Chapter 396 I Miss You a Little

Chapter 396 I Miss You a Little

Caroline recalled, "No wonder you've been traveling so frequently these past few months. But you're just one person - your energy is limited, and there's no way you could expand to nearly a hundred hotels all at once."

Leopold said, "Before I left Celestial Waters Hotel, I set up a special team. Shortly after I resigned, these people left one by one too. I sent them across the country to find suitable hotels we could partner with. Of course, all this was done quite discreetly - after all, I had to keep it from them."

Caroline understood. If Leopold's moves had been exposed, it wouldn't just be Preston trying to stop him - there would be even more people lurking in the shadows interfering.

To get things done, you first need to keep them under wraps.

Leopold continued, "Small hotels aren't operating at full capacity and haven't leveraged their advantages. If you want to grow the hotel business, you need to find a more well-known brand. Golden Ember Hotel is the perfect choice. Plus, I can provide upgraded renovations, hardware facilities, service training, and more - all unconditionally. I have the platform and resources, they have the physical hotels. It's a win-win partnership."

He chatted with Caroline for a long time, starting from his decision to leave, step by step breaking away from Celestial Waters Hotel, escaping Preston's control, and distancing himself from those who were wary of him.

Back then, he was a chess piece and no one dared enter the game. Now he was playing chess, and everyone was part of his game.

Caroline couldn't help but sigh, "Even the Greenridge District Project and Orchid Garden Project were setups? That's quite a big game you're playing. Didn't you think about what would happen if you actually won the bids?"

Leopold laughed, "With Preston around, he wouldn't let me succeed. Plus there's Joshua as backup - he'd definitely mess things up. To get them to lower their guard, I even chose a remote location in the new district for my company. If they didn't see me struggling, how would we have time to find partner hotels across the country?"

Caroline suddenly remembered, "The flower baskets."

Leopold knew she'd think of this. "The flower basket incident wasn't in my plans, but I knew that once I started my company, some people wouldn't be able to sit still and would resort to dirty tricks."

"Honey," Leopold glanced at the dishes on the table, "the food's getting cold. Has the traffic cleared up on your end?"

At that moment, the blocked traffic slowly started moving. Caroline said happily, "Looks like it's moving now."

By the time she got home, it was almost eleven.

Leopold, timing it perfectly, came out of the kitchen with the reheated dishes. "I started heating the food when you got off the highway. Go wash your hands."

Caroline put down her luggage and walked over to hug him.

Leopold stood still, his hands loosely resting on her waist, and asked, "You must be tired?"

"Yes." Caroline nodded with her eyes closed, leaning against his back. "You've worked hard too."

Leopold smiled, "What hard work do I have at home? It's you who's been away on business for so long - I'm not used to it."

"Not used to what?"

"Not used to not having you around."

Caroline took a deep breath, breathing in the familiar scent. "I'm back now."

Leopold said, "Can your company bring family members on business trips?"

Caroline laughed, "Why?"

Leopold turned around and held her in his arms. "Why? To accompany you, of course. I'll pay my own expenses, just take me with you. I promise to follow the rules and not cause you any trouble."

Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck. "If you come, how am I supposed to focus on work?"

Leopold lifted her chin, his narrow eyes filled with amusement. "I didn't realize Ms. Tudor couldn't resist temptation."

The atmosphere gradually became intimate under his heated gaze. Caroline embarrassedly pushed his hand away. "Stop it, I'm going to change."

She slipped away, and Leopold watched her back with a smile. "We've been married so long, why are you still so shy?"

Caroline pretended not to hear. After getting settled, she returned to the dining table and sat down, taking the utensils Leopold handed her. "You've been waiting for me this whole time? Didn't I tell you not to wait and eat first?"

Leopold said, "Eating alone is boring, and besides, I'm not hungry."

While they were eating, his phone rang.

Leopold glanced at the screen and said, "There's one more thing - I've also opened several chain hotels overseas. Allegra has been helping me with the business there. I never told you - don't be mad. Let me take her call, it's probably about the overseas hotels."

Caroline's expression remained calm as she nodded.

He put it on speaker in front of Caroline. "What's up?"

Allegra said, "I've sent the promotion plan to your email. Please confirm it soon so I can start executing."

Leopold said, "No problem, I'll get back to you within an hour."

Allegra asked again, "How's the domestic promotion going?"

Leopold: "Pretty good, the results are great."

Allegra said, "It might be related to the domestic promotion efforts - recently the occupancy rate at the hotels here has also improved."

Leopold: "In the past month, we've invested heavily in Golden Ember Hotel marketing. The exposure rate will peak in the next week. I hope the overseas hotels can benefit from this too."

Allegra was confident - she believed in Leopold's abilities. "They will."

After hanging up, Leopold said, "You heard it - we were just talking about work."

Caroline chewed her food and looked up. "I didn't say anything. Your explanation just makes you look guilty."

Leopold paused.

Did it?

Okay, maybe.

But worried Caroline might overthink it, Leopold explained, "We really do only talk about business every time. Really."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't paying attention before, but now that you're acting like this, I'm not so sure. I'll need to check later."

Leopold put his phone on the table. "Check all you want - I guarantee you'll come out of my phone smiling."

Caroline said, "Don't be too confident."

Leopold said, "If I was afraid of you checking, I wouldn't let you see it."

Caroline nodded, "True."

After dinner, Leopold cleaned up and went to check his email - Allegra was waiting for him to confirm the final promotion plan.

After finalizing the plan, Leopold added some of his own notes and sent Allegra a reply.

Tired from the trip, Caroline took a shower and leaned against the vanity to dry her hair. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Suddenly, the hairdryer felt lighter - Leopold had taken it from her. "Let me do it."

Leopold lifted her onto the vanity and held a strand of her hair as he dried it.

Caroline was really tired, so she rested her head on his shoulder.

Leopold looked at Caroline in the mirror and said, "Don't fall asleep - wait until your hair is dry."

Caroline mumbled in response, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Mr. Wipere."

Leopold chuckled softly, "What can I do for you?"

Caroline said, "Next time I'll try not to be away for so long."

"Why the sudden commitment?" Leopold asked.

Caroline turned her head toward him, her warm breath falling on his chest. Leopold felt a bit ticklish and wanted to shift his feet, but she had him locked in place.

Caroline said, "You've been sleeping with my pillow at night, haven't you?"

Leopold said, "How did you know?"

He suddenly remembered - he hadn't put the pillow back this morning and had left it next to his.

Caroline said, "When I'm not home, it must be pretty lonely for you alone."

Leopold put down the hairdryer and held her tighter. "It's okay, I just miss you a bit."