Chapter 134 Chapter 134
It became clear to Caroline that the Wolf family was prestigious on a level she was unaware of, and definitely different from the nouveau riche who just flaunted their fortune. At least three generations or more of the Wolf family had accumulated that power.
In comparison, the Cassano family's wealth suddenly seemed insignificant.
After driving for a while longer, the Rolls-Royce finally stopped in front of a main courtyard.
José quickly got out of the car and opened the rear compartment door.
Nicholas was the first to get out, adjusting his suit with his usual elegance.
The butler of the ancestral home, who had already been informed of their arrival, was waiting by the steps. Upon seeing Nicholas, he immediately approached and bowed respectfully.
“Mr. Nicholas.”
Nicholas just nodded.
But instead of walking toward the entrance, he turned and reached back into the dark interior of the car.
Seeing this, the butler looked to the side with undisguised curiosity.
Was there someone else in the car?
But who could be sitting there to make the master, always so cold and distant, behave so gallantly and attentively all of a sudden?
After a few seconds of suspense, the butler held his breath and saw a delicate white hand emerge from inside the car and rest gently on the gentleman's broad palm.
The gentleman... was holding that person's hand.
What was going on? Was there a woman in the gentleman's car?! And he was being so affectionate with her?!
Even before she got out of the car, the butler was already staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, unable to contain his shock.
Even though he had served the Wolf family for decades and seen it all, he felt his professional composure falter at that moment. He had never seen Nicholas act like this before.
After a few more seconds, under the butler's astonished gaze, the owner of the hand finally got out.
When his eyes fell on Caroline, the old butler's expression changed from curiosity to utter amazement.
Not only was there a woman in the master's car... she was a very young girl!
The girl had a particularly beautiful face with exquisite features. Her eyes were large and clear, and her face was so small and delicate that it seemed to fit in the palm of her hand.
In the afternoon sunlight, her skin looked like porcelain, white and shiny.
She was not dressed in extravagant haute couture, but her beauty was so natural and pure that it was impossible to look away.
The butler, who had an experienced eye, immediately realized that this girl was different from the seductive and artificial beauties who usually circulated in high society.
She exuded a docile, friendly, and clean temperament. She was like a fresh breeze.
But Mozart's shock was just beginning.
What his eyes witnessed next challenged decades of service to the Wolf family.
After the girl got out of the car, Nicholas did not step away. On the contrary, he extended his arm and wrapped it around her waist with possessive naturalness, pulling her into his personal space.
“Sir... this is...” Mozart's voice faltered. His eyes widened as if he had just seen an alien land in the courtyard.
He stared at Caroline with an expression of utter disbelief.
Nicholas, ignoring his butler's mental collapse, squeezed Caroline's waist lightly and looked at her with an affection no one had ever seen on his cold face.
“Mozart,” Nicholas's voice was firm and proud. “This is Mrs. Caroline Wolf. My wife.” Then he turned to Caroline, who looked a little intimidated by the grandeur of the place. “Carol, this is Mozart. He is the trusted butler of the main house.”
Upon hearing the word “wife,” Mozart felt his legs buckle.
He almost had a heart attack right there.
Wife?!
Mozart felt that all the emotion he had accumulated over the last ten years was nothing compared to the shock of that single moment.
The Lord was playing by no rules!
Why, in God's name, did he suddenly show up with a wife?
It didn't make sense. Didn't Nicholas suffer from a severe aversion to female touch? The psychological “misogyny” that had kept him away from any woman for over a decade?
Not long ago, Nicholas himself had declared, with that cutting coldness, that he had no interest in women and planned to spend his life alone.
And now... he was hugging a girl?
Mozart was dizzy, his mind spinning with a thousand unanswered questions.
“Yes,” Nicholas confirmed, seeing the confusion on the old servant's face. An almost imperceptible smile curved his lips. “I decided to bring her home at the last minute, so I didn't give you any advance notice. Now, go ahead and announce that I'm back. And that Mrs. Wolf is with me.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.” Mozart needed a second to reboot his brain. He swallowed hard, struggling to regain his professionalism. He bowed deeply to Caroline, and now with renewed and terrified respect, he rushed into the mansion to deliver the bombshell news.
Caroline watched the butler walk away and gently tugged on Nicholas's jacket sleeve.
“Who's home today?” she whispered nervously.
Nicholas intertwined his fingers with hers, warming her cold hand as they walked. "My father is abroad on business and won't be back for a few days. Probably just my mother and grandmother are home. And Sheila, of course.
“And your grandfather?”
“He passed away five years ago. Heart problems.”
“Oh...” Caroline felt a pang of guilt. “I'm sorry. I didn't know.”
“It's all right, my dear.” Nicholas smiled reassuringly. “Mortality is the fate of us all. It's not a forbidden subject here.”
As they talked and walked along the stone paths lined with immaculate gardens, they passed several employees and gardeners.
They all stopped what they were doing to greet “Mr. Wolf.”
And without exception, they all cast furtive, shocked glances at Caroline, and she could feel the weight of those looks. They were appraising, curious, incredulous.
Like Mozart, they seemed to be witnesses to a miracle, or a hallucination. The untouchable boss, the man who never brought women home, was walking hand in hand with a beautiful young woman.
Caroline felt like a rare animal on display at the zoo. The instinct to hide arose, and she tried to discreetly let go of his hand. But Nicholas wouldn't let her.
Noticing her discomfort, he squeezed her hand more firmly, sending a silent message: I'm here. You belong here.
For the employees, the scene was clear: the boss's illness had a cure. And the cure was that girl.
Finally, they reached the main entrance.
As soon as they crossed the threshold of the grand hallway, the atmosphere changed. The air grew heavier, laden with the silent pressure of an ancient and powerful family.
The uncomfortable feeling of being judged intensified. Caroline took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come.