True Fated Marriage (Grace and Heinz)
Chapter 1477

Leah was shocked. She talked about wanting to see Maria in order to avoid arousing suspicion. What she didn't expect, however, was for Ernest to boldly voice his opinion. Although she felt slightly at a loss, not knowing how to respond, she actually still felt warm and fuzzy in her heart.

At the very least, it meant that he hoped that she would look for him if she went to England.

Her train of thought lifted her spirits. She chuckled and said, "When I go and visit, seeing Maria would mean seeing you as well, right? I'll definitely come and see you both if I'm visiting."

At the very least, her words would convey that she regarded them as friends, and that it would stop Ernest from suspecting anything.

Leah's thoughts were obvious. She didn't want Ernest to find out what she was thinking, being afraid that it might be the end of her wishes if he did.

Having heard what she said, Ernest squinted as he looked at her expression and sank deep into thought.

Leah looked a little strange. He had always found her direct and witty, but not boastful.

She was able to publish a trending web novel at such a young age that garnered lots of fans, and yet she willingly held on to being a regular person under the radar.

She was also a law student. All in all, everything about her intrigued him.

The two of them got into the car, and Ernest drove to the restaurant where they had agreed to meet up with Liam.

Leah sat idly in the passenger's seat, occasionally tilting her head to sneak a glance at Ernest who was beside her.

She couldn't help sighing at the thought of how attractive Ernest really was. His face was chiseled, and his prominent facial features were structurally astonishing.

His eyes were always gentle, and his smile was especially heartwarming.

His entire being radiated a pleasant aura and sense of beauty. People wouldn't be able to help themselves but to take several glances at him, as he could effortlessly enchant them. He was focused on the road, and he drove in a relaxed manner. He had everything under control and was rather skilled at driving.

Leah sighed internally. An attractive person could be doing just anything, and would still be attractive.

Just like that, she began to steal glances and sizing him up without restraint like a love-struck fool. She also had to cloak her feelings so that he wouldn't catch her doing so.

Ernest actually had long noticed that Leah had been staring at him. He was a little surprised. He turned his head and looked at Leah. When he saw her dazzling eyes, he coughed lightly before asking, "Leah, is there something wrong?"

Leah bore a serious expression as she shook her head.

"Why are you staring at me?" After a pause, Ernest said slowly, "If you have something you want to say, you can just say it."

"Uh, I don't really have anything to say." Leah laughed. She continued staring at him, not bothering with an explanation.

After being noticed, she was too embarrassed to look away, feeling like she would be caught red handed if she looked away immediately after. It would be as if she admitted what he said was right, and that would amplify her embarrassment.

The only thing she could do was to continue staring at Ernest so that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Ernest sighed gingerly as her eyes continued being fixed on him, and he seemed a little helpless under her gaze.

Leah blinked her eyes and thought to herself, "Oh no, have I been exposed?"

Seeing as he went quiet, Leah rummaged through her brain to find something to say to fill the silence. "Um, you know, the more I look at you, the more attractive you become."

She wanted to bite her tongue as soon as she finished her sentence. Out of everything, why did she talk about that?

The corners of Ernest's lips twitched, and he remained polite. "Thank you for your admiration."

"I'm serious." Leah was afraid that he didn't believe her, so she repeated her statement in affirmation. "It's a little embarrassing complimenting you like this, but you're actually really handsome." Ernest's breath was caught in his throat. He turned his head to look at Leah again.

"Drive carefully." Leah placed her elbows on her thighs and looked at him with a smile. "You know, people can't help but to stare at someone who's pleasing to the eyes."

Ernest looked back at the road ahead, and something indiscernible flashed in his eyes. He didn't know how to respond at that moment.

"Ernest, I'm just saying you have a great aura. By the way, do you look more like your mother or your father?"

Ernest could finally answer her question, "I think I look more like my mother while my brother looks more like my father. We're fraternal twins."

"Mm, I know that," Leah replied naturally though her heart was racing. "I know that you and your brother are twins, and I know that your younger brother and sister are also twins. Your mom is just too awesome for giving birth to two pairs of twins."

Hearing how Leah was so enthusiastic, Ernest smiled and said, "It's all right, I guess."

"Then, your mom must be beautiful," Leah continued speaking.

Ernest nodded, and admitted shamelessly, "She is. She's indeed a pretty girl. Otherwise, she wouldn't have caught my father's attention."

"Does that mean being good-looking is also a requirement for your future partner?"

"Being good-looking could be considered as a basic requirement, but it shouldn't be the only requirement." Ernest did not hide his thoughts and admitted bluntly. "The bottom line is, we have to be compatible." "Be compatible?" Leah laughed as she talked halfway. "How do you know if two people are compatible for each other?"

"At the very least, I can't hate them." Ernest explained with a smile.

"Then, do you hate me?" Leah asked suddenly.

After asking, she realized the implications of her question and smiled. "What I mean is, as friends, you don't hate me, do you?"

She couldn't help but to cringe at herself. Even though she had been gauging his response, she still couldn't bring herself to admit how she truly felt.

"I don't hate you." Ernest admitted straightforwardly, "Don't you have to find people you like when you make friends as well?"

Leah withdrew her gazed and turned back to face the road. "Right, well, how much longer until we get there?"

"We're almost there."

The two of them did not speak for the rest of the ride, and the atmosphere quieted down.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Liam and Maria had already gotten there. They had been waiting in one of the restaurant's private rooms for a few minutes for Leah and Ernest who were late.

As soon as they entered the door, they saw Maria with a wide smile on her fact. She stared at Leah and smiled without saying anything.

Leah felt a little self-conscious under her gaze. She approached Maria and asked in a low voice, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just curious, why are you both late? Even Liam and I weren't so late."

"Are we not allowed to be late if you aren't late?" Leah raised her eyebrows.

"I'll allow it. If you want to be late, then so be it." Maria couldn't control her laughter. She looked at Leah and couldn't help gossiping. "What did you and Ernest do just now? He's usually the kind of person who doesn't like to be late."

"True. He is a punctual person but I often arrive late." Leah admitted bluntly. "He came to pick me up, so he had no choice but to wait for me."

She surely was not going to admit that their conversation about succulents on her balcony was the reason they were late that day. When they started going into details about the succulents and their attributes, they completely lost track of time.

Liam glanced at them. He didn't seem to be particularly interested in gossips.

Leah smiled at Liam and said, "Mr. celebrity, please look after your Maria. She is so eager to gossip even something as trivial as my tardiness."

Liam raised his eyebrows and said casually, "Actually, I also want to know why you both are late."

For being able to increase their interests in the gossips so calmly, they were indeed a perfect match.

Leah was embarrassed by Liam's question and shook her head helplessly. "It's all my fault, don't blame Ernest. You know that I'm just like a sloth, and that's why we're late."

Liam nodded, but it didn't seem like he believed Leah. Then, he turned to look at Ernest.

Ernest then explained, "I was interested in Leah's potted succulents, so I asked her about the properties and characteristics of the succulents she owned, and that's why were held up."

Maria broke into an even brighter smile. She and Liam shared a knowing smile as they exchanged a look.

They were busy defending each other. It wouldn't be credible even if they told others that there was nothing going on between them.

Leah glanced at Ernest, lowered her eyes, and sighed.

She tried her best to give themselves an inconspicuous cover, but Ernest had to blow it out

the window.

Forget it, it was not like it was a big deal.

"It's understandable that they were too engrossed with their conversation and lost track of time," Maria said as if she was pondering upon something. "Never mind, we just arrived not long ago anyway. Let's order some food."

Leah was stunned. Had Maria continued speaking, Leah would probably be unable to prevent herself from blushing.

Thankfully, their teases stopped at an appropriate time.

"Leah, are you going to eat pork chops again?" Ernest suddenly asked as he looked up at Leah.

Leah was at a loss for words again.

Liam and Maria glanced at them at the same time, their gazes looked as if they discovered something.