Chapter 121 Ambiguous Period
Preston's gaze hardened as he stared at the empty doorway.
His son was like him in every way but one: Leopold could be so easily cornered by a woman.
To Preston, the fact that a single wedding had been enough to bring Leopold to heel was a profound disappointment.
Once he was out of the building, Leopold let out a long, slow breath. He glanced up at the sky, feeling like he couldn't stand another minute in that office.
He had just settled into his car when his phone rang. It was Maddox. He'd quit his job at the Seaside City design institute last month and had already launched his own firm.
Leopold had only managed to stop by for the grand opening and had been too swamped to hang out since.
Maddox's design studio was on Maple Avenue, an area where the rent was still relatively low. He'd chosen the spot for its cost-effectiveness; most of their business was handled online anyway. With Maddox's reputation as a living, breathing advertisement for his own talent, he could have opened up in the suburbs and still been successful.
As Leopold drove down the street, he passed the Saucy BBQ Shack, a place he and Caroline had been to once. A glance inside stirred a wave of warm, vivid memories.
He parked in front of the design studio and sent Caroline a message on WhatsApp.
Leopold: [What was the name of that first BBQ place you took me to?]
The chat window remained silent. Leopold exited the app and walked into the studio.
Maddox was at his computer, deep in a 3D model. When he saw Leopold, he pushed his keyboard away and leaned back in his chair, a look of mock grievance on his face.
"If I don't call you, you never bother to call me, do you?"
A gentle smile touched Leopold's lips. "Things have been a little crazy. You know, just got married and all."
"You got married, you didn't lose your phone," Maddox retorted. "No excuse for radio silence."
They moved to a small table, and Maddox began methodically preparing pour-over coffee as Leopold filled him in on everything that had happened recently.
They were the kind of friends who could talk about anything, who knew each other's histories inside and out. The unresolved drama of the previous generation had never affected their bond.
Still, hearing that Preston was using Leopold as a pawn in his corporate games didn't sit well with Maddox.
"Your dad is something else," he said, his voice tight. "You're his own son, and he's using you like this? What the hell is he thinking?"
In his agitation, Maddox wasn't paying attention and splashed hot water on his hand.
Leopold calmly pulled a napkin from the dispenser and handed it to him. "Why are you more worked up about this than I am?"
Maddox was seething, but Preston was still Leopold's father. It wouldn't be right to badmouth him too much. "I just think it's completely unfair to you," he grumbled.
Leopold understood. Only a true friend would get this angry on your behalf. Before, it had just been Maddox. Now, he had Caroline, too.
Maddox took a light sip of his coffee, deciding to change the subject before his mood soured completely. "So, tell me. Any post-nuptial revelations?"
Leopold toyed with the water glass in his hands, his eyes slightly downcast. An uncontainable smile played at the corners of his mouth, and his entire being seemed to radiate a disgustingly sweet contentment.
"No way." Maddox felt a pang of something that suspiciously resembled envy. "I just asked a simple question. Do you have to look like that?"
Leopold set the glass down. "It's good. Really good."
"Leopold, I've known you for years, and I have never seen you look so…" Maddox struggled for the right word, his mind blanking. Then it hit him. "Lovesick. That's it. You have the classic case of a lovesick fool, you know that?"
"Do I?"
"You're asking me?" Maddox flipped open his phone's camera and snapped a picture. "Here. See for yourself."
Leopold stared at the photo. It was true. His whole aura had shifted. Even his eyes looked softer.
"Now look at you six months ago." Maddox swiped through his gallery and found an older photo of the two of them.
The Leopold in that picture was a different person entirely. A grim, cold energy radiated from him, his gaze icy and distant. Dressed in dark clothes, he projected a clear "do not disturb" vibe.
"Get it now?" Maddox grinned. "So, spill. What's so great about being married?"
Leopold seemed to drift back into his haze of happy memories. Maddox shot a helpless look out the window and shook his head. "I give up. Marriage has officially turned your brain to mush."
"All I can say is," Leopold began, his voice soft, "whenever I think about being with her, I just feel happy."
"How is that possible?" Maddox scoffed, shaking his head. "Being single is the ultimate freedom. You do what you want, go where you want, eat what you want, party how you want."
"I still do all of that," Leopold countered. "Except now, it's with someone else. And it's even better than being alone."
"Impossible." Maddox would die on this hill. Two people could never be happier than one. "Are you trying to trick me into getting married, too?"
Leopold lifted his glass, his eyes meeting Maddox's over the rim, through the faint steam rising from the coffee. A knowing smile touched his lips as he raised an eyebrow.
"When you meet your future wife, you'll understand."
Maddox let out a devil-may-care laugh. "Nah, I'm not cut out for it. A guy like me I can't imagine having a woman watching my every move. The thought alone is suffocating. Besides, you've forgotten the joys of being single."
The topic, however, brought someone to mind.
Maddox refilled Leopold's coffee, his movements casual as he asked, "Who does Erica usually hang out with at your climbing club?"
Leopold slowly lowered his glass, studying Maddox for a few seconds. His friend suddenly found the coffee machine intensely interesting. "I didn't mean anything by it," Maddox said, a little too quickly. "She just popped into my head. Just asking."
"I'm warning you, Maddox," Leopold said, his tone serious. "Don't get any ideas about Erica."
"We're both adults. It's consensual. What do you mean, 'get ideas'?" Maddox sniffed defensively. "Couldn't it be that we're into each other? May the best man win, right?"
Leopold's brow furrowed. "How far has this gone?"
Maddox took a sip of coffee to wet his throat. "We're in the 'talking' stage."
Leopold's eyes narrowed. Erica was a smart woman; she had to see Maddox for the player he was. But maybe some things were just meant to be. Whether it was real or just a game wasn't his problem to solve.
"Caroline told me something once," Leopold said, pulling out his phone again, noticing she still hadn't replied. "If you want to understand a person, don't listen to what others say. Use your own eyes. If they aren't breaking laws or scamming people, if they aren't fundamentally a bad person, they might not be a saint to the rest of the world. But if they're good to you, and only to you, then for you, they're good."
Maddox was quiet for a moment. "So, when does Erica usually go climbing?" He asked.
"She's almost always there Monday and Friday nights," Leopold replied. "And she's there most of the day on Saturdays and Sundays."
Maddox made a 'got it' gesture with his hand. "Solid."
Caroline had spent the morning at the wind farm project site. From the moment construction began, she made a point to visit whenever she had a spare moment. The potential of wind energy was revolutionary, not just for Seaside City, but for the entire country. More than anyone, Caroline was desperate to see the project completed and operational.