Chapter 19 Cannot Cross the Line
After the bar incident, Caroline's untouchable image was shattered in front of Leopold. This led her to avoid him, intentionally or not. She recounted the whole fiasco to Erica, who nearly laughed herself to tears.
Luckily, Caroline got swamped with preparing for her campaign and soon put the embarrassing episode behind her.
During lunch break, Caroline stepped out of her office to grab a bite. Just as she reached the stairs, someone called out to her from above.
"Hey, Ms. Tudor."
Caroline looked up. "Mr. White."
She followed Xander down the stairs. "I found out who your competition is," Xander said.
Caroline was intrigued. Knowing her opponents would help her strategize better.
A colleague passed by and greeted them. Xander waited until they were out of earshot before continuing. "Aaron Hill from Regal City and Brian Scott from Amber District. Both have some connections. If it's purely based on ability, you've definitely got the upper hand. But you know how it goes... Maybe you should talk to your dad, just to be safe."
Caroline got what he was hinting at. She nodded. "Alright, I'll think about it."
Xander looked genuinely concerned. "Don't just think about it. You should talk to him. What can't you discuss with your own father?"
Caroline smiled. "Okay, I get it."
They walked out of the office building. Xander glanced towards the cafeteria, which was getting crowded. "I heard they're serving salmon today. It's going to be packed."
Caroline said, "The cafeteria's salmon is really good. Even better than my mom's."
Sure enough, they were serving salmon. Caroline took her tray to a corner, just about to eat when her phone buzzed. It was a WhatsApp message from Leopold.
Seeing his profile picture made her uneasy. Just thinking about that night made her feel embarrassed.
North: [Ms. Tudor, do you have a moment?]
Caroline pondered over his message. He didn't specify why he wanted to know if she was free. The thought of meeting him made her cringe with embarrassment.
She made what she thought was a brilliant decision: ignored the message.
Just as she put her phone down, another message from Leopold popped up, making her eyes widen.
North: [Are you ignoring me, or did you really not see this?]
She mentally scoffed. I'll reply if I want to. He doesn't control me.
Caroline focused on her meal, but then her phone rang. It was Leopold.
Ignoring him was no longer an option.
Caroline answered. "What's up?"
"Ms. Tudor, are you busy?" Leopold's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Not really. What do you need?"
"I sent you a WhatsApp message, and you didn't reply. Are you still upset about that night at the bar and avoiding me on purpose?"
His straightforwardness made Caroline feel a wave of shame, her face flushing. Before her brain could catch up, her mouth was already retorting.
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I avoid you? I'm just having lunch."
Leopold acknowledged, "Right, it's lunchtime. I almost forgot."
Feigning calm, Caroline asked, "What do you need?"
"I need to pick up the approval documents. Our hotel needs to keep a copy."
Caroline remembered the documents: three copies—one for the power company, one for the contractor, and one for the safety supervision bureau.
"Come by my office this afternoon to get them," she said.
Leopold asked, "Can't you do it now?"
"I'm eating lunch."
"Alright, I'll wait."
Caroline assumed he meant he'd wait until the afternoon. But when she left the cafeteria, there he was, waiting by the office building entrance.
As soon as they made eye contact, Leopold stared at her, making Caroline feel uncomfortable.
She rubbed her arms and snapped, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Leopold sniffed and chuckled. "Your office cafeteria must be pretty good. You had salmon today, right?"
Caroline laughed awkwardly. "You've got a sharp nose."
They walked into the office building, maintaining a professional distance, but Caroline noticed his barely contained amusement.
Seeing his expression, she was sure he was doing it on purpose.
The office was nearly empty during lunch. Caroline hinted, "Stop bringing up that night at the bar. A girl has to have some self-defense tactics."
Leopold took a step up the stairs, his tone casual. "You're overthinking it. I didn't say anything."
Caroline felt like she was hitting a wall. She couldn't get mad at him, but not getting mad left her feeling frustrated.
"You did say something. You mentioned it on the phone."
Leopold slowed his pace, as if recalling. "Which part? When I asked if you were avoiding me because of the bar incident?"
He brought it up again!
Caroline glared at him. "You're really despicable."
Leopold laughed. "Not at all. I'm not that bad."
As they reached Caroline's office, she pulled out a blue file box from the cabinet, marked with sticky notes. She focused on finding the document while Leopold sat across from her, watching.
Some people become more appealing once you start seeing them differently. But Caroline had made her stance clear, and he couldn't cross that line. If she sensed his feelings, they might not even be able to see each other anymore.
Caroline handed him the document. "Here."
Their eyes met unexpectedly. Leopold's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure and took the document. "Thanks."
Caroline replied, "No problem."
After he left, Caroline wondered if she was overthinking things.
Leaving the power company, Leopold received a call from his secretary, Lily Martin.
"Mr. Wipere, the complaint has been submitted. We should hear back in a couple of days."
"Got it," Leopold replied.
Lily hesitated. Leopold said, "When did you start hesitating to speak to me?"
Lily voiced her concern. "Xavier isn't very forgiving. By going after Dash, you're challenging him. He'll definitely retaliate."
Leopold smirked. "I've taken precautions. If he makes a move, I'll deal with him."
Lily felt relieved.
Leopold continued, "Lily, have I ever taken on a fight I couldn't win? Don't worry. By the way, the new hotel is set to soft open at the end of next month. Prepare to hand over your current duties and get ready to join us."
Lily responded, "Understood, Mr. Wipere."