Chapter 86 Unrequited Love
What Leopold had thought would be a stressful dinner meeting ended with the two women getting along wonderfully, chatting and laughing together.
At the end, Quinlan was even a bit reluctant to leave, pulling Caroline to add her on WhatsApp and telling her to visit often when she had time.
After seeing Quinlan off, Leopold drove back to the hotel. They would rest for the night and return to Seaside City tomorrow.
That night, the hotel corridor was quiet, with only their two figures.
Caroline swiped open her door and noticed the person behind her hadn't left. She turned around to see Leopold standing there.
He couldn't be thinking of sleeping in her room, could he?
If he dared to force his way in, she'd punch him.
They both spoke at the same time.
Caroline said, "What's wrong?"
Leopold said, "Thank you."
Caroline awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear. "Your mom is actually pretty nice. You should talk to her more, care about her more."
They'd talked more tonight than he had in years.
Leopold was also reflecting on himself. "Okay, I'll work on that."
The atmosphere suddenly became serious. Caroline said, "I'm not criticizing you or blaming you. I'm the same way with my dad—we can't talk for more than a few sentences without arguing. I don't know why either."
To comfort him, she even shared a side of herself she didn't want others to know about. Leopold pinched her cheek, a gentle smile appearing between his brows. He stared at her for a long time before saying, "I want to kiss you."
Caroline was a bit stunned.
He was tall, his long fingers cool as they gently touched her cheek. She only felt a shadow fall over her head. The next second, she closed her eyes, stood on her tiptoes, tilted her chin up slightly, and her heartbeat rapidly accelerated.
A voice came by her ear, light breath washing over her cheek. The expected touch on her lips didn't come—instead, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Caroline opened her eyes in confusion, her gaze like water.
Leopold's fingertips caressed her lips as he said in a low voice, "Here... next time."
After speaking, he watched Caroline flee back to her room and close the door, a pleased laugh escaping from his nose.
Caroline leaned against the door, breathing rapidly, her face burning hot. She pressed the back of her hand against it, then went to the bathroom to look in the mirror—her face was completely flushed.
He'd definitely done that on purpose, deliberately making her misunderstand, making her embarrassed.
"Leopold!" Caroline gritted her teeth in frustration and stamped her foot hard. "He's driving me crazy!"
Leopold returned to his room to see a message from Quinlan.
Quinlan: [Call me when Caroline's not around.]
Leopold could roughly guess what this was about.
He took off his jacket and hung it on the rack, sat on the edge of the bed, and dialed Quinlan's number. In the past, she would only answer just before the phone was about to disconnect, but today she picked up instantly.
Leopold hadn't forgotten what had happened in the past just because of their brief harmony. He asked, "What is it?"
Hearing his voice turn cold again over the phone as it had been in the past, Quinlan seemed used to it. She leaned against the sofa, the gift Caroline had given her placed on the table.
"Caroline knows about me and your dad. She hasn't treated you differently in private, has she?"
Leopold replied, "No."
Quinlan took a breath. "What about her family? Do they know about our family situation?"
Leopold said, "They know."
"You told them that? Is your brain not working right?" Quinlan started blaming Leopold. "Now that you've said all that, do you think they'll still be willing to let Caroline be with you?"
"Is this my fault?" Leopold shot back. "Didn't you two create this situation? If you'd ever considered your children's feelings, it wouldn't have come to this."
"Leopold, I'm your mother!" Quinlan's anger flared, her hand trembling as she gripped the phone. She suppressed her angry emotions. "Leopold, some things aren't as simple as you think. Don't meddle in things between me and your dad."
She felt her heart ache and pressed her hand against her chest. "Treat Caroline well. Even if I have to give her more gifts, you must make her parents like you. Don't always put on that cold face—her family doesn't owe you anything. With such a good daughter, they won't have trouble finding someone to marry her.
Visit her home more often. Just go whenever you can, help out with things, make a good impression on her family.
Are you two using protection?"
Leopold hadn't expected her to ask this question at all.
He put his hand to his forehead and sighed. "Why are you asking this?"
"What are you sighing about?" Quinlan asked him. "Are you using protection or not?"
Leopold licked his dry lips. "Stop asking."
"How about you just don't use protection? If Caroline really gets pregnant and her family doesn't want it, we do." Quinlan knew these words were heartless. "I'm not giving you dirty tricks—it's just that if you miss out on a girl as good as Caroline, you won't find another. Your two previous girlfriends—do I even need to say anything? Sure, I have a weird temper, but I'm good at reading people, except for your dad.
Let's not talk about him—he just annoys me.
We won't shortchange Caroline. Whatever other families give their daughters-in-law, we'll give too. And what other families don't give, my daughter-in-law will have, and double."
"Mom, stop. You're getting way ahead of yourself. We just got together." Leopold was getting irritated.
Hearing this, Quinlan understood.
"Leopold, you haven't slept with her yet, have you?"
Leopold couldn't answer this one.
He bit his lower lip and put the phone back to his ear with a cold expression. "Is there anything else?"
He was basically saying if not, he'd hang up.
Quinlan laughed, her tone teasing. "So you haven't gotten to that step yet? You're way behind your dad. Your dad pursued me for a week and I slept with him. All these years, he's taught you all his business experience, but he never taught you his skills at pursuing women."
Leopold found this particularly grating and hung up directly.
Quinlan heard the dial tone. "He got embarrassed."
She sent Leopold a WhatsApp message.
Quinlan: [You're so handsome, no woman wouldn't like your body. Be more proactive.]
She added another line: [Go for it, Leopold.]
Leopold gripped his phone, gritting his teeth. "Great, just great. What kind of mother teaches her son to seduce women?"
He tossed his phone aside, too annoyed, and went to take a shower.
Standing in the steamy shower, warm water cascading from overhead, the glass door reflected Leopold's naked silhouette. Water slid down his solid back along the curves into his lower body. The image of kissing Caroline just now appeared in his mind.
She had closed her eyes, her long lashes casting a gentle shadow beneath them, her red lips moist. If he wanted, he could have had her, but he knew Caroline wasn't ready yet. He couldn't do that—he wanted her to willingly give herself to him completely.
His hand wiped the water from his face. Through the water curtain, he looked down and cursed, turning the valve to cold water.
Some women are flowers, some are the moon, some like water, some like poison.
His girlfriend was the wind.
Couldn't see her, couldn't touch her.
Making him love but not possess, unable to stop.
Over the weekend, after breakfast, the two returned to Seaside City. After dropping Caroline off at home, Leopold went straight to headquarters.
Last time he'd called wanting to discuss meeting Caroline with Preston, Preston's secretary Erik had taken the call and the message had disappeared into thin air. Where the problem was in the chain was obvious—Erik, being just a secretary, definitely didn't have the guts to hide things, so he had to find Preston himself.