Chapter 1156: Looking At Leena With New Eyes (part two)

"Leena, don't be sad. I'm always here for you." Seeing that Leena was unhappy, Kevin jumped to try and console her. He didn't know that she was pretending to get sympathy.

When Kevin said this, Leena's heart warmed. She raised her head and looked at him, confused. Did he mean it, or was he just saying it to be nice? She didn't know which one it was. Now she was at a loss and didn't know what to say.

"Ah! You dummy! She was play acting." Belinda shot him a "you-are-so-not-getting-it" look. Kevin was supposed to be a sharp guy. 'How did he not know Leena was faking it?' Belinda wondered.

But Duke had different ideas. He didn't think that Kevin was dumb for not recognizing Leena's trick. Really, he had some second thoughts about Kevin. And he didn't hate him as much anymore. Even he had to admit that Kevin cared deeply for his sister, all because Kevin said "I'm always here for you," instead of "I love you." Duke was deeply impressed when he heard this. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Kevin, with more admiration than indifference.

Kevin just smiled, despite Belinda ribbing him. He wasn't angry at her, no, he was happy. It wasn't a bad thing to be a fool for the woman he loved. She needed him, and that gladdened his heart. That kind of happiness was what he wanted to feel for the rest of his life. There was no need to be embarrassed.

Claire felt left out. They were talking about old friends that she hadn't even met yet. And she got even more of a sense that they lived in very different worlds and there was no way she was on their level. She could also see that they were more like family than friends. And Claire wished she had that kind of support system.

She had finally admitted that Leena was intelligent and capable because of her upbringing from a fairly wealthy family. But from what she saw today, she found that Leena not only had rich parents, but much like her, Leena also enjoyed lavish affection from the people around her. Leena was the apple of their eye, and was far more popular than Claire. Because Leena was a good person, and pleasant to be around. Claire was arrogant and a spoiled brat, and these qualities came out far too often for comfort.

Lloyd watched them teasing each other, and he smiled. Nothing was more important to him than a happy family.

Dinner ended with easy banter, but the laughter didn't stop there. Because where there was love, there was warmth, and joy would be tagging along.

"Leena, you've had a long vacation, but it's high time you went to work and learned something about the company." It was Duke again. He'd trot this out every once in awhile. He had no clue Leena had already established her own brand and was busy with her own projects. He just figured that she'd just been lazy.

"Oh, no! Not again! Come on, Duke! You know that I have no head for business. Besides, I didn't have a long vacation. Did you forget? I just graduated not long ago," Leena growled. Duke kept badgering her to work at his company, and Leena wore a downcast look.

"If you don't want to go to Duke's company, you can come work for me. I've been really busy too and could use the help." Belinda also joined in, trying to help her husband. Leena needed to work. Business was becoming more and more demanding. Fortunately, Duke had helped her make some important decisions, otherwise she'd be exhausted every single day. She also blamed herself for this. She was eager to expand and all sorts of work piled up on her desk. She was overwhelmed.

No, I'm also very busy. Besides, are you sure? You've seen the way I take life. I might be more of a hindrance than a help," Leena said, her head turned gracefully. If she were interested in business, she wouldn't have gone to France to learn fashion design.

"What are you busy with? Wait, let me guess: shopping, and drinking coffee?" Sometimes, Belinda wished she could switch lives with Leena. That way, she wouldn't be so bothered by all kinds of annoying business things. Everybody admired strong businesswomen. Success was sweet, but many people had no idea what it took to get there. If she had her choice, she would rather have been born to a common family. No business to inherit, no property to take care of. Just a simple 9 to 5 job.

I'm busy with a lot of things. You just don't get it." Leena pouted. It was still winter now, but she was already thinking and planning the summer clothing line and the fashion show to showcase the new designs. Because being a designer meant that you always had to be in the forefront, otherwise she would easily lose out to the competition.

"Don't push her. If you're having a hard time at work, just hire more people to work for you. There is no need to pin all your hopes on Leena," Lloyd said seriously with his eyebrows raised. He didn't want to see her lovely daughter being forced to do something she didn't like.

"Yeah, Dad's right. If you're really too busy, just hire people. You can afford the salary, anyway," Leena teased as she looked at them. She felt sorry that she couldn't help them. But she was not willing to waste her life in the complicated and ruthless business world. She had fashion on her mind, fashion in her blood. There was no way she was going to give that up to go work in some stuffy office.

We're only joking. It's our business, and we'll deal with it ourselves." Belinda frowned. She wasn't really going to have Leena work at her company. She just wanted to give her more options. Wasn't Leena going to get bored when Kevin was away? But she didn't expect that Leena didn't get what she was doing, and flatly turned her down. What was she going to do with this girl?