Chapter 99 Peerless Beauty
"As parents, this is our heartfelt wish and the confidence we want to give our daughter." Elysia looked at Caroline. "You're married now, and as a wife, you should think more about your husband and your own little family. But Dad and Mom will always be your strongest support. If you ever suffer any grievances in the future, we're your way out."
Leopold caught that the last sentence was meant as a reminder to him. He looked at the people beside him and said, "Mom, Dad, don't worry. I won't let Caroline suffer any grievances."
Elysia's tone was serious. "I hope you remember what you said today."
Leopold nodded firmly. "I will."
Next, they discussed other wedding matters. The wedding house renovation definitely couldn't be completed in the near future, so they tentatively decided to use Leopold's current place as the wedding house. As for the relatives and friends to invite, both families needed to make lists to determine how many tables were needed. The wedding banquet would be held at Celestial Waters Hotel in Solstice Mountain. As for their honeymoon, Caroline considered that both their work situations made it unsuitable to travel abroad for an extended period, so they decided on a road trip. As for wedding photos, both were currently busy—Caroline had just taken over as manager with a lot of handover work, and Leopold needed to focus on managing the Solstice Mountain Hotel. They weren't considering destination photography and would just find a photo studio in Seaside City. Erica would be the bridesmaid. Caroline's idea was to keep everything simple, and Elijah agreed with her approach—in these special times, they couldn't give people anything to gossip about.
But on one matter, Leopold absolutely refused to budge: Caroline's wedding dress. This attitude also pleased Elysia greatly.
Caroline said, "I'll only wear it for half a day. There's no need to have a brand new one custom-made. Renting one works just as well."
But Leopold absolutely disagreed. "It must be custom-made and brand new."
They argued for ages, neither convincing the other. Leopold held Caroline's hand and said in a pleading tone:
"I'll listen to you on everything about the wedding, except this one thing. Please listen to me on this."
Having said that much, Leopold had no choice but to call in reinforcements. "Dad, Mom, just on this one thing, let me decide, okay?"
From his expression to his tone, he looked as pitiful as could be. "Mom," Leopold targeted precisely, "okay?"
How could Elysia say no? She readily agreed, "Okay, we'll listen to you."
Just as Caroline was about to object, Elysia shot her a reproachful glance. On the surface it seemed like she was helping Leopold, but actually she was thinking of Caroline.
Given their family background and social status, if Caroline got married in a secondhand wedding dress, they really couldn't face their relatives and friends.
Elijah understood Elysia's thinking too. "Caroline, just listen to Leopold."
Four people, three to one—Caroline could only go along with Leopold's idea.
Considering the wedding house wasn't renovated yet and they couldn't purchase appliances and such, Caroline also stated she would quickly find a renovation company to develop a plan.
As for other things that needed buying, since Finn was getting married soon, Elysia planned to learn from Finn's mother—someone who'd been through it would have more experience than her.
After dinner, the two left. Once in the car, Leopold asked Caroline, "I did pretty well today, right?"
Caroline said with a smile, "Very good. Just about the wedding dress—"
Before she could finish, Leopold interrupted her. "That's already decided. If you go back on it, I'll go upstairs right now and get Mom to back me up."
"No backbone." Caroline smiled and glanced at him. "Just drive."
Leopold said, "Yes, ma'am, wife."
During Memorial Day, the hotel hit peak occupancy, and the wedding banquets they were hosting were fully booked. Leopold had arranged with her to return on the evening of May 25th, attend the wedding the next day, and return to Solstice Mountain in the afternoon.
What should have been an uneventful wedding attendance took an unexpected turn because of one person's appearance.
Caroline never imagined she would run into her ex-boyfriend Atticus at Finn's wedding, and he was attending as a member of the bride's family.
The bride's father was one of the earliest senior partners at Atticus's law firm. The firm had grown to its current scale through their hard work, so as a colleague attending a leader's child's wedding, he definitely had to show up and show support.
Caroline chose a misty blue high-waisted suit with a white V-neck underneath—elegant and simple. Her short hair highlighted her graceful neck. She was hesitating over which necklace to choose when Leopold, having changed into his suit, stood in front of the full-length mirror adjusting his outfit. Seeing her indecisive look, he asked, "Having trouble deciding?"
"Not at all." Caroline took out a simple necklace and was about to put it on in front of the vanity mirror when Leopold took it from her. "Let me."
He held both ends of the silver clasp and easily fastened it, then helped her adjust the necklace's position in the mirror. The necklace elongated her neck, looking high-class.
"My wife is beautiful," Leopold praised.
Caroline turned around, first straightening his collar, then selecting a pair of silver cufflinks to put on for him. "My husband is pretty handsome too."
Leopold had no intention of being modest and replied without any humility, "Of course. I've charmed countless girls."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Looks like you're quite aware of that."
"I wouldn't dare," Leopold said with a grin. "I'm just joking."
"Really? Doesn't look like it to me." Caroline ran her hand along his suit collar and said meaningfully, "Who wouldn't be moved when a tall, handsome, wealthy, and successful man appears beside them? Being attracted is normal. I should be worried."
Leopold laughed awkwardly, not daring to joke anymore. "Don't. I belong only to you."
"But I'm not reassured now. What should we do about that?"
"Don't worry," Leopold kissed her on the face. "I'm totally well-behaved when I'm out."
"Really?" Caroline raised an eyebrow with narrowed eyes.
Leopold's eyes were full of firm determination. "Absolutely."
Caroline's lips curved slightly.
The two stood in front of the full-length mirror. She linked her arm through Leopold's and tilted her head slightly toward his shoulder. "I'll give you a chance to describe us."
Leopold blurted out, "A talented man and a beautiful woman."
Caroline pursed her lips. "I asked you to describe me, not yourself."
Leopold immediately corrected himself. "Absolutely gorgeous."
Caroline let go of his arm, picked up her handbag, and walked toward the door. "Insincere."
Leopold chased after her. "How is that insincere? I can't even tell the truth?"
Caroline put on her white high heels. "Let's go quickly, or we'll run out of time."
Leopold said while driving, "So many people are going to envy me today."
Knowing his next line would be about people envying him for marrying such a beautiful wife, Caroline didn't give him the chance. "Let me call and ask if my mom has arrived yet."
With that, she took out her phone and dialed Elysia's number. It was answered after three or four rings.
"Mom, have you arrived yet?"
Elysia said, "I'm almost there. Oh, your dad isn't coming—something came up in the city at the last minute."
Elijah's absence wasn't unusual anymore. He was busy all the time—it would be unusual if he had free time.
"Leopold and I just left home. We'll be at the hotel soon too. You go in first and wait for us."
"Got it."
When Elysia arrived at the wedding venue, she first went to the gift registry to drop off the gift. Among the list of names, she thought she saw Atticus's name, but the person recording flipped the page too quickly. In the blink of an eye, she wasn't sure—maybe she had seen wrong.