Lina was trying hard to control her laughter when she saw his frowning face.

'Did that woman just call him 'Emperor'? Wow! This is just like some CEO novel where the OP male lead is given a fancy nickname that everyone unanimously agrees to call him.' She pursed her lips to stop the smile that was threatening to appear once again.

Reuben on the other had never felt as embarrassed as he felt at this exact moment.

'I know that name is odd but she doesn't have to laugh at me!' His face went back to his poker ice face.

"You are Reuben Ming? The president of Ming Enterprise?"

Their attention was diverted to Benji who was looking at Reuben with a confused face.

'Why is this man not like the profile that I had read about him?' His brows scrunched up as he thought about this.

He had secretly prepared a profile of every powerful man in the city, to get a clear understanding of the people who they might have to deal with in the future.

The names Reuben Ming and Louis Huo were at the top of that very list.

Benji had plans of steering clear of these two families based on what he had found after his research.

But it looks like half of his plan had gone to the dogs, thanks to the man sitting with them right now.

"You know him?" Lina questioned when she saw the look on Benji's face.

"Who doesn't know about the current leader of the social standings." He then recalled the information he had gathered.

Lina alternated her gaze between the two men who were staring at each other.

"Reuben Ming, President of Ming Enterprises. Currently 28 years old and succeeded his father Felix Ming at the age of 26. Businesses in real estate, entertainment and hospitality." Benji parroted the exact words he had read.

'That's at least what the public knows.' He did not reveal the entire truth.

"Woah! Your 28?" The only thing Lina was bothered about out of Benji's information was Reuben's age.

"That's old!" She gently patted his shoulders to show her sympathy.

"I'm not that old!" He scowled at her menacingly which made her raise both her hands and back away.

"Someone's a little sensitive about it." She whispered in Benji's ears but the other man could hear it clearly.

"At least I do not look like some underaged loli." He retorted to her taunt.

Benji snorted in laughter and Lina gasped as she placed her hands over her chest.

Her face had an expression of hurt that scared Reuben.

"I did not know that you could be sarcastic. I like it!" She immediately smiled at him which made him sigh in relief.

Benji sat and observed how Reuben reacted and how they spoke but he did not contribute much to their conversations.

'I need to be vigilant with this guy.' He decided and went to the kitchen.

"So tell me, Emperor. How did you get that name?" Lina turned to face him and questioned while wiggling her brows.

Reuben just rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"For some reason which even I do not know, I was called crown prince when I was in university. When I took over my dad's position in the company I upgraded to the Emperor position." He joked when in fact that was exactly what had happened.

'I feel like hunting down whoever gave me these nicknames so that I can skin them alive!' He gnashed his teeth.

---

Somewhere on an empty road, Wayne sneezed twice as he looked at the city below him.

'I wonder who's missing me?' He rubbed his nose and pulled his leather jacket closer around his body.

"Is it very cold for you?" Patrick Yang handed him a tissue.

They were right now at the top of a nearby cliff as they watched the city slowly go to sleep.

"Do you think this plan will work?" He asked in hesitation.

"Getting Nana's approval is my responsibility. Rest assured, we will make progress with this method." Wayne nodded seriously.

Pat watched as Wayne looked back at the city below them. He was only this serious when it came to matters concerning the wellbeing of his family.

"Okay. By this time tomorrow, the entire city will know about it." Pat declared and got a nod from Wayne as he put on his helmet.

They then sat on their bikes and zoomed all the way down the cliff.

-----

Benji came back with some pizza that he had ordered earlier and they sat together and ate while watching a romantic comedy that Reuben had recommended.

"I did not know that the Emperor was so sensitive and likes to watch romance rather than just action movies." She gave him a thumbs up while watching it.

"Shush…!" Benji aggressively shushed them.

They both turned towards Benji who was wiping his tears that formed as he focused on the sad separation between the two lead roles.

"That's because you don't know me yet." Reuben bent sideways and whispered in her ear in order to not disturb Benji.

"Also, you don't have to keep calling me 'Emperor', that sounds weird." He whispered again.

"Then what should I call you?" She asked while watching the movie.

"Any. Thing. You. Want." He deliberately uttered those words in a raspy voice.

'What is he doing?' Lina squirmed when she felt his hot breath directly on her neck.

Thinking of a new name for him, Lina turned towards him but the words that were about to spill out of her mouth halted.

When she had turned to face him, their faces were coincidentally just a few inches away.

In the dark room with only the light from the TV reflecting on their faces, Lina and Reuben stared into each others' eyes without blinking.

'Why is this happening again!? I can't do this!' Reuben regained his senses first.

He quickly turned away and focused on the screen.

'Huh? Why did he look away as if I was some scary ghost? Am I that ugly?' She too looked at the screen but her attention was not on the movie.

She touched her face to check if there was something dirty on it but failed to find anything there.

'Idiot doesn't have eyes! I look great!' She boosted her own self-confidence and scoffed before angrily chomping on another slice of pepperoni pizza.

While Benji and Lina cried silent tears as they concentrated on the movie, Reuben was facing a weird dilemma.

'How long will I fear the ghosts of my past? I have to overcome them someday if I want to move on in my life.' He clenched his jaw and the entire muscles in his body tightened.

What had happened in the past had left a scar on his then fragile mind and he carried that scar all the way to adulthood.

That unforeseen disaster was also the main reason why Reuben had never entered a relationship in his life.

He wasn't even aware when the movie ended and did not notice how Lina and Benji debated whether to watch its sequel this late in the night.

It was two in the morning when Reuben's mind started functioning again.

His eyes darted from the blank screen to the two people beside him who had fallen asleep while watching the movie.

Switching the TV off, he moved to get up but a hand curled around his waist which made him stop all movements.

He looked at the soft and fair hand on his tight waist and followed it to the body that was getting cozy around him.

"Hmmm…" She mewled like a kitten and snuggled her face into his chest.

All thoughts of leaving the couch vanished when he saw how comfortable she looked, right there on his body.

Picking up a soft throw blanket from the couch, he draped it over their joined bodies and closed his eyes as well.

'Have a good night, my new friend.' He wished and slowly snuck his arm from under her body to hold onto her as well.

Thus, three people slept on the same large recliner couch.

Two bodies mingled together under the warmth of a blanket and the other lone star who shivered without any warmth to comfort him.