Chapter 34 Feeling Guilty as a Thief
Caroline groaned, massaging her temples. Calling Leopold this late at night had her pacing in frustration, her foot tapping anxiously against the floor.
"God, this is so annoying."
She knew she owed him an apology call for disturbing him so late, but her finger hovered over the call button, refusing to commit. The thought of facing his inevitable sarcasm made her stomach twist, but problems didn't solve themselves by hiding.
Finally, Caroline mustered her courage. "Whatever. Just do it."
She held the phone to her ear, her pulse doing that traitorous flutter with each ring. It felt like an eternity before he picked up.
"What is it?" Leopold's voice was thick with sleep.
Caroline licked her dry lips, treading carefully. "Mr. Wipere, were you still asleep?"
Leopold made a sound of confirmation.
Caroline had never done anything this mortifying in her entire life. She forced a pleasant tone. "Mr. Wipere, I'm so sorry to bother you this early, but did I call you last night by any chance?"
"What do you think?" Leopold countered.
What was that supposed to mean?
Worry lines creased her forehead as she asked, "What did I say to you? The call log showed we talked for over an hour. I didn't say anything offensive, did I?"
"You don't remember?" Leopold asked.
Caroline swallowed hard, her throat suddenly desert-dry. "Could you give me a hint?"
"Why don't you think about it for a while?" Leopold said. "I'm exhausted and want to get back to sleep."
"Right, I'm really sorry about last night. My bad. Go back to sleep."
Caroline ended the call and clutched her phone, stomping her foot in frustration. "He's impossible!"
At the company cafeteria, Xander spotted Caroline and took a seat across from her with his tray.
"They went back to the city?" Xander asked.
He was referring to the three technicians Caroline had arranged hotel accommodations for yesterday.
"They left first thing this morning. I confirmed with them," She replied.
Xander took a sip of his soup. "Have the materials ready—print three copies. I'm heading to the city for a meeting, and I want you there for the presentation."
Caroline quickly shoved the last bite of breakfast into her mouth and grabbed her tray. "I'll go print them right now."
If the wind power project got approved, it would definitely boost her standing after her recent promotion.
At headquarters, they stood waiting for the elevator. As the doors slid open, Upton emerged with two employees trailing behind him.
His gaze paused on Caroline momentarily before he flashed a smile at the others.
"Xander, here for the meeting?" His eyes darted toward Caroline.
Xander nodded. "Yes, just presenting some work updates."
Since Caroline's position was lower than Upton's, she greeted him first. "Mr. Hill."
Upton gave her a slight smile with a knowing look. "Xander's team members are always impressive, aren't they?"
Caroline maintained her poker face, acting completely unbothered.
Having worked at the power company for years, Xander knew Upton's two-faced nature all too well—all smiles to your face, something else entirely behind your back.
"Just when I arrive, you're heading out," Xander commented. "I was hoping to grab lunch with you."
Upton put on his busy executive expression. "Can't do lunch today—urgent matters to attend to."
"No problem," Xander said. "There'll be plenty of other opportunities."
As Caroline closed the elevator doors, Xander wondered aloud, "What's Upton's deal this time?"
Some things could be discussed, others couldn't. Caroline chose to stay completely silent.
As she always said, she kept secrets well.
Wait—didn't she say something like that last night?
Caroline sighed heavily as the embarrassing possibility sank in.
Xander, mistaking her discomfort for nervousness, reassured her. "Don't worry about it. Just present as we planned. I've got your back—what are you so nervous about?"
Caroline snapped back to reality. "I'm not nervous."
Xander laughed. "Not nervous? Then why all the dramatic sighing?"
Unable to explain, Caroline didn't even try.
Launching a new project required multiple meetings before final approval. Caroline presented the project details to two executives from the planning department, walking them through comparative metrics that preliminarily suggested the project's viability.
By the time they left the building, it was already noon. Xander suggested a nearby restaurant—a regular spot for Caroline when she came for meetings.
Savoring a tender piece of beef, Xander said, "The final meeting should be next week. If it goes through, the project has about an 80% chance of success."
Caroline nodded. "All we can do is wait."
Xander appreciated how Caroline stayed composed under pressure. No matter what happened, she never panicked—always emotionally steady.
Yet this fantastic woman somehow struggled in the relationship department.
Remembering the phone call from dinner that night, he asked, "How are things between you and Mr. Wallace?"
Caroline looked up, chewing slowly. "Mr. Wallace and I are high school classmates. You're all reading too much into it."
Xander looked disappointed. "Is he seeing anyone?"
"I don't think so."
"If he's single, why not explore that possibility? You already know each other well as classmates. That's perfect." Xander seemed more concerned about her love life than she was.
"Sometimes being classmates means you know each other too well," Caroline responded, not completely shutting down the idea. "We'll see what happens in the future."
She returned her attention to her food.
On the drive back to Seaside City, Caroline, exhausted from her late night, fell asleep almost immediately. As they neared their destination, her phone rang in her bag.
She answered groggily, "Who is this?"
"Has Ms. Tudor forgotten who I am?" Leopold's voice came through.
It was Leopold!
Caroline jolted awake instantly. "What's up?"
There was nothing like guilt to make you feel like you'd been caught red-handed.
Leopold said, "Don't you have something you want to tell me?"
Caroline blinked rapidly. "No?"
"No?" His tone clearly indicated he was looking to settle a score.
Caroline glanced back at Xander, who was watching her. She quickly turned away, covering the microphone. "I'll call you back later. I'm in the car."
Leopold suppressed a smirk, cleared his throat, and said, "Fine."
Once at the office, Caroline hurried to her private workspace, took a deep breath, and called Leopold back.
"At work now?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm in my office alone," she confirmed.
Leopold raised an eyebrow, almost smiling. "You need privacy to call me?"
Caroline was left speechless. "I already called to apologize earlier."
"You think an apology wraps this up neatly?" He challenged.
"I disturbed your rest, and I apologized," Caroline said contritely. "Surely you're not going to fixate on this?"
Leopold asked, "You really don't remember what you said to me?"
Caroline genuinely couldn't recall, and her frustration was evident as the flush spread from her ears down to her neck.
"I honestly can't remember. Could you give me a hint?"
Leopold let out a cold laugh. "When you're drunk, you really are something else..."
"Something else what?" Caroline's curiosity was completely piqued, but Leopold hung up on her.