Chapter 28 Questions Not to Touch
Sometimes people shouldn't listen too much or overthink things. When you did, everything started to seem off.
Beau's comment that it wasn't about money with Leopold made Caroline uneasy.
If she asked about it, it would only show her own insecurity. But if she didn't, her curiosity would remain—she wanted to know what kind of person Leopold really was.
In the end, she held back her questions.
She trusted Beau, whom she'd known for over a decade, more than Leopold, whom she'd met less than a month ago.
Beau finally dropped her off at the entrance to her apartment complex.
Before she got out, he reminded her, "Caroline, please take what I said seriously."
Caroline nodded. "Don't worry."
Beau's warning lingered in her mind like a haze that wouldn't clear. Sitting on her balcony with coffee, Caroline stared blankly toward the distant cityscape.
Heavy snow was falling, the flakes as soft as the fluffy throw pillow she hugged to her chest. The coffee maker beeped, pulling her back to reality.
She poured herself a cup of hot coffee, set it aside to cool slightly, and took a bite of cake.
Why had Beau said Leopold was calculating? What had happened between them to make him draw that conclusion?
While her thoughts wandered, Leopold's WhatsApp message arrived.
North: [You there?]
Caroline saw Leopold's WhatsApp notification pop up on her screen. She quickly sat up straight, clutching her phone, debating whether to reply.
It had become a choice about who to trust.
North: [I haven't seen snow this heavy in six months. The air feels amazing right now.]
Caroline opened the photo he sent—a snow-covered view of the hotel. The building that had looked beautiful during the day now resembled a fairytale castle with its decorative lights illuminated against the night.
She replied: [I don't like snow. Once it stops, we have to shovel our assigned areas at work.]
Leopold chuckled when he saw her message.
North: [Allergic to romance?]
Caroline: [I don't believe in love anymore.]
Leopold frowned, surprised that Caroline still couldn't move past her ex. He couldn't help feeling irritated.
In this age of overthinking everything, genuine sincerity felt especially valuable.
Yet her sincerity was directed at another man—a jerk, no less.
North: [Thanks for the reminder! I just realized our hotel needs snow removal too. I'll send a notice to our housekeeping department to start as soon as the snow stops!]
His last sentence made her smile at his playfulness.
Caroline: [Tomorrow's notice can wait until tomorrow.]
Leopold replied: [Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. I'll make sure to mention I'm following Seaside City Power Company's diligent example. Thanks for the thoughtful reminder, Ms. Tudor.]
Caroline's lips curved into an involuntary smile. Being around someone with a sense of humor made everything more enjoyable.
Caroline: [You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?]
North: [What did I do?]
Caroline: [If you send out that notice, your hotel housekeeping staff will hate me. Next time I visit, I'll probably get dirty looks the whole way.]
North: [You're too easy to tease. We have special snow removal machines—the housekeeping staff won't be shoveling anything.]
Caroline pursed her lips and made a little sound of annoyance as she took a sip of her rich, satisfying coffee.
North: [Thank you for coming today.]
Caroline: [No need to be so formal.]
North: [I heard from a friend today that you're running for General Manager of Seaside City Power Company?]
The election was internal information only. He certainly had good connections.
Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat as she remembered Beau's warning, "Leopold is too calculating."
People really did have many sides.
While her thoughts raced, Leopold sent her an animated GIF of fireworks exploding.
Caroline: [Beautiful.]
Still admiring the fireworks, she received another message from Leopold: [Just setting off some fireworks to celebrate.]
Caroline: [Thank you.]
North: [You're welcome. That'll be $20.]
Caroline blinked in surprise. What was this about? But she found it oddly amusing.
She quickly deleted her previous two messages and sent: [The WhatsApp user you're trying to reach is out of service. Please try again later.]
North: [What did you delete?]
Caroline: [The WhatsApp user you're trying to reach is out of service. Please try again later.]
Leopold sent another animated fireworks GIF.
North: [$40, thank you.]
Caroline: [This WhatsApp user has logged out.]
North: [The amount will be deducted directly from your phone bill, thank you.]
At this point, she could only fight back with emojis.
She sent an eye-rolling emoji.
Leopold persisted, sending yet another fireworks GIF.
North: [Buy two get one free. This one's complimentary, but please pay for the previous two. Cash accepted.]
Caroline: [What are you saying? The wind's too strong, I can't see clearly.]
North: [Need sunglasses? Sunglasses $100, thank you.]
Caroline: [Can't see clearly.]
Caroline: [I said I can't see clearly.]
North: [I have reading glasses too. Reading glasses $50, thank you.]
North: [Also prescription glasses for nearsightedness, $500. Fair prices for all.]
Caroline: [I'm allergic to numbers. Can't see anything with digits.]
Leopold couldn't remember the last time he'd been this playful. He leaned back on the sofa in the hotel lobby, with snow-covered mountains behind him and thoughts of the woman who made his heart race.
North: [I said five hundred dollars for prescription glasses. No numbers here.]
Caroline: [Have you heard the story about the little boy selling glasses?]
A gentle smile played on Leopold's lips, which his secretary Lily noticed as she emerged from the elevator.
Lily's first thought was that her boss was definitely falling in love. She walked over and said, "Mr. Wipere, there are bubbles all around you."
Without looking up, Leopold replied, "What bubbles? Tell housekeeping to clean it up."
Lily put her hand to her forehead, laughing knowingly. "Hopeless."
Leopold finally looked up. "What's hopeless?"
Lily pressed her fingers to the corners of her mouth, pulling them upward. "Your smile is practically reaching the back of your head."
Leopold maintained his composed demeanor and asked, "Is it?"
Lily laughed. "Yes, very much so."
"How ridiculous."
Leopold stood up and headed toward the elevator with Lily following closely behind. "Mr. Wipere, not to pry into your business, but while romance is fine, don't forget about work. Our performance and salaries depend on you."
Annoyed at having his conversation interrupted, Leopold grumbled, "I know. Stop following me."
The elevator doors opened, and Leopold stepped inside. Behind him, Lily continued her chatter.
"Mr. Preston Wipere just left, and he'll definitely be monitoring our hotel's sales figures. And Mr. Anderson, who tried to embarrass you at the opening ceremony but was put in his place by Mr. Preston Wipere—he hasn't forgotten that slight and will certainly try to trip you up again. At this critical time, don't let romance cloud your judgment and fall into his trap."
Finding her prattling irritating, Leopold pointed at her standing outside the elevator. "Don't come in. Take the next one."
Lily's mouth fell open. "I... Mr. Wipere, Mr. Wipere!"
The elevator doors slowly closed under Lily's watchful gaze, along with her hopes for improved performance bonuses.
More than declining business metrics, she worried about her boss being too distracted by romance to focus on work.
She would need to keep an eye on him.
The hotel had just opened, and while occupancy wasn't high, it was doing much better than comparable properties in the same period. This was largely thanks to the additional services Leopold had introduced.
Shortly after arriving in Seaside City, he had found several highly skilled massage therapists with years of experience and established client bases.
He hired them at premium rates, provided space free of charge, and included complimentary beverages and hot spring access. Calculated this way, it was much more cost-effective than renting out space.
Back in his room, Leopold closed the door and saw that Caroline had stopped responding to his WhatsApp messages.
In truth, Leopold really wanted to ask about her relationship with Beau.
But when they actually started chatting, he found himself reluctant to bring up the question.