Summer had no doubts whatsoever that if she wanted the stars in the sky, Leonardo would get them for her. Judging from his abilities, he may just be able to do that. As she thought to herself, she could not help but smile in self-deprecation.
After she got changed and went downstairs, she saw Ava smiling at her.
“Please eat something before you go. You haven’t eaten anything since this morning. Fill your stomach with something.”
The moment she brought the dishes to the table, Leonardo asked her to take them back to the kitchen. Summer had been having a bad stomach for the past few days.
Whenever Ava saw her, she would ask her to eat. Summer was puzzled by his actions. Ava had superb cooking skills, and she loved every dish Ava made because they tasted fantastic.
“Okay.” Seeing the concerned look in Ava’s eyes, Summer did not want to disappoint her. She went into the dining hall while Leonardo waited in the living room.
When Ava brought the food to the table, the aroma wafted into her nostrils. Even the food’s appearance aroused her appetite, so without further ado, she dug in.
Seeing Summer finally regaining her appetite, a smile spread across Ava’s face.
She sat facing Summer, watching her eat with a gentle look in her eyes. Then, she sighed. “The young master was gentle and well-mannered when he was little. Everyone loved him. It was only after a tragic event that he’s become what he is today. He’s a good man, but sometimes he doesn’t even know what wrong he’s done. Don’t keep things to yourself. Lay your cards on the table and press your point home.
“That kid may look cold on the outside, but he’s soft on the inside,” Ava lamented as if she was thinking of the past.
Summer was startled, hot fluid seemingly surging in her eyes. No one had ever told her these things. Jessica was concerned about her, but she was just as afraid of Leonardo. So, aside from helping her bash Leonardo, she just did not have a better idea.
Ava knew Leonardo since he was a child. She loved him dearly and treated him as her own. What Ava said really struck a chord. In other people’s eyes, she was the wife of the young master of the Emerson family, sugar-coated with a glorious halo. No matter what Leonardo did, be it good or bad, people always thought that Summer should bury the hatchet and make up with him. Only Ava looked at them as an ordinary couple, just like any other, and she comforted her with sincerity as well as earnestness.
“I know, Ava.” Summer nodded in acknowledgment.
She knew that Leonardo was not inherently horrible, that he treated those who were close to his heart and his weaknesses. But what he did this time had made her stand her ground.
The weakness of humanity was that once there was the first compromise, there would always be another compromise later. What complicated the problem now was that it was a matter of principle.
Leonardo had experienced a tragic incident in his life, but as the heir to the Emerson’s business empire, he was the most favored person in the family, and this had shaped his self-supremacy attitude: dominating and adamant, for better or worse.
However, Summer was not going to play his game. This time, she would stand her ground. But then, she was really curious to know what Leonardo was like when he was a child.
“Ava, please tell me about Leonardo’s childhood.”
“The young master was absolutely lovely when he was small. When going to parties, his grandpa would bring him along every time, because the grandpa felt proud. Those little girls, and even boys, would surround him…”
After listening to Ava talking about Leonardo’s childhood, she had a hard time linking the child Leonardo and the adult Leonardo. The child Leonardo was helping little girls unwrap their candies, but the adult Leonardo could pierce a person to death with his eyes. Time must be a thief. As it steals happiness and youthfulness from people.
When Ava talked about the child Leonardo, she just could not stop, and Summer was listening with interest. At first she just wanted to grab something to eat and go, but now it had been an hour.
Coming out of the dining room, she found Leonardo had dozed off on the sofa. His chin rested on his hand with his elbow on the armrest. Five o’clock shadow had started to appear on his face, but it was not obvious. And he looked tired.
She was looking at Leonardo so closely for the first since quite a while ago. Only now she realized he had lost some weight and become even colder and more fearsome. Perhaps her gaze was too intense; the man suddenly opened his eyes.
He was still in a trance for a while, but within seconds, he recovered his senses and sat upright.
“You ready?”
Summer nodded. As they went, Summer realized he had brought no bodyguards with him.
“Where do you want to go?” He asked as he started the engine.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Anywhere. Let’s just have a stroll.”
“Okay.” His expression was unchanged.
He decided to bring her to the Golden Cauldron. As they arrived at the destination, Summer’s lips curled slightly as she texted Jessica, “The Golden Cauldron.”
Jessica replied with a string of dots. Apparently she had no words for the venue, too.
Still looking at her mobile phone and texting Jessica a reply, Summer suddenly sensed a body leaning at her. Shocked, she turned her head and saw Leonardo was helping her unbuckle her safety belt.
His eyes were on the belt release as he helped her, not glancing at her phone at all. When it was done, he pulled himself away and got out of the car.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she took her mobile phone and got out. As the parking lot was opposite the Golden Cauldron across the street, they had to cross the road to go into the building.
Summer checked her left and right, making sure it was safe to cross, then she led the way. She had always been walking as if she was in a hurry.
While trying to catch up with her, Leonardo looked in a direction as if by instinct. An out-of-control black car was coming in Summer’s direction at high speed. His heart was in his mouth, but he had no time to think. He lunged forward faster than his brain could react. Within two, or maybe three paces, he was right behind Summer. He pulled her back into his arms, and amid the chaos, they both fell to the ground just as the out-of-control car flew past above their heads and crashed into the guardrail at the parking lot.
“There is an accident!”
“Call the police!”
The security personnel outside the Golden Cauldron was witnessing everything.
Leonardo hugged Summer in his arms, feeling as if his heart had stopped beating, everything around him was silent. Summer heard the noise around her and only then she realized what had happened.