Leonardo said nothing. He just lowered his gaze and immediately saw Summer’s hand curled around Stanley’s arm.
Stanley looked at him with a gentle smile—so gentle that it was harmless.”Hello, Mr. Emerson.”
There seemed to be some emotion in his calm voice.
Leonardo’s lips raised in an arc, and he appeared extremely cold. After that, his eyes shifted back to Summer.
Deep inside, Summer was afraid of Leonardo, especially right at that moment.
Despite that, one needed to go against the tide in order to move up in life.
So, Summer held Stanley’s arm even more tightly, which pulled them closer to each other.
Amber, who had been keeping silent beside Leonardo all this while, suddenly stood up and moved next to Leonardo with a smile.”I didn’t know that Leonardo invited you. If I had known earlier, I would’ve gone over to say hi and not wait for you to come over.”
She did not look any different from the way she did three years ago.
Speaking of which, it was the first time in three years that Summer and Amber had met and talked face-to-face.
Being Kate’s friend, Amber was not a small fish.
She intentionally made it sound like Leonardo had invited Summer, but Leonardo’s reaction of forgetting Summer hinted that Summer had come uninvited.
Amber even spoke as if she was the lady of the house.
With her extraordinary background, Amber was mature and circumspect. She could embarrass Summer with just a few words.
Just then, Stanley spoke before Summer could.”You probably didn’t know that Mr. Emerson invited me. I was worried about Summer staying home alone. That’s why I brought her along.”
Amber had not been paying attention to Stanley just now. Other than Leonardo, she did not give a hoot about other men.
Only when Stanley opened his mouth did she look at him.
Her eyes were prideful with a hint of disdain as she glanced at Stanley.
Appearance-wise, Stanley might have looked good with a pleasant vibe, but he was not in the same league as Leonardo.
Amber reached out to whisk her hair with a smile.”Oh, I see.”Her tone sounded natural.
Summer took it all in. She could understand why a woman like Amber would look down on her and Stanley.
There were always people who required a good family background, as well as other materialistic things, to push up their ego and flaunt their sense of superiority.
Summer sneered,”There are still many things that are unknown to you, Ms. Thompson. You may want to ask Mr. Emerson about them.”
Amber and Leonardo’s engagement had just been a rumor so far, and her act of sitting beside Leonardo seemed to confirm their relationship in the eyes of others. However, Summer and Amber knew how everything was.
Amber did not even have the opportunity to see Leonardo on normal days, let alone talk to him. Only Amber could understand the meaning behind Summer’s words.
“Maybe, but Leonardo and I are busy. We don’t really care about other trivial things, especially those concerning outsiders.”
Trivial things concerning outsiders?
Summer raised her chin slightly in contempt.”Is that so? You two are so busy that you have no time to talk to each other? I wonder when you guys are going to get married, then. I’m looking forward to it.”
Everyone could sense the angry but subtle exchange of words between the two women.
They knew that many women were vying to become Leonardo’s wife, but no one in Hoover had ever witnessed two women in a tit for tat in front of Leonardo, much less when the two women were closely related to him. One was his ex-wife while the other was his fiancée. There was going to be some good drama.
Amber seemed to sense that people were looking at her, and her expression was unsavory.
Nevertheless, she still forced herself to smile at Summer before gently turned to Leonardo.”I have friends coming now, so I have to go over there. Please excuse me.”
But Leonardo ignored her.
Amber was used to getting such a reaction from him. She behaved as normally as she could without appearing embarrassed.
After Amber left, Summer glanced over at Stanley.
She said nothing, but Stanley got the hint. He nodded and turned to walk away with her.
Since Summer was upset, she did not let Amber off the hook. Now that their showdown was over, it was time to leave.
However, Leonardo would not allow them to do so.
“Wait a minute.”
As Leonardo’s voice suddenly rang out, Summer stopped in her tracks.
Stanley patted her hand to comfort her, then turned to look at Leonardo.”Is there anything else, Mr. Emerson?”
“Of course, that’s why I have invited you, Mr. Bates.”Leonardo was talking to Stanley, but his eyes were on Summer.
When Summer was talking to him earlier, she was facing him, so he did not know what her back looked like. Now that her back was to him, he could see that she was wearing an open-back gown.
Compared with other women, Summer was considered conservative. Her gown only had a V-cut that extended halfway down her back.
It was not a daring attire, but it did not lack sexiness either.
Leonardo’s face collapsed as his eyes turned grave. Even his voice reeked of suppressed anger when he spoke.”Before we talk, I have something else more important to discuss with the lady beside you.”
He was almost forcing the words through his teeth toward the end of the sentence.
Stanley said nothing and just looked over at Summer, seeking her input.
“What a shame, Mr. Emerson. I’m here to accompany Mr. Bates tonight, not to discuss anything with you, Mr. Emerson. If there’s an issue, we’ll talk next time.”
She then walked away with Stanley.
The guests at the scene were struck dumb, but at the same time, they saluted Summer’s courage when they saw how she rejected Leonardo.
As such, when Summer walked past them, they consciously stepped aside and made way for her.
Leonardo looked on as the two of them left, his face still lacking expression. Yet, his hands were clenched into fists on either side.
That was a good one, Summer. Nearby, Michael was chuckling.