Chapter 17 Dating and Career
Elijah hung up the phone and brought up Griffin's name again in front of Caroline.
"Your high school classmate Griffin has been appointed Deputy Director of the Education Department. We've crossed paths several times during his first six months in office. He's got great ideas, capability, and management skills. Most importantly, he's passionate about education. He spearheaded several initiatives proposed by the Director. He's someone who gets things done. Nice guy, too."
"Oh, and clear your schedule for next Wednesday evening. Griffin and I are attending a meeting in another county, and we'll all have dinner together afterward."
Caroline looked surprised. "Dad, you've already arranged this?"
"Yes, Griffin had no other plans that day and has already agreed." Elijah continued his praise. "Elysia, Griffin is always so polite in his interactions. I think you'll approve of him."
Hearing this, Elysia's face brightened. "Really? Then we should invite him over for a home-cooked meal sometime."
"Whether he comes home for dinner depends on Caroline," Elijah said, heading to the closet for his coat.
"Wait," Caroline interrupted them both. "Dad, why didn't you ask for my opinion before making this decision?"
"Isn't that what I'm doing now?" Elijah replied, having put on his business trench coat and ready to leave, only to be pulled back by Caroline's questioning.
Caroline said, "You're informing me, not asking me." She put down her cutlery, her voice slightly raised, which also angered Elijah.
Elijah said sternly, "What's wrong with Griffin? Isn't he better than Atticus was?"
Bringing up Atticus was like poking a sore spot, and it wounded Caroline's pride.
Sometimes, reverse psychology became an issue when there's excessive pressure. Griffin and Caroline had been high school classmates, and they had gotten along well back then. Both had joined the student council—Griffin as president and Caroline as vice president—and they had worked well together. If they had reconnected under different circumstances today, Caroline might have genuinely considered meeting Griffin. But Elijah's current attitude made it feel like a forced assignment, and she was instinctively resistant to the idea of meeting him.
"Dad, there's absolutely no chance between Griffin and me. I can't sit down for dinner with him. Please stop trying to match us up. I won't be going on Wednesday."
From her tone, Elijah knew Caroline meant what she said and definitely wouldn't attend.
"Griffin is a good man. You should trust my judgment of character."
Caroline immediately countered, "Just because you approve of someone doesn't mean I'll like them. Besides, I don't want to date right now. I want to focus on my career."
Elijah said, "Dating and career aren't mutually exclusive. I'm not interfering with your life—I just want you to meet Griffin once. What's there to be upset about?"
Caroline's feeling of suffocation peaked, and her voice rose. "I'm not upset."
Elijah reprimanded her in his leadership tone, "Your attitude says otherwise."
Feeling immense pressure and frustration with nowhere to vent, Caroline emphasized again, "I'm not."
Elijah's expression grew even more serious as he called her name in disappointment, "Caroline!"
She lacked the courage to meet Elijah's gaze, knowing she was indeed upset. With prejudice against Elijah and resistance to the blind date being forced upon her, she stubbornly refused to comply with his wishes. Looking down, she said, "Dad, please stay out of my business. I absolutely will not meet Griffin."
A deathly silence fell over the dining room. Seeing the situation deteriorate, Elysia knew that if this continued, father and daughter would have a major argument. She quickly intervened, "Elijah, don't you have a meeting? You'll be late."
She grabbed his briefcase and gently pushed him toward the door, holding his arm. "Caroline is your daughter—why are you arguing with her?"
Elijah shifted his gaze to Elysia's face. "You always spoil her."
The door slammed shut, and Caroline's feeling of suffocation eased slightly with Elijah's departure.
Elysia returned and handed Caroline a slice of pizza. "You should know better. You know what Elijah's temper is like. Did you have to contradict him? How could that not lead to an argument?"
Caroline replied, "So it's my fault? He didn't even ask for my opinion before making plans with someone else. Whose problem is that, really?"
Elysia sighed resignedly. "You're both equally stubborn. I'm done trying to mediate between you two."
Caroline left her parents' place with a belly full of anger. As she drove past a business hotel, she spotted Leopold with a man in a business suit. Their conversation didn't appear to be going well.
At the same time, Leopold noticed Caroline's car and followed it with his gaze until it disappeared around the corner before turning back to ask the man with a stern face, "I'll ask you one last time—did you know there was a problem with this batch of wine?"
Dash Anderson firmly denied it. "Of course not."
Leopold's deep eyes narrowed slightly. He'd said what needed to be said, and if Dash wouldn't admit the truth until faced with dire consequences, Leopold wouldn't hesitate to escalate the matter.
"Fine, I understand."
Seeing that Leopold had no evidence, Dash became emboldened and taunted him.
"My uncle owns shares in the hotel. Why would I harm my own family's interests? Don't make accusations without evidence in the future. Watch yourself—you should know your place. Be careful, or your father might throw you out on the street one day."
After delivering his threat, Dash left. Leopold returned to his car and called his secretary, instructing her to send the quality inspection report along with the complaint materials to the relevant departments.
Dash was a relative of the hotel's Vice President, Xavier Anderson. Before the new hotel opened, Xavier had assigned Dash to help Leopold, ostensibly to share his workload, but Leopold knew exactly what game they were playing.
Dash had often helped Xavier with these schemes, taking kickbacks under the guise of procurement. Leopold could have overlooked this in the past, but this situation was different—Dash had purchased low-quality wine and passed it off as premium.
From what Leopold had learned, the winery Dash sourced from didn't even have proper certification, let alone quality inspection. The wine wasn't made from the vineyard's original grape juice but was sourced from third-party workshops. The ingredients and potential adulteration were questionable. If a guest had an adverse reaction, Leopold would become the scapegoat.
Leopold decided to find a place to relax with a drink. Passing a bar, he spotted Caroline's car parked outside and, after a moment's consideration, pulled in as well.
Meanwhile, Caroline sat at the bar waiting for Erica. Occasionally, strange men would walk by, though she didn't notice their curious and interested glances.
Suddenly, a stranger sat down beside her and said cordially, "It's not safe drinking alone here. If you don't mind, I'll keep you company for a while."
Caroline turned to him and smiled politely. "My friend will be here shortly."
"I see." The stranger belatedly realized the situation and awkwardly smiled before leaving with his drink.
This was the third stranger she had rejected tonight. Caroline took out her phone and messaged Erica on WhatsApp.
Caroline: [Where are you? When are you coming?]
Erica didn't respond, so Caroline put down her phone and continued waiting.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder twice. Caroline turned around but didn't recognize the person.
It was a handsome, tall young man who looked like a college student based on his attire.
He shyly scratched the back of his neck and said with embarrassment, "Hey, beautiful, I lost a game, and my punishment is to get your WhatsApp."
Caroline raised an eyebrow. That was quite a bold move.