Survival instincts told Summer to turn around.
“Stop!”
Leonardo’s familiar low voice traveled from behind her, and her expression froze. She then slowly turned her head around, her voice calm. “I just want to go to the washroom.”
With his long legs, Leonardo had walked up to her, looking at her up and down. As his eyes landed on the great bump on her forehead, he frowned. He cocked an eyebrow and said, “I’ll be here waiting.”
Brazening it out, she headed back into the washroom. Fidgeting, she smacked herself on the forehead, only to aggravate the pain from the bump. Summer lingered there for a few moments before she was forced to go back out.
Jessica and Carl were nowhere to be seen. Only Leonardo was still standing there, waiting for her outside the washroom. His suit was iron-pressed, and not a hair was out of place.
“Twenty minutes,” Leonardo said after he checked his watch, puzzling Summer. “Are you having constipation?”
She almost choked on her saliva.
“I’ll ask Carl to get you a hospital queue number,” Leonardo said, his tone of voice telling her he meant it. What choice did she have? Summer forced a smile.
…
Outside the pub, a car was parked up in front of the entrance. Carl was sitting behind the wheel while Jessica was in the front passenger seat. Seeing Leonardo and Summer come out, Carl poked his head out of the window.
“Leonardo, I’m sending Jessica to the hospital. Do you want to tag along?”
Leonardo pointed at his car parked up on the other side. Carl got the hint and mimed an “OK” gesture before he sped off.
“I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
Summer pulled his arm. A bump on the head should not warrant a hospital trip. Furthermore, she was not bleeding. It was just a waste of time to queue in the hospital. She was hungry and just wanted to have something to eat.
It was nightfall, and under the streetlight, Leonardo’s deep-set eyes still looked as dark as a black hole. “Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice.
“Mm.” She nodded. The next second, however, she cried out in pain. “Ooouch!”
Leonardo had reached out to poke the bump, which looked like a bun on her forehead. Such bumps would usually go away in a few days, but it obviously hurt if it was touched. He pulled his hand back, observing her. “Why are you yelling if you’re fine?”
“I…” She would be fine if he did not poke her.
…
Once they arrived at the hospital, Leonardo dragged her in and got the doctor to perform a comprehensive body check up on her. The same happened to Jessica, just that it was Carl who dragged her in.
After the check-ups, the two women sat on the chairs in the corridor, looking at each other. At last, Jessica said, “I can see that Leonardo is very concerned about you.”
Forcing a smile, Summer instinctively reached for her forehead. She could still feel his finger jabbing the bump on her forehead. “The way I see it, it’s Carl who’s concerned about you.”
Summer paused, cleared her throat, then mimicked what Carl said earlier, “She’s my sassy girl.”
“Summer!” The devil-may-care Jessica felt embarrassed.
As Carl and Leonardo came out of the doctor’s office, the two women got to their feet in unison, both remaining quiet.
…
They all headed to the Golden Cauldron because Summer and Jessica were starving.
On the way, Summer asked, “Where’s Douglas?”
Leonardo looked over at her. “Why don’t you worry about yourself?”
At the Golden Cauldron, they ordered a tableful of food. Summer still felt a little nervous, but hunger got the better of her. It was only after the meal that Leonardo started to grill her.
“I didn’t know my wife was so violent. Where did you learn that from?”
He looked her in the eye, as though telling her that he would fix her if she did not give a satisfactory answer. However, she had no idea what kind of “fix” it would be. All she knew was, she was on the edge of her seat in front of Leonardo.
A friend in need was a friend indeed, and Summer pointed at Jessica who was sitting beside her. Like Summer, Jessica was afraid of Leonardo too. Shrinking back and swallowing, she pointed at Carl.
“It’s him. He taught me all of it.”
Carl choked on his wine. “Look, when I left back then, I did ask someone to take care of you. I didn’t say you should learn me and become a school bully…”
Before he could finish, Jessica shot him a glare, staring him down.
Leonardo sneered as he got to his feet and walked out of the door. Summer could read from his expression that he was going to “fix” her when he got home. She suddenly did not feel like going home, but she dared not act upon it.
…
Leonardo sped all the way. When they reached the front of the mansion, Summer flung the door open and squatted by the road, throwing up big time.
Hearing the roar of the engine, Douglas rushed out of the house, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing Summer. “Summer, you’re finally back. You know, Leonardo looked like a dead man when you didn’t come home.”
Summer slowly pulled herself back to her feet. “He always looks like that, with or without me.” Her voice was frail.
As soon as her voice trailed off, she saw Leonardo standing behind Douglas. The old wise saying about never talking behind someone’s back was right. Battening down the hatches, she followed him back to the bedroom.
One thing was puzzling her: why was Leonardo so angry about her getting into a fight out there? Was it because it would make him lose face?
Back in the room, Leonardo took off his jacket. When he turned around, Summer was still lurking at the doorway, so he said, “Please come over.”
As she walked in with bated breath, Leonardo sat her down on the bed. He reached out and she instinctively dodged.
“Stop moving around, I’m giving you some ointment!”