"What's the matter, kiddo? Since when did you become so timid? This is not like you at all. It's just lunch. Why do you have to ask for permission? Just get divorced and come home if this is how your life is with him! We'll take care of you. Who said that we wanted you to get married in the first place?" Rain was worried about Leena's sudden changes. She used to be decisive and brisk. He didn't like how overly cautious their princess had become.
"Rain, do you want me to die alone?" Leena rolled her eyes at him. She knew that he had said that out of love. People who didn't know him might think that he was simply breaking her marriage, though.
"What? Die alone? That's insane! You are beautiful and intelligent. You are our little princess. Whoever thinks you would die alone is out of his stupid mind. We just think that you deserve better." Rain retorted as soon as he heard Leena's words, as if he was afraid they would come true.
"I don't care about better. Whoever I like is the best." However, Leena disregarded his worry with a bitter smile. Kevin might not love her now but she knew that he would someday.
Good. Be willful. As my sister, that's the spirit you need." Rain felt sad for her and took her into his arms. Leena was never arrogant or rude although she was a spoiled girl. Someone like her definitely deserved a better life.
"How come it sounds like disapproval rather than approval?" Leena broke off from his embrace gently and then turned to Claire. She waved at the girl to come over.
"Tell me honestly, is there something wrong with your sister-in-law? She looks like a clown. Her makeup is way too weird." Rain had been around women for the longest time and it made him an expert at spotting makeup. Claire's makeup was simply the worst he had seen so far.
"Don't say that in her face. Maybe the trend confuses her. She thinks this kind of makeup is in fashion, but she doesn't know that it doesn't suit her," Leena whispered in Rain's ear to make sure that the approaching Claire wouldn't hear her.
Huh! Considering her skin, don't you think that lighter makeup will make her look less like she ate crayons for breakfast?" Unfortunately, Rain didn't give a damn if Claire would hear him or not. He even gave another hearty laugh after what he said.
"Are you talking about me behind my back?" It was then that Claire arrived and looked at the two suspiciously. She had noticed them talking and laughing while staring at her earlier. There was no doubt that they were talking about her.
"No! Of course, we are not. Rain wants to invite us to lunch. Do you care to go?" Leena touched her nose habitually. It was something she did every time she lied. Everyone who knew her was aware of it.
"You once said that it was a waste to refuse a free meal. So why not?" Claire replied with a devil-may-care attitude. The closeness between Rain and Leena bugged her a lot. It was just that Rain's lecture was still lingering in her head. She just couldn't lash out at Leena in the presence of this handsome brute.
"Then let's go to the restaurant together. It would take some time before we could eat if we cooked at home." Her sister-in-law's response made Leena happy. The cooking job would definitely fall on her since Claire didn't know how to cook at all. It was okay with her but after spending so much time shopping in the supermarket, she was too tired to even touch spatula.
"Beauties, have you decided yet? If you have, then let's roll," Rain said with a big smile. He had forgotten about the discord with Claire just a moment ago.
"What shall we eat?" It was Leena who asked. She had just had Western food the day before and thought that it would be nice to have something else.
"You ladies decide. It's not a big issue for me." Rain leaned against the car sluggishly and the purple stud on his ear shone in the sunlight.
"Claire, you decide. What would you like to have?" Leena turned to Claire and asked.
"You mean I can choose anything I would like?" Sarcasm was dripping from Claire's voice. The cheeky grin on Rain's face and the fact that he was hanging around during work hours made her think that he was probably just a poor unemployed guy. She had decided to rip him off and humiliate him since he had embarrassed her. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face once he saw what she was going to do with their restaurant bill.
Anything you want, as long as the cook can prepare it," Rain answered with a sneer. He had developed his shrewdness over the years of working in business. Little did Claire know that he could read her mind.
"Let's try some traditional Korean cuisine then. I've heard that pickled Dungeness crab is very good." Claire never had Korean food before so she had no idea what it tasted like. Few of her friends liked the Korean style and she didn't want to eat alone. She had never walked into a Korean restaurant ever. It was the fact that Rain didn't care about whatever she chose that made her decide to give it a go.
"Fine by me. What about you, Leena?" Rain would never agree to eat at a Korean restaurant if Leena said no. Although he said Claire could choose anything she liked, what he didn't say was that it would always be their princess to make the final call.
Okay. No problem. I crave clay pot rice with spicy sauce." Leena wasn't a Korean food enthusiast but she didn't hate the cuisine either. She usually went to a Korean restaurant once or twice a month. She thought that Korean food valued nutrition and reflected their culture really well.
"Let's go then. How about Korean Flavors Restaurant? It serves diverse dishes." Rain dealt with customers from different countries at work. Thus, he had to learn more about their countries and cultures including their traditional cuisine.
"Okay. Where's your car? Where did you park it?" asked Leena. She had never been to Korean Flavors Restaurant before. However, since it was recommended by Rain, she believed it was fantastic. She was aware that Rain was the go-to person for these types of things as his job included entertaining different business clients.
"My car is parked ahead. Just follow me. I don't think that you have been there before since the restaurant just opened years ago." Rain was convinced that Leena hadn't been in that place since she had studied overseas for a long time and had just come home.
"No worries. I'll just use the navigation. See you later, Rain," said Leena before turning to the girl next to her. "Now Claire, please get in the car." A surge of confusion suddenly hit her as she noticed how Claire's gaze was fixed on Rain. Seriously, What on earth was so fascinating about that man? Didn't the two just have a fight?
It was a few more seconds later when Claire removed her eyes from Rain and got in the car reluctantly. Actually, her argument's goal was to attract his attention. It pissed her off to see how he looked at Leena like she was the only thing in the world. Rain went towards his red Maybach and Claire kept her eyes on him until he got in the car.
"Leena Leng, what kind of person is Rain?" She couldn't help being amazed as everyone surrounding Leena seemed to be crazy rich. As far as she knew, Rain was driving a prestige car.
"Oh, he is the vice president of FX International Group. Didn't you know that?" Leena was surprised to hear Claire's question since Kevin had told her that she'd been surfing about the FX International Group. How could she possibly not know about Rain? The man was a public figure whose face was all over the news.
"Er... It's him. No wonder he seems familiar. I saw his pictures on the Internet last night." Claire's eyes lit up as she had thought that someone like Rain was unapproachable. She couldn't believe how close he was right now and how she even socialized with him. Goodness! She even had a fight with him just moments ago.
Actually, he is quite easy-going. Don't take the argument seriously. He just cares about me too much and can't stand seeing me being pushed around." It was too late when Leena realized that she had said something wrong. Her mouth had already spat her thoughts unconsciously.
"Leena Leng, what do you mean? Do you mean that I pushed you around?" Claire had heard her clearly and taken everything she had said to heart.
"That's not what I mean. You see, everything that concerns me draws his attention. That's why he had that conflict with you." Leena ended up explaining in a rush. Nonetheless, Claire already made up her mind and her words just made the situation worse! Oh, how frustrating it was to explain herself.