Summer pretended to be surprised. “Appointment?”
“Yes.” The receptionists were still smiling, but their eyes reeked of scorn.
Summer understood how they felt; she was only an ex, desperate to reconcile with Leonardo who already had a fiancée and a daughter. It did not seem like she ever wanted to give up. In the eyes of outsiders, Summer was in an embarrassing situation and on the wrong side.
“How long would I have to wait if I were to make an appointment now?” Summer asked, pretending not to notice their annoyed expression.
“The president’s schedule is fully packed. If you make an appointment now, you should be able to see him half a year later.” The receptionist gloated as if half-a-year was only a day.
“That’s too long…” Summer lamented. She knew Leonardo was busy, but she never expected him to be that busy.
The receptionist continued, “Yeah, but you may not be able to see him even half a year later.”
“It’s really hard to see him even once.” Summer pulled a sad face.
Tim walked in from the outside and heard what Summer said. His eyes twitched as his gut feeling told him that she was up to something.
Just as he was about to go up to her, Summer seemed to sense his presence. She looked back and shot him a leave-me-alone look.
So, Tim pretended not to see her and went back out. The receptionists did not see Tim, who had come in and gone out again.
“Our president isn’t any ordinary person.” The receptionist was losing her patience after talking to Summer for a while. “Do you want to make an appointment, Ms. Jarrett?”
“So you do know me, don’t you?” Summer pretended to be surprised.
“There isn’t a person in Hoover City who doesn’t recognize you, Ms. Jarrett.” The receptionist did not bother to pretend anymore.
“Really?” Summer smiled. “Then, I’ll just leave you to it.”
“Aren’t you making an appointment, Ms. Jarrett?”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll call him directly.” She smiled at the receptionists as she moved aside toward the sofa to sit down and give Leonardo a call.
The receptionists did not give Summer’s statement a second thought. They kept gossiping about her among themselves after she left.
“I’ve never seen such a shameless woman!”
“It’s all over the news, yet she still has the nerve to come and look for our president. She knows no shame!”
“She isn’t giving up even though our president has a daughter!”
“She’s trying to ruin another couple’s relationship.”
Everything was within earshot, and Summer heard everything they said. That was how those people passed remarks about her. Even so, she just chuckled and could not have cared less.
Finding a place to sit down, she called Leonardo on the phone.
The phone rang twice before it was answered.
“What’s up?” Leonardo asked after he picked up the call.
He would habitually ask “what’s up?” or “anything?” every time he answered her call.
“I’m in the lobby downstairs. Meeting you is so difficult, Young Master Emerson. Even with an appointment, I can only see you half a year from now. What should I do?”
Leonardo could hear the sarcasm in Summer’s voice.
“Where is Tim?” His tone remained unchanged.
“I’m here to look for you. Why are you asking about him?”
Only then did Leonardo realize that Summer wanted him to receive her in person.
He had no idea what Summer wanted, but since she was there and she wanted him to go down and receive her, he obliged.
“Give me a couple of minutes.”
As soon as Leonardo’s voice trailed off, Summer heard a chair being pulled on the other end of the phone.
She knew he was coming. There was no fun; he had obliged so easily
After hanging up, there was nothing else to do but wait, so she scanned her surroundings.
She was keeping an eye on the elevator, so the moment he arrived, she spotted him.
Leonardo had also spotted her immediately, and he strode toward her.
Summer sat with her arms folded in front of her, gazing at him indifferently.
Leonardo sized her up, his face impassive. “You came alone?” He held out his hand to hold her.
She instinctively avoided him, but his hand caught hers anyway. He pulled her up and walked her to the elevator.
The receptionists saw what happened, and their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
As if that was not shocking enough, Summer looked back and waved at them. “Bye. I’m going up now.
Each receptionist had a plastic smile on her face, especially the one who talked to Summer earlier; the way she smiled made her look as if she was crying.
“Did they slight you?” Leonardo asked after they got into the elevator.
She knew that he was talking about those receptionists in the lobby.
“No.” They did what they did, and it was entirely natural. She did not think that she had been slighted.
Summer said nothing more, and Leonardo did not ask further.
“Have you viewed the wedding dresses?” Leonardo asked her again when the elevator doors opened.
“No.” She looked up slightly, her expression pallid.
Summer could feel his hold over her hand tighten slightly, but she said nothing.
“I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
Summer did not look too enthusiastic.
They arrived in front of his office, and he opened the door to let Summer go in first. Then, he closed the door behind him.
“Would you like to drink anything?” he asked.
“Water, please.”
He got up and fetched her a glass of water.
She took it in her hand, and he sat down in front of her. “Aren’t you busy?” she asked.
Before Leonardo answered, she continued. “I heard that your schedule’s fully packed for the next six months.”
“Even if my work schedule is fully packed for the rest of my life, no work is more important than you.” His reply was a matter of fact. It did not sound like he was cajoling her.
She glanced at him and took a sip. “Really? I’m that important?”
“Of course.” He looked intently at her. “At least, you’re more important than you think.”
Summer nodded. “There’s nothing to prove that.”