Her friend's tone automatically made Claire uncomfortable. She apologetically smiled at Leena. She was slowly changing her opinion about her sister-in-law even though she hadn't realized it yet. Plus! She just used her money. Thus, no matter how much she hated Leena before, she couldn't help but be nice to her.
"Would you like some pastries?" Leena didn't mind Louisa's action because she decided to completely ignore her. Well, it was all up to her if she wanted to act stocked up. She didn't want to be the one to start up a conversation with her only to be mocked in return.
No, thank you. I ate a lot at lunch. I just got tired of shopping so I decided to come here and rest for a bit. How about you? I thought that you would take Gerard to visit the historic places here in S City. I didn't expect you two to come here." Claire picked up the cup of tea Leena poured for her and sipped. To be honest, she was not a fan of tea either. She only came here because she had a very greasy meal for lunch and wanted to drink something that could help her get rid of the greasy taste in her mouth.
"I planned to but then I thought that you haven't been to those places too. So I changed my mind. If you like, I can take you and Gerard together to those historical places instead once you have free time." Leena's smile to Claire was a bit bitter. It was noticeable that her sister-in-law's treatment to her had changed. However, she also knew clearly that these changes weren't because Claire realized that she was indeed a very nice person. Claire was being nice simply because she had spent her money. Nothing more and nothing less. Just the thought of it hurt her a lot.
"Okay! Louisa, you are going together with us, right? The more people the merrier!" said Claire excitedly. Leena's suggestion was perfect! She didn't know much about S City and it was indeed a very good opportunity for her to visit the places she had been wanting to visit for a long time. Besides, she liked going out and having fun with a lot of people. Leena's offer would save her from going to those places all by herself.
Well, we'll see. I don't know if I will have free time or not." Louisa's tone was cold and indifferent. It seemed like she wasn't interested in the topic at all.
"Come on! Don't be like this! Stop being a killjoy!" Claire puckered her lips in displeasure. She felt that Louisa was being quite weird today. Didn't she want to talk to her anymore? She wasn't even sure if she did something to make Louisa unhappy. They were okay last night.
"Well, I guess Miss Ye must have other things to do. So don't force her to go with us, Claire." Leena didn't like Louisa's attitude towards them. She was acting all cocky and superior as if she was waiting for them to beg her to come with them. In fact, Leena didn't want Louisa to accept Claire's offer at all. She didn't want to see her unless it was necessary.
"No, I'm not forcing her. I just think it would be better with more people. If she doesn't have time, well, that's okay too. We can still go." Claire was a bit sad about Louisa's reaction. However, she wasn't that sad because Leena and Gerard would still be with her anyway. She might not know much about the handsome foreign guy who was sitting with them but knowing that the guy was Leena's friend made her feel less awkward.
"You know what, Leena, I really admire you for being an international hooker. Look at what you have here! I bet it's easy for you to get men from different countries, right? You are really something else," Louisa said sarcastically as she threw Leena a disdainful stare. She was seething with jealousy but never would she admit it. 'Why do all the handsome guys surround her like she is something precious?' she even asked herself.
Miss Ye, I don't know why you are talking like that. I didn't do anything bad to you, did I? So why are you acting like you are being all jealous?" Leena gritted her teeth in silent anger. She didn't want to cause a scene in public. Thus, she ignored Louisa's rude words and resorted to being as sarcastic instead.
"Jealous? Are you kidding me? Why would I be jealous of you? Are you saying that I'm not as charming as you are?" Leena rolled her eyes discreetly. As expected, Louisa was not as calm as she seemed. She was literally overreacting just because of simple words. Thus, it made Leena retort against her more.
"I didn't say that, Miss Ye. Why are you suddenly this angry? Well, you know, being angry only makes you look older." As long as Claire didn't interrupt and help Louisa, it was pretty easy for Leena to argue with Louisa if she wanted to. Who said that Louisa was that smart after all?
"Yeah! Louisa, you must have misunderstood my sister-in-law. She didn't say anything bad about you!" It could either be because of Claire's innocence or her mental slowness that she didn't realize what Leena meant by her words. Nonetheless, she was also confused as to why would Louisa become suddenly angry.
"Claire! Are you intentionally making me mad? Whose side are you on?" Louisa glared at her friend. She couldn't believe how stupid Claire could be! Didn't this girl promise to be on her side? She wouldn't even want to talk with Claire if she hadn't thought of her as something useful to get Kevin. Couldn't Claire understand that Leena just mocked her? Goodness! She was so oblivious! Worse was that she even defended Leena! That was so unforgivable. Didn't she dislike Leena as much as she did? How could everything change overnight?
"I was just saying the truth, that's all! Why are you so angry in the first place? I really can't understand you sometimes. Louisa!" Claire felt extremely wronged and couldn't help but yell at Louisa. She wasn't taking anyone's side. Besides, it was Louisa who attacked Leena first. What she did was just fair. She was just being reasonable. Wasn't she allowed to help her sister-in-law?