Chapter 93 Direct Action
From the moment they decided to get married, their division of labor was clear. Leopold would handle Preston's issues, but he told Caroline upfront that Preston might not agree. If that happened, she might have to face Preston's absence at the wedding, and he hoped she and her family wouldn't mind too much.
Caroline was pretty easygoing about it. After all, she was marrying Leopold, not Preston. Marriage was between two people - as long as Leopold treated her well and they could live peacefully together, other issues weren't really problems. Given enough time, Preston would naturally come around.
Right now, her main concern was choosing their wedding home.
Caroline felt that since they both owned property in Seaside City, and her current place was big enough for them to settle down, there was no need for more. But Leopold insisted on buying a wedding home for her, saying it was to give her security.
Leopold was a man of action. The next day, Caroline received property brochures he'd sent by express delivery.
Looking at the listings in her hands, the smallest was a four-bedroom, two-living room, two-bathroom unit. The other two options were a 5,000-square-foot luxury apartment and a detached villa.
Considering the prices, the purchase cost would be no small amount. She worried that Leopold might buy a luxury home just for appearances, putting a strain on his finances. There was also the possibility that if Preston really didn't agree, this luxury home would be Leopold's way of making it up to her. Either way, Caroline didn't want Leopold to dump a huge amount of money into the wedding home. She tactfully sent him a WhatsApp message.
Caroline: I've looked at all the property brochures you sent. Are there any others?
north: Yes, there are. Are these not big enough or is the location not good enough?
Caroline: Neither. The location and properties are fine, the problem is they're too big. It's just the two of us living there - we don't need such a big house. Plus, if we spend all our money on buying a house, what about our future life?
So she was worried he'd spend all his money.
Leopold smiled and replied: You're afraid I'll run out of money after buying the house?
Caroline stared at the screen, frowning, and typed: Let's choose a smaller house. I'll pay for the renovations.
Leopold's gaze softened as he replied: Don't worry about money. The brochures I sent you are all within my means. I have enough money to buy the house, and I also have money for renovations. Don't think about other things - just choose the home you like.
Caroline: You don't need to make it up to me with a house either. If your dad doesn't agree and doesn't come to the wedding, I'll feel it's a pity, but I won't be that upset. Having you is more important than anything.
Seeing that last sentence, Leopold's eyes filled with tenderness, and a warm smile curved his handsome lips.
north: Can you say that again?
Caroline paused, confused.
Caroline: Say what?
north: The last sentence.
Caroline: Stop changing the subject. Let's get a smaller house. A three-bedroom, one-living room would be enough for us.
But Leopold kept insisting, replying to Caroline: Listen to me, choose from the options I gave you. I have an insider price - it's very cheap.
Caroline thought to herself, how much of an insider price could it be? With that square footage, even if it's cheaper, it can't be that much less.
She felt uncertain, always thinking about their future life. She couldn't let Leopold just throw all his money into a house. Besides, Elijah had always kept a low profile. If he found out they bought a luxury home in Seaside City for their wedding, there'd probably be a lecture coming.
To put Caroline's mind at ease, Leopold called to convince her. In the end, she chose the relatively cheapest of the three options - the 5,000-square-foot luxury apartment.
The conversation left Caroline parched. She drank a whole glass of water before her throat felt moistened again.
The purchase process was also quick. The two of them went to the sales center the next day.
When signing, only Caroline's name was written on the purchase contract.
She sat alone in the car holding the purchase contract. With the luxury home now under her name, Caroline suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, we haven't gotten our marriage certificate yet. With the purchase contract in my name, aren't you afraid I'll take the house and not marry you?"
Leopold smiled. "You're right, we haven't gotten our marriage certificate yet. Did you bring your driver's license?"
Caroline was still in a daze. "I did. I needed ID registration when signing the purchase contract just now."
"Are you ready to marry me?"
"Yes." Caroline nodded.
"Rather than choosing a suitable date, why not just do it? Get our marriage certificate today?"
Caroline's mind went blank. "Today?"
"Yes, is it inconvenient?" he asked in a teasing tone.
Things were moving too fast. She felt a bit dizzy. "It's convenient."
"If it's convenient, let's go get the other documents we need for the marriage certificate." Leopold reached back with his long arm and pulled over a paper bag. "Here are all my documents."
Caroline hugged the paper bag to her chest, holding it like treasure.
The car stopped downstairs at Caroline's place. Leopold asked, "Do you need me to come up with you to get them?"
Caroline shook her head. "No need."
She didn't even know how she got upstairs. Anyway, when she got home and sat on the sofa, she looked down at the purchase contract again, confirming the property location, floor, square footage, purchase price, and finally that only her name was listed as the buyer.
Caroline held her forehead, her mind in chaos. She quickly called Erica.
"Erica, are you busy?"
Erica said, "Not too bad. What's up? Go ahead."
Caroline told her about how they decided to get married yesterday, and today Leopold took her to buy a house. When she heard that the property they bought was a luxury apartment in Opulent Oasis in central Seaside City, Erica let out a shriek that shouldn't be made in a public place!
After the outburst, she immediately drew the attention of others at nearby desks, who all looked her way. Erica quickly ducked down, covering the phone with her hand and said:
"Did he take you to look at properties, or did you actually sign a contract and buy it?"
Caroline said, "We signed the contract and bought it."
"Oh my god, Mr. Wipere is so generous." Erica added, "You're amazing - either you don't get married at all, or you get married at lightning speed."
"We're not married yet. We haven't gotten our marriage certificate."
"Amazing." Erica was full of admiration. "You haven't even gotten your marriage certificate, and you've already got him head over heels for you."
Suddenly thinking of something, Erica said with a mischievous smile, "Tell me, have you two had sex yet?"
Caroline: "No."
"What's there to be embarrassed about with me?" Erica knew Caroline well. "I told you that with you two spending every day together, something would happen. Looks like he really likes your body - crazy about you, wild for you, spending big money to buy you a house."
On the phone, Erica was even more excited than she was. Caroline said, "Stop it. We really haven't. I'm calling you because I'm a bit uneasy."
"What do you have to be uneasy about? It's Opulent Oasis! Stop being ungrateful. With a Leopold falling from the sky like this, you better take him home quick. If you miss him, you won't meet such a good man again." Erica earnestly advised, "You should know that men nowadays who are this easy to fool are rare."
Caroline said, "I didn't fool him. He bought it for me on his own initiative."
Erica said, "I know, and that's exactly why he took the initiative - that's what makes this kind of man so rare."
"I'm not after his money."
"I know you're not short on money, but isn't it better that he has money?" Erica asked back, "What are you uneasy about?"
Caroline looked at the string of numbers showing the purchase price and said, "I'm worried his money didn't come from legitimate sources."
Erica almost cursed in frustration. "Have you lost your mind? He's Leopold. Go look up his personal information, see how many companies are linked to his name, and you'll know what he's worth at Celestial Waters Hotel."