"How long do you plan to stare, Snail Girl?" Lucas's voice suddenly rang out, lazy and magnetic.
Claire's cheeks flushed a vivid red.
"Can't you stop calling me Snail Girl?" She grimaced. The nickname was the worst!
"Nope!" He replied easily. He liked it—it felt close. *Or rather...* just a little catchy, he thought, brushing it off with a casual shrug.
*Wait, did he really just say "no" so plainly?*
Claire squinted at him, leaning in slightly. "What do you mean by that? That nickname is so awful—agh!"
She stopped short, catching sight of his face suddenly close to hers, his dark eyes staring at her with a playful glint. For a moment, her heart stopped, and she felt herself lose focus.
"Snail Girl, leaning in so close—is that another attempt to seduce me?" he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm, the word *seduce* emphasized with a mocking lilt.
Claire puffed her cheeks, looking up at him in disbelief. "Who'd want to seduce you! You were the one who turned your head around so suddenly!" She blurted out. *Did he not realize that his face alone was enough to short-circuit her brain?*
"What do we need to get married?" he asked abruptly.
"Huh?" Claire blinked, momentarily confused.
"Are you even paying attention?" he grumbled. "Every time I say something, you respond with 'huh' or 'uh,' like your brain's made of glue."
"I just didn't get it! How am I supposed to know what's needed for a wedding when I've never even been married?" she said, annoyed. *Does he need to snap like that?*
He rolled his eyes, glancing at her with exasperation. "I'm asking what you'd like me to get for you. Now, do you understand?"
"Nothing," she said, stubbornly throwing the same word he had used earlier right back at him.
Lucas raised an eyebrow, amused. *Was she imitating him?*
"Nothing? So not even a wedding ring?" he asked coolly. "Fine, then—"
"I want one!" she cut in quickly. "Who said I didn't?" A wedding ring was part of the deal—if there was no wedding ceremony, at least she should have a ring. It was the only way her parents would feel at ease.
Still, it felt strange. He'd insisted that no one should know about their marriage. So why would he even bother coming along to pick out rings?
"Hey," she called out softly.
Lucas shot her a look, his brows drawing together, forming lines deep enough to make him look like a grumpy old man.
"Hey," she tried again, unsure of how to address him.
"Am I nameless, or have you simply forgotten it?" He scoffed. *Was she really calling him 'hey'? Was she trying to talk to a bird or something?*
Claire pouted, "You won't let me call you Mr. Lucas, nor President Zeller. So what am I supposed to call you?"
"Don't I have a name? Would it kill you to just say Lucas?" he replied, a bit mockingly.
"Lucas?" she repeated, feeling a little weird. "Isn't that a bit too… close?"
"Close?" His dark eyes flicked down her body, examining her from head to toe like a product on display. When he looked back at her, an evil smirk tugged at his lips. "Last night, you were all over me, clinging naked and kissing me—now *that's* what you call close."
Her face went beet red. *Oh, come on!* Was there a need to keep bringing up last night's embarrassing incident? He just loved reminding her, didn't he? And did he even consider that it was *his fault* he'd stopped halfway? If she could match his nasty remarks, she'd bring up his "ED" and send him to an inferno of embarrassment! *Lucas, huh? More like a stinging hornet!*
With that thought, she couldn't help but burst out laughing, much to Lucas's confusion.