......
Gary glanced at Maria lazily, not saying a word.
However, Maria still found it strange that there was such a huge change in Gary's demeanour. He seemed to have become more emphatic than before. She could not help but to tease Gary, "Are you finally turning over a new leaf?"
"Why should I turn over a new leaf?" Gary questioned in a deep voice.
"Oh, yes." Maria nodded in agreement, "There's no need indeed."
Gary remained silent no matter how much Maria pushed him to talk. He looked at Maria with a smile, refusing to give in.
It was an unfruitful attempt at a showdown. There was no sense of satisfaction when Maria made fun of him.
In the end, the tension in the room became stale. Maria shut her mouth and stopped talking. However, she felt slightly uncomfortable with Gary's peculiar behaviour. She shot him a few more glances and realized that he had become more reserved with more smiles on his face.
His arrogance was nowhere in sight.