Chapter 118 Dreams of the Past
The rain had been a restless, on-and-off affair all night. Elijah hadn't come home, and the worry had chewed away at Elysia's sleep, leaving her frayed and unrested.
It wasn't until she scrolled through her Facebook feed this morning that she learned why. A section of the levee along the Starlight River had breached. He'd been there all night, leading the emergency response team, working frantically to plug the gap, which they'd finally managed to secure in the darkest hours before dawn.
As the first gray light of morning filtered into the kitchen, Elysia was already up and making breakfast. She had pancakes sizzling on the griddle for Caroline and a pot of creamy oatmeal simmering on the stove for Leopold. The soft shuffle of footsteps behind her made her turn. Caroline stood in the doorway, eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Why are you up so early?"
Caroline padded over to stand beside her. "You were up even earlier."
Elysia flipped a pancake, its golden-brown surface a perfect circle. "I have to get up early to make you guys breakfast."
Leaning against her mother's shoulder, Caroline murmured, "Thank you for everything, Mom."
"Is Leopold awake?"
"Not yet."
"Dad didn't come back."
"No," Elysia confirmed, her voice laced with a familiar mix of pride and resignation. "The levee broke. Elijah and his team were out there all night doing damage control."
"It was that serious?" Caroline reached for her phone, then stopped. He must be exhausted after a night like that, probably catching up on sleep now. "I'll call him later today."
Elysia sighed softly. "It's not easy for him. From the day he took office, all he's ever wanted to do is get things done, solve real problems. When you carry the weight of so many people's livelihoods on your shoulders, you have to make sacrifices. Try to be more understanding of him."
For years, the dynamic between father and daughter had felt more like a C-suite executive and a subordinate than a family, a formality that had always kept Caroline at a distance.
"I know," Caroline said, her feelings a complicated knot in her chest.
"What time does Leopold have to be at work?" Elysia asked, changing the subject.
"Him? Last night, he said he was waiting for a call today." Caroline took the spatula from her mother's hand. "I'll take over."
With her hands now free, Elysia moved to the counter to toss a salad.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Leopold was drifting in a hazy, half-conscious state, pulled back into a memory from his childhood.
He was back in that moment when Gemma had first found out about Preston's illegitimate son. She had shown up at their door, a furious entourage in tow, ready for war. The housekeeper, unaware of the storm about to break, had let them in. The second Gemma crossed the threshold, she started smashing things. The room descended into chaos as she shrieked at Quinlan to get out of Seaside City, her vitriol then turning on Leopold. He was just a first-grader, and a pack of hostile adults was hurling insults at him. Quinlan had pulled him behind her, shielding him with her own body as Gemma's slaps and her men's fists rained down on her.
Her eyes wild with rage, Gemma grabbed a table lamp and lunged toward Leopold, spitting vile words, calling him a bastard, an unwanted weed. As the lamp swung toward his head, Quinlan threw her arms around him, holding him in a desperate, protective embrace. The heavy base of the lamp crashed against the back of her head. Blood instantly gushed from the wound, staining his school uniform a deep, horrifying red.
Leopold's eyes flew open. He stared at the ceiling, the memory still sharp and brutal after all these years.
His gaze swept across the unfamiliar surroundings, and he remembered he was in Caroline's room. He draped an arm over his eyes, taking a moment to steady his breathing before getting out of bed.
He opened the bedroom door to find the kitchen lights on, the comforting aroma of breakfast wafting toward him. The scene was so warm, so effortlessly domestic—it was the exact picture of home he had always yearned for.
He walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Mom."
"You're awake?" Elysia was drizzling a homemade vinaigrette over a bowl of fresh greens. She tossed it quickly, then held out a fork with a piece of lettuce. "Leopold, have a taste. Is it okay?"
Leopold stepped closer and took the bite, chewing thoughtfully. "It's good. Really good."
"Does it need more vinegar?"
"No, it's perfect."
"Great." As Elysia prepared to transfer the salad to a serving bowl, Caroline leaned in. "Mom, let me try."
Elysia offered her a taste. Caroline chewed, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Add a little more dressing. The flavor's a bit weak."
Elysia did as she asked. "How about now?"
Caroline nodded, satisfied. "Delicious."
From the moment he'd met Elysia, Leopold had noticed it: she never, ever dismissed Caroline's feelings. Every opinion was heard, every request met with a response. It was most apparent during the scandal when Caroline was being slandered online; Elysia had stood behind her daughter like an unshakable fortress, fighting to clear her name and demand justice.
His mind drifted to his own mother. After that day, it was as if a switch had flipped. Quinlan had become distant, and as he grew older, the neglect had sharpened into a cold indifference.
Leopold could never understand it. Why did other mothers love their children so fiercely, while Quinlan didn't seem to love him at all?
But even though she no longer loved him, a small, wounded part of Leopold still loved his mother. He just stopped loving himself. And he lost the ability to love anyone else.
It had cast a long shadow over his life, especially his relationships. Even a long-term romance with his first love had fizzled out into nothing.
Then Caroline had walked into his life, and slowly, painstakingly, he was relearning how to love someone.
After washing up, Leopold joined them for breakfast. When he tried to help clear the table, Elysia waved him off, shooing both him and Caroline out of the kitchen. "Alright, that's enough. I've got this. You two go get ready for your day."
Caroline was at the vanity, applying her skincare, when Leopold came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
She met his eyes in the mirror as she patted moisturizer onto her cheeks. "What's this for?"
Leopold rested his head on her shoulder. "Nothing. Just wanted to hold you."
Caroline finished by swiping a coat of lipstick on, then asked, "What time are you heading to the office?"
The mere mention of the office sent a ripple of anxiety through him. Today was a day of reckoning. That dream was probably a bad omen.
"The call should be coming in soon. I'll leave with you."
"Hold still." Caroline turned around and began gently dabbing some moisturizer onto his face. He closed his eyes, savoring the soft, tender touch of her hands.
"There," she said, then rose on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips.
Leopold seized the moment, bracing his arms on the counter on either side of her, trapping her in his embrace. He nuzzled his nose against her forehead, his voice a low murmur.
"Honey."
"What is it?"
"Honey."
"What?" Caroline couldn't help but laugh, but beneath the playful repetition, she sensed a current of sadness. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "You don't want to go to work, do you?"
A small smile touched Leopold's lips. "How'd you know?"
She knew, of course. Submitting that report was bound to cause an earthquake, especially since it directly challenged the existing distribution of profits and threatened the interests of some very powerful people.
Leopold said, "If I didn't work, would you be my sugar mama?"
Caroline smoothed a hand down his back. "You want me to spend money on you?"
"I do," Leopold nodded earnestly.
"Well, if one of us isn't working, the other has to be the breadwinner," Caroline mused, tapping her chin. "Alright. Seeing as you're so handsome, I guess I can go out and make the money. You just stay home and look pretty, and wait for me to spoil you."
A laugh rumbled in Leopold's chest, shaking his shoulders. "Never mind. I could never let a woman support me. Besides, it should be the other way around."
Caroline's playful expression softened. "Is today going to be unpleasant?"
Leopold was silent for a moment. "My father is probably going to announce a major decision. My guess is a complete reassignment of the overseas hotels."
"You mean Ms. Adams's hotels?" Caroline immediately thought of Gemma.
Leopold's gaze was deep and serious. "Potentially all of the overseas hotels."