When he was at Summer’s place the other day, he had told her not to exceed five days.
What did she just say over the phone? She would only be back in ten days or so! She had never taken him seriously.
Tim did not know what exactly happened between them. It did not help when Leonardo never elaborated on his statement. So, Tim dared not make any comments.
After a long while, Leonardo took a deep breath. “Get this message out, I’m holding a party in the Golden Cauldron tonight.”
“Aye.”
Leonardo had never organized any party before. With his stature, if he wanted, every notable figure would come to the party.
Tim could already imagine the lively scene tonight, but the young master chose to only tell him now?
Tim checked the time. His watch told him that it was six in the evening, when business in the Golden Cauldron was at its peak.
If Leonardo wanted dinner and accommodation, he had his own reserved private room and suite. However, holding a party in the function hall would be a problem.
After all, Leonardo had never attended any event, let alone have his own party. So, the Golden Cauldron would not have reserved the function hall for him.
Leonardo may have founded the Golden Cauldron, but it was Carl who ran the show. From that perspective, holding a party tonight did not seem very easy.
Just as Tim was about to speak, Leonardo cut in. “Maybe tomorrow night.”
Tim breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll have it arranged, then.”
Leonardo leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
Whenever he thought of Summer not being in Hoover City, being out of his range of influence thousands of kilometers away, he would feel uneasy, and everything would not be to his liking.
However, he did not feel particularly different when Summer was around him.
Was it because he was used to her being around him? He pressed his fingers against his brows. He had stressed that her trip should not be over five days, yet she turned a deaf ear.
…
After work, Tim remembered that Summer was not home, so he drove directly to Leonardo’s place.
They would usually pass by the street near Summer’s apartment, but going to Summer’s place required them to turn into a small road.
Leonardo had been having dinner at Summer’s place recently, so he was very familiar with the area.
When they drove past a junction, Leonardo’s voice came from the backseat. “Turn into that junction.”
Tim looked up in surprise, and from the rearview mirror, he could see Leonardo knitting his brows together slightly.
“Mrs. Emerson isn’t home. You still want to go there?”
Leonardo glared at him through the rearview mirror. “Who told you I was going to her place?”
Tim choked. He had no response.
He did as he was told. Tim directed the car into the junction and drove into the neighborhood where Summer’s apartment was, stopping the car downstairs outside the building. He only made a U-turn and drove away when Leonardo told him so.
It rained in Hoover City that night, and the rain continued to fall the next morning.
“It’s the middle of autumn now. Such heavy rain is unusual,” Tim said casually as he fetched Leonardo, who looked out of the window at the world whitened by the rain. His brows were slightly pulled together.
Leonardo was not as finicky as yesterday, but he looked unsettled.
Tim sent a cup of coffee into the president’s office. After Tim placed the cup in front of him, Leonardo accidentally dropped it to the floor, and the cup broke with a loud clunk.
Hot coffee spilled all over Leonardo’s hand and dripped down his fingers. A patch of his skin turned red from the burn.
Tim had only turned around and taken a couple of steps when that happened. He quickly hurried to the lounge and came back with a wet towel to apply to his hand. “Are you all right, Young Master?”
Leonardo gloomily glanced down at the broken coffee cup on the floor.
“I’ll clean it up immediately.” Off Tim went, and he soon returned with the necessary equipment.
Right then, Leonardo’s mobile phone rang. He did not know why, but his heart skipped a beat.
He grabbed his phone, and when he saw that it was Carl calling, he was surprised to find that he felt relieved.
“What’s up?” he answered the call calmly.
“I’ve arranged everything for tonight’s party, but I’m not going. I have something to settle out of town.” Unlike his usual casual tone, Carl sounded a little solemn and worried this time.
What was causing everyone to go out of town recently? Summer had gone, and now, Carl too.
“What happened?” Leonardo asked.
“It doesn’t really concern you. Our company started shooting a new drama series in the western mountain region, but it’s been raining nonstop. News came that there was a mudslide, and I lost contact with the production team. So, I need to go and check it out personally.”
Tip Top Entertainment had been placed under Carl’s management all these years. Leonardo was the president, but he was not the one running things.
With Emerson Group to take care of, Leonardo had enough on his plate and no time for Tip Top Entertainment. If it had not been for the company’s survival, Carl would not have come to Leonardo.
During Leonardo’s three-year absence, Carl had been running the company on his own and gaining vast experience.
“You can just send someone else. You don’t have to go there.” Leonardo was calm.
“No, Jessica’s part of the production team too. I have to go. I’ve lost contact with her for the entire day today. I need to find her and make sure she’s all right.”
He waited for Leonardo to speak as he finished, but there was no response. He thought Leonardo did not want to talk about it. “I need to get on the first flight tonight—”
Before he could finish, Leonardo cut in. “Are you talking about the production team that Jessica’s working with? In the tiny village in the western mountain region, where it takes two days to get there from Hoover City?”
“How did you know?” Carl was surprised.
Leonardo was no longer involved in the company. As omniscient as he was, he could not have known so many details.
“Summer’s gone there too, supposedly to visit Jessica. She departed yesterday morning and should have arrived by now.” Leonardo sounded unusually calm on the other end.
Carl was transfixed for a few seconds before he uttered a few curse words. “Have you contacted Summer? Will you go with me?”