There was a short silence before Leonardo replied to Summer.
As if sensing some discomfort, he changed his posture, and darkness engulfed his face. Then there
came his lazy voice, "I believe you wanted to break up with me just several days ago, but now you are
saying we should get back together."
He smiled after a pause, "What? It has only been a few days, and you can't stand being away from
me?"
The lights were dim for the intended amorous ambiance in the private rooms of the club.
Summer could not see his expression behind the veil of darkness, so his voice provided the sole
indication of his state of mind.
His tone was obviously dismissive.
They both said something hurtful that day.
She had been somewhat in a trance since she left his villa, but seeing him with Amber at the banquet
today made it so real.
She sensed he was done with her.
He used to shun the like of Amber, but this time Amber was actually his plus-one.
The thought that Leonardo was sharing his bed with another woman to send her the message
disturbed Summer.
Her head was a mess.
She was too proud to demand a clear answer from him, so she came up with this childish move to get
him to come to her.
Carl was known to be the boss of Golden Cauldron Club, but he was smart enough to inform Leonardo
about the mess Summer had made there.
Actually, Summer was betting Leonardo would come. Fortunately, he did come. However, it made her
feel worse.
Summer was sitting in the light, so Leonardo could see her expressions.
Despite her calm countenance, her hands were clenched with one on the top of the other.
"Mr. Emerson, you are just so full of yourself, aren't you? I wonder why I missed that." She sneered,
"Get over yourself. You should know you are only here to tell me about Rosie."
For some reason, she felt the air was thinner and colder after she said that.
She frowned slightly. Was it nothing or the tension that followed her lies?
She noticed a beer before her when she looked down, so she picked it up and took a sip to relax.
However, instead of offering some relief, it brought the walls closer together.
Leonardo finally broke the silence.
"Have I ever stopped you from visiting Rosie? If you really want to see her, just do it. I don't recall
thwarting your attempts."
He raised his wrist to check his watch. "If there's nothing else, I am leaving."
As he spoke, he stood up.
she immediately jumped to stop him, "Wait!"
He turned his head to look at her, his eyes brimming with impatience.
She looked embarrassed as she said, "What about the fake wine?"
"I will make sure you don't pay a penny for it." Leonardo stretched out his hand to pull his tie wearing a
more impatient look.
Summer just didn't know what else she could say, her eyes dull.
Leonardo had been cranky, brusque, and indifferent the whole time being in the same room with her,
and all that negative emotions were wearing her down. It was getting harder for her to breathe through
all the shock and bleakness.
Her lips moved but no words came through them.
Leonardo felt it was the end for their awkward conversation and turned around to leave.
Surprisingly, he stopped after taking a few steps.
The delight of hope lit up her eyes, but the next moment they dimmed again with the cold sound of his
suggestion.
"One more thing." He tilted his head slightly without looking at her in the eyes, his voice gravelly and
icy, "You should keep your hands off alcohol the day before you visit Rosie."
Then he strode away.
And he slammed the door shut. Summer slumped back in the sofa with blank eyes. She reached for
the beer and gulped it down.
It tasted bitter, but she was still sober.
She threw away the empty can, and it made a crisp sound when hitting the ground, rolling out of sight.
Summer shouted, "Give me wine! Just give it to me!"
The attendant waiting outside the door came in immediately. "Ms. Summer, you've drunk plenty of it.
Please stop and let me drive you home."
"Home? I don't want to go home." Summer raised her eyebrows at him and poked the table hard,
saying word by word, "I said give me wine!"
She emphasized the word "wine".
Whoever came to the Golden Cauldron Club was either rich or in high places, and Summer had ties
with the Emersons, so a man with a menial job as attendant didn't dare to ruffle her feathers and did
what was told.
He found himself unwanted after bringing what she demanded.
Summer, however, felt even more clear-headed as she tried to drink her way out of this emotional
mess.
Wearing a frown, she lifted the wine bottle before her eyes and muttered to herself, "Is it really ... fake
wine?"
She leaned on the sofa in a daze and curled up, looking all torn up.
"Summer?" She vaguely heard someone calling her.
It sounded like a man. Leonardo?
No, Leonardo had just left. How could he come back?
Besides, since when did Leonardo call her that way? He never sounded needy.
"Well." Summer sneered at herself and ignored the voice.
"Heavens, how much have you drunk?" The male voice was closer.
She squinted at its owner for a while before saying his name in a questioning tone, "Carl?"
Carl exclaimed, "You actually know it is me after drinking so much. You really know how to hold your
liquor!"
She struggled to get up and wanted to grab a bottle again. "I am glad you came. Drink with me."
He gripped her arm and said, "Alright, no more drinks. I'll drive you home."
"What? I'm not going home. I want to keep this party going." She slammed the black card in front of
him and bragged, "I will pay the bill! Hit me with the best you get here!"
"It sounded like...." Carl curled his lips when he saw the card. "But, you are clearly the winner in this
case."
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