Chapter 163 Something Hidden from Her
Caroline was about to pull back when Leopold grabbed her wrist, not letting her go. He lowered his head with his eyelashes slightly drooping, his moist tongue gently brushing over the shallow teeth marks on her hand. In an instant, Caroline's hair stood on end, a tingling sensation like an electric shock sweeping through her entire body.
She pushed him while stepping back, but his arm tightened around her waist, easily pulling her back.
As the distance closed, her heart raced, looking into his alluring eyes.
Caroline tried to act calm, saying, "Let me tidy up and we'll leave."
"No rush, let me look at you."
"What's there to look at? I just got back from the construction site, I'm all dusty." Caroline self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, gently negotiating, "Let me go."
"Let me hold you a bit longer." Leopold gave her no chance to object, catching her and hugging her tightly.
Just then, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Startled, Caroline quickly patted his shoulder, "Someone's coming, let go."
Seeing a figure approaching outside the door, Leopold stopped teasing her and released his hold, leaning back against the chair.
But the person just passed by the door. Caroline had worried for nothing.
Only then did she calm down and ask, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back early?"
Leopold smiled mischievously, "Ever heard of a surprise inspection?"
Caroline turned around and glanced at him, "Find any problems?"
Leopold stood up and casually walked to the window, looking at the gym across the way. The treadmills were now full of people, each young man more fit than the last.
"No, but you've got a pretty good view here. Can see quite clearly. Don't pull me."
Caroline grabbed his arm and headed for the door, "So you have nothing else to say then."
After locking the office door, they walked side by side.
"What time did you arrive?" Caroline asked.
Leopold said, "Got here this afternoon, took a shower, changed clothes, and came to pick you up."
"After such a long flight, aren't you tired?"
"Not too bad, I slept on the plane."
Coming out of the office building, many colleagues saw the flowers in Caroline's arms and gave her friendly smiles.
Leopold suggested, "On my way from home, I saw a new restaurant on Juniper Lane called Harvest Table Restaurant. Nice decor, lots of customers. Want to try it?"
A new restaurant that could attract a steady stream of diners must have good food.
Caroline said, "Let's go."
Their cars drove out of the main gate one after the other.
When they arrived at Harvest Table Restaurant, the parking lot was full. Caroline finally found a spot with difficulty, while Leopold had to park his car across the street.
She first asked a server if there were any empty tables. Learning one would be available in ten minutes, they decided to wait.
Leopold asked the server for a menu first and ordered four dishes, so they could wait while the kitchen prepared the food—no time wasted.
The packed dining hall buzzed with laughter and conversation. Being there felt like escaping from worldly troubles.
Caroline noticed the basketball shoes on Leopold's feet—he didn't have this pair at home.
"New shoes?" Caroline asked.
Leopold followed her gaze, "Yeah, to match this style, I spent big money on them, just to make my wife smile. Honestly, are they cool or not?"
Caroline nodded with a smile.
"Use your words. If they're cool, say they're cool. You think you're teaching a three-year-old? Are they cool or not?"
Caroline responded, unable to suppress her smile, "Very cool."
Leopold raised his eyebrows at her with satisfaction, "I can charm you in any style."
Caroline glanced at him, "You're so proud of yourself."
While they were talking, a server came over to call them, "Come on, there's a table ready."
The table was at the very back, separated by a screen. It didn't take long before the server started bringing out dishes—three came quickly, but the soup still needed more time to simmer.
Since they both drove, they didn't order alcohol and had the server bring a pot of lemon water instead.
Leopold handed her the utensils, his eyes sweeping over her neck, "You've lost a lot of weight. Eat more in a bit."
"I haven't lost weight," Caroline forked a piece of broccoli into her mouth, "My weight hasn't changed."
"Look here." He reached his long arm across the table, pointing at her collarbone, "It wasn't this thin before."
Caroline said, "It was like this before too."
Leopold looked again, "Now you're making me doubt my memory."
Caroline forked a piece of potato for him, "You should doubt it."
Leopold fell silent.
He ate quietly, then suddenly said, "Tonight I'll feel around to see what else has gotten thinner."
Caroline instinctively looked around. In public, she wasn't as uninhibited as Leopold, some things should be kept within bounds.
"Keep your voice down," she said.
Leopold grinned mischievously, "You keep your voice down tonight too."
Caroline's face turned red instantly.
He let out a pleased laugh from his nose. The server happened to bring the last dish, the soup, saying, "All the dishes are here."
Caroline brought up his return, "You came back so suddenly, is the work all finished?"
According to their previous conversations, Leopold should have stayed overseas for at least another month.
Leopold forked a piece of chicken into her bowl, acting casual, "It's finished. With my work skills, that stuff is easy."
Easy?
Last time they video-called, Leopold had said the later hotels had more and more problems.
Seeing no unusual expression on his face, Caroline didn't suspect anything, "The chicken tastes pretty good. Don't just give it to me, you eat too."
"I am eating." Leopold took a sip of lemon water.
Bringing up the overseas hotel situation made him feel a bit heavy-hearted.
Telling her wouldn't solve the problem, it would only add to her worries.
Midway through the meal, Leopold got an oil stain on his clothes. It was particularly obvious on his white T-shirt. Being somewhat of a neat freak, he got up to deal with it in the restroom.
Behind Caroline, seven or eight more people sat down, clearly office workers by their appearance.
After ordering, they started gossiping, mentioning Mr. Wipere at one point. Caroline sensitively thought of Preston. She thought it might be a coincidence, but then they talked about the overseas hotels, and this time she was certain they were employees of Celestial Waters Hotel.
Someone said, "Indigo really lucked out this time. If this happened to me, I'd be furious. Do you think he..." The voice stopped abruptly, "Mr. Wipere?"
Caroline turned around to see everyone at that table standing up, greeting Leopold one after another.
His expression was mild. "What a coincidence, you're here for dinner too?"
Everyone responded in unison, "Yes, Mr. Wipere."
Leopold patted the shoulder of the person who had been speaking, "You're off work, don't be so formal. Sit down and eat. My wife and I are also having dinner here."
Following his gaze, everyone saw Caroline and exchanged glances, worried that she might have heard what they'd just said.
Seven or eight people greeted her simultaneously, "Mrs. Wipere."
Caroline smiled, "Hello."
Leopold returned to his seat, and the neighboring table became completely quiet.
Walking out of the small restaurant, Leopold carried the takeout box. "Why are you in such a hurry? We hadn't even finished our food."
Caroline said, "Didn't you see they couldn't relax anymore? Before you showed up, they were chatting quite lively."
Leopold walked toward the other side of the street. "Didn't their teachers tell them? In public places, you shouldn't make a lot of noise."
Caroline looked at his back, thinking about how those people had seemed to hold back earlier. He was definitely hiding something from her about the overseas hotels.