Chapter 95 You Are Sweet
Caroline took a deep breath and, under Leopold's gaze, called Elysia.
"Mom, are you busy?"
Elysia was tending to her carefully cultivated plants. "No, I'm watering the flowers."
"Is Dad home?"
"The holiday's coming up, he's having dinner with some colleagues from the union. He's not back yet."
Caroline said, "Mom, you've been pushing me to get married, so I went ahead and made it happen."
"Okay." At first, Elysia didn't catch on, focused on removing dead leaves from her plants. Then it suddenly hit her. "You made what happen?"
Caroline said, "We got our marriage certificate today."
Elysia snapped off her favorite succulent. "My plant broke!"
Elysia frantically tried to prop up the broken succulent, then asked into the phone, "You got your marriage certificate?"
Caroline: "Yes."
Elysia felt her head buzzing like it was about to split open. She was so upset she could barely speak properly. "You, you registered your marriage?"
"Yes."
"You registered your marriage—who did you discuss this with first?" Elysia's anger shot straight to her head, her lips trembling. "Who did you tell? Did you ask what your father and I thought? Do you even know Leopold? Marriage is a big deal—you're being way too reckless!"
Caroline said, "Mom, don't get upset."
The attempt to calm her down only made things worse. Elysia snapped, "How can I not get upset! How do you expect me not to get upset?"
Caroline held the phone away from her ear, shoulders hunched, waiting for Elysia to vent. Only after she finished did Caroline bring it back to her ear. "Mom, I thought long and hard before deciding to marry Leopold. Whether I discussed it with you or not, I'd already made up my mind."
Elysia paused for a second. "So your father and I don't exist to you? Do you even care about us? Something this important—shouldn't you discuss it with us? Do you have any respect for your parents? All those years of education, wasted?"
"Not discussing it with you was my mistake." The phone was snatched away by Leopold, who put it to his ear and said, "Mom, it's me, Leopold."
Being suddenly called "Mom" caught Elysia off guard.
"Don't call me that yet—your father and I, I mean my husband and I, haven't agreed to this." Elysia felt tightness in her chest. She walked to the window to catch her breath before continuing, "You really don't take us elders seriously at all. Getting a marriage certificate with Caroline without even discussing it—do you think that's right?"
Leopold humbly accepted the criticism. "I didn't think it through. I was wrong. Don't blame Caroline for this—it was all my idea. If you want to blame someone, blame me. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me."
Elysia was fuming. "How could you just register your marriage without saying a word? What were you thinking?"
No matter how good-tempered or well-mannered Elysia was, it was hard to stay calm facing such a sudden marriage.
"Mom, please don't be angry. Tomorrow Caroline and I will come over and explain everything to you and Dad in person."
Elysia needed to calm down too. "Fine. You two come over first thing tomorrow morning."
Leopold: "Okay, Mom."
After hanging up, Leopold handed the phone back to Caroline. "We'll go over first thing tomorrow morning."
Caroline: "I heard."
She was much calmer than Leopold. Leopold studied her. "Mom seems pretty angry. Aren't you worried?"
"Take out the 'seems.'"
Leopold pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "They're not going to beat me up tomorrow, are they?"
Caroline looked at him sideways. "Scared?"
Leopold held her tighter, resting his chin on her shoulder, his eyes full of gentle amusement. "It's fine if they beat me up. I'm tough—I can take it. As long as they're not angry, that's what matters."
Caroline sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll be there tomorrow." Leopold rubbed Caroline's back soothingly. Caroline said, "When Dad gets home tonight and finds out, that's going to be the real challenge."
Leopold had anticipated this and smiled easily, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "It's okay, leave it all to me."
Caroline placed her hands on Leopold's shoulders. "With Dad's temper, even if I leave it to you, you might not be able to convince him. Let me handle it."
"We'll do it together." Leopold tightened his arms around her waist. "If Dad says I tricked you into this, just say yes—don't argue with him. I'll explain."
Caroline wasn't one to back down from anything. Her clear eyes stared into Leopold's as she said, "What do you mean 'tricked'? Do you think I'm at an age where I'd fall for tricks? With someone I like, I can tell right away. With someone I don't like, even ten years together wouldn't lead anywhere. 'Tricked' isn't the right word—between us, it's more like mutual attraction."
Leopold loved her clarity and straightforwardness. People say women are drawn to successful men, but in Leopold's eyes, he was the one drawn to strength.
Caroline's confidence and knowledge, her positive and sunny disposition, her gentle reserve, her intelligence and humor, and her rich inner world—all of it fascinated Leopold.
He stared at Caroline's face, his throat working. Caroline also became aware of the suddenly quiet atmosphere.
The hand at her waist slowly moved up her spine. Her whole body tensed. The person before her gradually drew closer, his lips so close, Caroline's heart raced. But remembering the last time he'd teased her, she didn't close her eyes. The next second, he closed his eyes and captured her lips, gently nibbling, lingering lovingly. She stared at him in shock—so this was how sexy and captivating a man looked when kissing deeply with feeling, making her heart pound.
He kissed her with growing passion, pressing her down onto the couch. His slender hand brushed across her eyes, darkness descended, and all her senses fully opened.
The wonderful sensation pulled at the deepest strings within her body. Each pluck brought her immense pleasure, as if flying among the clouds.
Buttons came undone one by one. Hot breath washed over her face. The embarrassingly intimate sounds of kissing tore through the quiet veil. The last thread of rational restraint snapped. Impulsive cells crashed about wildly, threatening to shatter her completely.
"Leopold." Her voice was swallowed by him. Her hands, with nowhere to go, grabbed the pillow above her head—like a drowning person desperately clutching at a last lifeline. Her hands dug hard into the soft pillow, and in moments, a fine sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Leopold suddenly propped himself up, looking down at her from above. Caroline's cheeks were flushed with an intoxicating red, her breathing ragged, her chest heaving violently. She swallowed and said, "Should we maybe move somewhere else?"
Leopold laughed. He was breathing heavily, his sexy Adam's apple bobbing up and down, his voice husky with desire: "You're so sweet."
Caroline choked. "I had a piece of gum when I got back. Peach flavored."
For some reason, her heart was beating especially fast.
"Caroline." His voice grew even huskier, making Caroline shiver as if electrocuted.
The crystal chandelier cast brilliant light from above his head. His whole figure was hidden in light and shadow, pale eyes casting a faint shadow below. From this angle, he had a kind of restrained, shattered quality—the kind of shattered that would tear her apart.
Suddenly, Leopold stood and swept her up in his arms.