Chapter 25 Wait for Me to Take Action
Caroline would have to be an idiot to actually believe Leopold, but given Erica's personality, once she found out it was Leopold, she would definitely extend a polite invitation—she just never expected Leopold would actually accept.
So here's the thing: some people sat at the card table and didn't play by the rules at all. Took them seriously, and you'd already lost.
Erica called over a server to bring another set of utensils and handed them to Leopold, asking, "Why haven't you been to the climbing club lately?"
Leopold reached for the utensils, but from where he was sitting, it wasn't convenient to grab them, so Caroline passed them over.
Leopold's gaze seemed to be on Erica, but his peripheral vision naturally caught Caroline handing him the utensils. He replied, "Work's been busy lately, I can't get away."
Only then did Erica ask where he worked.
"I work in the hotel industry."
He didn't mention Celestial Waters Hotel, the most well-known chain brand in the country—pretty low-key of him.
Caroline appreciated people who were low-key and reserved.
He suddenly shifted his gaze to Caroline's face and said, "The athletic tape is in my car. Remember to take it after we eat."
"What's going on?" Erica's suspicious eyes darted back and forth between them.
Caroline, afraid she'd get the wrong idea, quickly explained, "I hurt my knee and borrowed some medicine and tape from Mr. Wipere. The tape was running out, so Mr. Wipere was kind enough to buy more for me."
Erica's focus was oddly sharp. She asked with a mischievous smile, "You two have been meeting up behind my back, haven't you?"
"No, how could that be?"
Though Caroline appeared calm enough, her heart was practically jumping out of her chest.
Leopold, on the other hand, kept his eyes down, calmly flipping the beef slices on the grill, not forgetting to urge them, "Hurry up and eat, the meat's about to burn."
Erica quickly grabbed the meat in front of her. "Almost got burnt."
While dipping it in sauce, she said, "You two are definitely hiding something from me. Are you going to come clean, or do I have to make my move?"
Leopold didn't understand what she meant by "make my move." When he looked at Caroline, she happened to be looking at him too. Their eyes met, and though they didn't exchange words, Leopold understood that Caroline didn't want to talk about what happened that day.
Whether to tell was her choice; not telling was also her freedom. Leopold would never backstab Caroline, so he started explaining about the tape.
"You know, Ms. Tudor and I got to know each other through work. When you need something from someone, shouldn't you be a bit attentive?"
"That makes sense." Erica popped a piece of grilled pork belly in her mouth and chewed heartily. "But I don't mean anything by it. Caroline's a good person, and I hope she meets someone decent. Not some jerk who'll scam her."
Leopold placed the grilled meat on both their plates and said, "That last twist of yours has nothing to do with me."
What he meant by "nothing to do with me" was that he would never scam Caroline, but to Caroline's ears, it sounded like he didn't want to be associated with her.
Caroline cut Erica off. "Even stuffing your mouth with meat can't shut you up. Are you going to eat or not?"
Erica said, "I'm eating."
The conversation ended there. Leopold continued looking after the two ladies, adding more meat when it ran out, refilling drinks when they were empty. In short, by the end of the meal, Caroline and Erica were responsible for eating their fill, and Leopold was responsible for paying the bill.
Actually, for a casual dinner like this, Leopold shouldn't have had to pay, and besides, Caroline was a regular at the restaurant with a membership card. But Leopold insisted on picking up the tab.
The three parted ways at the restaurant. After Erica left, Leopold pulled a bag from his car. "They're out of that kind of tape. The clerk said it'll arrive the day after tomorrow, so use this one for now."
"No need to go to the trouble, this one's fine." Caroline pulled out her phone. "How much was it? I'll transfer the money to you."
Leopold smiled somewhat helplessly. "Ms. Tudor, you're being too cautious. It's just a small roll of tape. Are you worried I'm using this to bribe you?"
Caroline said, "That's not the same thing. How could I let you spend money on me?"
"It's just a few dollars, really, no need to be so formal." Leopold opened his car door. "Let's go, time to head home."
With that, he got in his car and drove off first.
Watching his taillights disappear at the intersection, Caroline finally looked away.
He was quite thoughtful and good at taking care of people. In every way, he seemed excellent. Too bad they had no fate together—they couldn't become a couple.
Next weekend was Thanksgiving, and the Solstice Mountain hotel project that Leopold was in charge of was about to open.
The opening ceremony would be held at the hotel itself, and he planned to invite Caroline to attend.
Secretary Lily knocked on Leopold's office door and approached his desk, "Mr. Wipere, here's the guest list for the hotel opening. Does it look okay to you?"
Leopold took the list and scanned through it quickly, his eyes finally stopping on the invited senior executives from the group. He saw Caroline's name.
Seeing Leopold's brow twitch, Lily explained, "The president wants Xavier to come too. After all, you two had that conflict over Dash, and if we don't invite him to this hotel opening, Xavier will probably give you trouble."
Leopold paused. "Remove all the lilies from the welcome flower arrangements. Xavier is allergic to lily pollen. Also, replace Xavier's foie gras with steak—he doesn't eat organ meat."
Lily nodded. "Okay, I'll arrange that right away."
After closing the office door, Leopold walked to the window and called Caroline.
"What is it?"
Caroline's voice came through the phone. Leopold stood relaxed with one hand in his pocket, shoulders slightly slouched. He asked, "Do you have other plans next weekend?"
Caroline was puzzled. "Next week? Not at the moment. What's up?"
Asking if she was free—could he be about to suggest a date?
Actually, Caroline wasn't particularly expecting their relationship to develop further. She wasn't that fascinated by Leopold as a person; she simply felt through their interactions that talking with him was fairly comfortable—they were on the same wavelength, so to speak.
Leopold said, "The hotel opens next week. I'd like to invite you to the opening ceremony."
Caroline fell silent.
Of course, it was still business.
"Do you have time? The power company gives you Thanksgiving off, right?" Leopold was afraid Caroline would say they didn't get the day off.
But Caroline's thought was, 'if this was about business, she really didn't want to go.'
Just as she was about to decline, Leopold added, "You were the one who helped me solve the power equipment issue back then. This hotel's successful opening has your contribution in it. The hotel president will be attending too, and knowing you helped me, he insists I invite you. If you can come, he'd be very happy."
The hotel president himself had spoken—how could she refuse such a gracious invitation?
Caroline said, "What time on Sunday?"
Leopold's face lit up instantly, though he kept it out of his voice.
"Sunday morning at eight."
Caroline, "Eight o'clock?"
Leopold chuckled. "Our president prefers mornings. He thinks the earlier the better."