Chapter 260 Some Children Come to Repay Kindness.
Leopold pretended nothing was wrong and replied, "No. Why? Do I look like someone pissed me off?"
Caroline looked him over again.
Leopold forced a smile and reached out to hold her hand. He denied there was a problem, but she didn't believe him. Since she'd already noticed something was off, there was no point in brushing it off.
"Just some trouble at work. Won't affect the schedule, nothing major."
"You told me that when it comes to work, we should do our best. How come you're being so stubborn when it's your turn?" Caroline persuaded.
Leopold glanced at her. "Oh great, now you're using my own words against me."
When Leopold's car passed the gate again, he noticed a security guard staring at his car.
Working security in a high-end community where luxury cars come and go, they wouldn't pay special attention to a Cayenne. Leopold had noticed this guy twice now, something was off about his gaze.
Based on the timeline in the video, Nash being able to intercept Caroline so precisely probably wasn't a coincidence. There had to be someone on the inside feeding Nash information.
As for who could avoid suspicion while having a good vantage point, it was probably one of the security guards at the community gate.
Leopold parked the car. The two of them walked toward the elevator one after the other.
Knowing what she was worried about, Leopold took the initiative to hold Caroline's hand. She tried to pull away, but he turned back, "Kids need adults to hold their hands, otherwise what if they run into bad people?"
Caroline laughed. "Who's a kid?"
Leopold raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You."
Caroline seemed traumatized by Nash's incident. She was wary of this elevator and wouldn't step in until she was sure no one was inside.
They stood side by side. Leopold kept his hand protectively on her lower back the whole time, which made Caroline feel very safe.
Opening the door, Leopold let her go in first. After changing into slippers, he said, "Next week the production team is going to Solstice Mountain Hotel to film the variety show. With so many people coming, it'll probably attract a lot of fans too. I'm worried they won't be able to handle it, so I might need to stay there for a few days. I'm not comfortable with you being home alone, so you should stay at your mom's for a few days."
He wasn't negotiating; he was informing.
If it were before, Caroline definitely wouldn't have gone, but thinking about possibly running into Nash again and being harassed by that creep's filthy language, she felt uncomfortable all over.
"Okay, staying at my mom's is actually nice. Saves me from cooking dinner."
Judging by her relaxed tone, Leopold didn't expose her. There were some things that hadn't been finished yet, which weren't suitable to be made public.
Night fell.
She sank into desire, her body rising and falling with his rhythm.
After the intense collision, everything returned to calm.
She lay in Leopold's arms, covered in sweat, damp hair stuck to her forehead. When her breathing gradually steadied, she said, "Erica and them are getting ready to get married."
Leopold opened his eyes, his heart still pounding. "I told him ages ago to go meet Mr. and Mrs. Morris. He didn't listen to me. Now, with how things are, he's in for a scolding."
Caroline said, "Erica's dad isn't that rough. He won't."
Leopold said, "Put yourself in their shoes. Even the most refined person wouldn't give Maddox a friendly face in this situation."
Caroline thought about it - if the same thing happened to her, her dad would be furious.
Sure enough, Erica only stayed in the hospital for two days before checking out. Maddox brought her home early in the morning. He'd bought breakfast on the way and put it on the dining table, served her until she finished eating, then went to the construction site at Solstice Mountain.
When Caroline arrived at Erica's place at noon, she brought lunch packed from a restaurant and went straight to the kitchen.
Erica said, "Didn't bring bubble tea?"
Caroline took out plates and rearranged the food. "Pregnant women can't drink bubble tea."
"Says who?" Erica followed into the kitchen and picked up two plates to take to the dining room.
Caroline carried the soup bowl, careful not to spill it. Setting it on the table, she said, "Expert recommendations."
Erica rolled her eyes. "Those experts, never recommend anything useful, and when they do recommend something, it's useless. They should just stop with the recommendations. I hate expert recommendations the most."
Caroline handed her the utensils. "I bought according to your cravings. Try the taste."
Erica cut a piece of steak. "Delicious. This place's steak is amazing."
Caroline said, "If you want steak, just tell me. I'll go to the market and buy fresh beef to stew for you. Won't be any worse than theirs."
Erica said, "Lunch break is precious enough as it is. Why bother making steak? You helping me buy food and coming over to eat with me is already great."
Caroline watched her eat with gusto. "Your appetite is so good, and you don't have morning sickness. How come you're different from those pregnant women in my office? Some of them threw up from the start, threw up until it was just stomach acid. One threw up all the way until delivery."
Erica said cheerfully, "Some babies come to repay kindness, some come for revenge. Maybe mine just happens to be here to repay kindness."
Caroline said, "If that's the case, this child is quite endearing."
Erica gently rubbed her belly. "Baby, did you hear your godmother praising you?"
Caroline said, "I remember my coworkers saying you can't feel the baby move until three months or so?"
Erica said, "I don't know either. It wasn't planned, but since I'm pregnant, I'll have the baby. Anyway, once someone enters our the Morris family, they have to the values of our the Morris family."
Caroline asked, "The Morris family values? So it has nothing to do with Maddox?"
Erica said, "Before it comes out, it definitely has nothing to do with him. Can he suffer for me? Can he be pregnant for me?"
Caroline laughed. "Erica, only Maddox could put up with your temper. No one else could."
"He's lucky he found me. He must be thrilled. Without me to save him, who knows, he might still be celebrating Singles' Day." Erica used her knife and fork to cut a piece of short rib for Caroline. "You eat more. I feel like you're getting thinner."
"Really? I haven't noticed." Caroline thought back, last year's work pants fit perfectly at the waist, this year they were a bit loose.
Erica put two more pieces on her plate. "My mom might come back early. When she does, we'll book a private room at Gastronomy Royale to meet."
Caroline said, "Does Maddox know?"
"No, my mom just called me."
"Why is she suddenly coming back?"
Erica said, "She said a scenic spot had a landslide from heavy rain, so they can't go."
Caroline asked, "Did you mention getting married?"
Erica said, "Yeah, I did, but I didn't mention I'm pregnant."
"You can't hide this. Right now, you're early on, so nothing shows, but what about in two months? When they figure it out, and you tell them then, they'll definitely be angry, and it won't look good for Maddox either." Caroline reminded her.
Erica said, "About the pregnancy, I'm planning to give my mom a heads up first. Once she accepts it, then I'll tell my dad."
Caroline shook her head. "Erica, trust me, you have to tell them. No matter how big the issue, they'll consider things from your perspective. When parents think about their children, they think long-term. Back when my parents didn't approve of Leopold and me, and now? They treat him better than they treat me."
At that moment, Leopold sat in the property manager's office, his face dark as he stared at the security guard in front of him.
"I'm only giving you one chance to talk. Say it well, and we'll let this go. Say something I'm not happy with, and not only will you not be able to work here anymore, but you also won't be able to work in this industry at all. Whether I have that kind of power or not - you can try me and find out."