Chapter 85 The Combination of Gentleness and Tenacity
Caroline's body stiffened. Her instinctive reaction had already revealed her attitude. Leopold knew she wasn't ready yet, so he slowly let go and said with a smile, "Just kidding."
Smart people didn't need to spell everything out. Making things too explicit would only embarrass himself. Caroline went along with it and treated it as a joke too, "Stop teasing. Go check if your mom's here yet."
Leopold glanced at his watch. There were still ten minutes until the agreed time. "Should be soon. Traffic's a bit heavy in Silverpeak City at night. She's probably on her way. Let me call and check."
"Don't. If you call, it'll seem like I'm anxiously rushing her." Caroline stopped him.
"I'll go wait at the entrance then." Only then did Leopold get up and reluctantly go to meet her.
From their restaurant encounter, Caroline could tell their mother-son relationship was quite cold. But she wasn't generous enough to urge Leopold to let bygones be bygones and reconcile.
Only by personally experiencing someone else's pain can you truly understand and relate to their situation. Therefore, without having experienced someone else's suffering, you shouldn't easily advise them to be forgiving or change their behavior.
Quinlan arrived at the restaurant right on time. As she got out of the car, she saw Leopold standing by the parking lot waiting for her.
She walked upstairs and glanced coolly at Leopold. "Is a meal worth being this anxious about?"
Leopold took a deep breath, not wanting to ruin tonight's atmosphere or affect his own mood.
He said, "The sky's getting dark, and your vision isn't good at night. I came to help guide you."
Quinlan paused. Surprisingly, she didn't snap back or deliberately cause trouble. "Traffic was bad, otherwise I would've been here earlier."
Leopold hadn't expected Quinlan to explain. He led her into the restaurant.
"Take this path. That one has some loose stones—you might twist your ankle."
Quinlan was silent for a moment. "Got it."
The sudden change in how they interacted made both of them uncomfortable. It wasn't as satisfying as their usual big fights.
When Quinlan walked into the lobby, the restaurant manager looked at her like she was a money tree. After all, Quinlan was a famous wealthy person in Silverpeak City—not only rich but also generous.
The restaurant manager greeted her with a beaming smile. "Ms. Barnes, it's been a while since you've been here. I was actually thinking of calling you today to check in, and here you are tonight."
Quinlan said, "Lobster, king crab, deep-sea fish, sweet shrimp—just bring out the freshest seafood you have."
"Right away, I'll arrange it." The restaurant manager personally escorted her to the private room. The dishes were almost all ordered.
Before opening the door, Leopold still reminded her, "Mom, don't be so sarcastic when you talk today."
Quinlan finally found that familiar feeling. She frowned and glanced at Leopold impatiently. "Are you annoying or what? Didn't I already promise you?"
Leopold took a deep breath and pushed open the door. "Let's go in."
Caroline had been bored, looking down at her phone. When she heard the door, she immediately put it away, stood up steadily, and greeted them with a generous smile.
"Hello."
Quinlan wasn't as cold as their first meeting, but she wasn't exactly warm either. "Been waiting long?"
"No, we just got here too."
She had brought gifts. Quinlan sat in the main seat, looking exactly like the wife of an heir to a prominent family. She glanced at what Caroline was holding, seemingly indifferent.
"This is our first meeting and I didn't know what you liked, so I picked a few things based on my own judgment." Caroline opened the jewelry box containing the bracelet. "This gemstone bracelet—the moment I saw it, I felt... I can't quite explain it, but I just wanted to buy it for you. I thought you'd look especially elegant and distinguished wearing it."
Quinlan knew she had a sweet tongue, but hadn't expected her to be so adaptable. Her gaze fell on the bracelet. The gemstones were dazzling, the bracelet's lines were smooth, the patterns elegant, the gemstones perfectly placed. It felt good in her hand too. No one could resist its beauty.
"This bracelet isn't cheap, is it?" Quinlan's eyes crinkled with a smile.
Caroline said, "As long as you like it."
Not mentioning money at all—now that was a real pro.
"This is a skincare set, and there's also honey and perfume for you to take home and use." Caroline said, "Try on the bracelet first and see if it fits."
Quinlan raised her hand. As the bracelet was placed on her wrist, her smile deepened. The bracelet was neither too big nor too small—just right.
"This fits so perfectly, like it was custom-made just for you."
Quinlan didn't look at the other three gifts. She raised her hand and told Leopold, "Put the gifts on the table. When I leave, put them in my car."
Leopold turned to put the gift boxes away, surprised that a single bracelet had smoothed Quinlan's temperament. This was the first girl who hadn't been given a hard time by Quinlan. When he turned back around, he saw Quinlan taking an envelope from her bag—a thick one containing money as a return gift.
"I can't accept this." Caroline pulled her hand back.
Quinlan grasped her wrist and placed the envelope in her palm. "Caroline, can you really refuse a return gift from me?"
Caroline looked at Leopold, who said, "Take it."
"Thank you."
Quinlan usually wore a cold, dignified expression. It was rare to see affection and fondness on her face.
"Come, sit next to me." Quinlan gestured. Caroline had originally been sitting at a distance, next to Leopold, but this switch put Leopold in the far position.
Quinlan said, "I saw what you two ordered for lunch and made a guess. You like seafood, right?"
"You figured that out?" Caroline was surprised, then looked slightly embarrassed. "How awkward—giving you the impression that I love to eat on our first meeting."
Quinlan laughed, a beautiful, radiant laugh that even smoothed out the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. "What's wrong with that? A girl who can eat is blessed. What's wrong with loving food? Back then, when Leopold's dad found out I liked the fish made in Harborvale, he specially took a plane to take me there to eat it."
As soon as she finished speaking, the smile on her face faded, as if she'd recalled something sad. Caroline pretended not to notice and quickly changed the subject. "I also love the fish from Harborvale restaurants. There's one called Coastal Port Dining or..."
Light flickered in Quinlan's eyes as she looked at Caroline and corrected her, "Coastal Cove Dining."
"Right, Coastal Cove Dining. I don't know where they hired their chef from, but the fish they make is really delicious."
Quinlan said, "When there's a chance, will you go with me to eat there?"
Leopold felt a moment of disbelief. He actually saw cautious hope and anxious anticipation in Quinlan's face as she waited for an answer. He hadn't seen Quinlan this alive in so long. His heart felt somewhat sour.
Caroline readily agreed, "Sure."
The private room door was pushed open by a server, and the restaurant manager came specially to serve the dishes, interrupting their conversation.
Quinlan ignored the restaurant manager announcing the dishes and said to Caroline, "Then it's settled."
Caroline said, "I don't get much time off—just weekends and holidays."
"Okay, let me know when, and I'll call ahead to reserve a spot."
Caroline paused briefly but quickly agreed. "If I'm not on duty at work, I'll definitely go with you."
"Okay, I'll wait for your message." Quinlan moved the sweet shrimp directly in front of Caroline. "You like sweet shrimp. This whole plate is for you."
Caroline felt somewhat overwhelmed by the favor and glanced briefly at Leopold, who smiled slightly.
He knew what Quinlan liked wasn't the bracelet, but that someone had put thought into her. Preston always said Quinlan loved to cause trouble, but she had never changed—he was the one who changed.
She couldn't accept being abandoned by someone she cared about. Through the years, time took away not just her looks, but also affection and care.
Leopold finally glimpsed the brilliance of Quinlan's soul, and also remembered the photo frame on Quinlan's vanity, which held two lines Preston had written to her: [A combination of gentleness and resilience—beautiful on the outside while strong and independent on the inside.]