Chapter 283 The Truth Can Never Be Faked
Caroline opened the celebrity gossip about Leopold and the starlet’s recent scandal. In the photo, the girl was a youthful beauty, with that innocent look that appeals to men. But given Leopold's intelligence and careful nature, if he were having an affair, he wasn't foolish enough to be reckless in the office, and he definitely wouldn't let himself be caught on camera so easily.
Caroline scrolled through a few times and then closed the page. As soon as she put down her phone, Quinlan called.
After their marriage, Quinlan rarely called her of her own accord. The few times she did were to help her choose jewelry or luxury items, asking about colors and styles. Caroline's closet still had two high-end designer bags that Quinlan had bought for her.
Once when chatting with colleagues, someone had remarked that unlike those spiteful, meddling mothers-in-law who drove a wedge between their children, Caroline's mother-in-law was simply wonderful. Rich, didn't talk much, lived far away, wasn't demanding or high-maintenance, never looked down on others, blamed her son when there were problems, and credited her daughter-in-law when things went well. A mother-in-law this reasonable and low-maintenance was a rare find indeed.
It seemed Quinlan's call today was probably also about Leopold and the female entertainer's scandal.
Caroline brought the phone to her ear. "Mom."
Quinlan listened carefully to the voice on the other end, relieved to hear Caroline sounded normal. "Caroline, are you at work?"
Caroline replied, "Yes, Mom. What's up?"
"Nothing, it's just been a while since I called, so I wanted to see how the two of you are."
"We're doing well. How's your health, Mom?"
"I'm doing well too, everything is perfectly fine, don't worry about me." Quinlan hesitated for a moment.
Quinlan had had never been the type to worry, but since Leopold got married, she started caring about the young couple. She knew her son best—he would never stray for the sake of a pretty face in society. But she was worried her daughter-in-law would take it to heart after seeing the news, and she wasn't sure how to broach the subject.
Caroline knew why she was calling and cut right to the chase. "Mom, did you see the news about Leopold?"
Quinlan hesitated. "You saw it? Caroline, don't pay any mind to those rumors people post randomly. Leopold wouldn't do that kind of thing, and there's no way he'd have anything going on with a celebrity. I know what my son is like."
Caroline said with a smile, "Mom, I didn't believe it."
Quinlan let out a sigh of relief, relieved. "I feel better hearing you say that. When I saw the news earlier, I was worried you two would fight over this, but I didn't want to pry too much. Well, since you understand the situation,I won't nag you about it. You're really sensible and can tell right from wrong—we aren't going to give them the satisfaction. But having said that, Leopold will surely set the record straight."
Caroline wasn't too concerned about getting justice. After all, Leopold’s loyalty, his love, and his assets were all hers. No matter what those people wrote, it couldn't change that reality.
The truth can never be faked, and lies will never become real.
After work, on her way from the office to the parking lot, people were watching her with prying eyes. Their reactions were exactly what Caroline had expected.
Since she was prepared, she remained completely unfazed.
As soon as Caroline got home, Leopold called.
"Off work?"
Caroline changed into slippers, put her car keys in the storage box by the entrance, and walked to the living room.
"Yeah, are you done too?" She sat on the sofa, settled back against the cushions. "You're calling early—is it about those scandal stories?"
Since he went to Solstice Mountain, they talked on the phone almost every night.
Leopold leaned against the window and took a long pull on his cigarette before speaking. "You didn't believe it, right?"
Caroline replied, "No."
"Good." Leopold flicked the ash away. "You must be under a lot of pressure at work."
Caroline got up to pour herself some water. "No pressure. Those things aren't true anyway."
He'd only smoked half the cigarette before stubbing it out with unnecessary force. "I'm not worried about myself, I'm worried about you. Your work environment is different from mine. I don't want people gossiping about you behind your back because of me."
Leopold was anxious but helpless. Dealing with public opinion takes time. "Honey, don't worry. Legal is already handling it. They'll post a lawyer's letter on the company account tonight. As for those rumor-spreading marketing accounts, none of them will get away—they're all waiting to be sued."
Caroline said, "You don't need to get distracted because of me. Just focus on your work."
Leopold liked that she was resilient and level-headed. Among the women around him, few had both qualities.
"How much longer will the show take to record?" Caroline asked.
The variety show was supposed to finish recording, but the on-site director wanted to shoot some additional content.
Leopold said, "Probably about two more days. If filming goes smoothly, we'll finish by the day after tomorrow at the earliest."
Counting the days, the day after tomorrow was her day off.
Leopold asked again, "About my news, Mom and Dad haven't said anything, have they?"
Caroline said, "They haven't called me yet, so they probably haven't seen it. Oh, your mom did call me."
"She did?" Leopold was quite surprised.
There were a few seconds of silence on the line before Leopold asked, "What did she say?"
Caroline roughly told him about their conversation. Leopold lowered his eyes and curved his lips slightly. "I didn't expect her to care so much about us."
"Don't say that about her. Mom brings us gifts every time she goes out, and she mailed us a lot of food a while ago." Caroline kept trying to bridge the gap between mother and son.
But for Leopold, a child who grew up feeling overlooked since childhood found it hard to regain that closeness.
After chatting for a bit, another call came through on Leopold's phone.
"Honey, legal is calling me. Gotta go."
"Okay, you take care of it."
Caroline put down her phone and started cooking.
Soon, Erica called, telling her not to cook—Erica had packed several dishes she liked and would arrive in ten minutes.
The doorbell rang, and Caroline quickly dried her hands to open the door.
Maddox came in carrying bags full of food. Caroline said, "Why did you buy so much?"
Erica said, "It's not that much, all stuff you like to eat."
Caroline saw Maddox behind her. "When did you get back?"
Maddox had been away on a business trip. "Just got back last night."
After closing the door, the three walked inside. Maddox headed straight for the kitchen.
Erica said, "Thought you'd be bored at home alone, so Maddox and I came to keep you company and chat."
Caroline saw through it immediately—Leopold had asked them to check on her again.
"Really?" Caroline smiled knowingly. Erica couldn't hold out for more than two seconds. "I knew I couldn't fool you. Leopold asked us to come. He was afraid you'd overthink after seeing the news."
Caroline said, "I told him I didn't care, but he still doesn't believe me. Do I seem like someone petty and unreasonable?"
Erica said, "It shows he cares about you. You should be happy."
Caroline sighed. "He's so busy. Work is hard enough—I don't want him to worry about me on top of that."