Chapter 1003: At Least I Know Better Than You (part two)
"Hey, Leena. I'm not familiar with this designer. Don't accuse me of this, okay?" Kevin felt like he was blamed for nothing. He merely made some comments about the design. Why was she questioning him so much? Was it because she thought there was something going on between him and the designer? He was totally innocent.
Kevin, look at this. How do I look? Isn't it beautiful?" Claire interrupted them when she walked over, wearing a lilac skirt. The nipped waist design showed off her nice figure perfectly.
"It's not bad. But the color… The color doesn't seem to be consistent with your skin," Leena made the comment from a designer's perspective. There was no prejudice behind her words and she did not mean to personally attack Claire.
However, that wasn't how it sounded like to Claire. "What do you mean? Are you implying that I have dark skin?" Claire shot a glare in Leena's direction. Oh, God! Perhaps she finally knew why she was not getting along well with Leena. Leena's snow-like milky skin was something she'd never achieve in her whole life. Claire felt upset and annoyed. 'Come on! I am a girl born in a political family! How can I lose out to this country girl? It does not make sense at all!'
"I didn't mean that. You can choose another color of the same style, such as the rose red one. It will look very eye-catching on you. Also, it will brighten up your complexion," Leena explained. After all, she was a designer. She was used to thinking in a certain way. She was not implying that Claire had dark skin. On the contrary, she believed that the color was the symbol of health. She did not consider it to be a drawback. Judging someone's appearance was not something a well-educated woman should do.
"Wow! You are making comments as if you are a professional designer! Please, stop being so fake. Why don't you just admit that you are just a lousy peasant?" Claire felt disgraced at Leena's suggestion and fought back immediately. Although she realized that Leena was correct, she did not voice out her agreement. Still, she felt like her comment made Claire seem like a total idiot.
"I'm sorry! You can just ignore what I said." Leena bit her lip, deciding that she wouldn't say another word. She walked over to another aisle alone, looking at her designs. She did not want to be the unwelcome stranger any longer.
"Claire, do you have to talk to Leena so rudely? Is this how you behave? Show some respect, please! Leena might not be the most professional designer, but she has learnt everything about fashion. I trust her and I believe her advice to be unbiased." Kevin remembered that Leena told him about her major in fashion designing. He knew that Leena had quite an acute perceptive. Her advice was critical and useful in her field.
"Okay, okay! I get it, all right? I apologize. But she's the one who attacked me first!" Claire said unwillingly. Deep down, she hated Leena even more. It was she who was making her endure the scolding over and over again, be it from Kevin or her mother.
"She did not attack you at all. She just offered you a suggestion! If you think it was not right, you can just refuse to accept it. No one is forcing you." Claire always found fault with Leena. Kevin had a headache. Why couldn't she stop being so mean? Leena did not do anything wrong. Claire was like a bomb that could explode at any moment when she was around his wife.
"Kevin, why do you always blame me? Mom does the same! Am I forbidden to express my ideas and emotions? That's not fair at all," Claire yelled hysterically. She was hurt at his words. She had been doted upon by her family since she was a baby. She was free to do anything. However, everything seemed to change ever since Leena became a part of the family. Claire was being rebuked all the time, about everything she did or said. Enough was enough! She could hardly stand it now.
"There are so many ways to express yourself, yet you chose the most hurtful one," Kevin told Claire while his eyes were fixed on Leena. It seemed that Leena did not intend to buy anything. She was talking to the salesperson with a thoughtful smile on her face.
"I did not! I was just pissed off. All right, Kevin. Stop sermonizing me, please! I won't do it again, okay?" Claire said childishly, begging him for forgiveness. Although she promised not to do it again, it still remained to see if she would change her mind toward Leena. She had a deep-rooted hatred for Leena that would probably be difficult for her to change.
"Okay, so you promise. Don't forget that and don't be mean to her again," Kevin ended on a good note. He did not want to keep scolding her either. They were in public, not at home. He was considerate enough that he did not want to embarrass her in front of others.
"Okay, I see. Why? Kevin? Why do you behave like a grandma?" Claire joked, skipping happily as she walked toward the fitting room. Kevin was speechless. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards. He did not respond to her. Did Claire think he was nagging her? In any case, at least there was some progress. She promised to be nice in the future. However, could he trust her words that she would not reproach Leena anymore? Kevin was not so sure.
"Miss, are you satisfied with this?" The smiling saleswoman asked Claire, expecting a positive answer from her. Her salary would increase should Claire buy the clothes, as her total wage was performance-based. The more clothes she sold, the more money she earned.
"Yes, I like it. But don't you have any other colors?" Claire really liked the skirt. She grudgingly accepted Leena's advice and considered trying out another color.
I'm sorry, Miss! We don't have another color of this skirt as of now. All the others were sold out as soon as they were released because of the skirt's unique design. This piece is the last one we have," the saleswoman apologized. New arrivals of LN Fashion had unique designs. So they would usually be sold out or reserved by regular customers within just a few days. It was a welcome and popular brand with good sales performance.