Jerome apparently did not believe her. “What now?”
Jerome was much smarter than he was before. It was not easy to bluff him.
“I don’t know. Maybe it was the breakfast.” Summer looked at him, screwing up her face as if she was in pain.
It had been a long day since Summer escaped from Leonardo this morning. Judging by her pale face, she did not look good indeed.
Jerome glanced at the boarding gate. “I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you.” She got up and let him walk her to the ladies’ room. She was now a patient and allowing Jerome to hold her. Arriving outside the ladies’ room, Jerome waited outside while she went in.
Inside the ladies’ room, Summer was nervous as she leaned on the door, waiting. She would only go out at the last minute before the boarding closed. She had to think of a way so that Jerome would miss the plane. She got the feeling that Jerome was someone who was not to be trifled with. He was no less mean than Leonardo now.
The final boarding announcement was being broadcast. Summer sorted herself out and walked out of the ladies’ room. Outside, Jerome had become impatient. But he still controlled his emotions and sounded concerned.
“You have been inside for a long while. Are you feeling better now?”
“I’m fine.” Summer shook her head and walked slowly.
The final boarding announcement told them that the boarding gate was about to close. Jerome was apparently nervous as he started to pick up his pace.
Just then, a middle-aged woman was walking past in front of Summer. She got an idea. Glimpsing at Jerome, she reached to snatch the boarding pass from him and groped the buttock of the middle-aged woman as she walked past. The woman felt she was groped and looked back.
Summer raised her hand and slapped Jerome on the face. “You shameless jerk!”
Jerome was none the wiser. “What?”
“I saw it! You just groped this lady…” Summer turned to look at the middle-aged woman but said nothing.
The middle-aged woman heard what Summer said and thought that it was Jerome who touched her. Although he was rich and good-looking, he was a man and the middle-aged woman believed Summer. Pushing Jerome, the middle-aged woman snapped, “Young man, how could you be so shameless?”
Jerome’s face changed. “I didn’t touch you.”
By now, he already knew what Summer was up to; she wanted to prevent him from boarding the plane.
As he sneered and was about to speak again, a few big guys came up to him. One of the burliest guys with a strong accent spoke. “Did you touch our boss’s wife?”
Summer was startled; the middle-aged woman was the wife of some gangster head? Jerome did not have bodyguards with him. He would be at a disadvantage. Summer could not have cared less now. Jerome would get some good beating from these men at most. While he was still surrounded, she mouthed a sorry at him, then ran toward the boarding gate and boarded the plane. The plane closed not long after.
She sat not far from the door, eyes fixated at the entrance. But she did not see Jerome boarding. When the plane finally took off, only then her frayed nerves eased up. She turned to look out the window as the plane punctured through the clouds. She was miles above ground now, but she still felt it surreal.
It was only last night that she was mentally prepared to go back with Leonardo, but she was on a plane flying across the ocean toward the other continent.
After a long while, Summer’s lips curled up in a smile. Goodbye, Leonardo. He could never expect that she could escape from him. She could imagine how furious Leonardo was now.
She reached to rub her belly; her smile becoming gentler. From now on, she and the child would have to fend for themselves.
…
At the airport entrance.
Leonardo brought a group of men strode in through the VIP passageway. When they found Jerome, he had been beaten black and blue.
Leonardo grabbed Jerome by his lapels and demanded with a grim and hoarse voice. “Where is she?”
Just getting beaten like mad, Jerome gasped in pain as he made out that the person was Leonardo. Squinting and smiling, he said, “You are talking about Summer? She is gone. And to make her escape easier, I have made her a new identity. You won’t be able to find her again.”
While the entire world thought Summer had died in the fire, he had been planning for this. No doubt, he was angry that Summer gave him the slip and boarded the plane alone, but he found some comfort at seeing a man like Leonardo, who thought he could get whatever he wanted at whim, angered by Summer.
Leonardo furrowed his brows and threw Jerome to the ground. He was so angry, and he used such great force that Jerome slid a distance before he came to a halt on the ground. Jerome curled up his body and did not utter a word.
Leonardo walked up to him, squatted down in front of him. “I must have missed something; the Patel family still has someone like you.”
He had been too careless. He had thought that Jerome was insignificant, but it was Jerome who screwed him up.
Jerome felt pain all over his body. He could not utter a word but still squeezed a distorted smile. Leonardo was furious and gave him another kick on his body. Just then, the airport security personnel arrived.
Before Leonardo left, he instructed, “Find the woman, whatever it takes!” He forced the words through his teeth.
Tim brought the bodyguards and went to check which flight Summer was on, but bad news. As Jerome said, he had given Summer a cover identity to aid her escape. They could find nothing about her.
At last, they returned to find Jerome, but he had left in his car and was on the way back to Hoover City.
Leonardo was furious and gave chase. In the end, he finally forced Jerome and extracted information from him about Summer’s cover identity. But the cover name of Summer was one of the most common. The worst thing was that Jerome could not remember the ID number.
Jerome looked at Leonardo and gloated over his reaction. “Summer is abroad now and using a cover identity. On top of that, she’s so smart; do you still think you can find her?”
Leonardo laughed. “Do you think Patel Corporation will last until tomorrow?”