Summer did not wrap her arms around his neck because she was resentful of him.
Leonardo did not mind that, appearing to be in a good mood. He instead spoke sarcastically. “Summer, you burned down my mansion just to stay in this hellish place?”
Like the last time, Summer had chosen to stay in the same type of inn where she did not have to show her ID when checking in. She could not have complained about the condition, though the area was full of drug addicts, criminals, and all.
She pursed her lips and said nothing. Winner takes all. Now that she was caught, she had lost, and she had nothing to say.
When they went downstairs, she saw no one in the lobby. The inn owner and other guests must have had the wits scared out of them by Leonardo’s arrival. He came with his army of bodyguards, all tall and burly, dressed immaculately in suits, not the type which you would want to mess with. No wonder people were afraid of them.
His car was parked right in front of the inn. A bodyguard opened the car door for him, and he carried Summer into the car.
As soon as she sat down, she shifted as close to the window as possible. But Leonardo got hold of her wrist and pulled her over. Given his physical strength, Summer was pulled close to him and drawn into his arms. He hugged her with one hand and held the back of her head with the other as he came down with his thin lips.
His kisses were not gentle, let alone skillful. They were overpowering and rough. Holding her head and chewing her lips, his breathing was heavy. It was not until Summer felt pain in her lips that he pulled away.
She pressed her lips together. They felt numb.
Too exhausted to push him away, Summer just asked with an indifferent voice, “Are we going back to Hoover City now?”
“You’re still thinking about playing cat and mouse with me?” He did not let go of her. Instead, he cuddled her tightly in his arms as if he was afraid that she would run away again.
“It’s late at night, and I’m tired. I don’t want to travel for the entire night,” she said, letting out a yawn.
It was an excuse. She did not want to admit defeat. She did not want to be brought back there, where she could imagine what kind of life awaited her. There would not be any changes in how they treated each other. Leonardo would still want to be in control of her—so much so that he could even tighten his grip on her.
She thought of the news report she saw on TV that day and looked at Leonardo. “Did you leak the news to the media?”
Leonardo knew what she meant, although she did not say what news. He stroked her cheek with a strange gentle look on his face.
“Of course. If not, they wouldn’t dare say my wife died in the fire.”
No matter how aggressive the media was, they would not dare to offend the Emerson family, because, in a sense, the Emersons owned Hoover City.
Summer had just realized that by letting the media say she was dead in the fire, Leonardo could even perfectly justify his control over her because the whole world thought she was dead. A chill ran up her spine when she thought of this.
Leonardo felt her body stiffen. There was a hint of a knowing look in his eyes as if he had read her mind. He kissed her forehead lightly and said, “We will find a hotel to stay for the night and go back to Hoover City tomorrow.”
She resented his touch, his body stiffening like a rock. Yet, she could not object but just let him bring her to the hotel. If Leonardo’s temperament was anything to go by, her setting his mansion on fire had surely angered him. She was lucky that he had not exploded on her since he found her. She did not want to provoke him now.
…
Leonardo had chosen the most expensive hotel in town. It was a thousand times better than the budget inns that Summer had stayed in before.
Once in the room, Summer sat on the bed like a statue.
He took off his jacket and ordered her. “Go take a bath.”
Only then she moved, carrying his order like a robot. As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, Leonardo followed and came in after her.
“What are you doing?” She frowned.
He broke into a faint smile. “To see you, of course.” His voice was low and grim.
“It’s not like I can run away now.” Summer snickered.
“Who knows? You even dared to set my mansion on fire, let alone this hotel.” His voice sounded matter of fact.
She was struck dumb by his witty reply. She dared to burn his mansion because she bet that Leonardo would not give a damn about the house. But it was different when it came to a place like this hotel. No matter how daring she was, she would not be so insane to set a hotel on fire.
She saw his unyielding attitude and knew that he would not give in. So she might as well undress and bathe in front of him. She sat in the bathtub with her back facing him. But even then, she could feel his glaring stare sort of scorching her skin.
Summer steeled herself and finished her bath. After that, Leonardo wrapped her with a towel and carried her back to the bed.
Just then, someone knocked on the door outside. Leonardo went to open the door, then came back with a bag in his hand. He placed the bag on the bed. “Get changed,” he said before going into the bathroom.
She opened the bag and saw a sleeping gown; the fluffy material felt delicate to the touch. Knowing that she could not challenge Leonardo now, she kept her nose clean.
When Leonardo came out of the bathroom and saw her sitting on the bed, dressed in a sleeping gown, he smiled in satisfaction. He came to her and leaned forward, giving her a peck on the lips and spoke with rare gentleness.
“That’s more like it. Don’t anger me again.”
Summer clenched her fists. She neither resisted nor gave any other response.
Leonardo saw the subtle reaction and took it all in, but he was not angry. He just drew her into his arms.
“Now, go to sleep,” he said.
She had been running for the past two days and not having proper meals or sleep. As much as she resented Leonardo in her heart, she still could not fight the drowsiness, and she fell asleep in no time.
Leonardo looked at her with a frenzied expression as if saying, “You won’t be able to escape.”