Chapter 97 Planned Future
Knowing the two were coming, Elysia went to open the door. Seeing Leopold standing outside carrying things, her expression wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it wasn't happy either.
Leopold bowed politely and called out, "Mom."
Calling her on the phone was one thing, but face-to-face was another matter entirely. Elysia didn't know whether to respond or not, standing there frozen for two seconds before saying, "Come in."
As Leopold entered, he didn't forget to ask, "Is Dad home too?"
This time Elysia had no choice but to respond, "He's home."
"We passed a fruit shop and saw the fruit looked fresh, so we bought some." Leopold headed toward the kitchen. "Let me take it to the kitchen."
He certainly wasn't acting like a stranger. Elysia couldn't get a word in and just let him make himself at home as he went into the kitchen.
Caroline changed into slippers and said to Elysia, "Is Dad in the study?"
"Yes." Elysia nodded, then quietly reminded her, "He's still angry, so watch your attitude."
Caroline knew she was in the wrong. "I know."
The study door was tightly shut. Caroline stood at the door and knocked.
Hearing the knock, Elijah looked up, asking even though he knew the answer, "Who is it?"
"Dad, it's me."
"What is it?" Elijah's brow furrowed.
Leopold walked up behind Caroline, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder as if to support her. "Dad, Caroline and I came to see you."
Hearing Leopold's voice, Elijah remembered how he'd taken Caroline to register their marriage, and anger flared up inside him.
Coldly, he said, "Come in."
Leopold smiled at Caroline. "It's fine."
Caroline pushed the door open. "Dad—" She'd barely gotten the word out when Elijah said sternly, "I didn't tell you to come in."
She froze.
Seeing her standing there helpless like a child who'd done something wrong, Leopold felt his heart ache. He gripped Caroline's shoulders with both hands and gently guided her back two steps toward the door. "Go wash the strawberries and grapes, then bring them in for Dad to try."
Caroline worried he'd get scolded by Elijah. Leopold smiled gently. "Go on, it's fine."
He stepped back into the study and closed the door.
Turning around, he saw Elijah sitting behind the desk with natural authority, his jawline tight, clearly very unhappy that the two had registered their marriage without saying a word.
What's done is done. A good scolding would help him vent.
Leopold pulled out the chair across from him and was about to sit down when he remembered Elijah hadn't told him to sit either. "Dad."
When Elijah heard this "Dad," his temple throbbed painfully. He had to close his eyes and furrow his brow before he could recover.
"You've got some nerve. Something as big as marriage, and you didn't even discuss it with us. Looks like you don't care much about Caroline."
Just as expected, he came out swinging. One sentence about not caring and he'd nailed him to the moral pillory.
"Dad, I was the one who suggested registering the marriage. It's true I didn't discuss it with you, and that's all my fault. But to say I don't care about Caroline—" Leopold paused. "It's not that I don't care. I care too much. I was afraid of losing her, so I acted rashly without thinking things through. At the time, I just thought that only by registering the marriage with Caroline right away could I feel at ease. I couldn't wait even a single second."
Elijah's expression remained stern. "If it were someone else saying they didn't think things through, I might believe it. But you—" He shook his head. "What are you really up to?"
A hint of worry showed in Leopold's expression. He knew that right now, nothing he said would convince Elijah.
"Dad, you see right through me. I'm really not someone who acts without a plan. I did put thought into my relationship with Caroline, but I'm not trying to get something from her or use her. Honestly, I just don't want to miss her, miss the chance to spend my life with her."
To show his loyalty, he also mentioned that he'd handed over all his assets to Caroline, and that the wedding house they'd bought only had Caroline's name on it, with him covering all the renovation and other expenses.
Hearing this, Elijah said disdainfully, "You think I, Elijah, marry off my daughter based on money? Ridiculous. Don't think that just because you've spent money, our Caroline is yours to control. We're marrying off our daughter, not selling her. Don't try to pressure us with money."
"Dad, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant," Leopold said. "I think when a man loves a woman, he spends money on her and spends time with her. I'm willing to do both for Caroline, without any ulterior motives. You mentioned selling your daughter—" He shook his head. "I've never thought that way. If I had even the slightest thought of using money to deal with a woman, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of taking her to register our marriage. You know what kind of person I am. If I wanted to deceive a woman, I wouldn't need to put my entire fortune in her hands. That wouldn't serve my interests. Don't you agree?"
Elijah thought for a moment. "If you wanted to get married, you should have discussed it with us first. Caroline's mother and I aren't unreasonable people, and we wouldn't make outrageous demands based on who's marrying our daughter. By not discussing this with us, you're disrespecting us. And if you don't respect us, you don't respect Caroline either."
Leopold broke out in a cold sweat. This perfectly circular logic left him no opening. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said, "Dad, it's normal for you to think this way, but please don't judge me by what I've done so far. Judge me by what I do going forward. I'll prove to you and Mom that I have great respect for you both and for Caroline."
Elijah knew in his heart that Leopold was a businessman. If he were just playing around or looking for profit, there'd be no need to put up his entire fortune. If he really had ulterior motives, the first thing he'd have done wouldn't be registering the marriage with Caroline, but getting a prenuptial agreement.
Thinking this through, his expression softened slightly. He asked, "What are your plans going forward?"
Leopold laid out his plans in detail—the wedding, the process, the range of guests to invite, asking how many tables they needed to arrange for the bride's side, the countries being considered for the honeymoon. Of course, he also discussed more practical matters, like the wedding gift money. These were all things he'd done his homework on. He talked about future plans and explained the work situation after marriage. Because the Solstice Mountain Hotel project had just started, he'd spend most of his time at Solstice Mountain, but since he managed hotels across the country, he'd need to travel for part of the year.
It was clear he'd already planned out their future together. Elijah felt somewhat reassured, but before things got started, he needed to make potential problems clear in advance.
"There's one more thing I need to remind you of. Even though you and Caroline are married, if you think you can use our relationship to get special treatment from me, you'd better not have that idea. Even if you ask, I won't agree. To avoid awkwardness for everyone, I hope this situation never comes up in the future."
Suddenly, Leopold finally understood why Preston had opposed their relationship.
Years ago, when Celestial Waters Hotel was preparing a project in Oceancrest City, Elijah was the mayor of Oceancrest City at the time. To get cheaper land and more compensation policies from the government, Preston had privately approached Elijah, offering him substantial benefits, but Elijah had refused.
At the time, Leopold was just a low-level department manager. For safety reasons, Preston had him drive to Oceancrest City.
How could Preston be willing to become in-laws with someone who couldn't bring him any benefits?