With Leonardo injured and unconscious, Kate had things under her control.
Under her instruction, the bodyguards immediately apprehended Tim.
“Ms. Emerson, don’t do this! Even if Summer isn’t Leonardo’s wife, life is still life!” Tim could not believe that Kate was that cruel.
Kate had long hated Summer to the core, and when she heard what Tim said, she gave him a frosty look. “You are right. Life is life, but this is her fate!”
Tim had seen how far Summer and Leonardo had come. Just as the family of three was about to reunite, this happened.
The explosion had only affected a limited area, and they would surely find Summer if they continued the search. However, if Kate called off the search and rescue, Summer would have no chance of survival. Despite his straitlaced face on normal days, Tim was still a family man. Right then, his eyes turned red as emotion set in.
“Ms. Emerson, the young master will only hate you if you do this! It will only further damage your relationship with him.”
“This is between him and me; it’s none of your business!”
It was because of Summer that her relationship with Leonardo had sour. Summer’s disappearance was in her best interest.
In the end, Tim was brought back to the boat by force. On board, he found an opportunity to call Carl, who was making his way abroad since he had also learned about the explosion on the island.
When Kate and the others were back onshore, they bumped into Carl.
“How is Leonardo?” Carl asked Kate.
“It’s none of your business. I will take care of my brother.” Kate had an ill feeling toward Carl since the previous incident in the Golden Cauldron.
Carl squinted at her. “You better pray for Leonardo to forget Summer. Otherwise, it would be the end of the world for you when he wakes up.”
Kate was hesitant. She knew that Leonardo cared a lot about Summer, but she did not think Leonardo would abandon her as his sister just because of one woman.
“I’m Leonardo’s elder sister. There is no replacement when it comes to family.” Kate raised her chin haughtily.
Carl did not want to argue with her on that point. “Set Tim free.”
Kate may have had grudges against Carl, but Hoover City city was just that big, and they were bound to bump into each other one way or another. So, she let Tim go. After that, Kate brought Leonardo to a local hospital.
Having no sleep for two days, Tim now looked like crap. “President Jones,” he greeted.
“What happened back there?” Carl asked, his face grave.
“It’s a long story. I’m more concerned about Mrs. Emerson right now. Ms. Emerson has taken the young master with her, and he will definitely receive the best medical attention. But Mrs. Emerson might not be so lucky…”
Carl drew his brows together. “Let’s get onto the deck.”
Once they were on board, a thought came to mind and Carl asked, “Where is Rosie?”
“Ms. Emerson has taken her away. After all, she is Young Master’s elder sister…” said Tim.
Kate had every right to take Rosie with her. Even Carl could have done nothing about it. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Okay.” At least, Rosie was safe.
Not long after their boat sailed, they saw two boats coming in their directions. Carl asked Tim, “Who are they?”
Tim had a glimpse of the mark on the side of the boats. “They’re the search and rescue teams that have just left.”
…
Carl had an awful feeling when they arrived at the island. The place was totally destroyed. He bit his teeth and instructed his men, “Comb the entire area until Summer is found!”
“Aye.”
As Carl’s men spread out to search the area, Carl and Tim joined the operations. They scouted the island for a week and sent more reinforcements to comb every inch of the island. Yet, there were no signs of Summer.
Even if they could not find Summer alive, they were adamant about bringing back her body. Strangely, a week passed, then a month, then three months, but they had not found her—there was not even a trace of her.
…
Leonardo suffered serious injuries. After receiving medical attention in a local hospital for a period, he was transferred to M Country for further treatment.
Before he headed to M Country, Carl visited him. He had nasogastric tubes all over him, and aside from his face looking a little pale, he looked no different than a sleeping person.
Carl sat on the edge of the bed and said, “I’ve done my best. Tim and I searched every inch of the island, but we still didn’t find Summer. Wake up, mate. I’m not used to you not exploiting me.”
Carl mumbled to him for a while, but Leonardo remained unconscious. As he left the room, he saw Kate and a few bodyguards following her. She looked pretty unfriendly. His presence was obviously not welcome, he figured. What got on his nerves was that Kate was the kind of rich girl who liked to put on a hoity-toity appearance.
Under current circumstances, he knew that he should not tip Kate over the brink, so he talked to her nicely. “Please take good care of Leonardo and Rosie.”
Kate sneered with her arms folded, “You don’t say!”
Carl did not even want to look at her. He walked around her and left.
While Carl left, Kate glanced back at him and instructed her bodyguards, “Get things ready. We will be leaving for M Country tonight.”
“Aye.” The bodyguards left.
She pushed the door open and went in. Standing by the bed, she looked at Leonardo for a while. As if she had made up her mind, she took out her mobile phone and made an international call.
“Hello, Ms. Emerson.”
“Is that hypnotherapist up to scratch?”
“Ms. Emerson, you can rest assured that this hypnotherapist is the top expert in the field. Not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can access his service. He is a serious pro!”
“Great.”
After hanging up, Kate held her mobile phone in her hand and fell into thoughts as her eyes landed on Leonardo.
“Leonardo, it’s for your own good. What’s so great about Summer? You’ll be a whole new person when you wake up. You are the pride of our family. Let’s work together to make the Emerson family greater…”
Kate was an ambitious woman and proud of her capabilities. Nevertheless, in business, Leonardo still topped her. If there was anything that she could not do, she would let Leonardo handle it. Everything she did was to preserve the glory of the Emerson family, and as the man helming Emerson Corporation, everything surrounding Leonardo should match his stature.