Chapter 143 Viewing the Same Scenery
On the highway to Silverpeak City, Caroline munched on the snacks Leopold had prepared, saying between bites, "If my mom knew I was eating these snacks, she'd definitely nag me again."
"Mom's not here, it's fine, eat up." Leopold said with a smile.
Caroline also took out a chip and held it up to Leopold's mouth.
"Today, Atticus came to my office," Caroline said, looking down as she folded up the snack package to seal it. Leopold's eyes flickered. "What did he want?"
"Last year, the power company laid a cable line, and one homeowner said the wire passes over his roof and poses a safety issue. Atticus is the lawyer representing the client, coming to us for an explanation."
"The line should have been approved before installation, right?"
"Of course, I read the project materials before coming here, and there's no problem."
Leopold asked, "What do you think he's planning - to negotiate or sue?"
Caroline said, "He mentioned compensation before leaving. I think compensation is more likely."
Leopold asked, "Is the line legal and compliant?"
Caroline said, "The line construction was approved by the relevant departments, and we obtained the construction planning permit and environmental assessment report. It definitely meets safety production requirements."
"Looks like they won't get compensation then." Leopold said.
"I'm having someone go check the site again to confirm. If there really is a problem, we'll compensate as we should. If there's no problem and they don't accept it, they'll have to sue."
She didn't mention Atticus threatening her. With his guts, he wouldn't really dare do anything - it was just talk.
From Leopold's several encounters with Atticus, given that guy's nasty behavior and narrow-mindedness, he definitely took the opportunity to say some unpleasant things to Caroline.
"He didn't say anything else?" he asked.
"No." Caroline immediately denied it, opening the chip bag she'd just folded and taking out another chip.
Leopold glanced at her through the rearview mirror, then looked away casually.
Her not saying anything didn't mean anything happened, she just didn't want him to worry.
Leopold's eyes narrowed dangerously as he thought to himself, 'Atticus, I will make sure you learn your lesson!'
The two arrived in Silverpeak City around ten-thirty. Quinlan wanted them to stay at her place, but Leopold knew she was used to living alone, having them there would make her uncomfortable.
Leopold booked a hotel near Quinlan's place. When they got there, they went to eat first. While the food was being served, Leopold got a phone call. Seeing the number, he got up and walked toward the door.
Caroline watched him through the glass window and noticed Leopold's expression wasn't right. The conversation seemed unpleasant. When Leopold looked up and met Caroline's gaze, he turned and walked to a decorative tree by the roadside, his back to the restaurant as he continued the call.
All the dishes had been served, but Leopold still hadn't returned. After another ten minutes, he finally came back to his seat.
"Who was it? So late."
Leopold picked up his knife and fork. "Nothing important, it was Lily."
Caroline served him food. "Eat more, you drove all this way, you must be tired."
When they got to the hotel, Caroline went to shower first. When she came out, she saw Leopold looking down at his phone. As soon as he saw her, he immediately turned off his phone and put it aside.
He got out of bed. "Get some rest early, we'll go to Mom's first thing tomorrow morning."
"Okay."
The sound of water came from the bathroom. Caroline looked at the phone on the nightstand, feeling like he'd been trying hard to hide something just now.
Maybe it was because they were too busy with work and too stressed before the wedding, they fell asleep shortly after lying down.
The next day, Caroline woke up as soon as it was light. She didn't sleep well in unfamiliar places and had woken up once during the night.
Leopold felt the person in his arms move and said in a hoarse, lazy voice, "Why are you up so early?"
Caroline, who had just lifted the corner of the blanket, paused, turned her head, and said quietly, "Going to the bathroom, you sleep a bit more."
Leopold rubbed his face, propped himself up against the headboard, turned on the bedside lamp, and pressed the curtain switch. The morning light gently entered through the slowly opening curtains.
The sky hadn't yet shed the blue tint left from night, and the morning sun rose from where two mountain peaks overlapped.
Caroline got dressed. After washing up, she stood by the window looking out. Leopold hugged her from behind, resting his chin on Caroline's shoulder. "You know what? I love holding you like this."
"Why?"
He said thoughtfully, "This way I can see the same view as you."
Caroline frowned, her lips gradually unable to hold back. "I'm touched, but that sounds a bit cheesy."
Leopold bit her neck, leaving a tooth mark but not using much force.
Caroline dodged, covering her neck with her hand. "Stop it, if you leave any marks, how am I supposed to wear my wedding dress tomorrow?"
"Right, I almost forgot." Leopold took her hand away to look. After checking, "It's fine, no mark."
They stood quietly together, gazing toward the distant horizon, the world around them seeming to freeze in this moment.
"There's a morning market nearby, want to check it out?"
Caroline perked up. "Sure."
Not far from the hotel was a street market, right next to the sea, with fresh seafood just off the boats and local snacks and food.
Caroline walked and ate. Actually, she'd tried most of it before, Seaside City had these too, but the taste here was slightly sweeter.
"Try this, this burger is pretty good."
Leopold took a bite and nodded. "The taste really is good."
Walking past a small stall selling cheese, Leopold backed up. Caroline glanced at it. "You want some?"
Leopold said with an awkward expression, "My mom loves it."
Hearing this, Caroline said, "Perfect, let's buy some and take it to her."
The cheese was packed into a food bag by the vendor. Smelling the pure fragrance of dairy products, Leopold carried the bag.
Caroline asked again, "What else does Mom like to eat?"
Leopold looked ahead. "That sandwich place up there, she likes those too."
After buying Quinlan's favorite breakfast items, Leopold drove toward Quinlan's apartment complex.
Although he only used his parking spot a few times a year, Quinlan rented it every year.
When they knocked, Quinlan's housekeeper, Gaia, opened the door. Seeing Leopold, she called into the house,
"Ms. Barnes, Mr. Leopold, and his wife are here."
Quinlan came out of the bedroom, still in her pajamas. "Why are you two here so early?"
Caroline said, "Mom, Leopold bought your favorite breakfast and brought it over. It's still hot, eat it while it's warm."
Quinlan looked at the breakfast the housekeeper was holding. "Why buy all this? Gaia is making breakfast."
Gaia poured the cheese and sandwich onto plates and brought them to the dining table. "Come eat, they bought it from the seaside morning market, from that place you love most."
Quinlan sat down. "I don't love it that much, don't go that far next time."
Gaia pursed her lips and shook her head helplessly. "Don't listen to her, she loves these."
Leopold kept a straight face, his expression unchanged, but Caroline, sitting beside him, held Leopold's hand. "See, Mom really does love these."