When Leila greeted the two people in low tones, Mike gave her a look of disgust. He really hated stubborn people who easily went along with what others said.
Claire clapped her hands together and made everyone turn their heads, "Since we've all gathered here, how about we eat together?" She suggested, smiling broadly, "Ah, Leila, you don't have to care what Mike says. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?"
Claire was deliberately being gentle with Leila because she didn't want to hurt the young woman's pride. Mike hated awkward girls, and his cold attitude towards Leila made her lose her confidence even more.
"That's not true, Sister Claire. What happened today is my fault. No wonder Brother Mike is mad at me." Leila kept trying to defend the man.
Lilia started to change her judgment towards that woman. Leila was smarter than she looked. So far, Leila hadn't said a single bad thing about Mike. She just cried when she came into the room. But it was enough to make everyone accuse Mike of bothering her.
Mike seemed to have noticed that too, as he frowned and shot Leila a glare.
After Claire interceded for Leila and Mike, peace finally returned to the room.
Their food arrived and everyone ate quietly. Claire devoted all her attention to Leila by getting some vegetables or side dishes and encouraging her to eat more. Andrew could only grumble to himself when he was neglected by his own wife.
At that moment, Mike saw Andrew's expression tinged with dissatisfaction. He put down his second beer glass before saying, "Brother Andrew, when did you come home from the hospital?"
Andrew turned to his younger brother, "This morning. Why?"
"Oh. Is your wound okay?" Mike's gaze shifted to the bandage on Andrew's forehead. His brother tried to cover the wound with hair, but the bandage still looked striking.
"I'm fine. But thanks for worrying about me." Andrew answered. He felt a little touched that his brother cared enough to ask.
But a second later, that touching feeling immediately disappeared without a trace.
Mike put another beer in front of Andrew, "Since you are fine, please accompany me to drink!"
Andrew gave his younger brother a look of disbelief. 'Are you really my brother?!' His gaze seemed to shout that out. He just got home from the hospital today and Mike immediately asked him to drink?!
"You must be kidding." Andrew snapped, showing his irritation.
"Since when have I been joking with you, Brother?" Mike replied calmly as he poured himself a beer.
Andrew snorted, "Quit offering me to drink! I have to drive home later, how could I have a drink with you!" He pushed the beer glass in front of him towards Mike.
But Mike pushed the glass back in front of Andrew, "Then, I'll call someone to replace you to drive. Easy, right?" He said casually.
Andrew glared at him, "Don't make trouble for me! I'm not going to drink with you!"
Even though Andrew kept trying to keep the beer glass away, Mike stubbornly pushed it back. Andrew began to have headaches because of his brother's stubbornness.
"Okay, enough of that." Claire immediately interceded for them. She was worried that if the two of them continued doing this, the glass would break and someone might get injured, "Andrew, you can just drink a glass with your brother, right? I'll drive home later." She persuaded him.
Claire knew Mike just wanted an excuse to drink without being scolded by Andrew, but she let it go. The man needed a drink to cool off.
Andrew looked at his own wife in disbelief, 'Why are you siding with your brother-in-law?!'
Lilia was trying hard to hold back her laughter while watching the scene in front of her. She hid her smile by eating the grilled ribs on her plate. This family was really interesting!
Lilia was still chewing the ribs when someone put three more ribs on her plate. She didn't need to ask to know who did it.
Lilia swallowed her food before turning around, "Thank you, Jean!" She said while showing off her sweetest smile
The man smiled back with a gentle expression that could melt snow, "I know you like grilled ribs, so feel free to eat as much as you want." Jean said. He wanted to pamper Lilia and enjoy her sweet smile.
Lilia laughed and hit the man's arm playfully, "If I eat too much, Mr. Louis has to make a new costume for me!" She joked.
The warm atmosphere between the couple caught Mike's attention, who was sipping his beer. Then the man's gaze fell on the plate of sauteed green beans in front of Lilia. Mike drank his beer, glancing occasionally at the dish.
Mike's behavior did not go unnoticed by Leila. The woman continued to watch Mike's move silently. She wanted to make amends by doing something for the man.
Since Mike looked like he wanted that plate of vegetables so much, Leila had the courage to put the stir-fried vegetables on an empty plate. Then she handed the plate to Mike and said softly, "Brother Mike, this is for you..."
Seeing Leila's efforts, Claire grinned broadly, "Mike, this is something Leila got for you! Take her kindness!" She urged.
Andrew also urged Mike by kicking his leg under the table. His brother glanced at him with an irritated expression, but Andrew's gaze pressed Mike to take the plate out of Leila's hand, 'That shy girl has taken the initiative to get food for you! Can't you be more manly?!'
The longer Mike didn't respond, Leila's hands began to tremble and her face got redder.
Suddenly, Mike got up from his chair and reached out. But his hand wasn't extending to the plate in Leila's hand. Instead, the man exchanged the plate in front of him for a plate of sauteed green beans in front of Lilia. Mike completely ignored Leila's outstretched hand as if she wasn't there.
Whether coincidence or not, the plate Mike swapped in front of Lilia contained grilled ribs. It sounded like he was giving Lilia's favorite food on purpose.
Mike's actions changed the expression on Leila's face. She tried to remain calm, but the embarrassment made her cheeks turn bright red. Fortunately, Claire saved Leila from this embarrassing situation by taking over the plate filled with vegetables she handed.
Claire put the plate in front of Mike while glaring at her brother-in-law. Why was Mike suddenly acting this difficult?
Meanwhile, Andrew's face turned pale when he saw his brother's reckless action. Did his brother want to die?! Couldn't Mike see that Jean's face turned icy cold and that man gave off a murderous air?! Mike's actions just now made it look like he was seducing Lilia in front of her husband! Regardless of Mike's intention of doing that, other people would misunderstand and think he was challenging Jean's position!
Andrew began to break out in a cold sweat at the thought of what Jean might do to his family as a form of threat. The woman was the wife of Jean, the fourth son of the Widjaya Family. This could only mean one thing—Lilia was untouchable. Surely, Mike wasn't stupid enough to look for trouble with the Widjaya Family, right?
Unfortunately, Andrew wasn't sure that his younger brother had enough common sense to understand that.. He was determined to get Mike to talk privately after this. He needed to instill in his little brother's brain that there was a woman he shouldn't and couldn't touch!
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