Chapter 004 Forcing Her Hand?
Leo didn't look up. His crew turned toward Luna — and every single one of them went slack-jawed.
Luna closed the cab door behind her.
"L-Lee..." the redhead nearest to him stammered.
Leo blew a smoke ring, barely paying attention. "You stuttering?"
The orange-haired one: "There's a — a girl! She's coming over!"
A pair of white sneakers stepped into view.
Leo's jaw paused mid-bite on the cigarette. He lifted his gaze, already annoyed.
His eyes traveled up — pale, slender calves, a white pleated skirt, a light blue blouse. Soft and playful, with a touch of sweetness.
Too bad Luna's face had nothing to do with "soft."
She was striking — bold, high-contrast features, not a strand of hair out of place. Her black hair fell down her back like liquid silk, exposing tassel earrings at her earlobes.
Perfect bone structure. Eyes dark and bright. A slightly upturned nose. Lips the color of crushed berries.
Beautiful, sure — but the kind of beautiful that made people cross the street. Poised, expensive, and unmistakably arrogant.
Leo crushed out the cigarette without thinking. His Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth —
The green-haired kid jumped in: "Sorry, beautiful — our boy Lee's already taken. Not giving out his number."
"Already taken?" Luna raised an eyebrow. "Who's the lucky girl?"
Leo looked away, uncomfortable. "What's it to you?"
Luna was not having it. "What's with the attitude?"
The rainbow crew inhaled sharply in unison.
Knowing their boy, Leo should've been out of patience by now.
He wouldn't hit a girl — but his cold mockery was brutal enough. Most girls ended up in tears.
The crew braced for Leo to tear into her. Instead, Leo frowned — annoyed, but not at her.
A few seconds passed. He pressed his lips together and muttered: "That's just my attitude."
"???"
The crew stared at Leo, collective shock on every face.
Green Hair: "Lee? You okay, man?"
"Fine." Leo's face was stone.
Luna tossed her hair and turned to the rainbow crew with a smile. "You guys going in to eat?"
"Nah. It's really expensive."
"We can't afford it. Just waiting for someone."
Luna nodded. "Who?"
The redhead shot Leo a cautious glance. No reaction. He ventured: "The girl Lee's into. It's her birthday today."
"Birthday?" Luna's lips curved. "Then why aren't you inside? Don't tell me she didn't invite you."
"She didn't." The redhead looked down. "Lee went in, and she kicked him out."
Luna stared at Leo, incredulous.
Leo squirmed under her gaze. "Didn't you have plans today? What are you doing here?"
"Came to find you." Luna said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Leo froze.
His lashes flickered. "What for? Help you chase Hayes?"
"Nothing to do with him." Luna was all smiles. "I just wanted to take you out to dinner."
Leo went still.
He stared at her for a long time. Said nothing.
Luna: "Come on. My treat. Let's go in."
The rainbow crew's brains short-circuited.
"Wait, what?"
"You — you're paying for all of us? At a place like this?"
"Yeah." Luna smiled. "Let's go."
Leo trailed at the back of the group.
The redhead fell into step beside him and whispered: "Lee, honestly? She's way better than the It Girl."
Leo walked hands in pockets, a dismissive snort through his nose. "How so?"
Redhead: "Prettier than the It Girl, no attitude, and she's paying for all of us. And, uh... rich."
Leo ran his tongue over the sharp point of his canine. "She has terrible taste."
The redhead blinked, confused.
Who insults themselves?
-
In her last life, all Luna had known was that Leo spent his days with a pack of delinquents.
He'd chosen to sink, and nothing anyone said made a difference.
Besides — back then, every ounce of her attention had gone to Hayes.
Spending time with them today, she realized they were just kids in weird hair. Honest, even sweet.
They'd held the menu and been too shy to order more than a couple of things.
When the menu finally reached Luna, she raised an eyebrow. "Eight dishes. That enough for you?"
"More than enough."
"We just want to try a few things."
Each dish here was four figures. These were kids from ordinary families — they'd never set foot in a restaurant like this.
Luna didn't say much. Just added ten more dishes.
"So, uh — we haven't gotten your name." The redhead poured Luna a glass of water, eager to please.
"Thanks." Luna said, "I'm Luna Harrington."
The redhead blinked, surprised. "Harrington? Like Lee?"
"Yes."
"Luna? Like the moon?"
"Actually — fog. I was born in one."
Luna was born at six in the morning. That day, a thick fog had rolled in — the kind that lingered, thick enough for the weather service to issue an advisory.
Stella, in her hospital bed, had watched the fog sit heavy outside the window and named the baby in her arms after it.
The rainbow crew were genuinely good kids. Friendly, easy to talk to. Within one meal, they'd already started calling her "Luna" like they'd known her for years.
Leo frowned and stood up.
Luna turned her head. "Where are you going?"
Leo: "Bathroom."
Luna drew it out: "...Oh."
-
When the private room door closed behind him, the noise cut to silence.
Leo leaned against the wall, irritated. He couldn't figure out why Luna had shown up out of nowhere.
It made him feel like he didn't know what to do with his hands.
The door across the hall swung open.
Mia came out first. She stopped, eyes going wide when she saw Leo.
She turned and called down the hall: "Clo! Come here!"
Chloe had been chatting with the class straight-A student. She heard Mia's voice and rolled her eyes — always so dramatic.
She buried the annoyance, slid the warm, approachable smile back on, and walked over. "What's wrong, Mia?"
The smile froze the instant she saw Leo.
Deep down, Chloe was thrilled.
She assumed Leo had been waiting outside for half an hour.
That made her feel important.
In front of the whole class, she feigned embarrassment. "Leo, I'm focusing on school right now. This behavior of yours — it's just too much pressure."
Whispers rippled through the classmates behind her.
"Damn — Leo looks scary, but he's actually pretty devoted."
"And he listens to Clo. She told him to leave, and he did — but he couldn't bring himself to go, just hung out in the hallway for over half an hour."
"Well, Clo is outstanding. Who wouldn't like her? How many people can compare?"
Leo frowned. "I know. But you've got the wrong idea."
"Wrong idea about what?"
The straight-A student, Ethan Wright, gathered his nerve. "Clo already told you — she doesn't like you. What you're doing — are you trying to force her hand?"