"If he didn't like me before, now he hates me." For the first time, Leena found that some people didn't like her even though she was sweet and pretty. She was so frustrated with the Gus.

  "Don't sweat it, kiddo. You and I have our whole lives ahead of us, and nothing else matters. We're a couple. Who cares what anyone else thinks?" Kevin smiled and dabbed his flour-stained finger on Leena's nose. Instantly, her nose was covered with white powder.

  "Easier said than done. Now that we're married, I'm supposed to be part of your family. I can't just ignore them. It's just so hard, knowing they don't like me." Leena placed her hand on her forehead in distress. It was fine for Kevin. People ignored their families all the time. But they still loved him, because he was their son. She had married into the family, but was still an outsider. If she screwed up, they wouldn't be as forgiving.

  "Are their opinions really that important to you?" Kevin looked at her in confusion. His father treated everyone the same —— well, not quite true. His sister was obviously the favorite. Not only that, they wouldn't be living with the family. They were several hours away, in fact. They probably wouldn't see them except on special occasions. Kevin didn't think it would affect them much even if they didn't like her. He hoped they'd come around eventually, but he'd give up if they kept making hateful comments. Well, maybe one day they'd get along.

  "They're your family. They're part of your life, the most important people to you in the world. And they should be. How can I ignore them? I care about you, so I care about what they think." Having grown up in an overprotective environment and spoiled by all the people around her, Leena had never been looked down on like she was today. This was the first time, and it was a shocker. But she hoped she could keep a low profile, and just keep trying to mollify his family. She would do anything to please them. All she wanted was to see Kevin happy. She loved him, and was willing to do even the

  in-law was elegant and gentle. Now it seemed that she was pretty active and energetic, not at all like the usual type of stay-at-home wife of an official.

  "What? She's at the market? Why this early? She has plenty of time. I was thinking about going to the market with her after breakfast." Shannon frowned. She felt the whole matter was weird and suspected that Claire had something to do with it.

  "Um…… I have no clue why she was in such a rush." Seeing Shannon's glum face, Leena wondered if she had said something wrong.

  "Mom, you're home." Kevin touched his nose awkwardly when he saw his mom in the kitchen. The end result was a white powdered nose, covered in flour. Leena suppressed a giggle.

  "When did you learn to cook?" Shannon was amused by Kevin's appearance. Her face finally lit up with good cheer, and she looked happier.

  "When I enlisted, I tried to cook for myself if I had a craving for something. So practice makes perfect. I'm a fast learner too. But today, I only made the pancakes. I can't lie: Leena cooked the other dishes. She worked hard, so don't be too hard on her." Kevin defended Leena, though he was hoping he wouldn't have to. She was an awesome cook at home, so there was no reason why she wouldn't be as good or even better here. Kevin decided to clean up in the kitchen. He grabbed a broom, a rag, and a bucket.