Love in Deceit; When Duty meets Desire

Claire stared at Leon's sleeping face for a long time, and her gaze fell on his chest. Noticing that his chest was still bare, she went back inside the bathroom and found his shirt on one of the racks. Walking back, she was about to pull him up and dress him but halted.

Gripping the clothes tightly through her clenched fists and gritting her teeth, she cursed herself. "Claire, what is wrong with you?" she muttered to herself before deciding to go ask one of the butlers to do it.

When she got downstairs, she saw a young butler. After giving him the shirt and telling him what to do, she was about to follow him upstairs when Mae called her.

"Claire, are you okay?" Mae asked with a worried expression, seeing how sad Claire looked. When Claire didn't respond, Mae walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "It's okay. My brother is strong; he'll be fine before tomorrow," she whispered, patting her back.

Her hug and words of comfort made Claire burst into tears, and she cried hard, letting everything she'd been holding in out. "Why? Why are you comforting me when I'm the reason he's in that condition? I... I didn't know he was allergic to cold, and I let him join me in the rain," Claire ranted between sobs.

"And who said it's your fault?" Grandma Rinna's voice rang out, causing the two to let go of each other and turn to her. Grandma Rinna and Mae led Claire to the couch.

"My child," Grandma Rinna called her while wiping tears from her face, "Leon has always been stubborn. It's not the first time he's doing this, so there's no need to blame yourself," she reassured her.

"But, Grandma, he came out to call me. I was the reason he left the shelter. I'm the cause of all this," Claire said, burying her face in her palms as she began sobbing again. She would never forgive herself if something bad happened to him because of her.

Rinna made her look up. "Silly girl, do you think anyone can force Leon to do anything? Think of this: he could've easily left you there until Levy came or even called you to come inside, but he came out because he wanted to. I think that brat just missed being out in the rain," Mrs. Yu commented with a nostalgic smile on her face, causing Claire to look at her, confused.

Claire blinked in confusion. Noticing her puzzled expression, Rinna began to explain. "When his mother was alive, Emily loved nature and the rain. She used to take Aaron, Leon, and Mae outside to play whenever it rained. But after her death, the three of them stopped going out in the rain—until one night when Aaron and Leon fought outside in a downpour. That's when Leon's allergy started," Rinna said, her voice tinged with sadness.

The entire revelation shocked Claire. "They fought all night?" she asked, still in disbelief. Grandma Yu gave her a warm smile and nodded.

"Aaron left this house after that, despite our protests, and Leon, who used to love his older brother, didn't even stop him."

"Bu... but why did they fight?" Claire asked again, completely overwhelmed.

"Aaron watched Leon kill his mom," she answered, and Claire, who had totally forgotten she was crying, widened her eyes in disbelief.

"W... what?" she burst out. The turn of events was just too much.

Grandma Yu sighed. "Ahh, silly me. I'm probably overwhelming you right now. I know you have a lot of questions, and I'm sorry I can't say more. You can ask Leon when he's ready to open up, but rest assured, Leon did nothing wrong in killing her. In fact, he helped the police," Grandma Yu said, chuckling.

"Claire, my grandma has bored you enough with this soppy, sad story. You should go to bed now," Mae told her. Claire turned to look at her, and though her words were lighthearted, she could see the pain in her eyes. Nodding, she bid them goodnight and headed to her room, not sure if she was going to get any sleep at all.

"Urrrgh, did they have to leave me hanging?" she grunted as she turned on the bed. Leon had done the exact same thing to her. Turning to face Leon, she stared at his face and was relieved to see him no longer pale and the hives slowly disappearing. With unanswered questions in her mind, she fell asleep.

---

"Boss, please take your medications, or this could cause you a huge problem," Zach told Aaron as he handed the extremely pale man some pills, which Aaron drank in one go.

"You know cold isn't good for you. You should've just stayed in the car," he scolded slightly when Aaron chuckled.

"Not bad, brother, though I'm wondering how you'll be faring now," he muttered to himself. He was under an umbrella, yet the cold still made him sick, and his brother actually went out in the rain with no shield... wow.

"Boss, do you think he loves her now?" Zach asked, causing Aaron to glare at him.

"Of course not, you fool. He still doubts her, but I'm sure very soon his doubts will fade. For now, he's just being nice out of mere duty. Ah, don't you think I chose the perfect lady? With Sugarcube's innocent demeanor and the fact she's not even trying to seduce him, Leon will soon crumble," Aaron said, his usual cunning smirk on his face as he played with the glass of water in his hands.

"You're right, perfect choice, sir," Zach complimented quickly and excused himself. He could feel Aaron's intense emotions when he said those last words, and that crazed look in his eyes scared him.

Meanwhile, inside the dimly lit room, Aaron's smoky gray eyes shone with unsettling intensity, emotions swirling around them.

---

Leon's eyes fluttered open and closed as he tried to adjust his vision to the bright morning light. Getting up and seeing no one in the room, he gently rested his head on the bed's headrest as yesterday's events replayed in his mind.

He was already done with showering and wearing his clothes when his head started spinning and everything became a blur. He faintly remembered Claire's yell when he collapsed and her crying.

The clicking of the door interrupted his thoughts. He saw Levy and the doctor walk in. After checking him and telling him that he was much better now, the doctor left.

"Sir, this is all your fault. I could've come earl..." Levy started scolding, but Leon cut his words.

"Cancel all my plans and meetings," he ordered, and Levy could do nothing but nod and bow. After a few discussions, Levy turned to leave. Just as he was about to open the door, Claire walked in.

The two of them bowed slightly at each other, and Claire turned to face Leon with a wide smile, really happy he looked fine now.

"Your dad said you're staying home today," she said cheerfully, "and since my audition got canceled, I'm here to help." Setting a small table on the bed, she placed the food on it.

Leon looked at the dishes—omelets, fruit salad, orange juice, and other varieties were spread out. His brows furrowed, and his ears burned red when Claire picked up a fork, scooped some omelets, and placed it near his mouth.

"Come on, eat," she urged him. "You need to finish the food if you want to get better," she told him, and fortunately, he finally opened his mouth.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, seeing as she was only feeding him.

"I'll eat after you're done," she told him, and a blush crept on her skin when Leon picked up a fork and placed it near her mouth.

"Eat," he insisted gently, and Claire had no choice but to comply.

After their meal, Claire hesitated before speaking. "I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't know you were allergic to cold," she explained while looking down at her hands, which she was currently fiddling with.

Leon gently touched her chin, making her face him. "It's okay. It was my mistake. I was glad you were finally being your real self and having fun, and I wanted to let you enjoy it. You've been shy and reserved. I didn't have the heart to stop you," he explained, and Claire stared at him in shock, her heart skipping a beat and her face turning beet red. That couldn't be his only reason, right?!

"T... Then why did you come out?" she asked, still flustered.

"I wanted to get you inside as the rain became heavier, but seeing you smile and laugh made me want to let you experience it a little longer," he told her sincerely, making her melt. She looked into his eyes for any clue he was lying but didn't see any.

"But don't blame yourself. I did it because I wanted to, so don't feel guilty. It's not your fault. You just reminded me so much of my mother—her smile and attitude around nature. I wanted to see more of it," he coaxed, caressing her chin, and at that moment, Leon looked so cute and vulnerable that Claire felt like her heart was being hit by a fluffy arrow. Subconsciously, she hugged him.

She didn't know what she was doing anymore, but she didn't care. The only thought in her mind was to hug this cute bear in front of her, which she did. For now, she let herself get lost in the moment, her questions forgotten as she held him close.