Chapter 3

I walked in right after them, so nobody suspected a thing.

But when Anna came back, she gave me a look that screamed challenge.

"Sorry, sorry, I was acting childish again. I'll take a penalty drink. But my stomach can't handle it, so, Leon, would you do it for me?" Anna said with a sweet smile, handing the glass to Leon.

Leon didn't hesitate. He took the glass, with Anna's lipstick mark still on the rim, and downed it in one go.

I let out a cold laugh in my mind. They were not even trying to keep up appearances in front of me anymore.

"Don't get the wrong idea, guys. Leon and I grew up together, like brother and sister. He's always been protective of me, that's all," Anna said, sticking out her tongue. She shot a playful look my way.

"Jane, that's how Leon and I have been ever since we were kids. Hope you don't take it the wrong way," she added.

I set down my fork and unhurriedly wiped my mouth.

I said, "Why would I care? It's totally normal for friends to help each other out.

"But... so it really was your stomach acting up. Leon used to get called out in the middle of the night, and whenever I asked, he'd say it was because you weren't feeling well and needed him to look after you.

"I honestly thought he was blaming you or making you look bad. I mean, what kind of girl calls her friend's boyfriend over in the middle of the night and he doesn't come home till morning?

"Now that I know it was really you, I'm not worried anymore."

As soon as I said that, everyone at the table looked like they had stumbled onto the juiciest gossip.

After all these years with Leon, he was a master at putting on a show. To everyone else, he always looked like he was head over heels for me.

And Anna? She was his carefree, tight-knit friend, nothing more.

Who would've thought that beneath that calm, unruffled surface, there was something so disgusting going on?

Leon tried several times to explain himself, but I kept shifting the topic, shutting him down every time he opened his mouth.

He probably understood, too; once he missed the best moment to explain, anything he said afterward was meaningless.

But what did that have to do with me?

What I wanted was to see both him and Anna utterly disgraced. This was just the opening act.

*****

After a few rounds, the party broke up, and everyone went their separate ways.

Anna only had that one drink at the start, but now she was practically melting into Leon's arms, acting like she couldn't walk on her own.

She said, "Leon, I'm not feeling well. Can you take me home?

"Forget it. Jane would probably be upset. Leave me be, I'll walk home myself."

Anna kept struggling to get up, but somehow she always ended up back in Leon's arms.

Leon was already feeling restless after what I said at the table.

I knew him inside out; his reputation in front of others was always his top priority, more important than anyone or anything else.

So when Anna practically threw herself into his arms, Leon hesitated. But before he could say anything, I played the gracious girlfriend and gave him permission to leave.

I said, "Don't worry about me. Take Anna home. I'll be in the study room finishing up my report.

"If you're coming back, just look for me there."

My laid-back attitude made Leon furrow his brow, but after weighing his options, he still went with the person he cared about most.

"I'll come find you later. Anna's a lightweight, one drink and she's out of it. She can't handle it without me," Leon said.

I didn't even bother listening to whatever Leon was saying. I got in the car and left.

Who was drunk, and who was playing caretaker? It was all pointless nonsense to me right now.

I wasn't worried Leon wouldn't show up later.

After all, he'd never pass up a chance like this.