Jessica held Summer’s hand and turned toward the door.
Rising quickly to his feet, Leonardo caught up with them and stood in front of Summer, holding her hand. “Follow me home.”
“No.” Summer looked down and shook his hand off her, her expression cold.
There was a fleeting frustration in Leonardo’s eyes. Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to remain patient, his clenched fist easing up and then clenching up again.
At last, he spoke with a soft voice that sounded as if he was coaxing a child. “Then, I will fetch you home in a few days.” His tone of voice was unquestionable. He was not asking but telling her.
“Let’s go.” Ignoring him, Summer held Jessica’s hand and walked out of the door.
Carl glanced at Leonardo, hesitating. “I’ll walk them out,” he said and went out.
After the three of them left, Leonardo stood stock on the spot. After a long while, he came to the sofa and sat down. Placing his elbows on his knees and popping his hand on his forehead, he leaned slightly forward, looking tired and fragile.
…
So far, the media had still not found out where Carl stayed. But Carl was still worried.
He stood at the neighborhood gate, watching Jessica and Summer until they left.
He was thinking of sending them to Jessica’s house. But realizing Leonardo was still in his house, he looked on as Jessica’s car was out of his sight and waited a few more minutes, making sure no paparazzi or anyone suspicious followed them, only then he turned and walked back. He saw Leonardo coming out of the elevator, face grim, looking at him.
“I’m counting on you for the next few days,” Leonardo said.
He knew Leonardo was talking about Summer. She apparently did not want to see Leonardo right now, and Leonardo could only rely on him to keep an eye on her.
“Rest assured that you can always count on me. I might feel strange if you don’t,” Carl said half-jokingly.
Leonardo said not a world again as he was leaving.
Carl called out to him. “What really happens this time? Is it really related to Adams?”
Leonardo slowed down his pace but said nothing and then left.
Out of the neighborhood, he called Adams while driving.
The call was picked up after the first ring as if the other side had been expecting his call.
“You finally make the call.” Adams spoke slowly with a hint of delight in his voice.
“Where shall we meet?” Leonardo’s voice was cold.
“My place.”
Leonardo hung up and sped toward Adams’s residence.
As Adams opened the door, Leonardo grabbed him by his lapel and pushed him back in while closing the door behind him.
“Why did you do that? You should have come straight for me!” Leonardo’s face was grim.
Held up by his lapel, the collar was strangling him, his face flushed. But his expression was still nonchalant. It looked as if they were not at loggerheads but two steadfast brothers of yesteryears.
“Coming for you? What for?” Adams smiled, and his voice was creepy. “Even if I come for you, you are not going to feel anything. You will only react so impulsively when it comes to Summer.”
Leonardo’s face turned even grimmer. He threw Adams on the floor, and as if that was not enough, he raised his fist but stopped short of punching him on his face.
But Leonardo had dropped him on the floor with great force. Adams screwed up his face in pain, his nonchalant expression gone.
He coughed violently before regaining his voice. “It looks like I’ve made the right bet.”
“Only a coward will go against a woman!” Leonardo forced the words through his teeth.
“So long as it works!” Adams sneered to Leonardo’s chagrin.
Leonardo glared at him for a few seconds. “You heard the conversation between Grandpa and Michael in the teahouse that day, didn’t you? This is why you have done all this.”
As if the words had agitated Adams; colors drained from his face. Pressing his hand on his own chest, Adams started to cough violently and panicked. “What do you know?”
“Why are you so afraid?” Leonardo came closer at him, his face devoid of any emotion now.
After a brief standoff, Adams guffawed all of a sudden, as if he had gone insane. He was no more in his usual high-spirited look.
“You know nothing. You won’t find it out. You will never find it out.” Adams sounded confident. After saying what he had to say, he staggered back into his bedroom.
…
Meanwhile, Summer and Jessica had arrived home safely.
“Do you want any drink?” While speaking, Jessica handed her a pair of sandals.
She took them and shook her head. Once inside, she let herself collapse on the sofa with a cushion in her arms. Jessica poured her a glass of hot water and sat down beside her. “What’s going on, actually?”
Still curling up on the sofa, Summer held the glass in her hand and started to tell Jessica what happened lately and what her conjectures were.
“How could it be possible?” Jessica grabbed her hair as if she was mad. “Adams and Big Boss are close as brothers. How could he have done such a thing? I can’t think of a reason.”
Summer nodded in agreement.
Even an outsider like Jessica would not think Adams would do such a thing. Let alone Leonardo. She was different from them from the very beginning.
Jessica had a happy family. Leonardo had been kidnapped before, but he still had his father and grandpa and other family members.
Only she grew up in a family that treated her as an outsider. She did not have the slightest sense of belonging to the Jarrett family. She had no family.
She only had Jessica as her friend. She had to learn to be independent and fend for herself, and this made her develop a very sensitive personality.
She trusted her own judgment. Leonardo had never denied it, and so she was convinced Adams was the one who orchestrated all this.
Seeing Summer looking like a death warmed up, Jessica came up to give her a big hug. “That’s not what I mean, Summer.”
“I’m just a little tired. That’s all.” Summer tried to smile, but she could not. Even if she wanted to pretend it, she just couldn’t help it.