"What do you think, Kevin?" Claire was more willing to hear her brother's opinion. In her eyes, Kevin was a man close to perfection. She liked him better than Leena. If he was not her brother, she would have definitely fallen for him.
"This one is perfect on you. Don't you think so?" Kevin glanced at her from head to toe. He thought that the skirt Leena chose for her was better than the previous one Claire had tried on.
"Okay, I will change back to my own clothes first," Claire said before blissfully walking back to the changing room. She knew the clothes in the store were all very expensive, and it was such a rare opportunity for her to make Kevin pay for it. He rarely came home to stay with them.
"Leena, what do you think? Isn't it good on her?" Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling like it had been a long time since he touched her so intimately.
"As long as she likes it, my opinion doesn't really count." Leena gave him a hard smile. Flustered by Kevin's sudden touch, she had the sudden urge to break free from his arms.
"Miss, we have decided on this one. We will pay by card," Kevin said as he took out his wallet from his back pocket. He handed over his credit card to the sales girl without even checking the price. He did not care about that. As long as his sister liked something, he would buy it to please her.
"Okay, the price for this skirt is 12, 000. If you have a VIP card, you can enjoy a 20% discount." The sales girl notified him about the price of the skirt, smiling pleasantly. As a salesperson, it was routine for her to confirm the price with the customers before they made the payment. The procedure made sure they avoided unnecessary arguments regarding the price.
"What? 12, 000? Are you kidding?" Claire was heading out of the changing room when she heard the saleswoman's words. She was taken aback by the price. Unbelievable! She knew that the clothes sold in this store were expensive, but she didn't expect them to be priced so exorbitantly.
"Miss, I have checked the price. It is 12, 000. If you don't believe me, you can check the price tag yourself. We don't lie to our customers," the saleswoman explained in a hurry. All the dresses in the store were sold at a fixed price tag. Even if she wished to charge customers more than the normal price and pocket the difference for herself, it was impossible.
"It's okay, we trust you. Just take the credit card." Leena smiled gracefully. She could predict how much it was worth, because she had designed the skirt herself. Although the price was different in every city according to consumer levels, it didn't vary by too much. Besides, the materials used to make the skirt were all very expensive, so the price was reasonable compared to other similar brands.
"Huh! It's easy for you to say that. It is not you who has to pay for it. It's my brother's money." As much as Claire liked the skirt, the 12, 000 tag price was completely unacceptable to her. Even if she didn't have to pay for it, it pained her to spend so much money on a single skirt.
Okay, whatever, you decide then." It seemed to Leena that things weren't going as she had hoped for with Claire. She had thought that as long as she was good to another person, she would receive the same kindness in return. Apparently, it was not so. Claire seemed to be indifferent to her kindness and even misunderstand her good intentions. She couldn't bear it anymore and felt like throwing a tantrum. She decided not to interfere in Kevin and Claire's business. They were brother and sister, and she felt like an outsider. She moved away from them, satisfied to be alone.
"It's okay. We will buy it. Please take the card." Kevin smiled at the saleswoman gently. Although he appeared to be nonchalant on the surface, in reality he tried to suppress the rising anger he felt. It was not because of the price. He was livid because of the obvious contempt in Claire's tone toward Leena.
"Kevin, truly, we don't have to buy it." Claire pouted. One could tell that she was not actually vicious at her core, she was just naughty and didn't behave herself sometimes.
Don't worry. I can afford it." Kevin patted her head, reassuring her. He didn't consider it to be a burden for him to pay for her skirt.
Upon hearing this, the saleswoman smiled with relief. She thought they would give up because of Claire's complaints about the price. Fortunately, this handsome man was very generous. How she hoped that she could have such a good brother! But it seemed impossible. She could not change her fate or swap it with Claire's. From the moment they walked out of the store, Kevin looked sullen. He had gone through arduous training in the troop and climbed up his career ladder from a common solider. Today he was a dignified Major General. He had conquered all obstacles, but nothing made him feel as troubled as today. He felt helpless when it came to Claire and Leena's relationship.
"Kevin, are you mad at me?" Claire drew back, asking him in awe. His sullen face scared her.
No, let's go. We should buy some winter clothes for Leena," Kevin said, without any trace of delight. His face was as cold as ice. Leena glanced at him, wondering what had happened to him.
"Are you okay?" Although she was keen to keep a distance from him and restrain herself, she couldn't help but feel nervous as she looked at his sullen face. She was deeply in love with him and there was no way for her to get out anyway.