Leonardo was back in his Tip Top Entertainment office, instructing his secretary through the intercom.”Please ask for President Jones to see me in my room.”
He had a private elevator that brought him from the parking lot straight up to his office. Aside from the secretary, the company’s top executives were the only ones who had ever met him. They knew he was the man behind Tip Top Entertainment, but had no idea he was Leonardo. The only people who knew that he was Leonardo and the real owner of Tip Top Entertainment were Adams, Warren, and Carl. When Summer left the Golden Cauldron that morning, she must have met Carl and Warren. Considering what Warren did for a living, he was a very careful and diligent man. Therefore, Carl was the only loose cannon there.
After a while, the secretary returned his call.”President Jones’s secretary says that he’s going on a business trip. He’s at the airport now…”The secretary’s voice was almost reduced to a whisper toward the end of the sentence. The silence on the other end of the line was just too scary. Then, she heard a sneer from him, and a chill ran up her spine.
“Got it. Please ask for Jessica.”
He put down the phone and waited. Carl still had not changed, fleeing the moment he made a mistake. Not long after, Jessica came.
She stood at the door, giving it two knocks. When she got the call that the boss wanted to see her, her first thought was that Carl was itching to see her, so she told the secretary off. However, the secretary reminded her, “It’s the boss of Tip Top, not President Jones.”That meant Carl was only an employee?
“Come in.”
A familiar low voice came from the inside. Jessica pushed the door and walked in, her eyes on stalks when she saw the man behind the desk.
“Emerson-Leonardo?”
“That’s right, Ms. Hicks.”
Summer had always painted Leonardo as a monster and that had gotten to Jessica’s head. He was the boss of her boss? Jessica felt a little weak in the knees even though Leonardo looked like his usual self. Giving him a ninety-degree bow, she greeted, “Mr. Emerson!”She instantly slipped into bootlicker mode.
Leonardo cocked an eyebrow. This woman was Summer’s bestie, but they had completely different personalities. Summer feared him, but had never fawned over him;she was more enthused about disagreeing with him.
“I need you to do me a favor.”He sounded direct.
Jessica almost felt flattered. Did Summer not say that this man was hard to please? Yet, was he not approachable right then?
“I’d do ten times more than what you ask for as long as it’s within my ability.”
Leonardo seemed pleased by her reply, appearing very gentle.”I can’t contact Carl. Could you please help me call him? I need to know where he is now.”
That was all? Jessica was expecting something more important. She had never contacted Carl before, but she possessed all the means of getting to him. She could not help it;Carl was too annoying. He liked to, for no reason, transfer money to her Alipay account, disguise himself as her fan on her Weibo account, buy up the tickets to her new movies, and do a thousand and one crazy things.
Jessica tried the latest number she knew, but it was not reachable. She tried his old number, the one he used since he was a student. Something happened back then, making her cut contact with him, so she was not sure if he was still using it. The phone rang once before it was picked up, and Carl’s excited voice came through.
“Jessica!”
Jessica ignored his excitement, asking in a flat voice, “Where are you, Carl?”
“At the airport!”The next second, he asked, “Jessica, has something happened to you?”Jessica had never contacted him in all these years. When she did, his instincts told him that something must have happened.
“Nothing’s happened. It’s just that the big boss couldn’t find you. He’s asking for my help.”
After she said that, Jessica turned to Leonardo.”He says he’s at the airport.”Uncertain if she had said something wrong, she heard the F word on the other end.
Almost immediately, Leonardo’s phone rang. He did not pick it up instantly but looked at Jessica.”Thank you very much. I’ll let you go.”
As Jessica walked out the doorway, she heard Leonardo say, “I’ve watched your movies. Among all the new artists joining our company, you are the one with the greatest potential.”
Careful and diligent, Leonardo was no-nonsense when it came to business. When Carl wanted to take Jessica into Tip Top, Leonardo had taken the time to watch her movies. He never mixed business with personal matters, and he knew Jessica had the potential.
Feeling appreciated, Jessica was overjoyed.”I’ll work harder!”
Not long after Jessica left, Carl returned, storming into the office. Judging from the amount of sweat he shed, he must have hurried back. Going up to Leonardo’s desk, he demanded, “Where’s Jessica?”
“She’s gone.”
“What do you mean she’s gone? What have you done to her?”Carl seemed to grow even more anxious.
“What could I have done to her? She just made a call to you and left.”Leonardo remained composed, his voice innocent.
“F*ck! You set me up!”Carl dropped into a chair.”Motherf*cker, you nearly scared the sh*t out of me!”Being his friend for so many years, he knew very well how ruthless Leonardo could be. Hence, when Jessica called him, it sent him into panic mode.
“It’s time for you to speak.”Leonardo looked at him with a poker face.
He had no choice. Under duress, he told him everything about what happened this morning. He thought Leonardo would give him the”good news”, but he did not. What he got was a lot worse than a physical beating.
“There will be no more leaves for you next year. Work harder.”As if that was not bad enough, Leonardo jabbed him.”Jessica’s just beginning to make her way to stardom, there’s no way she can have a boyfriend during this period. Focus your energy on your career, bachelor!”
“Then let’s break off!”Carl gritted his teeth.
Unruffled, Leonardo looked at him with a smile.”Jessica still hasn’t gotten a manager yet.”
“I-I’ll work harder!”He had no choice but to eat crow.
“Then I’ll leave Jessica to you.”
“You slippery eel!”
…
Jarrett Group had launched a public relations campaign to control the damage. Nonetheless, with Adams’s fame and his large number of fans, the damage-control effort just did not work. It was the final straw for the company.
Jarrett Group’s decline in the past few years was there for all to see. Even the connections that Jarrett Sr. took years to build had started to turn their backs on Jarrett Group.
Summer then said to Lynn, “Dad, why don’t you ask Grandpa to come home?”