Summer saw the familiar figure and was a little dumbstruck.
“Leonardo?” she mumbled.
The chauffeur’s reaction was a lot quicker. He got out of the car and opened the rear passenger door for Leonardo. After getting into the car and seeing the surprised look on Summer’s face, Leonardo said, “I saw you earlier.”
“How did you see me?”
“I saw the car.” Reaching out to draw her into his arms, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and held her hand in his. “Next time, if you’ve come to look for me, just tell me. Otherwise, you might get angry with me if I don’t get to see you.”
She pulled her hand back. “That’s how you see me? When have I ever gotten angry with you because of such a petty thing?”
“No, never.” Leonardo nodded his head, seeming serious.
She gave him a couple of good punches, but he felt nothing of them and held her hand again.
“Let’s go for lunch,” he said.
Summer must have not eaten yet since it was just about noon, Leonardo figured.
“I noticed that you were with your dad. Don’t you have important things to do?” She really did not want to hold him up.
“Having lunch with you is even more important.” While he spoke, he put his hand on her belly. “There are now two of you. I can’t let you both go hungry.”
Summer shot him a look, and he smiled.
…
The two of them found a restaurant. Knowing that Summer’s preference had not changed drastically, the dishes he ordered were all of her favorites.
She indeed felt a little hungry and immediately dug in. Leonardo did not eat that much, though. She put a piece of potato into her mouth and asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“I’ve eaten.” While he spoke, he put one more chicken cube in her bowl.
As her appetite had grown recently, Summer finished nearly half of the food. Thinking of the termination of Adams’s contract, she could not help but ask, “I saw the trending topic on Weibo. Were you the one who canceled the contract?”
She did not mention Adams, but Leonardo knew what she meant.
“Yeah,” he answered.
Speaking of Adams, the relaxed expression faded from Leonardo’s face. Adams had been present in court, which meant that he was prepared to get Vicky out. Since Adams was dead set in opposing him, the battle lines were drawn, and he would hold nothing back. This was only the beginning.
After getting an affirmative answer from him, Summer fell into silence. The termination of Adams’s contract signified that they were parting ways. She thought of Leonardo’s lengthy and emotional Weibo post earlier, and frowned.
“Have you talked with… him?” Maybe he has some unspeakable reason?” She almost habitually called Adams “Elder Brother”.
Leonardo was silent. After a while, he looked at her. “Summer, you know better than I do; no dignified person would allow himself to stoop so low whatever the reason is.”
Everything that Adams had done, including hooking up with Vicky, had destroyed his very last image. Leonardo did not seem to feel particularly sad; it was more like he felt sorry for Adams. Summer could not tell exactly what she felt. After all, Adams was just as unfathomable as Leonardo was. Everyone had a reason for doing things, but that should not be an excuse to do evil.
…
Once Leonardo had decided on something, there was usually no turning back. News about the termination of Adams’s contract had broken out, and all major media outlets had been scrambling to get a hand on the news. Many Weibo Masters had also given their two cents on the matter.
The internet had been flooded with the topic for several days. However, Summer found that other than those rubbernecks and Adams’s fans, the rest had only followed the topic because of XN, the founder of Tip Top.
On the day that the news broke out, XN, Tip Top’s founder, had posted on his Weibo. “Adams and Tip Top have agreed to terminate his contract. Please stop speculating. We have been working hand-in-hand for ten years. All the best.”
The simple and concise post had been forwarded thousands of times. Some netizens had even run some in-depth analyses on the Weibo post.
“XN sounds helpless.”
“I don’t get why Adams would want to terminate his contract with Tip Top Entertainment.”
“I think it’s just like what everyone is speculating: Adams wants to run his own show.”
“Allow me to make a prediction. Adams might not fare better if he leaves Tip Top.”
Everyone seemed to think that it was Adams who wanted to terminate his contract with Tip Top. It was a logical conclusion, though. No company would want to fire an actor who was raking in millions, and Tip Top should be no exception. Their initial conclusion was that it was Adams who wanted to part ways with Tip Top Entertainment. In the very beginning when the news broke out, Tip Top’s PR Department had been subtly creating the impression that it was Adams who tore up the contract. Even netizens had the same opinion.
When Adams saw that Tip Top had successfully controlled the narrative, he thought he may as well not say too much. So, he released a lengthy Weibo post, thanking Tip Top Entertainment’s past support and guidance, and expressing his gratitude toward XN, the founder. His Weibo post had received countless likes.
News about Adams terminating his contract with Tip Top lost its momentum as New Year drew near. Many companies were starting to close for the festive season.
At this time, the police contacted Summer, requesting her to go to the police station. It was about Karen. She immediately contacted Lynn, but he did not pick up her call. Fine, she told herself and headed to the police station alone.
When she arrived, she did not only see Karen, who was safe and sound, but she also saw Jerome. Karen was wearing a maroon overcoat, some makeup, and carrying a branded handbag, which was of the latest style for the season. She did not look like she had been missing and suffering.
“Summer.” Jerome smiled when he saw her.
Summer furrowed her eyebrows and ignored him. She went up to Karen and asked, “Where have you been all this while?”
Karen held Summer’s hands. “I didn’t go anywhere. After quarreling with your dad, I went to stay in Jerome’s place for a while. Tell you what, Jerome has been taking care of me all this while. You have to thank him.”
Summer was not used to being this close to Karen. With her brows still knitted together, she pulled her hands back. “Since you’re fine, go home now.”