Chapter 1015: A Hypocrite (part three)

"Do you need any help with the tea?" asked Leena as she forced a sweet smile. She realized that her fake smiles had become a necessity to her since she arrived at that place. The fake expression had helped her win over many of Kevin's relatives and friends. She couldn't tell if it was a good or a bad thing but she was almost getting used to it by now.

"No, I am good here. You may need to go upstairs to check on Kevin. He has also drunk a lot tonight." Shannon was very pleased to have Leena as her daughter-in-law and had no intention to keep it a secret. There had been a lot of guests earlier that agreed that Leena was not just exceptionally beautiful but also had a good personality. The only thing she regretted was not finding her daughter-in-law a suitable company during the event as there were only very few girls who attended. Claire could have been a good choice but they all knew that the two were not going along well.

"Okay, Mother." Speaking of Kevin, Leena was indeed a little worried about him. He went straight upstairs right after they sent all the guests out. He said he needed a shower. Thinking that he might be tired from socializing the whole night, Leena let him leave and chose to help her mother-in-law with cleaning the mess the party had left.

"It's been a long day. You must be tired. Take a warm bath, it helps you fall asleep." That was a tender reminder from Shannon as she wished for Claire to be half as good as Leena. She wouldn't need to worry about her finding a boyfriend if that was the case.

Okay, good night, Mother." As she said this, Leena turned and walked briskly upstairs. She was indeed worn out after all the trips today.

Kevin's room was on the top floor. Thus, she needed to pass Claire's room to get there. In order not to draw any attention from her sister-in-law, Leena deliberately slowed down as she came closer to Claire's door. It was to her disappointment when she found that Claire was out in the corridor, stretching her leg. She was obviously blocking Leena's way.

"Do you want anything, Claire?" Leena pressed her lips nervously as she waited for an answer.

"I didn't expect you to be such a hypocrite, Leena. First, it's fake designer clothes. Then, it's fake painting for my father. Can't you just be real and accept who you are? I want to build a relationship with you but all your acts are making it too difficult." The girl was very upset. She couldn't believe that her father scolded her in public because of Leena. Since she couldn't find a chance to confront Leena at the party, she waited until that moment to block her and get back at her.

"What do you mean by fake designer clothes and fake painting?" Confusion was all over Leena's face as she asked. She knew that Claire doubted the authenticity of the painting she gave to Nathan but she couldn't figure out what 'designer clothes' she was fusing about.

"Cut it out already! You know exactly what I mean. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don't buy those expensive clothes if you can't afford them. Wearing them doesn't make you rich, or a princess. Cinderella doesn't get to be a princess in real life. It is all illusions!" said Claire harshly. She had been meaning to vent all this on Leena the whole night. There was a moment she felt that Leena was a little cute when they ate at the street cart just this day. However, she had changed her mind after seeing Leena bring a fake painting to please her father. She disliked her even more. How could she be so vain?

Listen, Claire. About what you just accused me of, I can explain. The designer clothes you mentioned are my everyday clothes. I have been wearing the brand for many years. As for the painting, it is from my father's collections. I admit that I don't really know how much it is worth. And that's all. I just don't understand why you would call me a hypocrite," said Leena as she used everything in her to stay calm. A surge of bitterness suddenly swelled inside her heart as she thought of the situation she was in. Not only did she not have the basic respect from her younger sister-in-law, but she was getting constant criticism from her. What else could explain why Claire was blocking her way? This was sheer bullying! She couldn't stop herself from thinking that the girl was already out of the line.

"You know why I called you that. And please! Stop giving me any more of your lies," said Claire with a sneer. She then put her leg down from the rail and prepared to leave. It was late and she didn't want to keep Leena for too long in case her brother came down to look for her.

"Wait, Claire. Is it really that hard for you to get along with me?" Leena sighed with great resignation and shut her eyes. She had changed a lot since she went home with Kevin. She had matured a lot in just a span of overnight. She would have argued with Claire more if she hadn't tried very hard to control herself.

"Yes, very. Because I can't stand having the slightest connection with a hypocrite," replied Claire directly. She shook her hair for some drama effect, turned, and then went back to her room. She knew that she herself was vain. It was just that she didn't expect Leena to outstrip her in this respect.

Leena bit her lip in astonishment. Her sister-in-law's discrimination of her was just unbelievable. She even had the gut to call her a hypocrite! Her old self would never have imagined something like this to happen to her. As much as she felt hurt about the way Claire judged her, Leena also found the whole thing bizarrely hilarious.

Time seemed to have stopped as Leena processed what just happened. She was unable to think of anything to defend herself as Claire's words echoed inside her head. As if paralyzed, she just stood there, gazing off into space.