Lan Meiling's lips trembled as she glared at Ren. Her usually poised, refined demeanor had shattered. As always, the calm and calculating young mistress of the Lan family wasn't composed in front of Ren — she was outright trembling with anger.
"Ren…" her voice was low, quivering with both fury and frustration. "Why… why did you refuse the Lan family's offer? Do you even realize how much you've thrown away? That's the most stupid thing someone could do!"
Her tone cracked, rising louder. She wasn't yelling, but it was sharp enough to sting.
"You keep making these big claims… that you love me, that you want to be with me… yet when I pave better paths for you, like joining Guild Sirius, you just—" her teeth clenched, her fists shaking at her sides, "—you just refuse! And not only do you refuse, you make more enemies in the process! Tell me, Ren, are you dumb!?"
Her anger was raw, unfiltered, spilling past the walls of composure she always wore.
