Jessica was grinning from ear to ear, almost putting her hands to her face. However, she fought back the urge because Leonardo was right in front of her.
“You’re adorable too.” Jessica was likely infected by Rosie because her voice ended in a higher pitch when she spoke. Rosie smiled bashfully, which was rare for her. She covered her face with her hands while she still held the chopsticks. She was a little gourmand through and through.
When Leonardo finished filling the bowl and mixed everything together, he saw Rosie and Jessica “teasing” each other with their eyes. He suspected that if he had been away for just a few seconds, this woman would have surely taken Rosie away.
“Anything else?” He squinted at her, his voice colder than before.
“Huh?” Did she not tell him that they knew each other a long time ago? Yet, it sounded as if Leonardo was shooing her away. She was right, and Leonardo told her the next second, “If there’s nothing else, you can go now.”
“Big Boss, I…”
It was not like she could see Leonardo every day. There was no way she would leave just like that.
She knew that both Summer, as well as Leonardo, had lost their memories, and she had decided not to tell Summer about Leonardo. But now, things were different; she was face-to-face with Rosie, who was Summer’s biological daughter, a part that was carved out of her body. Even if Summer and Leonardo were not destined to be together in the end, Summer and Rosie needed to know that they were mother and daughter. Summer had the right to know who her daughter was, just as Rosie had the right to know who her biological mother was. An adorable child like her deserved everything, including love from her mom.
Seeing that Jessica had no intention of leaving, Leonardo warned her, “You’re a public figure. Don’t you care about your image?” Without waiting for her response, he took out his mobile phone, seemingly wanting to call the security personnel.
Jessica gritted her teeth and slammed her hand on the table. “One last word and I will leave.” She sounded solemn. Leonardo looked up at her, and Jessica swallowed before she continued, “Amber is not Rosie’s biological mother. Your elder sister is lying to you.”
Seeing that Leonardo’s face was turning more sullen by the second, she could only say so much for the time being. Leonardo was nice to her in the past because of Summer. However, she did not know what Leonardo would do to her now if she offended him by insisting on not leaving. She figured that she had better leave, so off she went.
When Rosie looked up from her bowl and found that Jessica was no longer there, she raised a finger and asked, “Pretty lady?”
A grain of rice, a piece of veggie, and leftover soup were stuck at the corner of her mouth. Leonardo reached out to wipe them off. Not getting her answer, Rosie became restless and turned to search for Jessica.
Leonardo cupped her head with his big hand so she would remain face-to-face with him. Rosie opened her mouth, blinking as she looked at him. “Where has the pretty lady gone?”
“She’s not a pretty lady.” Leonardo corrected her.
“She is.” Rosie frowned.
Leonardo’s brows were also knitted together. “She’s a strange woman.”
He had nothing against Jessica at first, but Jessica kept staring at Rosie. Women nowadays were strange; they all came for either him or his daughter.
“She is pretty—”
Rosie wanted to say otherwise, but Leonardo cut her off. “Follow my words: she is a strange woman.”
“A strange woman.” Rosie still had a powerful desire to learn, and she repeated what Leonardo told her.
Feeling pleased, Leonardo said, “The next time you see such a strange woman like her, stay as far away as you can and don’t talk to her.”
Rosie nodded despite not fully understanding what that meant.
Fruits were served after dinner, and Leonardo let Rosie eat a few slices of them. Before long, Rosie’s eyes started to close involuntarily, and she spread out her arms, telling Leonardo to carry her in his arms. She was usually well-behaved and would only do that when she was sleepy.
Leonardo lifted her out of her chair and placed her in a position where she could snuggle comfortably in his arms. Only then did he begin to eat.
His food was already cold. Leonardo nibbled on it a bit and called it a day. He then brought Rosie back to the room. She remained soundly asleep even when Leonardo wiped her face and changed her clothes.
Once he was done and just about to go into the bathroom, his personal mobile phone rang. It was a string of numbers he did not recognize. The guy who was known as Tim was calling him. After he switched the mobile phone to silent mode and made sure that Rosie was still soundly asleep, he sneaked out of the bedroom to answer the call.
The moment the call went through, Tim habitually greeted him as “Young Master”. Leonardo took note of this and asked, “Have you decided?”
Tim was silent for a moment before he said, “Come hell or high water, I will be there as long as you need me, Young Master. I’ve quit my current job and will report for work at Emerson Corporation tomorrow.”
He did not give his answer immediately because he needed time to tie up some loose ends. It was not that Carl was unwilling to let him go. In fact, it was the opposite. However, Tim had a strong sense of responsibility. He had to make sure that everything was settled and in place before he left.
Leonardo was silent, surprised by Tim’s capability and circumspection. After a few seconds, he said, “Come to the Golden Cauldron tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
…
The next morning, Tim arrived at the Golden Cauldron while Leonardo and Rosie were still having their breakfast.
A hint of surprise flashed across his face when Tim saw Rosie, who had also noticed his stare and looked up at him. Perhaps, those who had children possessed a common trait; they would all involuntarily look and smile at children whenever they saw them outside, all the more so when Rosie was Leonardo’s daughter.
Tim had witnessed how Leonardo grew from a ruthless youngster to a mature and steady man. Seeing Leonardo again, he became emotional.
People said that children had sharp instincts; they could sense whether a person was a friend or otherwise. When Tim smiled at Rosie, she also returned a smile.
“Have you had your breakfast?” Leonardo asked without looking at him.
“Yes,” Tim quickly replied as he came out of his thoughts.
Leonardo tested the temperature of some milk before he gave it to Rosie. He then said casually, “I need you to do a background check on someone.”
“Who is the person, Young Master?”
Leonardo looked at him. “Summer.”
Tim could not hide the shock in his eyes, and Leonardo had noticed it too.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
For a moment, Tim thought that Leonardo had regained his memories. Sadly, the way Leonardo looked at him told him that Leonardo still treated him as a stranger.
After a moment of hesitation, Tim replied, “No, nothing.”