Chapter 66 Must Endure
Constrained by Paxton's position, Caroline tried to keep things civil, but his arm suddenly maneuvered to pull her close as he opened the door. Her self-preservation instincts kicked in immediately, causing her to step back twice to create distance between them.
She locked eyes with him and said firmly, "Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Bennett, but Mr. White was my first supervisor when I joined the power company—he's practically my mentor. He believes I need more field experience to refine my skills, and I respect his judgment."
Paxton's eyebrows quirked slightly; he wasn't used to women turning him down.
Maintaining his facade of politeness, Paxton couldn't push further, but Caroline's reaction had made her position clear. He released his hold. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just think you have real potential. Alright, I understand."
As they entered the elevator, Paxton still wouldn't give up. "Ms. Stewart mentioned you to me recently. She was actually trying to set us up. I didn't realize you were the person she was talking about until later. Are you still single?"
Caroline replied coolly, "Ms. Stewart was just joking around with my mom. I'm actually seeing someone now."
"I see." Paxton nodded. "Still, consider my offer. If you change your mind, you can call me anytime—my phone's always on."
He'd first tried using a promotion as bait, then used the setup as an excuse. Caroline had been trying to let him save face, but he just kept pushing, repeatedly crossing the line.
Since he had no shame, she saw no reason to protect his ego anymore.
Caroline flashed a sweet smile, but her words carried hidden barbs.
"Sure thing. I'll be sure to tell Mr. White about your interest in my development—and my parents too, especially my mother. When she hears how attentive you've been, she'll definitely sing your praises to Ms. Stewart."
Paxton's expression darkened. "That won't be necessary." With that, he exited the elevator with a cold face.
Caroline had a feeling Paxton's vote would now be going to someone else.
Xander watched the sedan drive away, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Mr. Bennett seemed upset. What did you two talk about?"
Caroline played it cool. "Nothing much. I didn't notice him being angry."
"Really?" Xander asked. "Maybe I was imagining things."
Back in her car, Caroline wanted to explode. Her fist slammed against the steering wheel.
She looked at her instantly reddening pinky finger while steering one-handed through the pain.
Real life wasn't like novels. She couldn't scream at a superior who'd just harassed her or slap Paxton across the face. She still had to maintain her professional relationships and reputation. With their respective positions, if something blew up between them, the whole company would be buzzing with gossip by afternoon.
She didn't want to let it slide, but she had no choice.
If she accused Paxton of harassment, it had happened so suddenly that she hadn't even had a chance to record anything. What proof did she have that she was the one being harassed?
This was exactly the kind of borderline harassment that existed in workplaces—sudden verbal impropriety that made you uncomfortable, but if you told others about it, most wouldn't understand. More likely, they'd just use it as gossip fodder. Verbal harassment was its own unbearable pain, but who would truly understand?
After work, Caroline called Erica to ask about her evening plans, but Erica was attending a colleague's birthday party, so Caroline ended the call.
She'd been hoping to go get massages with Erica, but her friend wasn't available.
To shake off her gloomy mood, Caroline bought her favorite comfort food and grabbed a can of Coke before heading upstairs to her apartment.
She turned on the TV and selected a popular show that had been making waves lately. She arranged her food on the table and added ice cubes and lemon slices to her Coke.
Just as the main characters were about to kiss in a pivotal scene, Leopold called.
"Ms. Tudor, what are you up to?" He asked.
Caroline spoke through a mouthful of food. "Eating."
Leopold replied, "Out somewhere?"
"No, I got takeout and brought it home."
Caroline asked, "How's the inspection going? Smoothly?"
Leopold glanced at the stack of documents piled on his desk. "Reasonably smooth."
She could tell from his voice that things weren't actually going well. "Did you find some problems? Anything serious?"
She could always sense when something was off with him. Leopold stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the night view. "Not serious, but definitely complicated."
"What happened?" Caroline asked.
Leopold pinched the bridge of his nose where a headache was forming. "The manager at the Silverwood branch left and took several staff members with him. I'll need to stay longer to reassign personnel and interview replacements. What about you? How was your first day back after the holiday? Need my comfort services?"
She'd originally wanted to tell Leopold about her frustrations, but seeing his own situation wasn't great, she swallowed her complaints.
"I'm doing fine. Sounds like you're in for some rough days ahead."
"It comes with the territory. High salary means equal labor output," Leopold said self-deprecatingly. "Why else would my boss keep me around?"
Caroline said, "Make sure you rest when you're tired."
Leopold replied, "Talking to you is my rest."
His one-week assignment would now be extended another week due to the Silverwood branch situation, delaying his return to Seaside City.
"When I get back, there's something I want to discuss with you in person."
"What is it?" Caroline asked, taking another bite of food.
Leopold replied, "It's about me."
Caroline stopped chewing. "Don't tell me you have a third ex-girlfriend popping up?"
Leopold laughed. "Of course not."
"If that's not it, just tell me over the phone. We have time." Caroline resumed eating, but Leopold insisted on explaining in person.
While they were talking, there was a knock at his office door. Caroline heard him answering and said, "You go ahead and take care of that."
"I'll speed things up and get back sooner," he promised.
"Sounds good. Bye."
After hanging up, Caroline finished every last bite of her food. She had a strong ability to process negative emotions—eating, watching TV shows, shopping, or movies—anything that could divert her attention became an outlet for her feelings.
She'd fallen asleep directly on the sofa, covered with a thick blanket, and would have slept longer if Elysia hadn't called.
"Mom, what's up?" Caroline answered groggily.
Elysia said, "I made some sandwiches and put them in the refrigerator. Are you coming by after work to get them?"
Caroline yawned again. "Sure, I'll come by after work."
"Are you not up yet? Don't you have work?" Elysia glanced at the clock—it was already 6:30.
"Mom, I think you've forgotten I'm working now, not in school anymore," Caroline said, scratching her head. "My office starts at 8:30. I could sleep until 7 and still make it on time."
"You're not eating breakfast?" Elysia started lecturing. "Skipping breakfast is bad for your health. You'll get stomach problems."
"Fine, I'll get up and eat breakfast now, okay?" Caroline set down her phone and flopped back onto the sofa to continue sleeping.