Chapter 170 The Wife is Rented
Caroline's legs hurt so badly she couldn't drive to work, so Leopold drove her there, holding back his laughter the whole way.
Despite his handsome face, he looked hateful right now.
During the few seconds at a red light, Caroline said irritably, "How could you do that?"
Leopold deliberately twisted her meaning and asked back, "How do you want me to do it?"
Caroline realized too late she'd dug herself into a hole.
Blushing, she said, "I mean how could you be so excessive?"
Leopold played his inappropriate game again, "How do you want me to be excessive?"
"Don't change the subject. I'm saying you have no self-control." After saying this, Caroline felt it wasn't stern enough, "Do you know how much my legs hurt right now? I still have to go to work, but my legs are... because..."
She couldn't find a word to describe her current physical discomfort, "Because I'm in pain, you're sleeping in the guest room tonight."
Leopold's response was just one sentence, "Not happening."
"You think you can just refuse?" Caroline glared at him, "You're going whether you like it or not."
"Domestic abuse?" Leopold said righteously, while smoothly passing the car ahead.
Caroline didn't catch on immediately, "Me? Domestic abuse? Who did I abuse? You?"
Leopold said shamelessly, "Yeah, not fulfilling marital duties also counts as domestic abuse."
"Says who?" Caroline wasn't sure, but she really hadn't paid attention to this aspect of the law.
"Look it up."
Seeing how confident he looked, Caroline thought he might not be lying.
She said, "I'll check Google."
Leopold snorted with laughter, "Always asking Google everything. Even checking if something's illegal on Google. What, is Google more reliable than the court? The new legal amendment took effect on March 1st. You should read the new law carefully."
His expression was so certain that Caroline actually started to wonder if there really was such a clause.
She looked at him doubtfully, her voice losing confidence, "Anyway, we can't have sex twice a day."
Leopold's lips curved into a playful smile, "What did you say?"
They were approaching her workplace entrance, so Caroline didn't answer immediately. Only after getting out did she say, "Anyway, we can't have sex twice a day."
After saying this, she closed the car door and jogged into the building.
Leopold stared at her retreating figure, the smile in his eyes deepening, "That's not up to you!"
Since he said online information wasn't reliable, the first thing Caroline did after getting to her office was order a copy of the new law online.
Leopold had planned to stop by the market to buy groceries, but received a call from director Victor.
"Mr. Wipere, how's your rest going? Time to come back to the office, right?"
Leopold sneered sarcastically. Victor was a director-level person, how could he not know about Leopold's current powerless situation?
"Thanks for your concern, Mr. Diaz. I've been busy for two months and am indeed a bit tired."
He just wouldn't take the bait. Victor felt like he'd punched cotton.
Victor didn't want to beat around the bush anymore and asked Leopold, "Can we meet?"
Even if he said it wasn't convenient today, knowing Victor, he'd create another opportunity for them to meet.
So rather than being passive, better to take the initiative.
"Sure."
Victor said, "Gastronomy Royale."
"What time?"
"11:30 noon, how about that? We can eat and talk."
Leopold agreed readily, "No problem."
After hanging up, Leopold called Lily, "Send me the materials you organized yesterday to my phone."
"Okay."
Leopold didn't go home but drove straight to Maddox's company.
Just as he got out of the car, he saw a black sedan not far from him also stop.
Leopold's indifferent gaze looked in that direction. The person in the car seemed to notice too, started the engine, and turned into another road.
Leopold laughed disdainfully, glancing contemptuously at the departing sedan.
He went straight to Maddox's office. Maddox was working on a design and didn't put down his work when he saw Leopold arrive.
Maddox said, "Here so early today?"
Leopold sat in a chair by the window, his gaze constantly watching the traffic on the street.
"Dropped my wife off at work." His mind wasn't on chatting with Maddox; his attention was focused on finding that black sedan from earlier.
If he remembered correctly, that car had been following him since he left home.
Maddox kept his head down and said, "Every time you see me, you can't stop talking about your wife. What, did you rent your wife? Does it hurt not to mention her?"
Leopold casually replied, "It hurts. Why don't you make me hurt too, go get married yourself."
Maddox had a natural sense of humor, "You rent yourself a wife and want to drag me into it. Are wives issued by the government? Or do you get them by topping up your phone? You think you can just get married like that?"
One casual sentence from Leopold could leave Maddox speechless.
"Your hardware isn't up to par. Even if they issued you one, you couldn't keep her."
Maddox said, "Who are you looking down on!"
Leopold noticed the black sedan had circled around, passed by the company entrance, and stopped in an inconspicuous parking spot.
"So tell me, who would be willing to marry you?" Leopold withdrew his gaze and sat up straight to ask.
Maddox opened his mouth, "You're a liar."
"How did I lie to you? You said my wife was rented, I told you to rent one too, but you backed out. Clearly, your hardware isn't up to par. If your skills aren't good, you should practice."
Leopold pressed the button on the bar to boil water and poured tea leaves into the teapot, waiting for the water to boil.
Maddox's brain was thinking about problems with the blueprint, and for a moment, he couldn't follow Leopold's logic.
"Wait," Maddox put down his work, "this early in the morning, you're acting like you've eaten gunpowder, attacking me like this. Are you sexually frustrated, or did your wife kick you out of the bedroom?"
Leopold thought of Caroline's words before leaving, telling him to sleep in the guest room.
Maddox finally caught an opportunity and grinned, "I actually got it right."
Leopold said, "No, how could she kick me out?"
Maddox said, "Then why were you just acting like I stole your wife? You were this close to cursing me to death."
The two chatted idly, Leopold sitting on the sofa playing games while Maddox quietly worked on his design.
Around eleven o'clock, Leopold asked, "Which street does the company's back door lead to?"
Maddox said, "The back door leads to Laurel Street."
Leopold reached out his hand toward him, "Lend me your car keys."
"What for?" Maddox asked, but his hands didn't stop. He took the car keys from his drawer and tossed them over.
Leopold caught them with both hands, stood up and asked, "How much gas is left?"
Maddox said, "Enough to go ten kilometers, no problem."
Leopold was completely speechless and sighed, "Lend me the car for the day, I'll fill up the tank when I bring it back."
Maddox's eyes crinkled, "Leopold, you're so generous."
The tea had already boiled, but before he could drink it, Leopold had already left through the company's back door in Maddox's Cayenne.
When starting the car, Leopold glanced at the fuel gauge—it was almost empty.
Ten kilometers? Maddox really could brag!
Leopold first filled up the tank, then headed straight for Gastronomy Royale.