The revelation of Leonardo’s identity had impacted Summer.
Previously, her colleagues still talked to her, perhaps because they thought Leonardo was a cripple, and they found some sense of balance. But now, after the truth surfaced, they were looking at her through colored lenses. Some buttered her up, while some treated her with disdain. They probably thought Summer had deceived them or something.
Summer could more or less read what they were thinking, so she did not make a fuss about it.
“We’ve been treating her like a friend all this while. It turns out that she’s just playing the victim, and Leonardo is healthy. She must have been laughing her head off at us.”
“Please don’t say that. She was probably kept in the dark too.”
“Come on, how could she not know?”
“Forget it, sigh. Look at the latest hot search. Adams…”
The voices vanished as the women disappeared out of the door. Summer was standing inside a cubicle in the washroom, waiting. It was only after the few women left that she came out.
People liked to judge, but on the other hand, she had also kept the truth about Leonardo from them. No one was being truthful. Since they were merely acquaintances, she just let it ride.
Summer turned on the faucet to wash her hands. As she wiped her hand with a paper napkin, she heard high heels clicking outside as if someone was in a hurry. The sound got louder and closer to the washroom.
Summer binned the paper napkin and headed toward the door. Just then, she saw Vicky in front of the door, looking like she was ready to bite her nose off. She pushed Summer back into the washroom and closed the door behind her, face sullen.
“Summer, I’ve really underestimated you. How dare you! You kept me in the dark about Leonardo, and now you’re hooking up with Adams!” Vicky was forcing her words through her teeth, her eyes spitting fire.
It surprised Summer to hear Adams being mentioned. Vicky was up in arms, and she did not look like she was there to simply pick a fight.
Since Summer said nothing, Vicky thought it had to be an admission and scorn. Agitated, she raised her hand and was about to slap Summer on the face.
After fighting with Vicky for so long, Summer knew a thing or two about Vicky’s temperament. As soon as Vicky raised her hand, she knew what she was up to and caught it in the air. While not as skillful as Jessica was, her quick reaction was more than enough to deal with Vicky.
Summer’s lips curled up, and her cat eyes were icy cold. “Other than slapping me at every turn, what can you do? Gang bang? Be unreasonable?” Her words were sharp and scornful.
“Shut up! Who are you to teach me?!” Vicky tried to pull her hand back but it was to no avail, and she got even angrier.
“Who are you to tell me to shut up? Do you think you’re my mom?” Summer sneered at her. “Even if my mom comes, do you think I’ll submit to her?”
Summer suddenly remembered that the few women had talked about Adams and the hot search a while ago. Seeing that Vicky was holding a mobile phone, she snatched it from her. The screen was still on, and a garish, eye-catching headline on a microblogging site caught her eyes.
It was about Adams and his exposed secret lover
Summer was shocked when she saw the hot search. She scrolled down and saw a photo of her and Adams at the airport. It was from the time she returned after the business trip. The photo was slightly blurry, and their faces were barely visible, but those who knew them would recognize them at first glance. The photo depicted Adams carrying luggage and walking in front while Summer was following him with her head down.
Another photo, taken at the parking lot, though showed nothing intimate, implied the scene of a couple.
Summer’s expression changed. She handed the mobile phone back to Vicky, pushed her away, and headed out of the washroom.
“Summer, stop. You have to explain yourself!” Vicky was rooted to the spot, startled by Summer’s actions earlier. Only after Summer was out of the door did she give chase.
Summer sent Adams a message as she walked away. There was no reply from him; he was probably busy. Adams needed to come forward to clear the air.
Not long after, Adams replied, attaching an address. “Let’s meet up and talk.”
By then, Vicky had caught up with her. “Stop! You better explain yourself!”
Not in the mood to talk to Vicky, Summer grabbed her handbag and left.
Once she exited Jarrett Group, Summer took a cab and headed toward the venue that Adams had given to her. Upon arrival, she found herself in front of a high-scale tea house. As she paid the cab driver and waited for the change, Adams was seen coming out of the teahouse. His expression told her that something was not right. His face was pale, and he looked depressed.
“Lady, here you go.” The driver handed her the change, his voice drawing her attention back from Adams.
“Thank you.” She took the change and got out of the cab. By that time, Adams was gone. She searched around, but he was nowhere to be found, so she texted him again.
“I’m here. Where are you?”
There was no reply. She called him, but there was still no answer. Thinking of Adams’s strange expression just now, she called Leonardo.
The phone rang twice, and he picked up, answering with his familiar low-pitched voice. “You’re in the office?” His magnetic voice was pleasant, putting her at ease.
“Have you seen the hot search online?”
“What hot search?”
Leonardo had just come out of a meeting while the hot search on Adams surfaced not too long ago. He apparently had no clue what she was talking about.
Just then, Carl came in. “Leonardo, something’s happening! Adams and your wife are on the hot search!”
Summer could hear Carl’s voice over the phone; he was talking loudly. She and Adams were innocent, but Carl made it sound like they were not.
Leonardo was silent for a moment before he said, “Now I know.”
Her heart skipped a beat, fearing that he would misunderstand the thing. “It’s from the airport that day. We may have been secretly photographed.”