Chapter 288: Giving You Too Much Face
The next morning.
Leopold arrived at the hospital with Caroline, carrying an insulated lunch box. They came early, so the elevator wasn't too crowded yet.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw Elysia wiping Echo's face.
"You're up so early," Caroline asked Echo. "Are you feeling any better?"
Echo said, "A bit better than yesterday."
Leopold placed the insulated lunch box on the table and looked at her. "You do look better today."
Elysia dipped the towel back in the basin, wrung it out, and started wiping Echo's hands. After the washing up was done, Leopold went to take the basin.
Elysia said, "I'll do it."
"It's fine, I'll go."
Leopold carried the basin to the bathroom. When he came back, he helped raise Echo's hospital bed.
The porridge was soft and fragrant with a unique aroma. There were also meat pies that Echo loved, made by Caroline early that morning, and some refreshing side dishes prepared by Leopold. Echo ate with frequent compliments.
During the day, Caroline's aunt and uncle came to look after Echo, so Elysia could go home to rest. Leopold had just dropped Caroline off at work when she left directly by car for a meeting in the city.
Leopold drove Elysia home, and on the way they talked about the production crew filming at Solstice Mountain.
Actually, he hadn't had much contact with the production crew, let alone the celebrities, but Summer's incident had caused quite a stir. It would be unrealistic to think Elysia hadn't heard about it.
Leopold brought up the news about them on his own initiative, trying to explain. "Mom, I don't know if you saw the news about me a few days ago."
Elysia hadn't expected him to bring this up. "I heard some things. Caroline also told me about it. Those entertainment news stories are all fake. I believe you're not that kind of person."
Caroline's explanation came from her trust in him as his wife, but Leopold felt he needed to give his elders a clear answer. This was both accountability to them and a sign of respect.
Leopold said, "Mom, that female celebrity did come to see me, but we only talked about work. As for who secretly filmed the video, it must have something to do with her management company. I know her boss, and I made things clear to him. The day the trending news came out, he had someone take it down, and all the posts about me were deleted by contacting those bloggers. Actually, the day it became trending news, I contacted my legal team to start gathering evidence. When they were really going to send lawyer's letters, not one person dared to respond. So those things were all fake. They wanted to use me to become famous. Please don't take it seriously, you and Dad."
Elysia said, "I'm not old-fashioned. Entertainment industry stuff is just entertainment—you watch it and it passes. Anyone who takes it seriously is the real fool. You just live your own life well and take care of your family. That's what really matters."
She was reminding him not to get lost in all that glitz and glamour, and to focus on living his own life properly.
Caroline's current perspective and character probably came from Elysia's guidance.
Leopold said, "Mom, I understand what you mean. You can rest assured about this—I won't mess around."
Elysia said, "With those words from you, I understand. The day the news broke, people called both mine and Elijah's phones. I don't know where they got our numbers. I dealt with them all. Elijah took two calls, but couldn't say much else—what if these people with ulterior motives recorded it and posted it online? That wouldn't be good for him or you. He couldn't have his secretary handle it either. These are our family matters, we handle them internally."
"This happened too?" Leopold looked embarrassed, but anger was already rising in his heart. He said, "I'm sorry to you and Dad. Because of my situation, I've caused you trouble."
Elysia said, "Leopold, I've always thought you were smart. Although you have your schemes, you're not a bad person. When I felt comfortable entrusting Caroline to you, it was because I valued your character. If a person's character isn't good, no matter how rich or powerful they are, they're not worth spending a lifetime with. As for the scheming and various temptations you encounter in society, Elijah and I can roughly guess. Business is like a battlefield—some people do business with conscience, some with tactics. As long as they can make money, they'll use any dirty tricks. Elijah and I aren't confused—we can tell right from wrong, black from white. But we're not pushovers either. His position is special now, so he can't say much, but if he had a different identity, Elijah would definitely help you get even."
A warm feeling welled up in Leopold's heart. Even his biological parents had never comforted him like this. They were even thinking of backing him up. So this was how happy it felt to be cared for by parents. "Mom, send me the numbers of those people who made harassing calls to you."
Elysia advised, "Forget it. We're not afraid of them. These people are just talking or trying to dig for other information from us. Since we know their purpose, just ignore them. The more you engage with people like that, the more they think they've succeeded, and they'll keep pestering you."
Leopold could endure anything, but his family was his bottom line.
"Mom, there are some things I haven't told Caroline, but I won't hide them from you." Leopold's expression became serious. "This incident started with that celebrity's management company, but the people who muddied the waters later were from my company, and their identity is somewhat special."
Elysia frowned and turned her face. "From your company? An insider?"
Leopold nodded. "Yes."
Elysia asked, "Have you figured out who it is?"
Leopold said, "Pretty much."
Elysia asked in confusion, "You're from the same company. If something happens to you, it would affect the company too."
Leopold said, "Even you as an outsider have figured this out, but he hasn't. He just wanted to trap me in this news story and kick me out of the group, without thinking that the company can't do without me right now."
Elysia asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Leopold paused. "I don't easily push people to the edge, but now he's dragged you and Dad into this. Only one of us can stay at this company."
Elysia carefully considered Leopold's words. It seemed this person's identity was either high-level management or a relative. "Before you make a decision, just think through the consequences."
Leopold said, "I understand, Mom."
After dropping Elysia off downstairs, Leopold turned the car around and headed straight for Celestial Waters Group.
He had been too soft-hearted with Bodhi all along. Now it seemed that he had given Bodhi too much face in the past, so much so that Bodhi thought he was easy to bully.
Leopold parked his car in his spot, five spaces away from Bodhi's.
He walked into the first floor. A security guard saw Leopold and greeted him. He glanced at him coolly and said, "If you dare tip off Bodhi, go to HR immediately and process your resignation."
The guard froze, slowly pulling his hand out of his pocket.
Pressing the elevator button, Leopold went directly to Bodhi's floor.
At that moment, Bodhi was making coffee in his office. Because Preston loved hand-ground coffee, he had been studying it, but the coffee he made always seemed to lack something in taste.
Leopold strode out of the elevator, his face terrifyingly dark. Along the way, employees who saw his menacing aura kept their distance.
Bodhi had just pressed the coffee machine button when the door behind him was pushed open. He turned around with a frown, about to curse whoever was so rude, when he saw Leopold coming in.
Bodhi called out with a smile, "If it isn't Mr. Wipere!"
Leopold grabbed Bodhi by the collar, looked down at him, and said, "Have I been giving you too much face?"