Alfin exactly had known in general how the woman had betrayed Harry. But he can't predict for sure how much Harry hated her.

Alfin, for now, could only assume that Harry certainly just tried to be professional of still accepting Aretta as his co-worker.

Knowing that it was not an easy thing for Harry to accept. But without Alfin realizing it, Harry actually had no feelings for Aretta. And thought of the woman as a pseudo shadow.

"Is that why you gave the project to Cleo?" asked Alfin who could now at least understand some things.

Alfin then laughed mischievously.

"It turns out that woman gave a quite strong influence on you, huh?" Alfin teased. Harry looked straight at him. Alfin hastily shifted the conversation to something lighter.

"Then why do you have to go to that office to accompany your wife, when you are lazy to meet her?" asked Alfin who did not agree.

Harry didn't say anything. Until Alfin finally caught something.

"Don't tell me it's because of that short-haired man? Really?" Alfin looked at Harry in disbelief.

Since when did this man care so much about the men around Cleo? Could it be...

Alfin closed his mouth for a moment. Then let go.

"Do you have a crush on your own contract wife?" Alfin said, couldn't believe it.

Alfin actually had felt the strange movements lately. But he didn't think it was true.

Alfin laughed doubtfully at his own argument.

Felt that Harry was as hard as a rock and couldn't possibly open his heart easily.

But now, look!

He didn't even give his rebuttal or even his piercing glare of denial.

If there was an emoticon image here. There must have been an emoticon image of an eyebrow up and down to see the truth.

Knew that Harry seemed to be in a position of one-sided love.

"You will definitely find it difficult to meet her," Alfin warned.

Harry didn't seem to care. Submitted a report that he had finished reading and signing. He handed the report to Alfin. Told him to talk less and work more.

Alfin gave full support to his cousin.

Harry certainly didn't want to show anyone how he felt about Cleo before his feelings were fully reciprocated. Who would have thought that his character was so easy to read by those closest to him.

Harry still remembered how he met Cleo. Starting from a ridiculous idea that he launched himself spontaneously and was immediately accepted by Cleo because she was in need of something in return.

Harry had never guessed that his bad previous thoughts of materialistic women would now be consumed by his own words. Cleo was originally willing to do a contract with Harry because of money. And she did it to pay off all her debts.

So that Harry found no downside to her actions.

He had indeed had a bad feeling about her, but everything had been investigated properly. Cleo certainly wasn't as bad as he thought. Although sometimes like a barbarian and did not follow the rules. Cleo was not a bad woman who would betray a trust.

But she was too insensitive person to her surroundings and it made Harry quite tormented.

Harry then recalled how it had been so hard for Willy to win the woman's heart for 4 years. So, should Harry wait that long too when their marriage deadline was only a year and a half away?

Harry felt the time was going too fast, even though he hadn't done anything.

Cleo then already looked at him in surprise.

"Is something bothering you?" Cleo asked with her clear eyes.

Today was the schedule for Cleo to go to the course. So Harry had purposely come home early to pick up the woman and went home with her. Now they were spending time eating together at the dining table.

As usual, they didn't do much to fill the silence and it was quite torturous for Cleo.

Cleo finally asked Harry who looked irritated.

"Is the food not good enough?" Cleo asked a little worriedly.

Harry glanced at his gravy soup, then spoke.

"I just feel it tastes a little different," said Harry who was immediately given a meaningful smile from Cleo.

Harry looked at her in surprise, as if hypnotized.

"Did I say something wrong?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. Because today I made all of this food, while Aunt Ane helped me, of course. Does it taste good?" Cleo asked enthusiastically while waiting for the sweet compliments that would be thrown upon her.

She knew Harry was very stingy with compliments. But it was possible that Harry will give a little good criticism. Cleo was already looking at Harry with cat eyes.

Harry noticed that and cleared his throat once to shake off his sudden uncompromising heartbeat when he saw the smile and the look in those eyes.

Cleo didn't even notice the change in Harry's flustered expression.

Just knowing that the man was used to being inflexible. Harry finally gave Cleo the compliments she wanted.

"It doesn't taste bad," said Harry in his trademark manner.

Cleo smiled amusedly.

"If you want to compliment someone. Please do it sincerely! Didn't your grandmother ever teach you that?" Cleo protested with good intentions.

Cleo still had a hard time balancing the friendliness of Sofia, his grandmother, with Harry's unfriendly attitude towards everyone. Harry certainly wasn't as bad as she had thought.

Moreover, Harry was also no longer the same as Harry the first time Cleo saw him until went through the day without the presence of that ignorant man around her.

During the nearly 24 hours she had been deprived of sleep, Cleo had been seeing the man face-to-face for almost a whole week in recent times.

Couldn't understand his fickle attitude. Who was sometimes rude, nosy, and annoying, even to the highest level of annoying because of his unpredictable behavior?

Harry can also sometimes be calm, kind, and loyal, even sweet enough to acute level...

Wait a minute!! Was Cleo's brain getting into trouble?

'Sweet??? Which one???'

Cleo laughed to herself inside her thoughts.

Harry had been staring at her for a long time. And smiled faintly when he saw that the corner of Cleo's lips pulled up slightly.

Cleo immediately asked him.

"Why?"

"Nothing. It's just ... are you that glad because I complimented you?" said Harry, who had been used to not praising others for a long time.

Cleo immediately asked mischievously, "Did you just compliment me?" She asked.

Putting on a stupid look and not taking Harry's words about her cooking earlier as a compliment because it was just simple ambiguous words that he said. Cleo feigned disapproval.

Harry then had another expression.

"I'm not really praising you," said Harry, he chose to correct his words.

"Then?"

"I'm just saying it's decent enough to eat," said Harry with an even expression.

Cleo immediately looked at him in disbelief and half annoyed.

"So you're saying that my cooking is bad but still edible?" Cleo asked with an expression that was ready to challenge him.

Harry then laughed. A laugh that was so loose, that Aunt Ane, who was in the kitchen preparing dessert, turned to look at him in confusion.

Harry was still laughing.

Cleo, who didn't understand why the man was laughing, could only stare in amazement on the sidelines of her face which full of question marks.

"Is there something funny?" Cleo asked with an incredibly stupid expression.

While Harry laughed again with satisfaction.

Truly, this was Harry's loosest laugh since the last 4 and a half years he had passed his monotonous days.

And it was no wonder if Harry teased Cleo so often because it was fun. Often tried to play with words, until it made her start to sulk and as usual Cleo would puff her cheeks a few times when she was so annoyed at being teased.

Harry then caught his breath so he won't laugh for too long. Harry corrected his expression again.

"Your cooking is not inferior to Ane's. Even if you can't get past it or match it. I will still stay to like the taste," said Harry so suddenly until Cleo was frozen in place for a moment.

Cleo blinked twice to digest Harry's words and was sure she had heard right. And also, didn't say anything wrong.

"You're playing with me, again?" Cleo exclaimed while holding back her annoyance. Cleo chose to take the positive.

Staring cheerfully.

"So it tastes really good?"

The face of a child asking for candy was clearly visible on Cleo's face.

Harry held back his amusement. And tried not to praise too much so that the woman didn't fly to the seventh heaven.

"It was certainly thanks to Ane's help. Isn't that right?" said Harry, deliberately didn't elevate Cleo too much.

Cleo sneered.

"Just saying it tastes good is so hard! Why do you have to go round and round just to badmouth me? As much as that you dislike and hate me?" Cleo chirped.

***