Leonard''s gaze shifted,nding on the painting of the vibrant flowers.


    "The Williams family... those selfish, cold-blooded people could never create something so full of emotion. The artist must have visited the Williams estate''s back garden at some point."


    Simone Lerman knew nothing about art, so she couldn''t glean much from the painting. "Fine," she said in a low voice. "Let''s say Summer isn''t from the Williams family. But that painting of the woman''s back is clearly Aurora Williams. What if he''s just another one of her admirers?"


    Leonard stared at the painting. "I have a feeling the person in this painting isn''t Aurora. Also..."


    He trailed off, lost in thought. "That silhouette seems familiar, like I''ve seen it somewhere before."


    Simone was adamant. "That''s because it is Aurora. That''s why she looks familiar to you! Leonard, if you really like her, it''s not like we''repletely out of options..."


    She was about to press her point when a notification pinged on Leonard''sputer.


    He saw an unread email in his inbox and immediately forgot about Aurora, moving to his desk to open it.


    It was a reply from Summer.


    Simone noticed Leonard''s expression soften considerably as he read it. That ridiculous feeling crept over her again. It clicked into ce: he was using this faceless, genderless stranger online to distract himself from the dead-end pursuit of Aurora.


    What if Summer was a man? Would her brothere out of the closet? If word got out, people would assume Leonard had been so devastated by Aurora''s rejection that he''dpletely given up and spiraled. The thought of Leonard with another man sent a shudder down Simone''s spine.


    However, Leonard was paying her no attention at all. He waspletely absorbed in an email exchange with Summer. It seemed Summer was online, because the replies wereing quickly.


    "Sorry, I was away on an urgent business trip for a few days and didn''t have a chance to check my email."


    Leonard typed back, "It''s good to know you''re okay. I was worried something might have happened when I didn''t hear from you."


    Summer replied, "I''m fine, just been incredibly busy."


    ????


    Simone watched over his shoulder and saw that their conversation was perfectly tonic, just the kind of casual chat friends would have. There was no hint of flirtation. After a few minutes, she grew bored. She couldn''t understand what Leonard found so exciting about waiting for these simple replies every day.


    Seeing that he waspletely engrossed and had forgotten she was even there, Simone knew he wouldn''t be paying her any more attention. She said a quick goodbye and left.


    It took Ste Cameron three full days of work before all the details of the partnership were finalized. Back in her hotel room, she opened her faptop and sent the contract materials to Aicken. Only then did she notice the emails from L''in her inbox.


    When she read his message-"It''s good to know you''re okay. I was worried something might have happened when I didn''t hear from you"


    asmall smile touched her lips She had a feeling L wasn''t very


    skilled at socializing. In today''s


    terms, he was probably a bit of an introvert.


    With the contract settled, she finally had some free time and began to reply to his emails, striking up a conversation.


    A little whileter, a new message from L arrived.


    "I was worried when you didn''t reply for days, but I had no way of contacting you. I


    was wondering..... would you be willing to share a more direct way to get in touch? If


    you ever need help, you can reach out. Maybe I can be of assistance."


    Ste had enjoyed their long correspondence. It wasn''t just about their shared interests and simr experiences; she genuinely felt a connection with him. She decided to trust her gut.