Chapter 681 Dad Said Katelyn Is His Baby
Caught off guard, Caitlyn never thought she'd run into Landon on a blind date, which also made her feel a bit awkward.
He called her Caitlyn, and everyone in Seattle knew about their past. Leonard could easily find out with a little digging, and Landon was clearly trying to mess with her!
Sure enough, Leonard looked from Landon to Caitlyn.
Even though he'd only been back from studying abroad for two years, he knew Landon was the president of the Carter Group. The papers had recently reported that Landon had lost his wife, and Leonard didn't expect him to be in Seattle so soon.
Plus, Landon didn't seem to be mourning. It looked like his marriage hadn't been a happy one.
Leonard asked Caitlyn, "Do you know Mr. Carter?"
Caitlyn couldn't answer that. Could she tell Leonard that Landon was her ex-boyfriend and they had been together for three years?
No way.
She came up with an excuse, "He's the boss of a good friend of mine!"
Leonard suddenly got it and extended his hand warmly, saying, "Mr. Carter, my name is Leonard Dobbins!"
He then glanced at Caitlyn's pretty face and smiled slightly. "Caitlyn's boyfriend," he added.
Actually, it wasn't that fast. They had only had a cup of coffee, but in front of Landon, Caitlyn neither denied nor confirmed it.
"Is that so?" Landon said, like it was no big deal.
He looked at Caitlyn with a knowing gaze and continued, "I haven't heard Amara mention anything about this."
Then he turned to Leonard and said, "By the way, Amara is the executive president of the Carter Group's headquarters and a friend of Caitlyn's. They've been friends for many years."
This statement subtly boosted Caitlyn's status.
Leonard was pleasantly surprised. He had heard of Amara, the wife of Kingsley, the president of the Hawkins Group.
Leonard knew Caitlyn's family had once been wealthy, but he was surprised that, even after their decline, she still knew so many top-tier wealthy people. Despite her current average circumstances, Leonard believed these connections could be beneficial for their future, which made him even more satisfied with Caitlyn.
A man's thoughts were hard to hide, and Caitlyn could sense his satisfaction. She didn't like it much and stayed indifferent. However, Leonard assumed her reserved attitude was because she wasn't familiar with Landon.
He even wanted to invite Landon for a cup of coffee to chat about current events, recognizing that such opportunities didn't come often.
But Landon smiled and declined. He gestured towards a car outside and said, "I have a child with me, so it's not convenient to talk for long while she's in the car. Besides, you've already had coffee, and too much coffee isn't good for a girl's skin."
Hearing this, Leonard quickly agreed, "Yes, Mr. Carter is right!"
Landon then took the coffee and nodded politely to the two. "Katelyn is still waiting for me in the car! Excuse me."
Leonard was taken aback.
Landon then smiled as if he had just remembered something. "My daughter's name is Katelyn, which sounds just like Caitlyn! Quite a coincidence, isn't it? Must be fate."
Leonard, however, still felt there was more to discuss. He turned to Caitlyn and remarked, "Mr. Carter is truly charming! For someone of his stature, he is surprisingly down-to-earth. I never would have expected it."
He wanted Caitlyn to talk more about Landon, as Landon was someone Leonard couldn't easily connect with.
But Caitlyn said indifferently, "Shall we go for a walk?"
Leonard was slightly stunned. He couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. He thought, 'In front of someone as charming as Landon, Caitlyn stayed focused on our date. That means she values me. That's good, but as we get closer, I need to talk to her about the importance of connections.'
The two stepped outside and saw Landon getting into his car, with the driver respectfully holding the door.
Inside the car sat Katelyn.
Katelyn was stunningly beautiful, holding a small ice cream but not in the mood to eat it.
Katelyn's eyes were glued to Caitlyn walking over. She felt betrayed. It was one thing for Caitlyn to be close to Dione, but now she was getting close to everyone. Katelyn felt both ashamed and annoyed.
But Katelyn, being stubborn and reluctant to show her true feelings, refused to speak up and instead acted like she didn't care. Noticing her expression, Landon glanced back and said, "Why aren't you calling her Ms. Robinson anymore? You really liked her last time, didn't you?"
Katelyn held a grudge, remembering how she had fallen asleep last time and Caitlyn hadn't even called her when she got out of the car. Days had passed without Caitlyn coming to coax her or play with her.
Katelyn lifted her chin slightly and said, "I don't like her that much anymore!"
Landon playfully tapped her on the head and offered an apologetic smile to Leonard.
"Kids can be so fickle," he said, before getting back into the car.
Leonard was about to speak, but Landon's driver spoke first, "Ms. Robinson, where are you headed? I'll give you a ride."
Leonard instinctively felt that the driver had overstepped.
He thought, 'How could this driver presume to make decisions over Landon? He clearly thinks too highly of himself and will definitely be fired later.'
Leonard didn't have the authority to decide the driver's fate, but he wanted to make a good impression on Landon. Smiling lightly, he said, "No trouble at all! We drove ourselves."
He even bent down to greet Landon and waved to Katelyn.
Katelyn turned her head away proudly, not thinking much of Leonard. Knowing her little whims, Landon patted her head and said to Leonard, "I've spoiled her! She's being rude and not greeting you."
But Katelyn didn't care at all.
Landon had no choice but to tell the driver, "Back to the office!"
It turned out that he had come out just to buy Katelyn an ice cream.
As the black Rolls-Royce drove away, Leonard wore a thoughtful expression. He said, "I wonder when we will be able to drive a car like that."
Then, with a faint smile, he added, "I hope that when that day comes, we'll still be together."
During the subsequent walk, both had their own thoughts, and the blind date ended quickly.
After finishing her work at the studio, Caitlyn returned home to find Eden had prepared dinner.
During the meal, Eden asked with concern, "How was Leonard? He looks good in the photos, has a good job, and is quite handsome! The person who introduced him said he's only had two past relationships, which is pretty good."
Caitlyn quietly ate her meal and softly said, "He's alright. Let's just see how things go."
Hearing this, Eden was quite happy. She said, "Then you should go shopping in the next few days and buy a few dresses. The weather is getting hot, and I noticed you haven't bought new clothes in years. You used to love dressing up!"
Caitlyn gave Eden a piece of fish and said, "That was in the past! Now that I earn my own money, I know how hard it is. Going to a student's house to teach for two hours only earns $400. Could you have imagined that before? And it's difficult for me to get such good opportunities."
Eden rarely heard her talk about this and couldn't help but frown. She said, "Is it that difficult? Maybe we shouldn't do this anymore. Caitlyn, how about I pull some strings for you and find you a stable job? A girl shouldn't have to work too hard."
Caitlyn ate her meal and replied, "I want to rely on myself!"
She looked up and smiled. "Mom, relying on myself is the best!"
Eden couldn't help but smile too. "You're right! And Leonard is quite reliable. He comes from a modest family background, but he has a PhD in medicine. You won't have to worry about the genetic issues of your future children, and he can help with their education too."
Hearing this, Caitlyn couldn't help but think of Leonard's flattery towards Landon. She brushed off the hint of displeasure and forced a smile. "Let's give it a try for now. It's still early days!"
Eden nodded and said, "That's true!"
After taking a shower that night, Caitlyn returned to her bedroom to prepare lessons for the next few days. Her studio was just starting, and she only had about 20 students, some of whom were taught by teachers she had hired.
Under the desk lamp, she was focused.
Her phone rang on the desk, alerting her to a friend request on Facebook.
She looked at it for a few seconds, realizing it was Landon using another account. She hesitated but initially declined. However, it was clear that Landon wasn't giving up, as he sent another request. This time, Caitlyn decided to accept it.
She immediately sent a message: [Landon, I think we've made things clear. There's no need to keep bothering me! As you can see, I already have a boyfriend!]
Fueled by a burst of anger, she sent the message.
Then she threw her phone aside, silently fuming. What right did Landon have to keep disrupting her life?
About a minute later, Landon sent the message: [Are you talking about that blind date? Leonard, right? A PhD doctor is quite promising! But I'm not contacting you because of that. Amara mentioned you started a studio and are looking for kids to learn foreign languages. Katelyn happens to need a foreign language teacher. Is it wrong for me to support your business?]
After reading his text message, Caitlyn felt a wave of embarrassment. After thinking for a moment, she sent another message: [Mr. Carter, please find someone else.]
Then she blocked and deleted him.
Outside, Eden brought a bowl of late-night snacks and saw her on the phone. "Texting Leonard? Is he enthusiastic?" she asked.
Caitlyn was taken aback and then quickly covered up. She said, "He's quite nice!"
Eden felt reassured and, not wanting to disturb Caitlyn, left the bowl and went out.
Caitlyn, however, held her phone in a daze for a while. Just before bed, she received a call from Amara, who invited her to go shopping. Caitlyn wanted to talk to Amara, so she agreed.
But the next afternoon, Caitlyn was really busy, with several groups of parents visiting the studio. Worried that Amara would get impatient, she asked for a leave.
Amara was nearby and said she wanted to drop by, so Caitlyn couldn't refuse and let her come over. Unexpectedly, after Amara had a brief look at her small studio, Leonard called. He said he was downstairs and had time to take Caitlyn out for dinner.
Caitlyn looked at Amara and replied softly, "Today might not work... I'm busy, and I'm with a friend."
On the other end of the line, Leonard said something.
Caitlyn then bit her lip and nodded. She responded, "Okay, come on up then."
After hanging up, Amara leaned in and whispered, "I heard from Mr. Carter that you have a boyfriend. So it's true!"
Caitlyn felt a bit awkward and responded, "Mr. Carter told you that?"
Amara nodded and said, "He mentioned that Katelyn was upset because you found a boyfriend."
Caitlyn felt even more awkward, touching her hair, not knowing what to say.
As they were talking, Leonard arrived.
Amara glanced over and thought, 'In his early thirties, well-educated, and quite good-looking, he could be considered a promising man. Of course, his circumstances couldn't compare to Caitlyn's past.'
Leonard entered, his gaze first falling on Caitlyn. Today, she wore a skirt and a T-shirt, her slightly curly hair loosely tied up, making her look young and well-proportioned.
Leonard roughly estimated that her outfit cost over ten thousand dollars. He wanted to say something, but then he noticed Amara.
Amara, who had been married to Kingsley for several years, dressed simply yet elegantly. Even without considering her jewelry, her outfit would cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Leonard had enough sense to swallow his words.
Caitlyn said, "Amara, this is Leonard Dobbins."
Leonard extended his hand politely and said, "Hello! I heard about you from Mr. Carter last time."
Amara thought he was too polite and smiled lightly. "Mr. Carter mentioned you too. I only found out Caitlyn had a boyfriend because of him."
Leonard felt flattered and looked at Caitlyn.
Amara, experienced in business, saw things more clearly than Caitlyn. Her first impression was that Leonard wasn't Caitlyn's ideal husband, but it wasn't her place to say anything. Expressing her opinion might make it seem like she was siding with Landon.
By now, the parents had mostly left.
As the parents gradually left, Caitlyn gathered her things and said, "Let's have dinner together."
Amara readily agreed.
Leonard eagerly took the opportunity and promptly opened the door, saying, "Then I'll have the honor of being the driver for you two ladies."
As the door opened, a pretty little girl stood outside. She was petite but had a strong presence. Behind her was a seasoned driver. She looked up and announced the name of the studio, "Random Language Art Studio."
The little girl was Katelyn.
Leonard was both surprised and delighted, thinking, "Is Mr. Carter here?"
Katelyn directly ignored him and asked Caitlyn, "This 'Random' sounds like 'Landon.' Ms. Robinson, did you get his permission to use a word that sounds like my dad's name?"
Leonard was stunned.
He thought, "This girl has such a commanding presence!"
Caitlyn was also taken aback. She had hired someone to come up with the name and hadn't associated it with Landon. Now, Katelyn's question caught her off guard.
Katelyn put her hands on her hips and said proudly, "If you allow me to study here, then I'll allow you to use the word that sounds like my dad's name."
Caitlyn used to have a fiery temper. She immediately snapped, "Then have your dad come over and take the word 'Random' away!"
Katelyn's big eyes looked at Caitlyn, then filled with tears, but she didn't cry. She thought, 'Dad said only cowards cry!'
She wouldn't cry; she wanted Caitlyn to accept her!
Amara, afraid they would argue, stepped forward, picked Katelyn up, and gently soothed her, "Words are for everyone to use. You can't be so rude."
Katelyn wilted, her head drooping, even her hair looking dejected. She said softly, "But she's different!"
Amara smiled and asked, "Then why do you use a name that sounds even more like Caitlyn's? Should we take that away too?"
Katelyn got anxious and said, "That name was given by my dad! Dad said Katelyn is his baby. If you want to take it away, you have to find my dad!"
Just as she finished speaking, the elevator door across the hall opened. Landon walked out.
It seemed he had heard everything they said.
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