Chapter 217 Your Heavy Taste in Love
Nash came out of the restaurant. Two insulated boxes sat by his car, their contents untouched.
Felix was a bit tipsy, swaying as he peered over Nash's shoulder with his head tilted, hands behind his back. He burped and asked, "Didn't we move the water to their car?"
Nash looked away, acting like he didn't care, making excuses for himself. "She's shy, afraid people might talk."
"What's there to be afraid of with just a bottle of water?" Felix was drunk and didn't catch the meaning in Nash's words. "Where should I move these boxes?"
Just as he finished asking, the sound of a car driving away came from behind. He turned to see Nash's car disappearing into the distance.
"Don't want the boxes? If you don't want them, I'll take them." Felix stacked the two boxes and bent down to pick them up—perfect for storing cold beer at the chicken farm.
Nash stared at the road ahead. Of all the women he'd encountered, if he set his sights on one, he always got her.
And don't bring up marriage—to him, putting marriage and loyalty together was a joke.
Among Nash's circle, hardly anyone was faithful. Either the husband was cheating, or the couple each did their own thing. Having seen so much of it, Nash felt married women were easier targets.
After experiencing their husbands' betrayal and neglect, he only needed to show a little concern, care for them a bit when they needed someone, and he could open their hearts. Plus, women neglected by their husbands had no sex life to speak of, making it relatively easier to get into their beds.
Only Caroline was different.
To say Nash loved her deeply—not really. They'd only met a few times. But he did like her somewhat. As for what he liked about her: young, beautiful, fresh, and the thrill of conquest.
More than having a young, beautiful woman, he wanted to have a young, beautiful woman with connections.
Meanwhile, in the power company's work vehicle.
Caroline pulled out the inspection schedule. According to the order, they should go to Fairywood Town tomorrow. She closed the folder and told the two others, "Tomorrow we'll change plans and inspect Riverbend Town instead."
Today's seemingly coincidental encounter with Nash—when Caroline thought about it, too many coincidences weren't coincidences at all.
She was ninety percent certain Nash had arranged it.
Leopold had warned her before that Nash had impure intentions toward her, so from the moment she walked in and saw Nash, Caroline had been on guard.
This kind of person—she had to stay away from him.
When Caroline finished her day's work and returned to the office, Leopold's car was already parked at the entrance waiting.
She had Oliver pull over to the side. Caroline got out and headed toward the Cayenne.
As soon as she got in the car, she asked with a grin, "Been waiting long?"
Before Leopold could answer, a strange smell filled the car. He frowned, leaned toward Caroline, who stared at him. "What?"
Leopold pulled back, silently pressed the window button, opening a small gap, and said, "Nothing, just feel that..."
Caroline hadn't noticed the odor on her clothes at all. "Feel what?"
Leopold raised his eyebrows subtly. "Today, you have a unique smell."
Caroline flipped her hair. "The more time we spend together, you'll find I'm full of good qualities."
Leopold laughed. "Alright, I'll savor them slowly."
The weather was hot, and she was tired and exhausted—she had no energy for more jokes with him.
"Just drive, I'm a bit tired." Caroline turned up the air conditioning. The cool breeze felt wonderful on her body. "The work vehicle's AC broke down. I almost died from the heat this afternoon."
She tugged at her collar and shook it. The cool air blew inside, and the sweat on her body subsided. But with her shaking motion, the smell on her became even more obvious.
Leopold fell silent.
He held the steering wheel with one hand, the other hand loosely fisted against his nose, holding his breath.
Caroline had completely forgotten that today she'd been to chicken farms, pig farms, and cattle ranches. Who knew how many different animal waste smells were mixed on her? She'd been smelling it so long she couldn't tell anymore, but poor Leopold—especially since he was a bit of a germaphobe.
Rarely was he this quiet, barely saying a word the whole way.
Caroline closed her eyes, feeling a bit drowsy, and asked, "How was your day? Busy?"
Leopold exhaled before saying, "Not bad."
After speaking, he took a deep breath.
After parking, the two walked into the elevator, followed by a family of three.
The moment the elevator doors closed, the couple smelled an unpleasant odor. The child stood relatively close to Caroline. The six or seven-year-old spoke without filter, covering his nose, "Mommy, she smells bad."
The woman quickly pulled the child in front of her and smiled awkwardly at them. "Don't talk nonsense."
Caroline realized the work environment she'd been in all day and embarrassedly tucked her hair behind her ear, taking half a step back.
Leopold stepped forward, blocking her with his body, and took Caroline's hand. "Sorry about that, my clothes got dirty, and they don't smell good. We're almost at our floor, you won't smell it once we get out."
The man laughed good-naturedly. "Kids don't know any better, don't mind him."
When the elevator stopped, Caroline hurried out. Before entering the apartment, she took off her shoes and carried them in her hand. The soles had stepped in some animal droppings. She'd clearly wiped them on the roadside, but still hadn't gotten them clean.
She asked Leopold, "Do I really smell that bad?"
Leopold paused. "Do you want to hear the truth or the real truth?"
Remembering what he'd said when she first got in the car, Caroline said, "You really were being considerate of my feelings. I smell this bad, and you could still stand it, even let me in your car."
Leopold didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "If I didn't let you in my car, I'd be breaking the law."
"What law?"
Leopold couldn't help but laugh more. "Marriage law. The car is joint marital property. Not letting you in the car would be depriving you of your rights."
Caroline gritted her teeth. "Believe it or not, I'll smack you with this shoe."
Leopold quickly dodged to the side, laughing. "This intense way of showing love—I really have to hand it to you."
"You're so annoying." Caroline walked into the apartment and headed huffily toward the bathroom. Leopold followed right behind, closing the door and grabbing her hand. "Getting mad again? We were having a nice chat, and you keep getting angry."
"You didn't even warn me." Caroline stood in the bathroom and started taking off her clothes. "Get out, I need to shower."
Leopold leaned against the vanity, arms crossed. "You shower, I'm tired, I'll rest here a bit."
Caroline didn't believe him. "What if you can't help yourself and come in?"
Leopold smiled mischievously. "Then we'll shower together."
Caroline had stripped down to just her underwear and pushed him out forcefully. "You're a perfectly good-looking guy, but you just had to have that mouth."
The door closed and was locked.
Leopold spoke through the door, laughing, "Honey, I don't mind that you smell, let's shower together."
Inside the bathroom, Caroline shouted toward the door, "The user you are calling is currently angry, please try again later."