Summer did not know that Karen was going to see her last time. Leonardo had never mentioned it.
Leonardo was holding her hand, walking with her at first. As she was talking on her mobile phone, she slowed down and was now two paces behind him.
Summer heard what Karen said and looked up at Leonardo, who looked back at her when she had not caught up with him.
He saw Summer staring at him with her mobile phone to her ear. He raised his eyebrows. “Come up quickly.”
“Summer?” Karen was heard saying on the other end. “Why are you silent?”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.” Summer ended the call and leveled herself with Leonardo.
He could sense that something was off with her emotion, but he did not ask, simply frowning. He held her hand as they walked into the dining room. Sitting down at the dining table, Summer did not look at Leonardo. She did not even acknowledge him when he fetched her food. She seemed to be totally engrossed in her own emotion.
Since she was on the phone earlier, Leonardo suspected that her changed emotion must have something to do with the phone call.
After breakfast, Summer did not go back to her room. She got to her feet and said, “I’m taking a walk in the courtyard.” Without waiting for Leonardo to respond, she walked out.
Douglas came over and sat down beside Leonardo. “Where is Summer going? Why don’t you follow her? You two have been like Siamese twins for the past two days. I haven’t even gotten the chance to play with her.”
Leonardo said nothing, and no one knew what was on his mind.
Getting no response from Leonardo, Douglas got up to leave. Just then, Leonardo said, “Do me a favor. Follow her and don’t let anything happen to her.”
Was he afraid that Summer would get lost in the old house or that she might meet an accident? Without giving it any thought, Douglas said, “Why don’t you follow her? Have you two quarreled again?”
He received a glare from Leonardo. Poking out his tongue, Douglas scurried out of the dining room.
Leonardo looked on as Douglas disappeared out of the doorway. He then pursed his lips and pulled his eyes back. He thought of the way Summer looked at him when she was on the phone. He could not figure out why she had that expression, so he did not want to bother her for now. He was just going to wait for her to calm down, then she might want to talk.
…
Douglas went out to the courtyard and found Summer at the arbor all by herself. A pond and an arbor were common features in old buildings like the residence.
Summer leaned on the pillar and gazed out at the water.
“Summer, what are you looking at?” Douglas ran up to her. He quivered as a gust of chilly wind blew past. “It’s so cold.”
“Why are you following me?” Summer turned to glance at him.
He put up the hood of his down jacket and sat down beside her. “Leonardo asked me to do so.”
She forced a smile and said nothing.
“Are you two in a quarrel?” He could sense that Summer was down.
“No, we’re not in a quarrel.” She shook her head.
Leonardo did not tell her that Karen had come to look for her. However, she knew that his heart was in the right place, and she should not make a mountain out of a molehill.
She would not quarrel with Leonardo just because of that. Since even if she knew that Karen was looking for her at the time, she may not have wanted to let her in and would have probably sent her home.
If not, she would have probably let Karen stay in a hotel, so there was nothing wrong with the way Leonardo treated Karen. After all, Leonardo was not even close to his own family, let alone Karen.
Yet, somehow, Summer still had a hard feeling. Karen was still her mother no matter what. Leonardo should have told her that after he sent Karen away.
Leonardo may have looked cold on the outside, but he was a very judicious and thoughtful man.
His actions in this case reminded Summer that she and Leonardo were not on equal footing. By deciding for her and not telling her about it, he probably thought that she was not capable of handling the matter by herself.
She really had nothing to show. She did not have a career, any special ability, or sufficient intellect. So, Leonardo had decided on his own to chase away Karen. He even thought it was unnecessary to tell her about it.
She and Leonardo had too many differences. His odd personality aside, he was impeccable in every other aspect.
She knew he did it for her own good, but sometimes, things had multiple facets. She could not just look at his motivation and ignore the rest.
When two people in a relationship were unequal, the relationship would not last long.
She must have been too reliant on Leonardo recently. She did not want to become a man’s accessory and have him arrange everything for her.
Douglas tilted his head in a frown as if he was in thought. “Then what happened to the two of you, then?”
“You’re a busybody, kid.” Summer chuckled.
He pouted and mimed a figure eight with his fingers. “Don’t call me kid. You’re only eight years older than me. In terms of seniority, we’re of the same generation.”
Summer sneered and said, “It’s too cold here. Let’s get back inside.”
It felt alright when she first came out, but now, she found it a little too cold. As they left the arbor, Leonardo was walking toward them with a jacket in his hand.
She increased her pace and went up to him. “Leonardo.”
Leonardo’s brows were knitted together like a dead knot. Without saying a word, he put the jacket on her and walked her into the house.
He thought Summer would have something to tell him, but she said nothing. He realized that Summer could also keep things to herself. He should have asked her directly instead of letting her brood over things. He should have known better that after he left her to herself, she would end up not telling him anything at all.
Summer thought of the telephone number that Eliza gave her. She had declined Eliza earlier, but she somehow kept the telephone number.
With her father’s personal network, Eliza could rub shoulders with many famous people in the industry. Since Eliza had said that she was willing to help, she could help Summer find someone trustworthy if she was sincere.
Summer found Eliza’s telephone number. She thought for a while and decided not to call her. Instead, she added Eliza to her Wechat contact list because she found it too awkward to call Eliza directly. By adding Eliza to her Wechat, she could first test the water.
Summer sent Eliza a friend request, attaching a message to inform her who she was. It was New Year’s Eve today, and she was expecting a late reply or even no reply from Eliza, but she was wrong. She was granted her friend request not long after she sent the message.