Chapter 187 Child
Pippa specifically instructed the staff serving Leopold's floor to be particularly attentive. The manager of a competing hotel suddenly checked in, and it's hard to guess his intention for coming.
If she hadn't seen the video online, Pippa wouldn't have paid special attention to Leopold's trip to Eldoria. His series of marketing moves for Celestial Waters Hotel's overseas properties was truly one-of-a-kind in the industry, with revenue growth hitting record highs.
Pippa followed him upstairs, keeping an eye out for any hidden intentions Leopold might have. Many competing hotels resorted to underhanded tactics, such as reporting issues they discovered to the relevant authorities. Once violations were identified, they would work to sway public opinion against the hotel, damaging its reputation to eliminate the competition.
After observing for a while, she found Leopold had no such intentions. Her idea to recruit him was spontaneous - with such talent right in front of her, great if she could poach him, no loss if she couldn't.
Leopold naturally knew what Pippa was thinking.
When Leopold checked out, the front desk handed him a nicely wrapped aromatherapy gift. Seeing Pippa's name on the card, Leopold accepted it graciously and asked the front desk to thank Pippa for him.
After the airport reopened, Leopold took the first flight back to Aquilonia.
It happened to be the weekend, so Caroline had time to pick him up from the airport. Elysia knew Leopold's afternoon flight and invited them both over for dinner.
The biggest advantage of living close to her parents' home was the convenience of dropping by for meals. Daughters who married far away had to deal with their troubles across thousands of miles.
So Elysia had told Caroline before - girls should never marry far from home, otherwise, when they cried, their parents couldn't even get there in time to protect them.
Caroline stood at the airport exit watching people come out. Sure enough, being tall came in handy at times like this. She waved at Leopold, who quickened his pace when he saw her.
When he got close, she said, "Mom knows you're back and wants us to come over. Dinner's already ready."
Leopold took Caroline's hand, his eyes and brows full of smiles. "Mom's so good to me."
"Your wife isn't good to you?"
Leopold pulled his hand away to wrap his arm around her, tightening his embrace. "My wife is the best."
Caroline smiled like a spring breeze, taking out the car keys as they walked. "I went shopping with Erica today and picked out some shirts for you. Try them on when we get home."
"Sure." Leopold laughed near her ear. "You help me try them on."
"How can I try them? The size is different."
Leopold grinned mischievously. "If the shirt hem reaches your thighs, it fits."
Caroline remembered how, after their wild lovemaking, she'd wear his shirt to get water. Leopold said seeing her in his shirt always turned him on, which inevitably led to another round of his endless demands.
Caroline's ears grew hot as she pushed him away, embarrassed.
The car had just left the airport when Elysia called. "Did you pick up Leopold?"
Before Caroline could answer, Leopold spoke into the phone, "Mom, Caroline got me. We just left the airport."
"Good. Drive safe."
Leopold replied, "Got it, Mom."
After hanging up, Caroline said, "Bet you there's pizza for dinner tonight."
"How would I guess that?"
"You mentioned once that the pizza was good. Mom definitely made it today."
Having never been looked after like this growing up, Leopold wasn't sure. "Really?"
"Let's bet on it."
Leopold laughed. "Okay, what are we betting?"
"Haven't decided yet. I'll owe you one."
"Cash it in within a month. After that, I won't count it."
Caroline glanced at him with a smile.
They entered the house, changed into slippers, and headed straight for the dining room. Seeing the pizza in the middle of the table, Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Well? Do you admit defeat?"
Leopold looked at the pizza, smiling despite his loss. "I admit it. You win."
Elysia came in carrying a freshly stir-fried dish, catching the tail end of their conversation. "Are you bullying Leopold again?" She set down the dish and pushed Caroline toward the kitchen. "Go get the utensils."
"Me?" Caroline was helpless. "Mom, how did I bully him?"
"I heard you." Elysia gestured to Leopold. "Leopold, go wash your hands. Time to eat."
"Okay, Mom."
Caroline pouted. Elysia was so biased.
She, the daughter, had been completely sidelined.
Elysia glanced at the door and lowered her voice. "Poor Leopold - no adults at home to care for him. I'm his mother-in-law, but I'm also like his mom. If I don't look after him, who will?"
Caroline picked up the utensils. "I know. I'm happy you're good to him."
Elysia seized the opportunity. "If you're happy, hurry up and have a baby."
Caroline fell silent.
Elysia's baby talk came out of nowhere. Caroline turned and walked out of the kitchen. Elysia followed, saying, "Don't pretend you didn't hear me."
Caroline saw Leopold and blinked at him rapidly. "Mom's calling you to eat. Hurry up."
Leopold didn't know what was going on, but he caught Caroline's distress signal. Smiling, he brought out two gifts and placed them on the table, saying to Elysia, "Mom, I was pretty busy on this trip and didn't have time to go shopping downtown, so I got you and Dad small gifts at the airport duty-free shop."
"Look at you, thinking of Elijah and me even on a business trip." Elysia opened the package - it was a bottle of high-end face cream.
Elijah's gift was a razor. Leopold said, "Last time I stayed here, I used Dad's razor and noticed it wasn't working well. This one has the latest upgraded blade - shaves clean, and it's waterproof."
Elysia said, "Don't buy things next time you travel. You two just got married, and once you have kids, there'll be plenty of expenses."
Leopold finally understood what Caroline had been hinting at. He just smiled and replied, "Got it, Mom."
Elysia used the serving utensils to add food to Leopold's plate. Leopold said, "Mom, I can do it myself."
"Eat more. Business trips are tiring, plus you sat on a plane for over twenty hours. After dinner, you two stay here tonight. Tomorrow's the weekend - get some good rest."
Leopold paused mid-chew, glancing slightly at Caroline. His foot had just been kicked under the table. Caroline kept her head down, eating, showing no sign of the action beneath.
Leopold said, "We won't stay tonight. There's a lot of dirty laundry in my suitcase that needs washing."
"Take it out, I'll wash it for you."
Leopold fell silent.
Caroline said, "We're not staying. You'll just wake us up early in the morning to eat. Can't even sleep in."
Elysia said, "Leopold's so tired. I won't wake you tomorrow morning."
Caroline put down her knife and fork. "I'm done eating. Hurry up and eat so we can leave."
Elysia looked at Leopold, who smiled slightly and replied, "I just got back. Some colleagues from the company are coming to my place later to discuss some things."
Elysia nodded and stopped insisting. "If Caroline's busy and you have nowhere to eat, come here."
Leopold said, "Okay, Mom."
The warmth he felt at the Tudor family filled a missing piece in Leopold's emotional life. He loved this family atmosphere and was immersed in the caring affection of the elders.
The two left the house, Caroline walking quickly, saying as they went, "That was close. You didn't notice, but if we hadn't left, Mom would have started pressuring us to have kids."
Leopold laughed. "It's okay, I'm here."
Leopold had made his position clear on having children long ago - he wasn't in a rush. He also wanted more time for just the two of them.