"You want to be together? Auntie will absolutely never agree!" Lara walked up to the two of them, looking at Ned with grief. "You know very well that your love will never turn out the way you hope. The gap in your statuses is too great; you two are simply not suitable for each other!"
She took a deep breath. "By doing this now—being so good to her, protecting her like this—you're misleading her into thinking that one day you'll marry her and stay with her forever. But in the end? It will all come to nothing. All you're doing is hurting Sophie! Hurting me!"
Ned glared at Lara. His gaze was as cold as ice, so frigid that she couldn't help but tremble...
"Finished?" He stared at Lara's tear-streaked face and asked indifferently.
Lara sobbed, unable to respond.
Then Ned lowered his head and said gently to Sophie, "Let's go."
He took her hand and left the restaurant as if nothing had happened.
