CHAPTER 453

Lucas' expression was so hilarious that Leigh could even imagine him smacking his head against the table. When her mind created that precise image with exaggerated sound effects, amusement bubbled within her, and she laughed so hard that she had to remind herself to breathe.

"Hey! Stop that!" Lucas snapped, "You can't bully me just because I'm trying to be a gentleman here!"

"I'm so sorry!" She fanned herself as she tried to swallow her giggles. "Actually, I have a solution. We can get married and not have children. You're worried that your kid will be hurt because of you, so let's just get married and not have kids!"

"Can we change the subject?"

"No!" Leigh forced herself to maintain a straight face, sat upright, and stared at him seriously. "We're here for a blind date. What else can we talk about other than this?"

He almost did a spit take as he hurriedly swallowed his juice to prevent an unwanted accident. Even so, when he parted his lips to take a shot at her, he couldn't come up with anything. Lo and behold, the crazy woman had a point!

When she saw his reaction, she didn't even bother to hide her snickers. "I'm just putting this out there. I don't mind if you want to gossip about the Griffins."

I mind, thank you! Lucas rolled his eyes at her. After their brief conversation, he could tell that whatever image he had was already in tatters.

It didn't help that Leigh tapped a finger on her lips and smirked, "Oh my, I can't help but notice that

you're not only good-looking, but you're totally my type. I'm getting even more attracted to you!"

He stared at her wryly. Should he go and ruin his face or something?

"I think you're overthinking things." She gave him a reassuring smile. "If we get married and have a kid, do you think my kid will be a snowflake? What can negative comments do to my kid, anyway? I can assure you that my kid will beat the crap out of those who mock him. The worse the mockery, the more brutal the beatings!"

What if the kid inherits my temperament?! Lucas thought huffily.

Hang on, no! I can only think about this and not say it out loud, or she will definitely tease me for it!

If our kid is like her, there's no way he wouldn't give them a thrashing. If the kid is like me, he would probably hide in some dark, dusty corner and cry his little heart out. Doesn't it mean that I'm more emotional than a woman?

God, no! No, I'm not! I'm a man. The toughest man in the world! Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Are you worried about what would happen if your kid inherits your temperament?" Although he didn't give voice to his thoughts, it seemed as if she could read him like an open book. "I don't think that would happen because I strongly feel that my genes are by far more superior than yours, so the kid is more likely to be a mini-me. Besides, nature may play a strong role, but nurture is also essential for a child's development. So, I can assure you that any kid I raise will resemble me!"

Lucas closed his eyes dejectedly. This was blatant contempt! He once again smacked himself in his

mind, wondering why he had walked toward Leigh the other night. He truly regretted his decision that day, but it was too late.

"Hey, I'm not fooling around right now. I'm serious." She sipped her wine languidly, straightened her posture, looked at Lucas sincerely, and asserted, "Before I knew you, my urge to be single forever was stronger than yours. But after I came to know you, I fell in love with you for some reason. Maybe... I did something bad to you in our previous lives, and now I'm here to redeem myself."

No, it must be the other way around. Lucas grumbled within the confines of his mind, How long does it take to redeem myself?

Leigh sighed in disappointment. "Don't worry. I won't force you. Since you don't like me, we can be friends. It's nice to have a confidant whom I can talk to."

Didn't she say that she was serious? So why does it sound like a joke? Lucas pouted in displeasure.

"Less talking, more eating." She pushed the plate toward him and gestured toward the food. "I hope I didn't ruin your appetite. I'm really not going to force you to date me, I promise."

He didn't know what to say at this point. His brain couldn't even come up with witty rebuttals any longer.

Nonetheless, Leigh genuinely seemed to enjoy her dinner and did not seem to be affected by his rejection in the slightest. "Did your dad visit you recently?"

Lucas' hand that was holding a fork halted mid-way. God above, why is she doing this to me? Why can't she just keep quiet?

"Oops, sorry! My bad." She quickly corrected herself, saying, "Did Mario come to see you again?"

He was about to plead for mercy and demand a change of subject when he saw a couple walking toward them.

The moment he took a good look at the woman's face, he closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. Then, a saying popped into his mind, Speak of the devil and he doth appear. Well, in this case, it isn't the devil himself but the devil's daughter.

Cynthia—Mario's second daughter—and a young man walked to Lucas' side. Cynthia glared at him in disdain and scorned, "Oh, isn't this my dad's b*stard? Well, I think a place as sophisticated as Dusktown should have a sign erected outside all public places that said—B*stards and dogs are not allowed."

Leigh regarded Cynthia as if she was looking at an idiot and inquired, "Who is she?"

Lucas answered indifferently, "Cynthia, Mario's second daughter."

"Oh, I see." Leigh stood up, walked to Cynthia, sized her up again, raised her hand, and slapped Cynthia across the face. Then, she smiled elegantly and snarked, "I'm being nice and warning you now. I prefer to settle things non-verbally if you catch my drift. So, what were you saying again?"

Cynthia was about to bark at Lucas for Leigh's identity when that crazy lady slapped her without warning. She cupped her cheek, utterly shocked as she screeched, "Are you out of your f*cking mind? How can you slap me for no reason?!"

"Am I? No, I have a reason. I'm just taking out the trash." Leigh glared at her arrogantly. "We're spending our sweet time together, but you just have to come out of nowhere and ruin our moment. If you can't dish it, don't say it! By the way, you are lucky that you're only slapped. You may already be dead if you bumped into someone with looser morals."

Lucas stared at Leigh in surprise. They were having a moment? When?!

"You!" Cynthia was shaking with fury. She had never encountered such a situation before.

How could she respond to a slap at the drop of a hat?

Should she do the same? No, that's beneath me.

Should she just endure it and move along? No way! I won't stand for such an insult!

She furiously nudged the man behind her, pushed him to Leigh, and growled, "Can't you see that she slapped me?"

She wanted him to stand up for her. She could retain her poise and vent her anger without lifting a finger if he did.

Gerard shot her a look as he frowned. "I don't hit women."

Cynthia was enraged by his attitude. "But she slapped your girlfriend! Don't you want to help me out?!"

"We're only on a blind date," Gerard responded blandly. "You're not my girlfriend yet."

Cynthia was so frustrated that her chest heaved as she tried to calm herself.

She had already told her mother that she didn't like Gerard. He looked like an idiot with his dull face. However, her mother insisted that the Jones Family was distinguished. If she married Gerard, the Joneses could help her seize power and force her grandfather to name her as his heir.

For the sake of the inheritance, she agreed to go on a blind date with Gerard, but now, she truly regretted her decision.

She was right. Gerard was really a moron.

She was so incensed that she threw her poise and etiquette out the window. Instead, she raised her arm and swung it toward Leigh.