Chapter 221 The Flowering Season is Just Right
Having a baby was something to look forward to, but for Leopold, now wasn't the right time.
On the surface, he went along with Elysia, but his actual actions were protecting Caroline.
The evening breeze by the river was cool and comfortable against their skin.
The two sat on a bench, leisurely watching the ferries crossing the river. He noticed Caroline alternating which foot she crossed over the other from time to time.
Leopold asked, "Your feet hurt?"
"Yeah, probably walked too much today."
Caroline looked down at her shoes. Elysia had scrubbed the dirty soles and polished the leather shoes with shoe polish.
A mother's love showed in life's little details, and also in the future she envisioned. Caroline understood, but didn't agree.
Leopold had always been tolerant and caring toward her—could it be that he had certain thoughts but said the opposite out of love?
"Am I being too selfish? Always thinking about my own feelings, ignoring what you and my parents think."
She suddenly asked. Leopold's eyes softened as he held her hand and patted it gently. "What are you overthinking now?"
"I've always emphasized that I don't want kids too early, without even asking what you really think."
Leopold raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually think I was just humoring you back then?"
"Weren't you?"
"Of course not."
Leopold looked at her for half a second, then reached up to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "If I wanted kids, you'd already be pregnant. Would I be here helping you fool Mom?"
That did make sense.
Caroline asked, "So you're also not in a rush to have kids?"
His tone was relaxed. "Of course."
Caroline looked away, worry still lingering in her eyes. "But what about my mom?"
"Don't sigh like that, it's not a big deal." Leopold continued reassuring her. "At work, I like to do things according to plan. But in life, I like surprises. Meeting you was unexpected, falling in love with you was fate, and marrying you was a blessing. So I hope our child will be that surprise."
"Don't worry too much about what Mom says. Right now, you just need to be yourself. I won't let you lose the right to pursue your dreams and freedom after marriage. Just do what you want to do and achieve the goals you've set. Everything else, I'll handle."
Caroline smiled, her heavy mood instantly lifting.
Meeting a soulmate she could communicate with, a life mentor who could comfort her—she was incredibly lucky.
Leopold said, "That's more like it. You look so much better when you smile."
Noticing she'd rushed out still wearing her work uniform and leather shoes, he looked around and spotted a row of trunk market stalls by the road. He stood up and said to her, "Wait here."
Caroline's eyes followed Leopold as he stopped by a small van, bent down selecting something. When he returned, he was holding a pair of slippers.
He bent down and crouched at her feet, placing the slippers in front of her. "Wear these to walk, your feet will be more comfortable."
Caroline slipped her feet into the slippers. They were soft and cushiony—much more comfortable indeed.
"How's that?" Leopold looked up and saw her eyes curved like the crescent moon in the sky.
He just loved seeing her smile, smiling like time was peaceful and good.
Among the people by the river, there was now a young married couple holding hands. The man was tall and handsome, the woman pretty and gentle. They held hands, becoming a reference point for happiness in others' eyes.
People said dating was the happiest stage for two people, but Caroline felt that even after marriage, their relationship was still as sweet as when they were dating.
Perhaps the time hadn't come yet, and they were still in full bloom.
The electricity theft inspection had just three more villages to go. Caroline had just finished packing up and left the office when she saw Ulysses pacing by the door, seemingly waiting for her.
"What's up?" Caroline asked.
Seeing colleagues passing by, Ulysses didn't rush to speak. "Oliver said the work truck's air conditioning is broken, planning to send it for repairs tonight."
This could have easily been mentioned when she came downstairs. Caroline invited him into the office and closed the door. "What is it?"
Ulysses frowned, hesitating. Caroline smiled. "There's no one else here, what can't you say?"
Only then did Ulysses speak up. "Ms. Tudor, Oliver and I ran into Nash at the office last night."
"I know." Caroline wasn't too surprised.
Ulysses thought Caroline hadn't noticed something was off about him, and kindly reminded her, "He asked about you, and where we were inspecting today. He asked too many questions, but Oliver and I didn't say anything. You should watch out for him."
Caroline smiled knowingly. She'd been right about Ulysses being upright from the start.
She said, "Thanks for the heads up. I'm aware."
Seeing her clear, wise eyes, Ulysses suddenly understood. His lips moved awkwardly, unable to get a word out for a long time.
He'd been too nosy.
"It's fine, you were thinking of me. I should be thanking you." Caroline picked up her bag. "Let's go. We have plenty to do today. The earlier we go, the earlier we get back."
The work truck had just left the office when Nash's car followed at a distance.
After following for seven or eight kilometers, Nash realized that according to his memory, the area Caroline was responsible for wasn't this one. He stepped on the gas to catch up and drove alongside the work truck. Turning his head, he saw that the person in the passenger seat wasn't Caroline but another supervisor. Looking at the two people in the car, they weren't Oliver and Ulysses either.
Nash slowed down. So Caroline was deliberately avoiding him. Coming up with the trick of switching vehicles—she was quite clever. This only stirred up Nash's competitive spirit more.
Now, pursuing Caroline seemed to have become Nash's obsession.
Men were like that—what's offered to you, you didn't want; what belonged to others, you wanted to take.
At the end of the day, it's just being cheap.
Caroline thought this would shake off Nash, but on the last day, she still ran into him.
They had just finished inspecting a factory. Oliver went to a convenience store to buy popsicles, and Ulysses said he was going to the restroom. Caroline stood under a tree by the road, waiting in the shade.
In her peripheral vision, someone approached. Caroline turned to see Nash holding a bottle of ice-cold mineral water, offering it to her. "I was passing by and thought I saw wrong, but it really is you."
Caroline's gaze fell on the mineral water. The bottle was covered with a layer of condensation—freshly taken from a cooler.
He was attentive enough. Any other woman would have been moved by such details, but Caroline felt nothing—if anything, she felt offended.
She sat casually on a rock by the roadside, ignoring his previous remarks and directly refusing, "No thanks. Oliver went to buy water."
Nash knew she wouldn't accept. He took it back, unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp before saying, "I have a factory that produces parts in this village. The manager said he couldn't handle things and asked me to come back."
His meaning was clear: 'I'm not stalking you, running into you is a pure coincidence.'
Caroline's eyes flickered slightly. "Is that so? I didn't notice."
She took out the enterprise inspection list again. Nash tilted his head to glance at the list and said, "The second-to-last factory is mine."
Caroline looked carefully. The registered legal representative wasn't him. Then she heard his explanation, "The factory owner, Quincy Hearst, is my nephew. I funded the factory, he manages it."
Caroline closed the registry. "Whoever's factory it is, we inspect them all the same."
Nash smiled. "There's no electricity theft. You can inspect all you want."
Caroline checked the time. Why wasn't Oliver back yet? She stood up, positioning herself farther from him. "That would be best."
Nash said, "Ms. Tudor, don't you think we're really fated? Seaside City isn't small, yet we keep running into each other."