Chapter 83 The Passionate Age, Where Liking Is Hidden
Caroline noticed Leopold looking past her, his brow slightly furrowed, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Before she could turn around, Leopold stood up. "We just got here. We were planning to visit you after dinner."
Hearing this, Caroline immediately caught on and stood up too. Turning around, she saw a beautiful middle-aged woman with a voluptuous figure. There were hardly any traces of age on her face, but her eyes lacked the clarity that young women have—they held an unfathomable depth that was hard to read. She wore a black dress with a dark red shirt underneath. Her delicate skin made her look cool and elegant, and she carried herself with remarkable poise—something Caroline had rarely seen except in Elysia.
Caroline greeted her, "Hello, I'm Caroline."
Quinlan looked her up and down, noticing her clothes and accessories weren't ordinary, and smiled slightly. "Hello. You're quite pretty. My son likes pretty ones."
The comment felt a bit awkward, as if implying that every girlfriend Leopold brought home was good-looking.
Just as Leopold was about to stop her from talking nonsense, Caroline responded graciously, "Thank you for the compliment. You have beautiful skin and great presence. I was just admiring you in my mind when I saw you."
"Sweet talker. What do you do for work?" Quinlan stood upright, her every gesture carrying the bearing of a wealthy lady.
Seeing she had no intention of sitting down, Caroline said, "Please, have a seat."
As Caroline reached to help pull out a chair, Quinlan lightly raised her fingertips to stop her. "No need. I have friends waiting inside. I'll just say a few words and go."
Caroline had to reply, "I work at the Seaside City Power Company. I'm currently a section chief in a small department."
Quinlan turned her eyes to Leopold with a meaningful glance. "Young and capable, quite competent. She could really help you."
Leopold was displeased inside but kept his composure. "If you have friends waiting, you should go. Don't keep them waiting."
"See that? I wanted to chat with you more, but he's rushing me off." Quinlan smiled charmingly. She was about to address Caroline but seemed unable to recall her name. "You..."
Caroline said, "Caroline. You can call me Caroline."
Quinlan showed no embarrassment. "Caroline, we'll chat more later."
"Sounds good."
Quinlan turned to give Leopold a long look before leaving. Caroline bowed slightly. "Goodbye."
Quinlan didn't turn back, just waved her hand lightly in the air.
Leopold was quite surprised.
What surprised him wasn't just Caroline's reaction, but more so her tolerance. Faced with Quinlan's mocking and provocative words, Caroline didn't get angry or upset. Instead, she responded calmly with a smile. This tolerance was enough to make Quinlan feel embarrassed inside—as long as she had any sense of shame, she would feel inferior and ashamed of her earlier behavior.
He understood Quinlan. She was such a proud woman that even when Preston didn't show up, she never showed weakness. Yet facing Caroline's composure, she actually retreated.
Caroline withdrew her gaze, and when she looked at Leopold, his face was slightly pale. He coughed lightly and apologized, "I'm sorry, my mom, she..." He didn't know how to cover for Quinlan's rudeness. Caroline reached across the table and held Leopold's hand. "It's okay. First meetings are always awkward. It'll get better after we meet a few more times."
Leopold still said what Quinlan should have said, "I apologize to you on her behalf."
"It's fine." Caroline said, "Let's eat. The food won't taste good once it gets cold."
Compared to the warm welcome Leopold received at Caroline's home, this sudden encounter made Leopold's family seem too fragmented and cold.
This was why Leopold liked Caroline's family—in her, he saw the warmth and human touch that only a normal, happy family has.
Before leaving, Caroline asked Leopold, "Should we go say something to your mom?"
Leopold wouldn't give Quinlan a second chance to hurt Caroline. He smiled and replied, "No need. She's having fun with her friends. Let's not disturb them."
They gave each other space and considered each other's feelings.
Truth be told, Caroline wouldn't have felt completely comfortable going either.
Walking out of the restaurant, Caroline asked, "Where are we going? Do you have other plans?"
Leopold said, "This is the commercial district. There are lots of shopping malls."
Caroline naturally linked her arm through Leopold's. "Let's go. My perfume is almost out anyway."
Entering the mall, Caroline noticed the difference between Silverpeak City and Seaside City—the mall here was larger, with the prime spots on the first floor reserved for luxury brands. Caroline walked straight to the Chanel counter. The staff immediately recognized them as customers with money and approached them warmly.
Caroline wanted to look at perfume. She had a specific goal and went straight for the one she'd chosen. Leopold said, "Since we're here, pick out a few more things."
Seeing they had money to spend, the staff seized the opportunity to push more items, but Caroline politely declined.
"I don't lack other things. I'd only pick more if I could actually use them. I just want the perfume."
The staff looked at Leopold, who said, "Look around some more."
Caroline's tone was firm. "I really don't want anything else."
"Alright." Leopold told the staff, "Wrap up the perfume, thank you."
Caroline was quick at choosing things. Leopold was about to pay when Caroline stopped him.
"My stuff, I'll buy it myself."
Leopold hooked the bag onto her fingers. Caroline instinctively grabbed it, and Leopold freed his hand to complete the payment first.
Leopold looked down at her, his eyes clearly smiling.
As they left the cosmetics counter, Leopold leaned close to her ear and said softly, "I smelled this perfume too. I'm buying it."
Her heart skipped a beat. Meeting his gentle eyes, a wonderful emotion flowed between them.
"Let me look at other things." Caroline was the first to look away shyly. Leopold smiled and followed her.
Walking around the mall, Leopold wanted her to pick out clothes and shoes. She understood what it meant when a man bought you clothes—they dressed you in fancy outfits essentially to take them off.
Caroline wasn't stupid. She wouldn't casually give herself to a man for immediate small gains. Women obtained according to a price would naturally repay equally with their bodies according to that price.
Once that exchange happened, a woman's dignity would be bought along with her body.
With Caroline's insistence, she either paid for things herself or didn't buy them—and besides, she really didn't see anything she liked today.
Seeing an ice cream shop in the center of the corridor, and feeling that her repeated refusals were making Leopold feel helpless, Caroline suggested to keep him from feeling too disappointed, "I'm thirsty. Could you get me an ice cream? Hazelnut flavor."
Sure enough, Leopold happily agreed. "Okay, wait for me."
As she sat on a rest bench waiting for Leopold, young couples kept passing by. Seeing the happy smiles on their youthful faces, she remembered that at their age, she too had someone who made her feel happy just by looking at them.
At that passionate age, her feelings were hidden away. Only when she reached a more settled age did she realize how foolish it was to hide those emotions back then.
She envied their bravery and devotion, their sweetness and sincerity.
When Leopold returned, he saw Caroline staring blankly at a couple walking away. At that moment, the boy was feeding the girl ice cream.
He looked away, seeming to understand.