Chapter 272 Lulling to Sleep
"How can we be sure it was the hotel bedding that caused it?" Caroline asked. "Are we really going to take all the bedding, sheets, and pillows for testing?"
"You actually got that right. If Ryan's agency sues, there will definitely need to be a legal verification process," Leopold continued. "I've already had Lily seal up the sheets and pillowcases he used, and the room is being kept exactly as is, with no one allowed to enter. Once we get the allergen test results, we'll be able to determine who's responsible."
"There's nothing more here, you should get to work." Leopold knew she was busy too. Caroline said goodbye to Dashiell and left.
Near the end of the workday, she got a call from Leopold. She could hear the relief in his voice. "Honey, Ryan's okay."
"The rash on his body is all gone?" Caroline asked.
Leopold said, "About 80-90% gone. You can barely see any redness on his face now. They're staying at the hospital tonight, and tomorrow morning, Dr. Stone will check him again. If everything's fine, he can be discharged. I'm coming home tonight to spend time with you."
Caroline said, "What do you want for dinner? I'll go buy groceries."
"I'm free now and can leave. I'll go buy them, you just wait at home."
After hanging up, Leopold started his car and drove away from the hospital.
From his afternoon communication with Dashiell, Ryan's agency didn't seem interested in pursuing the hotel, but Leopold wasn't letting his guard down yet. Everything still depended on Ryan's skin condition tomorrow morning.
That night, moonlight brushed past the edge of the curtains and across the foot of the bed. Their clothes were scattered on the floor...
Leopold lay with his eyes closed, his arm pillowing her as she curled up like a lazy cat, his chin rubbing against the top of her head.
Just then, his phone on the nightstand rang.
Leopold picked it up to look, then got up and walked toward the bathroom.
Caroline's eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. Watching his back, she felt suspicious. Leopold occasionally received overseas calls late at night, which gave her a mysterious feeling. They weren't from women, but it seemed like he didn't want her to hear them.
This time, too, just before he closed the bathroom door, she vaguely heard him say something in response, but couldn't make out the exact words.
When Caroline came out after her shower, she saw that the computer in the study was on again. Leopold was typing rapidly at the computer. Seeing her approach, Leopold smiled and closed the laptop. "What's wrong? Can't sleep?"
She naturally sat on his lap, her arm draped over Leopold's shoulder. "Still working this late?"
Leopold smiled and said, "Of course, I have to work. How else can I support you?"
Caroline said, "The money you've left with me is enough to support me. Why push yourself so hard?"
Leopold said, "That's not nearly enough."
Caroline's eyes widened. "I'm not a paper shredder. It's enough."
Leopold stroked her earlobe, his gaze deep and meaningful. "Always living under someone else's roof, even if you don't bend over, you still have to bow your head."
Caroline didn't understand. "You...?"
Leopold picked her up. "Come on, let your husband help you sleep."
Caroline said, "After you help me sleep, you're going back to work?"
Leopold's lips curved.
Caroline pushed his shoulder. "Put me down, go do your work."
Leopold placed her on the bed, tucked her in, held her, and stroked her back, coaxing softly, "Want me to sing you a song?"
Caroline was worried about him staying up late and wearing himself out. She answered indirectly, "If your work is urgent, go do it first. Come to bed early when you're done."
"Do you want to hear it or not?" Leopold's voice carried a smile.
"I can sleep without you singing. Go do your work." Caroline gently pushed him.
"Five dollars per song, minimum two songs. I'll sing, but can't guarantee you'll fall asleep."
Caroline laughed. "Okay, I'm really tired. Go do your work."
He kissed her forehead, then Leopold got up and left the room, closing the door.
In the darkness, her eyes looked at the moon outside the window. What was he hiding?
When she woke up in the morning, the first thing she saw was Leopold's handsome sleeping face. Her hand gently touched his face. The ticklish sensation made his brow twitch slightly. She quickly pulled her hand back and watched him for a few seconds. After confirming he was asleep again, she got out of bed.
The desk in the study had been cleaned up. When she'd come in last night, there had been a pile of documents on it.
The phone on the desk chimed with a message notification. She walked over and woke up the screen, seeing a bunch of unread WhatsApp notifications. Many document messages had been sent an hour ago. He probably worked until dawn before sleeping.
She made breakfast. What woke him up was a call from Ryan's agent.
"Hello?" Leopold's voice was drowsy.
Dashiell's voice was cheerful. "Mr. Wipere, when he woke up this morning, all the red rashes were gone."
Leopold rubbed his temples. "Good. As long as he's okay. I'll come to the hospital in an hour. Let Dr. Stone check him again, and if everything's fine, we'll process his discharge."
"Okay."
Putting down his phone, Leopold got out of bed, stretching his neck as he walked. Seeing the breakfast on the dining table, he walked behind Caroline and hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Honey."
Caroline was about to turn around when he held her against the counter. She reached up to touch the head on her shoulder.
"That was Dashiell calling just now?"
He nodded.
"How's Ryan? Is the allergy better?"
Leopold mumbled, "Yes."
"If you didn't sleep enough, go lie down for a bit. You're too tired." Caroline was about to turn around when his hand slipped under her clothes and pinched her waist. He said, "Don't move."
She stood there. In front of her was the kitchen window. A bright sun had just risen on the horizon, its golden light spreading across the azure sky over the entire city, bringing everything to life.
Leopold said softly in her ear with a smile, "Morning, Ms. Tudor."
She hadn't heard that form of address in a long time. Suddenly, the scene of their first meeting appeared before her eyes.
Caroline's lips curved into a smile. "Morning, Mr. Wipere."
Leopold arrived at the hospital. After Dr. Stone's examination, Ryan's allergy had been cured with no rashes on his body, but the allergen was suspected to be meat.
Dashiell's original suspicion about the bedding was ruled out. Now they needed to look for the source in Ryan's diet.
The hotel kept backup samples of all food for testing and verification. Leopold contacted Lily to have the meals Ryan had eaten sent for testing and data comparison.
After sending the two back to the hotel, Leopold looked at Ryan's meal orders and found a problem. After checking into the hotel, Ryan hadn't eaten any meat.
Lily was puzzled. "The meals he ordered didn't have any meat. Where did he eat it?"
Leopold said, "We'll have to ask him."