think about what?”
“Think about how to conquer me.”
Ever since Leonardo’s intervention, Jarrett Group had escaped the scandalous quagmire and was back on their feet with proposals of financing as well as cooperation knocking on their door. Lynn was starting to think that Jarrett Group was on the crest of a wave. He was busy hopping from one meeting to the next, raring to go. He even wanted to bring Summer along so she could get to know their business partners, but Summer rejected it.
“No, Dad. You should bring Vicky along instead. Leonardo won’t be too happy if I attend such a business dinner.”
She would use Leonardo as her excuse whenever she did not feel like doing anything or going anywhere. The best part of it was that it worked every time. She and Lynn did not share the same way of thinking. She knew Leonardo well; he may have helped Jarrett Group, but she somehow felt that things were not what they seemed.
“That’s fine.” Lynn nodded. “Maybe you can bring Leonardo home for dinner someday.”
Leonardo? Wow, how affectionate he suddenly became! She sneered quietly. He really wanted to butter up his son-in-law. She was not going to bring Leonardo back to the Jarrett Family. “Sure.”
On her way back, Summer had the chauffeur stop the car somewhere so she could do some grocery shopping. In the household section of the hypermarket, most of the products were of Jarrett Group brands. As she headed over there, she overheard a conversation.
“I’m surprised Jarrett Group hasn’t gone out of business. They still have the nerve to sell their things here!”
“Well, for all I know, they have some powerful backing, who can cover up all the bad things they’ve done. Disgusting!”
Summer stood at a nearby shelf for a few moments, listening in. She then grabbed whatever she wanted and left. She began to figure out what Leonardo was up to. Since the toxic factory exposure, Jarrett Group had never gotten its punishment aside from an insincere public apology. In addition, Jarrett Group had also put a lid on every news piece that talked negatively about them. That would only create an even bigger public resentment.