Leonardo said nothing and just stared at him with his arms folded across his chest.
Carl had been mingling with all and sundry, including hooligans since he was little, so he would have known whether a drink had been spiked. He gave the wine to Leonardo on purpose last night. That was for sure. Since he trusted Carl as much as he was cautious, Carl got him this time.
“Okay, I admit that I knew the wine was spiked…” Carl confessed as Leonardo’s stare unnerved him.
“I’ll square up with you later,” Leonardo cut him off, turning back toward his suite.
Carl felt a chill run up his spine. He did not deserve that, especially when he had done Leonardo a big favor, he thought. He wondered if he could flee in time before Leonardo came back for him.
Leonardo returned to the suite’s bedroom, noticing the door was ajar. He remembered that he had even made sure to hear the lock click when he shut the door as he went out. Pushing it open, he looked down to find a sandal near the doorway. Someone did not know how to cover her tracks.
He picked up the sandal, moved to the bedside, and returned it to the one side of her feet. He then turned around and took out a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe before he entered the bathroom.
Hearing the door shut, Summer poked her head out from under the quilt. When she heard the patter of water in the bathroom, she pulled herself out of the bed, her body aching. Picking up her clothes, which were strewn all over the floor and putting them on, she took her shoes in her hands and sneaked out of the room. Once she was outside, she put her shoes on and ran out of the suite like a possessed woman.
…
Summer saw Carl and Warren as soon as she walked out of the elevator.
Sitting on the couch, Warren looked calm. Meanwhile, Carl was like a bear with a sore head, sometimes shaking his head, sometimes waving his hand as he talked to Warren.
Earlier, she had overheard what Leonardo and Carl said in the suite. There was a reason Jessica had not been willing to come to terms with Carl. If she were Jessica, she would be the same too. As unpredictable as Leonardo was, he was at least slightly more honorable than Carl was.
Summer walked toward them quietly and heard Carl say, “I must be indebted to Young Master Emerson in my past life and have come to make restitution in this life. You know, he’s the man behind Tip Top Entertainment, yet he’s left everything to me, asking me to run the show. The worst part is, I can’t say no. And like what happened yesterday, I was just trying to help, but he didn’t appreciate it. I…”
He suddenly paused when he saw Warren looking past him.
“What are you looking at?”
He followed Warren’s eyes and was shocked when he looked back. Summer was right behind him. Sh*t. “Why-Why are you here?”
Summer looked at him sideways, her face icy cold, much like Leonardo’s expression. “I’m just passing by. Carry on.”
Keep talking? He could tell Leonardo and Warren that he was doing Leonardo a favor by calling Summer over there last night. how could he talk about it in front of Summer, though?
“Nah… we’re just…” Her stare was making him nervous. The last time he saw Summer, she still looked like an even-tempered woman. The way she looked at him at that moment reminded him of Leonardo, turning him into a bundle of nerves.
“Leonardo’s the man behind Tip Top?” Summer quirked an eyebrow. “So it was Leonardo’s idea for Tip Top to send me an invitation letter for a job interview?”
Things were not looking good. Carl instinctively nodded. Realizing his blunder, he then shook his head from side to side. “No… No, it was my idea!”
“Oh, I see.” After she said that, she turned and left.
Watching as Summer walked away, Carl asked Warren, “I think I’ve screwed up big time!”
“I think you have.” Warren nodded in agreement, and Carl’s expression collapsed.
“I need to disappear. I have to go now and pack my things up.” Carl stood up, wanting to leave. Just then, he heard a voice behind him. It was Leonardo’s.
“Did you see Summer?”
“She just left,” Warren replied.
As Carl looked back, Leonardo was staring at him. Like a child who had done something wrong, Carl stuttered. “Leonardo…”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to square up with you. I said that for Summer’s benefit.” There was a faint smile on his face. “I’ll buy you a drink next time.”
Perhaps Leonardo did not only want to buy him a drink, but he also wanted to kill him, Carl thought to himself.
Leonardo had wanted to chase after Summer, but he suddenly thought better of it. Although they had done the most intimate thing last night, it was her first time and feeling embarrassed was normal. If he followed her now, she might not want to see him, so he turned to Carl.
“We can go back to the office together.”
“Nah, I haven’t taken my breakfast.”
“Me too. We can have it together,” said Leonardo, nodding.
Carl just could not wait to get away from him.
…
Back in the mansion, it was still early. Summer did not sleep much the night before. She felt like a zombie now but not sleepy at all. As she went upstairs, she saw Douglas coming down with his schoolbag on his back, yawning.
“Summer, did you go out last night?” There was surprise on his face.
“Yeah, met a friend.”
Summer’s expression did not look natural. She was probably scared of being found out by Leonardo, Douglas thought. Patting his chest with a heroic spirit, he vowed, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Leonardo. As you know, we’re on the same boat!”
“Yeah, go to school now.”
She flew up the stairs and back into her room. Taking a fresh set of clothes, she entered the bathroom. Looking at her pale face, she suddenly blushed. The most impulsive thing she had ever done was probably that thing last night. She thought of what Carl said… Leonardo was the real owner of Tip Top Entertainment, a company that rose to become the top dog in the entertainment industry in just ten short years. Yet, Leonardo was only twenty-six this year. Had she not overheard the conversation, she would not have known that secret. A man with so many secrets was scary. Had she made a reckless decision last night?
…
She looked miserably tired. Still, she put her makeup on, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and headed back to Jarrett Group.
On the way, the hotly debated topic that she read online the day before came to mind. Jarrett Group must have held yet another emergency meeting yesterday. This was like no other time. There was no easy solution to the problem now considering the celebrity effect at play. Perhaps, this may just force Jarrett Sr. to return home.