“Why not? He was an expert in cajoling when he was little, the lord of the kids in our neighborhood.”There was an added sense of nostalgia in Jessica’s smile when she spoke of her childhood.
“It won’t be a problem. It’ll just be for a couple of hours.”Jessica patted Summer on the shoulder.
“Isn’t Carl going to the party?”Summer asked.
“He has enough parties on normal days. He attends all the dinners and parties every day. One less function is no big deal.”
Something else then occurred to Summer.
The fact that Leonardo was the actual owner of Tip Top Entertainment had never been made public. Also, with the exception of their close circle, no one else knew about Leonardo and Carl’s relationship.
With that thought in mind, it began to make sense for Carl to not attend the function.
By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, Jessica was already calling Carl on the phone.
Even if she could hear what he said, Summer could already imagine Carl obligingly agree to it.
Carl might have seemed like a hooligan, character-wise, but those with sharp eyes would be able to spot his affection for Jessica.
As long as Jessica wanted something, he would take her words as a royal decree. He never said no to her.
Being frank was how Carl and Jessica got along with each other.
Jessica had apparently been keeping certain things to herself, and she had never officially accepted Carl. However, judging from Carl’s behavior, it looked like he would never say die until Jessica accepted him.
It seemed to Summer that Carl would spend his entire life waiting for Jessica had Jessica still refused to accept him.
That was neither a good nor a bad situation.
After Summer and Jessica chose their gowns, Carl arrived. Rosie also happened to wake up at that moment.
Still appearing a little groggy, Rosie curiously reached out to touch Summer’s newly permed hair.
Summer coaxed her to get changed, then carried her out of the room.
When it came to cajoling children, Carl only knew one trick:candy. And Rosie loved candy.
As she happily took the candy, Carl clapped his hands.”Would you like me to carry you?”
It seemed that he had successfully bribed Rosie—she was extending her arms toward him.
Carl smiled like a Cheshire cat with his eye narrowed, calling Rosie”baby”here and there, as though she was his own daughter.
Rosie creased her brows and looked at him.”Call me Rosie.”
“Her personality is pretty similar to that of Leonardo.”Carl could not help but chortle when he heard what she said.
He carried Rosie in his arms, and the two appeared to get along well.
“I told you he could do it.”Jessica put her arm around Summer’s shoulders as she followed her gaze to look at Carl and Rosie.
Summer smiled as she went up to Carl.”Thank you very much.”
“Think nothing of it. I’m free after all.”His smile never left his face from the moment he came through the door.
Earlier, Summer had explained the situation to Rosie, who promised that she would behave and listen to Carl.
The four of them then headed out together.
It was close to six in the evening. There would probably be plenty of food at the function, but they reckoned that they would have little time to fill their stomach during the event. Hence, they went to a restaurant in the same 7-star hotel that hosted the function to get a quick bite.
After they filled their faces, Carl got a room in the hotel. He and Rosie would wait for Jessica, as well as Summer, in the room. In case anything happened, he could find Summer and Jessica in the function hall immediately.
The function was scheduled to start at 8. 00 p. m., but Summer and Jessica decided to go there early.
The crowd was still relatively small, so Summer found herself an inconspicuous spot and waited.
More guests started to arrive. Those faces she would see in the papers and on TV had also come.
As the crowd grew increasingly bigger, Summer became even more inconspicuous at the corner.
Jessica was there to accompany Summer, therefore, she stayed with Summer at the corner and occasionally commented on the passing guests.
“That guy looks like a philanthropist, but he secretly keeps several mistresses…”
“See that female celeb in the red gown? She’s married in secret.”
“Look at that guy. He’s a director. Newcomers have to sleep with him in order to get promoted.”
Summer listened with interest.”I think you’re in the wrong profession. You should have become a journalist!”
Jessica shook a glass of champagne in her hand.”There are no secrets in the entertainment industry. Those who are unclean will be exposed sooner or later. People only keep mum and play dumb when it doesn’t concern them.”
“Are you feeling tired?”Summer asked after a while of silence. Unlike the nature of Jessica’s job, Summer’s screenwriting job was more of a backstage gig.
“Not really. It all comes down to your mindset at the end of the day…”
Right then, a commotion erupted at the entrance.
Jessica got up, stood on her toes, and stretched her neck.”It looks like the big boss has arrived.”
Summer followed Jessica’s eyes and saw Leonardo pushing Michael into the venue in a wheelchair.
Leonardo was still in his usual dark suit, looking spirited. Yet, somehow, Summer sensed that he was not as fine as he looked, especially when she saw the color of his lips. It gave the impression that he was sick.
Summer pursed her lips, thinking that she could just be overanalyzing. Leonardo had always been in the pink of health, and he rarely fell ill.
Meanwhile, Michael was sitting in his wheelchair, and his hair had been meticulously cut. Perhaps he was too skinny because the suit came across as too big for him. It was even out of shape, and one of the sleeves was empty inside.
He was looking down, avoiding eye contact with everyone. But his hands that were wrapped tightly around the armrests gave away his nervousness.
It was hard to imagine that a man, who used to be active in the business world and manage Emerson Group for decades, would feel nervous at such an event.
This was Michael’s first appearance since news about his kidnapping broke out three years ago.
The sound of gasps spoke of the crowd’s surprise.
Some people felt sorry for him while some gloated over his misfortune.
The crowd consciously stepped aside to clear up a path for Leonardo.
Solemnly trailing behind was Tim.
Summer was standing at the corner with a large crowd in front of her. As such, when Leonardo pushed Michael into the venue, he probably did not notice her.
Just as she thought about it, Leonardo, who was pushing Michael and walking past her, suddenly turned his head around. His eyes looked past the crowd and landed on her.
The people noticed that Leonardo was looking in a certain direction, and they followed his eyes.
Summer quickly turned around and pretended to look in the same direction as everyone else.
However, Jessica was not getting the memo. She gripped Summer’s arm in excitement.”The big boss is looking at you. He managed to notice you even from such a distance. Is this so-called telepathy?”