"Blair, get ready! Louis will come for dinner at our house."
Blair, who was working and busy with her outline, suddenly gasped.
"What is this? Why so suddenly? And since when did you become kind and friendly with your half-brother, Axel?"
"Don't protest, and don't ask too many questions! You'd better get ready. Louis will be here in a few hours for dinner."
Blair stuttered. "But, I haven't prepared anything for dinner yet. And I don't know what to serve him with?"
"You don't need to think about that. I have prepared everything. You just need to make yourself as pretty as possible. Remember, in front of Louis, you must act like my wife!"
Blair grunted in annoyance. Axel left her alone. Blair didn't know what Axel was up to.
"That guy always gives me a lot of surprises. He is also completely unpredictable."
Axel returned to the kitchen and was busy preparing dinner. He had planned all this after successfully thwarting Blair and Louis' lunch plans.
"I must show everyone, especially Louis, that Blair is my wife! No one is allowed to approach or harass Blair, including Louis."
Blair also followed Axel's instructions. She prepared by changing clothes and making herself as beautiful as possible.
Blair had just finished brushing her lip tint when the doorbell rang.
"Very fast? Is that Louis coming?"
Blair was so excited. She wanted to discuss many things with Louis, especially about work. At first, Blair wanted to discuss this in Louis' office the next morning. But since Axel had invited Louis to dinner, Blair didn't want to lose that opportunity.
"He is a very busy man. If he wants to come for dinner, I should maximize this opportunity."
Blair went downstairs and opened the door. She saw Louis come in casual clothes.
There was an intense look in Louis's eyes at Blair. The man looked at Blair in a different way than usual.
"You look beautiful tonight, Blair." praised Louis straightforwardly.
"Welcome, Louise. Please come in."
Without them noticing, Axel was already standing behind Blair. The girl got nervous. Axel's face showed a smile, but Blair realized there was a threat and a cold heart behind that smile.
"I didn't think you'd invite me to dinner, Axel," Louis said. "You hardly ever let me set foot in your house."
"It's about time we patch things up, right? Especially now that my wife is also pregnant. Soon we will have the legal heir to the Barney family."
Blair felt a shiver. She seemed gripped by a gripping aura and a cold war between the two half-siblings.
"Come in first," Blair said, breaking the frozen situation. "We can talk inside. Did you come alone, Louis?"
"Well, you expect who comes with me, Blair? You know I'm a single man."
Axel cleared his throat. He dragged Blair and embraced his possessively in front of Louis. As if Axel wants to show who owns Blair at the moment.
They rushed to the dining room.
"This is what we usually eat. Today everything was served and prepared by Axel. Sorry I haven't been able to make anything special for you, Louis."
Blair merely exchanged pleasantries. She didn't prepare anything that day at all. Blair was even surprised because Axel prepared all of the dinner dishes himself.
Louis ate heartily and really enjoyed the dinner. No strange or suspicious movements came from him.
"Because Blair is pregnant, I don't want her to work too hard. It's better if I prepare this whole dish myself," Axel exclaimed.
"No problem," said Louis. "Your cooking is always delicious, Axel. I haven't tasted your cooking in a long time. Your skills in cooking are still holding up, apparently."
Louis looked around. "I guess it wasn't long before you moved here, right? This house looks different from the outside."
"Oh, you noticed? I designed and bought this house, especially for Blair. Close to the beach and other parts directly adjacent to the forest."
Blair looked nervous in her seat. She was worried that the two men's chat would end in a fight. Blair still feels that there is a frozen atmosphere between the two half-siblings.
After dinner, Louis took a walk around the house. He stood in the living room and stared at the wedding photo of Axel and Blair.
Louis continued to stare at the photo with suspicion.
In the kitchen, Blair and Axel were busy cleaning up leftovers from their dinner and preparing snacks.
"What exactly are you planning, Axel?"
"What do you mean, Blair?" asked Axel while biting into the pickled cucumber.
"I'm confused why you suddenly invited Louis to come here? You are so childish!"
"What child?" protested Axel.
"You constantly show affection in front of Louis. You also keep calling me "honey" on purpose in front of him. That really looks too much, Axel. You give me goosebumps!"
"Why? What is wrong with it? Aren't husbands and wives like that?"
This time, Axel scooped up a strawberry that Blair was arranging on a serving plate for a snack.
They brought the snacks into the living room. Axel walked first and patted Louis on the shoulder when his half-brother looked at their wedding photo.
"You know this photo was taken at our wedding, right?"
"Axel's nostrils look huge in that photo!" teased Blair as she placed the tray of treats on the table.
Louis unknowingly laughed at Blair's joke.
Axel grumbled.
"You want karaoke, Louis? We happen to have a karaoke machine. My wife is good at singing. Of course, you know that!" Axel exclaimed.
"Sorry, Axel. I have to go now," Louis said.
"You want to go already? This fast?" Blair sounded disappointed.
"I still have a business. Actually, I have another appointment tonight."
"Eat the fruit first," Blair ordered.
"No need, Blair. I have to go now. Thank you for the banquet dinner."
"Please visit here often. Soon your nephew will be born. I'm going to be a father!" Axel flaunts Blair's pregnancy with pride.
Louis looked at Axel. "Congrats. I hope the birth of your baby goes smoothly, and our relationship will become warmer after this."
After Louis left their beach house, Blair broke free from Axel's arms.
"What are you doing, Axel? Why are you suddenly being so nice and treating me as if you were your legal wife? You did all this on purpose to show off in front of Louis? You look like a jealous man and purposely reciprocate that jealousy."
Axel is angry. "What do you mean I'm jealous? How can I be jealous of Louis?"
Blair lifted a corner of her lips and ignored Axel. Blair returned to the kitchen to clean up the after-dinner mess.
"He's so weird," Blair grumbled. "He has a strange personality. One day antagonizing his half-brother, then suddenly showing affection and kindness in front of Louis. I don't understand Axel's mindset."
Louis seemed to think seriously on the way out of the beach house. He glanced back at the flash drive he had previously gotten from the informant.