Michael curled his lips and smiled with an inscrutable expression. “Leonardo followed his mother, and the matter with the old man had raised his suspicions. He would find out about us sooner or later, so, of course, I had to take precautions.”
Violet seemed to have found her panacea of strength after she heard him say that, and she heaved a sigh of relief. “That really scared me.”
Michael reached out and patted Violet on the shoulder. “Relax, he can’t be me no matter how smart he is.”
Violet frowned and was still rather worried.
…
After the filming of The Lost City commenced, everything was smooth-sailing.
Summer would be with the crew mainly because this was the first time her script had been adapted into a series. While it was only a web series, it felt very new, and she would head over to the crew whenever she had time.
However, she had not been around recently.
The filming for The Lost City had been going on for almost a month now, and the first half of it had already been filmed. The latter part needed to be filmed elsewhere.
Due to the need to film outside, there were many people in the film crew, and they needed time to prepare, so the crew took two days off.
With Eliza on a break, she asked Summer out for a meal together, and the place happened to be the Golden Cauldron.
Summer readily accepted her invitation.
Although it was Eliza who asked her out, Eliza arrived later than her.
Summer waited for more than ten minutes before Eliza arrived.
“Sorry, I got caught in a jam,” Eliza said apologetically.
Summer shook her head. “It’s okay, I just arrived myself.”
The two ordered food and then talked about matters relating to the film crew.
Suddenly, Eliza seemed to recall something as she asked her, “Have you heard a recent rumor?”
“What rumor?” Summer was not surprised. Eliza had a good family background and was in the entertainment industry, so she had many channels to learn about certain bigshots or celebrities. It was not surprising anymore.
“It’s related to the Emerson family,” Eliza said mysteriously.
Summer’s expression froze, and she asked, “What is the rumor about?”
She had not seen Leonardo for a few days now, and every time she called him, he was busy.
When Leonardo called her, they barely exchanged any words before he had something to do every single time.
Therefore, she had rarely contacted Leonardo as of late, and with her not going out, she had not heard of any rumors.
“Some people say that Michael had a mistress outside and even had a child.” Eliza’s tone became disdainful. “Everyone still thinks Michael is a dedicated man. Neither has he remarried so many years after his wife died nor have there been any gossip…”
Summer was startled, but very quickly, she recomposed herself. “Isn’t that just a rumor? It could be false.”
“Yes. After all, everyone is chasing after shadows nowadays, I know an artist who squatted on the ground due to an aching stomach, but a paparazzi took her photo and said that she saw her ex-boyfriend with a new beau, so she squatted on the ground crying…”
Summer was at a loss for words.
“But this matter is affecting Emerson Corporation quite badly, and their share prices have been falling in the past two days.”
Eliza was clearly very interested in the matter of Michael’s illegitimate child. After she said that, she asked Summer, “I’ve only met Michael a few times, what do you think of him? Do you think he’s the type to have a b*stard outside?”
Summer subconsciously shook the drink in her glass, and after pondering about it for a moment, she said, “I’ve rarely had any contact with him, and I’m not clear what kind of person he is…”
Fortunately, Eliza did not delve deep into the matter, and as they chatted, they started to talk about scandals and gossip involving other artists.
Summer was listening to it all rather absent-mindedly.
As she listened to Eliza talking, she took out her phone and looked for news about the Emerson family online.
Sure enough, there was a media report about Michael being suspected of having an illegitimate child.
It was obvious that the media still had an acute sense of self-preservation by putting the word “suspected” at the beginning of it.
If what Violet said was true, that meant Michael was a rather loyal person relationship-wise.
The comments on the Internet were mixed.
“I’m sure that someone is out to screw with Emerson Corporation.”
“Do you know who the Emerson family is? No one dares to screw with the Emerson family.”
“Leonardo: Do you take me for nothing?”
“If that’s true, then Michael’s image as a loyal partner is about to collapse upon itself.”
“It’s been a day or two since the news broke, and I haven’t seen Emerson Corporation responding to it. Perhaps it’s true…”
Seeing this comment, Summer could not help but feel suspicious.
Was the “rumor” actually released by Leonardo?
Actually, the “rumor” itself was not a rumor. After all, Michael did indeed have an illegitimate child.
Summer put down her phone and looked at Eliza. “How long has this rumor been out?”
“Several days already,” Eliza said as she looked at Summer with a smile. “You’re still concerned about the Emerson family’s affairs. To be honest, you still aren’t over Leonardo, are you?”
Summer smiled nonchalantly. “I’m just a little curious.”
“You’re not denying it.” The smile in Eliza’s eyes deepened.
Summer raised her eyebrow, and Eliza quickly said, “Right, right, back to business. The film crew is going to another province to start filming, are you coming along?”
Summer shook her head and said in a ridiculing tone, “Nah, I’m not going. The script is fine now, and I’ll simply take up another room and lunch box.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “Thank you for thinking of ways to save the crew’s money all the time.”
…
Eliza just mentioned the matter of the “rumor” to Summer, but the latter could not let the matter rest in her heart.
On the way to the washroom, she could not help but give Leonardo a call.
When the call connected, Summer heard noises on Leonardo’s end.
Summer looked at the time. It was seven o’clock in the evening, and she asked, “Still busy in the office?”
“No, I’m having dinner outside.” Following his voice, Summer heard his steady footsteps. “Anything?”
“Nothing.” Leonardo was eating out, and Summer did not plan on asking more.
She hung up and walked out of the washroom. Just as she walked across the hallway to the main hall, she saw Leonardo walking out of the elevator alone.
The weather in early September was still very hot, yet Leonardo did not seem to feel any heat, wearing a complete suit.
Leonardo walked out of the elevator without any expression on his face and had the typical cold demeanor that repelled anyone else as he walked toward a room.
Summer wanted to call out to him, but he was walking too fast. Since she had no time to call him, she simply followed him from behind.
She saw Leonardo entering a room, and when the door was closed, she noticed that no one else was in the room.
Who was Leonardo having dinner with?