Instead of an answer from Leonardo, all Carl got was a disconnected tone.
He glanced at his mobile phone and let out a sigh.”That temper!”
Leonardo hung up and called Summer.
The call seemed to go through at first with a ring, but then an automated voice told him that she was out of reach.
He attempted to call her several times, but the results were the same. He then called Tim through the intercom.
“Is there anything, Young Master?”Tim came in no time.
“Book a flight.”Leonardo immediately raised his hand.”Wait, get a chartered flight.”
As soon as his voice trailed off, he got to his feet, grabbed his jacket, and headed out.
Seeing his grave expression, Tim guessed that something big must have happened. He asked no further questions.”I’ll arrange it right away,”he replied respectfully.
Leonardo rushed out of the office and drove straight home.
He packed light, and as he exited his room, he saw Rosie standing at the doorway, looking at him.”Where are you going, Daddy?”
Rosie had not seen Summer for a few days. She knew that carrying luggage meant that they were going on a trip.
Leonardo held his luggage by the handle and gazed down at Rosie.”I’m going to find your mommy.”
There was a calm steadiness that only existed in an adult’s voice.
Rosie reached out to pull the corner of his shirt.”I want to go too.”
“You can’t go. It’s too far.”Leonardo did not move her hand away but explained softly.
“But I miss Mommy and want to find her just like you,”Rosie finally expressed her thoughts clearly.
He was stunned, but there were no changes in his expression.”I never said I missed her.”
Rosie heard that and hissed, folding her arms and turning away from him.
She did not care whether Leonardo missed Summer or not. She just knew that Leonardo did not want to bring her along to find her mommy.
He pulled her up to him and said,”Stay at home and wait for us to come back.”
His voice was composed and no different from when he was in a meeting in the office. However, upon closer inspection, it was easy to spot his relaxed expression, which showed that he was not being impatient toward Rosie.
Rosie had no choice but to nod her head.”Okay.”
…
Leonardo and Carl had chartered a plane to search for Summer.
Carl’s priority was to find Jessica, but at the same time, he was also Tip Top Entertainment’s current president. If he did not go, someone else under him would handle the situation instead.
People in the production team were all from Tip Top Entertainment. His trip was naturally in his capacity as the president of the company, so he could only bring his subordinates on the chartered flight.
He and Leonardo arrived at the village in tandem. Leonardo had driven straight to the village as soon as he got off the plane. When he arrived, it was already afternoon the next day.
The situation in the village was not as bad as the reports online, but it was not good either.
Since most houses in the village were built on slopes, when the mudslide occurred, water, rocks, and mud that came down from the mountains destroyed the hillside houses directly, killing several people.
Houses some distance away from the hillside suffered damage too but not severely.
Jessica and the production team were staying in a house away from the hillside, hence they were safe.
Nonetheless, the mudslide had destroyed the cell tower built on top of the hill. Without a cell signal, no one could reach her, and she could not call anyone in the outside world as well.
“Big Boss!”Jessica’s eyes were wide open when she saw Leonardo. Why was he here?
Leonardo had no time to worry about others. He went up to Jessica, his face appearing tense.”Did Summer contact you?”
“Yeah, she did.”Jessica nodded.
His eyes brightened up, and he gripped Jessica’s shoulders.”When?”he asked anxiously.
“Two-Two days ago…”Jessica stammered, as she was surprised by Leonardo’s reaction.
Leonardo had taken a day to arrive at the village while Summer had departed two days ago. She should have arrived a long time ago.
There was a subtle change in his expression. He turned around and was about to leave.
Jessica knew that something was not right and caught up to him.”What’s going on, Big Boss?”
When she remembered that Summer told her she was visiting her, her expression collapsed.”Summer… is she on her way to visit me?”
Leonardo looked back at her, his voice calm.”She departed two days ago.”
“Are you going to find her? I’ll go with you.”Jessica’s face turned pale.
“Just wait for Carl here.”Leonardo decided for her, leaving no room for negotiation. Then, he left.
Jessica knew that Leonardo could do a better job than her in searching for people in places like that.
Even if she were to tag along, she would only become a burden to him. Thus, she stayed back in the village and waited for Carl.
Be that as it may, Jessica did not feel any less worried, even with Leonardo coming personally.
Summer had talked about visiting her, and while she was looking forward to it, she did not really think that Summer would come for real. After all, she had asked her not to come.
Little did she expect that Summer still ended up taking the trip. Now, this happened.
It had been raining for several days, but the rain had suddenly stopped today.
The rain may have stopped, but the condition of the road was at its worst.
Leonardo had only driven for a short distance before his car got stuck in the mud.
One of his men got out to check on the situation, and so did Leonardo.
As the road was built along the hill, the moment they both alighted, Leonardo heard a rumbling noise.
He looked up and saw mud, along with rocks and broken tree branches, rolling down the hill.
He grabbed his man and pulled him several steps back.
Just as they got out of the way, the mud and rocks hit the spot they were standing in a second ago and buried their car.
Mud, rocks, and uprooted trees continuously flew down the slope, cutting off the road.
Leonardo looked on, his expression grave.
If Summer had tried to enter the village in a car and the same thing happened…
His eyes landed on the car. Its rear brake lights were still exposed, but it was buried in mud and rocks.
He looked back at his subordinate.”Is there any alternative route?”
“There’s another road, but it’s been damaged by the mudslide as well. That’s why we had to use this road when we entered the village.”