"Why should I go with him, Kevin?" Claire's mouth twitched. She wanted to explore the city but she didn't like the strange feeling she had. She was still thinking about the handsome Rain, but couldn't find any opportunity to approach him. Leena warned her to stay away from Rain, so she was embarrassed to ask Leena for more details about him. Otherwise, Leena might figure out that Claire hadn't given up on him.
"It's your first visit to S City. Why don't you travel in a group? Leena will show you around. Isn't that a good idea?" Kevin didn't know why Claire was objecting. What was wrong with his proposal? Leena had to show her friend around anyway. She wouldn't mind taking Claire with them.
"What you just said was very strange. You sound like a matchmaker. Like you deliberately wanted to bring us together. I know you don't like me, Kevin, but I didn't think you hated me so much that you'd want to wed me to a foreigner," Claire said, her tone aggrieved. She liked foreign countries a lot but it was altogether a different story to marry a foreigner.
"Relax. Gerard won't take a fancy to you. You're stroppy. I'm afraid you would bring disgrace to our country after you marry a foreigner," Kevin joked, taking delight in deriding Claire. He had a quick tongue and always said what he thought without much deliberation, but his words hurt Claire.
"Come on, Kevin. Is that what you really think of me? I'm not that bad!" Claire's voice was loud. She would have completely lost her temper if he wasn't her brother.
"He is joking, Claire. Don't take it seriously." Leena kicked Kevin under the table and winked at him broadly. 'Something is wrong with Kevin today,' she thought. 'He's being so unusual. Why is he provoking Claire so much?'
"Ouch! Why did you kick me, Leena?" Kevin looked at Leena in blank amazement as she rolled her eyes at him. Now Claire would know that Leena was fooling with her.
"I just wanted to stretch my tingling legs. Sorry that I kicked you." Leena was exasperated. How stupid Kevin was! Why couldn't he get a hint?
"Really? Then let me give you a massage." Kevin reached out to grab Leena's leg. Leena was so shocked at his behavior that she almost stood up and ran away. It was embarrassing to let Kevin do that in public.
Meanwhile, Louisa had turned deathly pale. Kevin might be joking, but his care for Leena was heartrending to her. Everyone ignored her and made her feel like she was invisible. Louisa hadn't given up on Kevin yet, or she would have already left. She had no interest in being humiliated here.
"Kevin, don't flaunt your love. You might pay a heavy price for it." In the past, Claire would have snapped up this opportunity to ridicule Leena, but she didn't do it this time. It looked like she was truly determined to live in peace with Leena.
"What? A heavy price? Why? Don't speak this melodramatic nonsense. I'm a bit of a boor. I said what I thought." Kevin flicked Claire's forehead. The gesture had always been his way of showing love to his sister. Although Kevin's tone was reproachful, he didn't mean to blame her.
"I know you're very strait-laced. Frankly, I don't know what Leena sees in you. You're so boring." Louisa darted a look of disapproval in Claire's direction. 'Claire is taking Leena's side,' she thought, 'Does this mean that she has accepted Leena as her sister-in-law? What about me? Has she shut me out of the plan? If she doesn't help me, the plan won't work, and I'll be an outsider in the race to win Kevin's heart. With Claire's help, I can replace Leena and become Kevin's wife. Why does she want to botch my plan?'
"Right. I know you're jealous, but I don't care." Kevin stared at Leena's flushed face with affection, glad to look at her like this. He felt a lingering sense of fear as he thought of the frightening event from before. He couldn't imagine his life without Leena. He realized again that he had lost his heart to this girl. There was no denying that he had feelings for her; what he felt couldn't be explained in any other way. Kevin briefly considered if he had been attacked by a brain parasite, but that seemed even more farfetched. The only conclusion was that he was in love.
Meanwhile, Gerard felt a desperate urge to interrupt their obsessive eye contact. He had promised Leena that he wouldn't interfere in her life, so he resisted his impulse and gulped down the bitterness. 'It's great to see that she got married to a man who loves her so dearly. I love her too, but that doesn't mean I have to be with her. This man can make her happy so I can set my mind to rest. Maybe I have to let her go and finally move on,' Gerard thought as he lowered his eyes.
Truthfully, Kevin didn't mean to upset Gerard by his actions. He just wanted to make it crystal clear to Louisa that she would never be able to break up his happy marriage. He would never allow it.
On the other hand, Leena felt a bit uneasy. She didn't know how long such a harmonious life could last. Once she told Kevin that Gerard was her ex-boyfriend, it would definitely cause havoc. 'Would I be doomed?' Leena wondered.