Summer tried to say something more, but she did not know what to say.
Leonardo let go of her, and his voice was gentle. “It’s time for an afternoon nap.”
Summer had developed the habit of taking a nap after lunch.
It was not a long nap, just some shut-eye. Right then, she could not think of anything else and just nodded her head.
She lay in bed and closed her eyes but did not expect to fall asleep.
However, it turned out that she did.
Watching as Summer fell asleep, Leonardo tucked her under the duvet before he left.
Gently closing the door behind him, he went out into the courtyard and stood under a jujube tree.
His mother had planted the tree when he was little. He just could not recall when exactly.
It was the dead of winter, and the jujube had shed all of its leaves. However, there were no leaves under it because the maid came and cleaned up the courtyard every day.
Footsteps approached him from behind, followed by the voice of Adams.
“They all say we are very close, but all they see is just the surface,” Adams said. Both of them stood almost at the same height and looked evenly matched as they faced each other.
Adams finally smiled, his voice as gentle as ever. “You fired me and smeared my good name just for Summer’s sake. So much for our brotherhood.”
Leonardo did not even blink an eye and was unfazed by what Adams said. “You’ve trampled all over your own dignity for a woman like Vicky, so you’re no better.”
It sounded like an insult to Adams. His face contorted into a hideous expression all of a sudden. “Who do you think you are to look down on me?”
Leonardo still had no expression on his face. “It’s true that I look down on you. If you’re a real man, you should have come straight for me, not target a woman, especially a pregnant one.”
Vicky tried to ram Summer with a car earlier only because Adams had abetted her. As a result, it angered Leonardo.
“One more thing, I didn’t have to use cyber troopers to smear your good name. After you left Tip Top Entertainment, you became a nobody. You’re just Adams. Who knows what others will do to you?” Leonardo did not mean to despise him, but to Adams’s ears, he sounded scornful.
“Your dad has invited me to join Emerson Corporation!” Adams clenched his fists as he fought back his anger.
“That’s up to you,” Leonardo responded casually. He then checked the time. Summer would normally nap for forty minutes to one hour. He still had time for a ciggy before he returned to the room. Taking out a pack of cigarettes, he started to light up.
It seemed to be a terrible slight against him, so Adams gave Leonardo a stare before he left the place.
Leonardo had become reticent since the death of his mother when he was a teen. Due to Douglas, Adams became closer to Leonardo. When Leonardo founded Tip Top, a movie production company, he joined and their relationship grew even closer.
It was only ten years ago that Adams achieved adulthood.
He had been his daddy’s good boy since he was little, but at that age, everyone was rebellious. So, he joined the entertainment industry and kept his family in the dark. He did not have high hopes or plans when he joined the industry, and he did not like the job either.
Back then, he did not think that Leonardo would grow Tip Top Entertainment to what it was today.
However, life was full of unpredictability. Just like he did not plan to join the entertainment industry, he ended up working in it for ten years.
During those ten years, Tip Top Entertainment grew to become the top dog in the entertainment world. Ten years had forged his relationship with Leonardo.
If… But there was no “if” in life.
Adams arrived outside his room. He went in and locked the door behind him before he went up to a safe. He took out the key to open it, and inside were two copies of DNA test results.
His lips curled up in a faint smile. Taking the two copies of DNA test results, he went into the bathroom. He stood at the basin and proceeded to light the reports with a lighter.
He watched as the two copies of DNA test results burned. His life had plunged into the abyss because of those two DNA tests. Turning on the faucet, he let the water wash the ashes away.
His life had become meaningless. He had been taking his life so seriously for the past 28 years, yet it turned out that it was merely a joke.
…
Leonardo took a couple of puffs before he put the cigarette out. He glanced in the direction Adams left in before he turned around and left. Just then, he noticed a shadow behind an evergreen plant. He strode over and saw Douglas trying to sneak away.
“Where are you going?” Leonardo squinted at him.
Douglas looked back, all smiles. “Hi, Leonardo.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Not-Nothing.”
With just a glare, Leonardo made Douglas tell him everything.
“I walked past earlier and saw you and my brother here. So…” He could not hold his curiosity and decided to hide behind the plant and listen in on their conversation. From what he heard, he knew that their relationship had ruptured.
Douglas appeared a little sad, and his voice was soft. “You and my elder brother, what happened? Weren’t you two on good terms before this?”
Leonardo was thinking about ignoring the question, but seeing Douglas’s sad face, he said, “Ask your brother.”
Douglas looked at him, confused. He knew what was being discussed online, but that only added to his confusion.
Leonardo found Douglas annoying, but he still patiently explained, “He was the one who made Summer and himself end up on the trending topic list. He was also the one who orchestrated the illusion that Summer was a third party and a mistress.”
During that time, Douglas had been staying with Adams. He had seen the news online and even jokingly told Summer to get together with his brother.
“Why did he want to do that?”
“You’ve got to ask him, then.”
Leonardo stopped short of telling him that Adams had abetted Vicky in ramming Summer with a car. Douglas was still young, but he had watched as Douglas grew up to be a kind child, even though Douglas could be annoying sometimes.
Leonardo sighed as he patted Douglas on his head and left. “Go back to your room. It’s cold out here.”
Douglas suddenly called out to him. Leonardo looked back and saw him frowning.
“At the height of the gossip surrounding him and Summer, he went to the hospital several times, but he wasn’t sick. It looked like he was investigating something.”
Leonardo’s expression changed. He then nodded in acknowledgment.