Leonardo looked on as if he were an outsider while Kate defended herself feebly. In the end, she had to cut her riposte short when she received an icy stare from Leonardo.
“Are you done?” Leonardo sneered.
Kate’s lips moved, but she could not find her words.
He smirked and returned to his reading room. Closing the door behind him, he walked to the vast window. The chilly night rain continued to fall outside as the plants under the dim street lights cast shadows into the garden.
The rain had no signs of stopping anytime soon as the wind picked up its pace.
Leonardo gazed out the window for a while, the scene of Summer and Stanley standing together suddenly flashing across his mind. He found the picture too glaring.
…
After Summer and Stanley were back in the house, Summer had a hot shower and changed into a set of clean clothes.
When she came out of the bathroom, Stanley had made her a bowl of hot ginger soup and brought it to her.
“It might be a little hot.”
Summer took the spoon, and a memory apparently struck her; she seemed to remember that someone had made her ginger soup before. She inadvertently dropped the spoon back into the bowl as she felt like her head was about to explode. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand on her forehead.
“What’s wrong?” Stanley noticed her reaction and quickly leaned forward to check her out, his voice filled with concern.
“Just a little headache…” Her voice was weak.
Stanley’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you remembering something?”
“No…”
The headache went as quickly as it came. She shook her head and turned to ask Stanley. “Did you make me ginger soup in the past too?”
“What do you think?” Stanley asked back meaningfully.
She chuckled. Stanley had always been circumspect and thoughtful; he rarely joked with her like that.
“You know I remember nothing.”
“That’s not important.” Stanley hurried her by saying, “Drink the soup before it gets cold.”
Summer finished the soup. It was late at night, so they just cooked two bowls of noodles for dinner. While Summer ate, she thought of Leonardo and Rosie.
“That Mr. Emerson looks unapproachable, but he’s very affectionate toward his daughter.”
Stanley paused with his chopsticks in hand. “What do you think of him?”
“I can see that he loves his daughter very much as a father, but his temperament is a little weird.” While she spoke, she nodded and was sure of her observation.
“Is that so?” Stanley acknowledged her but said nothing else.
Summer looked up and saw Stanley’s reaction; he seemed to be deep in thought.
“Are you all right?” She rarely saw Stanley with such an expression. “Are you facing any problems at work?”
“No.” He shook his head with a smile. “Let’s eat.”
Summer continued to eat her noodles while Stanley fell back into his thoughts. They both did not seem to know what the other was thinking.
…
The next day, Leonardo was driven to work just like any other day. But halfway to his office, he instructed his driver, “Take me to Tip Top Entertainment.”
“Aye.”
After the incident the day before, the driver did not want to question his decision. Not long after, they arrived at their destination. The driver stopped the car just across the street in front of Tip Top Entertainment’s building. Leonardo glanced at the building’s entrance and told the driver, “Go ahead and tell Carl that I am looking for him.”
Off the driver went. Soon after, the driver came back with Carl. Another man with a straight face had tagged along. Based on his looks, he was definitely a cautious and steady person.
Carl looked at Leonardo in disbelief. “You wanted to meet me, Leonardo?”
Every time he tried to see Leonardo in the past, he would be shooed away instantly. It never crossed his mind that Leonardo would come to him instead. People tended to lower their expectations after multiple failures. He previously found Leonardo heartless because Leonardo did not ask him out for dinner, but now, he was content with just being able to see Leonardo.
Leonardo pulled his eyes back and replied with an “Mhm.”
Carl opened the car door and got in. Turning to glance at Tim, he said to Leonardo, “You should let Tim come in too. Don’t you remember him? He was your special assistant for many years.”
After Leonardo got injured in the explosion, Kate fired Tim, who then went to work for Carl in Tip Top Entertainment. Leonardo looked at the straitlaced man and nodded subtly.
Carl, who had been rejected for a hundred times, was flattered and he looked at Leonardo in disbelief. “You… Have you recovered your memory?”
“No,” Leonardo replied coldly.
“Then, what is this all about?” Carl asked cautiously. He felt like he was an out-of-favor concubine who was suddenly being summoned by the emperor.
“Were we very close in the past?” Leonardo asked.
“Of course.” Carl sighed. “Except for me, who else can stand your ill temper and be friends with you?”
Leonardo’s face darkened when he heard that. He may have lost his memory, but his temper never changed a bit.
Carl chuckled. “I tell you what, besides me, Tim is the next person closest to you. He worked for you for many years.” He pushed Tim who was sitting beside him. “Am I right, Tim?”
Since Tim was dismissed by Kate, he had only seen Leonardo on TV. It was his first time seeing Leonardo in person in three years. Their positions were so different, after all, so it was no surprise that they did not see each other all this time. Tim became a little emotional and nodded as the thought came to mind.
Leonardo’s eyes scanned the two for a while. He then took out a business card and handed it to Tim. “I still need a special assistant. Call me once you’ve decided.”
Carl was struck dumb. Was Leonardo not looking for him today? Then why did Leonardo hand Tim his business card instead?
Tim took the business card, feeling flattered.
Leonardo retracted his hand and faintly said, “I have to go to the office now.” He was indirectly telling Carl and Tim to get out of his car.
Carl and Tim looked at each other. They had not figured out what Leonardo meant, but they followed their submissive intuition and got out of the car.
Leonardo looked at both of them as they went away, and something occurred to him. He woke up three years ago with only Kate by his side. After he lost his memory, he naturally trusted his blood sister, Kate. But recent events had made him question himself. Kate was not as trustworthy as he initially believed.