"Mignonne, what are you three talking about? Why did your face become so pale all of a sudden?" Gerard had been silently drinking his tea while keenly watching them. He honestly couldn't understand a single word coming out of their mouths. However, he wasn't blind. He could tell from the look on Leena's face that she was unhappy and a bit angry. That made him worry about her. Were they arguing? If so, what were they arguing about?
"Leena, just admit it! Tell him! Why don't you tell him that you have been playing them and that you are only sleeping with them for their money!" Leena's reaction made Louisa think that her guess was right. Thus, she became more smug and aggressive. She was so taken over by her negative emotions when a cup of warm tea was suddenly poured on her head! She quickly looked around to see who the culprit was. And much to her surprise, it was Claire who was holding the empty cup in her hand while staring seriously at her.
"Louisa, you really went too far this time! How could you say something so disrespectful to someone you don't even know at all? Are you out of your mind?" Claire said in fury. Her disappointment was written all over her face towards her friend. Though she didn't like Leena herself before, she never thought of her as a disgraceful woman. She couldn't stand how Louisa was suggesting that Leena was a scandalous gold digger. More, she wouldn't allow her friend to just say that her sister-in-law was using her body for money! She got so fed up with her dirty words so she poured the cup of tea she was drinking on Louisa's head.
"Claire! What are you doing? Do you want to break ties with me?" Louisa wiped the water streaming down her face irritatedly. Her eyes were burning with both surprise and hatred as she stared at Claire. She couldn't believe that Claire had the guts to do such a thing.
"I don't want that but I think you are really out of your mind now! Do you even understand a thing you are saying? I poured the tea on you to wake you up! You are not making sense! And please, stop being mean and stop saying more stupid words." Claire picked the box of tissue up and gently dabbed Louisa's face with a tissue. She cherished the friendship between her and Louisa as she didn't have many friends. It was the reason why she promised to help Louisa to get her brother.
On the other hand, Leena was dumbfounded with what she saw. Did Claire really just defend her? She wasn't expecting that at all! Her eyes were wide as she looked at Claire in disbelief. But at the same time, she was also very grateful that Claire interrupted. She was trapped earlier and didn't have a clue on how to reply to Louisa. She was completely shut earlier by her mean words.
"I know that she used money to trick you to be on her side! That's the only reason why you are acting like this today! Well, fine! If you really like her so much then go ahead and be her little stooge! I don't need you anyway!" Louisa yelled and forcefully stopped Claire's hand from wiping the water on her face. She was furious! She was being so loud that she attracted many attentions from people who were also inside the tea house.
"Louisa, don't be so angry! Calm down, will you? I know what I did isn't right but you went too far just now by calling Leena a prostitute! She is still my sister-in-law no matter what! Even if you don't consider her feelings, you should at least consider my brother's feeling! What will he think if he knows that you called his wife 'prostitute'?" Claire explained as she rubbed her aching hand. The part that Louisa slapped was all red. However, she wasn't angry at Louisa at all as she knew that she went a bit overboard too. Nonetheless, she wasn't regretting what she did. It was just that she could have handled the situation better. Moreover, Louisa was her friend. She could understand why she didn't like Leena. She also knew that Louisa was a bit jealous of Leena because of her brother. But still, she shouldn't have said those hurtful and disrespectful words. As Louisa's friend, Claire felt that it was her responsibility to stop her from saying more disgraceful words.
Ha! I went too far? Why don't you say that to your dear sister-in-law? She is here laughing and joking with a man behind your brother's back! Is what she is doing right?" Though Louisa hated Claire for pouring the cup of tea on her, she still tried to control her anger. This was not the right time to break her ties with Claire. She still had something in mind that needed Claire's help. After all, Kevin had made himself clear last night. Thus, Claire was her only chance.