Chapter 267 Dear
Looking at Leopold in front of her, he seemed almost too good to be true.
He had given her the love and marriage she longed for, and even more precious, his loyalty and devotion. How lucky did she have to be to meet a lover like this?
Caroline's gaze grew more intense. Leopold, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable under her stare. With a gentle smile, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked softly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
She grabbed the hand resting on her cheek. "You're usually so rational, but why do you act so impulsively when it comes to Nash? If something really happened to you, do you know how guilty I'd feel?"
So that's it, she was worried about him.
Leopold wrapped his arm around her waist. "How could anything happen? Every move I make, I've thought it through."
Caroline said, "Taking things one step at a time is too risky."
"It is risky, but what you're describing is how beginners play chess. I'm an expert. Experts don't just plan one or two moves ahead." Leopold held her hand in his palm, playing with it. "Taking things one step at a time is risky. Seeing three steps ahead tells you who'll win or lose. Seeing ten steps ahead determines the outcome. How many steps do you think I see before each move?"
She understood what he meant—before doing anything, he was already completely confident.
"But people's hearts are hard to read. There's always that one-in-ten-thousand chance. I don't want anything to happen to you." Caroline leaned against his shoulder, touching that small band-aid, her heart aching terribly.
Leopold stroked her back soothingly. "Underestimating me?"
"That's not what I mean." Caroline sat up straight, looking down at his injured hand. "You were perfectly fine, and now your hand has a cut and it bled. Can't I feel bad about it?"
"If you feel bad, give me a kiss."
"Stop fooling around."
"Who's fooling around? Come on, if you won't kiss me, I'll kiss you." He leaned in and kissed her lips, then held up his hand. "See? Instant cure. Doesn't hurt anymore."
"When it comes to being unreasonable, I can't compete with you." Caroline became more serious because of today's events. "From now on, I'll be more careful about boundaries when dealing with men."
"Baby, why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong." Leopold lifted her chin. "Look at me. This isn't your fault. He's the one who kept pestering and harassing you. What does that have to do with you? If we must find a reason, it's only because you're too outstanding—beautiful, smart, capable. Your boss values you at work, and your husband loves you in life."
Caroline covered his mouth. "Stop it, you're embarrassing me with all this praise."
He pulled her hand away, laughing. "Nash has been through too many dirty things, so he thinks everyone's dirty. Years ago, he caught the economic boom and grew his business thanks to market opportunities. If he had just stuck to honest business practices, he'd be way more successful than he is now. But unfortunately..."
Caroline listened carefully. Leopold looked into her eyes and said seriously, "He's lustful and unfaithful. Reliable men are devoted to their wives. Look at me, for example—I went from manager to the board of directors. If you're looking for a husband, you need to find someone like me."
Caroline put her hand to her forehead. "First you praise me, then you praise yourself. I give up. You have no idea how worried I was about you."
"Alright, alright, no more joking." Leopold's lips curved slightly, his eyes showing his characteristic calm and ease. His tone was confident. "Trust me. With the trap I set, as long as Nash has any brains left, he'll understand one thing—going against me gets him nowhere. On the contrary, he'll have to come begging me, begging me to give him a way out."
"The key to destroying someone isn't in the first two words, but in the last two. He's always wanted in on the submarine cable project, but couldn't find a way. I have the resources, connections, and network. When he weighs the pros and cons, he'll definitely choose to set up a factory down south and develop new business."
"Someone so arrogant, who couldn't get what he wanted from you and flew into a rage, now has to bow down to me just to survive. Do you think he'll have the nerve to show his face in front of you again?"
Caroline stood up. "Fine, you talk the most, you're right."
Leopold laughed, following her retreating figure. "Wait, honey, doesn't our family believe in winning people over with virtue? Everything I just said was reasonable. What's with that attitude?"
Caroline picked up the medicine box and went into the inner room. "I already said you're right, isn't that enough?"
"Your tone clearly shows you're not convinced. Come here, I'm going to teach you a lesson today." Leopold followed into the bedroom with a mischievous smile, hooking the door shut with his foot.
"Why are you turning off the light? I can't see anything."
"Don't move. Let me study your anatomy."
"Stop it."
"Why is this so hard to take off?" Leopold fumbled around behind her for a while. "Where's the clasp?"
"In front. It clasps in front."
Inside the room, breathing became ragged, shadows intertwined. His strong body was taut like a drawn bow, her soft body like moonlight falling into a lake—gentle and beautiful. One hard, one soft; one rising, one falling. Desire rippled through the night.
The venue for recording the show at Solstice Mountain Hotel had been completed. After passing inspection, the final payment was transferred to Maddox's company account. With cash on hand, he was ready to pay Leopold back.
Leopold arrived at the bar and immediately saw Maddox sitting in a corner booth.
"What's so urgent that you called me over?" Leopold sat across from him.
Maddox called over a server and asked him, "What do you want to drink?"
Leopold said, "I drove here, can't drink."
"Why would I invite you to a bar if you can't drink? I'm in a good mood today, have a drink with me." Maddox told the server, "Bring us draft beer."
Leopold had been busy and really did need to relax. "Tell me what's going on."
"I've had a lot of payments come in recently, so I've got enough to pay you back." Maddox placed a bank card in front of him. "Principal plus interest."
Leopold pushed it right back. "I thought it was something important. I don't need the money, keep it for now."
Maddox knew Leopold was worried his cash flow might break again. "The company account has enough now, don't worry. After paying you back, I won't have any debt."
The server brought the beer just then. Leopold opened a bottle and took a sip to quench his thirst.
"You're getting married soon. You'll need money more than I do. Keep it."
Hearing this, Maddox put the bank card away again. Between brothers, no more words were needed.
He raised his beer to Leopold. "Thanks."
Their looks stood out in the bar, and women kept coming over to chat them up. To avoid further interruptions, Leopold said to two women who had just sat down, "Sorry, we're on a date. Not looking to share the table."
Maddox was tilting his head back drinking beer. He heard this but stayed calm—after knowing Leopold for so long, he was used to his occasional dry humor.
But the two women hitting on them looked at them strangely and hurriedly got up and left.
Maddox nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "Impressive. To avoid women, you'll use any trick."
Leopold raised his beer, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "Come on, darling, cheers to you."