**Downstairs.**
"Mr. Hollings might be tied up right now."
The receptionist held the phone to her ear, waiting until the unmistakable tone of an unanswered call before she reluctantly hung up and apologized to Summer, who was standing nearby.
She recognized Summer, knowing her to be the boss''s sister. However, with no appointment andpany policy clear in her mind, she hadn''t dared to let her go
up.
Summer''s grip on her phone tightened. Even as she''d been dialing Emmitt''s number for the fifth or sixth time, with no response, she had anticipated this oue. Yet, she clung to a sliver of hope, asking the receptionist to try thendline just in case.
Now... thatst thread of hope had snapped. Summer''sugh was tinged with self-mockery.
She had thought Emmitt might show a shred ofpassion, but it was clear she had expected too much.
She was just Summer, after all. No matter how close they had been before, she likely didn''t hold a candle to his own flesh and blood.
Sensing Summer''s spirits gging, the receptionist was about to offer some words offort when she noticed the boss''s assistant stepping out of the elevator. She waved him over quickly.
"Mr. Wang."
Mr. Wang looked up, catching only a glimpse of Summer''s profile, not her face. He paused for a moment before approaching the desk. "What''s the issue?"
It was only when he drew closer that he recognized Summer, and his expression shifted to one of surprise.
He had just been discussing the Gilbert family upstairs, and now here she was... Mr. Wang was sharp, and considering the situation with Gilbert Corporation and the boss''s sudden change of mood in the office, he pieced together that the call must have been about the Gilberts.
"Uh, Mr. Hollings''s sister is here to see him. Is he avable? I tried calling but there was no answer," the receptionist exined.
Summer''s eyes, weary and dim, met Mr. Wang''s. Her paleplexion only added to her forlorn appearance.
Mr. Wang felt an awkward twitch at his temple. He nodded to Summer before saying, "Mr. Hollings is at a business dinner, not in the office right now."
The receptionist, puzzled, chimed in, "Um, I''ve been downstairs the whole time and didn''t see Mr. Hollings leave..."
Mr. Wang cleared his throat, cutting her off. "You might have missed him; he''s definitely not in the office."
"Right, maybe I was in the restroom and didn''t notice," the receptionist added, trying to reconcile the discrepancy.
"Yeah." Mr. Wang looked back at Summer, maintaining a polite tone. "Ms. Summer, is there something you needed from Mr. Hollings? I can pass on a message."
Summer''s lips twisted in a bitter smile. "No need."
It was clear to her that the assistant was just making excuses to send her away.
Without another word, she turned to leave, only to pause after a few steps. She looked back at Mr. Wang. "Tell Emmitt for me, ''To go to such lengths, to be so ruthless... I guess decades of brother-sister affection don''t amount to much.""
Mr. Wang watched Summer''s retreating figure, his brow furrowing slightly. To go to such lengths? To be so ruthless?
Weren''t those words a bit too harsh?
After pondering, Mr. Wang decided to ry Summer''s message to Emmitt via Messenger.
*
Standing at the curb, Summer watched the cars passing by. For some reason, her mind was flooded with memories.
The years spent with the Davis family seemed exceptionally vivid at that moment. Those memoriescked the careful tiptoeing life with the Gilberts demanded, the icy family ties of the Gilbert household. With the Davises, she might have been willful, but she was cherished by her parents and indulged by her older brother... Tears pricked Summer''s eyes as regret washed over her.
But regret was useless now. From the moment she chose to return to the Gilberts, her current fate was sealed.
The warmth of those bygone days would never return.
"Meet me at 8 PM tonight."