Leena heaved a sigh. She knew clearly that she was a daughter-in-law in this family. Although her mother-in-law was very good to her and her father-in-law seemed friendly and wouldn't purposely make difficulties for her, Claire's hostility was enough to make her heart hurt silently. It was something that she didn't expect. She might have had herself ready for this day but then her strength melted as she faced it.
"What are you thinking about? You seem to be miles away." Kevin wrapped Leena's waist with his arms as he spoke. The sweet act made Leena's sadness vanish instantly as she pressed herself harder in his warm embrace.
"Nothing. Have you finished?" The corners of her lips lifted as she held her helplessness back. She was suddenly smiling without turning to Kevin.
"Yeah. Are you homesick?" The man rested his chin on Leena's head and sniffed her mildly fragrant hair. This girl had brought many surprises to him. He had always thought that she would cause a lot of troubles because of her young age and he would have to clean up her mess. She had proved him wrong though. She was different from how he perceived her. She was beyond anything he had expected.
No. It's just that I haven't seen my dad for a long time, so I miss him." Leena hesitated before she rested her hands just above Kevin's. It felt nice to feel how warm he was.
"Is he travelling somewhere again?" Kevin liked his father-in-law, and his father-in-law also liked him and spoke highly of him. Although Duke treated him as an enemy and always embarrassed him, he felt warm as his father-in-law sincerely took him as a family member.
"Yes. He has gone to Chicago. He was busy with work and didn't have time to travel when he was younger. That is the reason why he wants to travel the world and experience a lot of new things while he is still healthy." Thoughts of her father made Leena's smile wider. She once proposed to travel with her father but was rejected. He said that he wasn't that old to need her company. How would he enjoy twilight romances when he was traveling with her? Leena giggled at this thought. That was his show-off reason but she doubted that her dad would want to date someone else. He was too in love with her mother to do that.
"Don't worry. Your dad is strong. He will have a good time even without our company." Kevin turned Leena to face him. He knew that Leena was just making excuses. She was depressed not because she missed her father but because Claire humiliated her. It was sad that he couldn't do anything about it. He was torn between his sister and the woman he loved. He didn't want to upset either of them. Otherwise, he would only add fuel to the fire. He had to adopt a wait-and-see attitude before the situation escalated to something more serious. He could only hope for Leena to win his sister's heart using her deadly charm.
You're right. I don't worry about this. You know what? My brother has sent someone to secretly follow him. If something wrong happens to him, his secret guard will take care of him." Leena felt herself blush as Kevin watched her as if he was enchanted. She was easily affected by him and she couldn't help but fall into the gentleness that he occasionally showed.
"That's a bit odd. Isn't your dad aware of it?" Kevin didn't expect that Duke had sent someone to take care of Lloyd secretly. He really didn't think that they worried about their dad at all.
I have no idea but since he doesn't bring it up, we just assume that he doesn't know." Leena felt so close to Kevin that she could even hear his heartbeat.
"Maybe he has already known about it but he accepts it to relieve you." Lloyd was a shrewd man. It was the reason why Kevin believed that he already had a clue that someone was following him. It was possible that the aged man was just pretending not to know anything to pamper his kids' kind intentions.
"Maybe. What did your dad talk with you in the study room?" Leena was sure that they talked about her but she wondered what it was about exactly.
"Nothing important. Relax. We just discussed something in the army." In response, Kevin displayed a comforting smile amidst his bitterness inside. He didn't expect his father to dislike Leena's family background. Leena's family did business while he was a government official. There would be unnecessary misunderstandings as secret collaboration between business owners and the government officials was strictly forbidden. Gossip was a fearful thing. Nathan was worried that Kevin's career might be affected. However, a clear conscience laughed at false accusation. Kevin wouldn't do such things. From his observations, Duke had a very little contact with political figures, let alone collaborated with them. He would bet his bottom dollar that his army career wouldn't be affected at any point.
"Really?" Leena looked at Kevin with unbelieving eyes. It was easy for her to decipher that Kevin wasn't saying everything based on his looks. His face was stiff when he left the study room. Thus, she subconsciously concluded that her father-in-law disliked her.
Yeah. Don't think too much." He embraced Leena tightly. He didn't want to upset her and therefore he told her a white lie. Although his father didn't like her now, he was positive that he would like this charming woman as much as he did as time went by.
"Come on. Don't try to fool me. I don't like being fooled. Anyway, I don't think you only talked about your work." Leena shot Kevin a reproachful pout. She didn't believe him for a minute. Young as she was, she knew the ways of the world. The only thing that mattered was if she was willing to learn about these things or not.