From the moment Talia had seen Lina being introduced by Patrick, her mood had plummeted into the abyss of hell.

'That bitch is the one who was with brother Reuben that day!' She scowled and gritted her teeth furiously.

Talia wasn't disheartened after what had happened on the day after the auction, in fact, that incident had strengthened her resolve to make Reuben hers.

The Zheng sisters were in hopes of watching Mandy Rong fall on her face today but somehow the person being introduced had changed to someone new.

Valerie Zheng wasn't really bothered with this and continued to keep a close watch on the man of her dreams.

Seeing Louis Huo today had nourished her weary soul and she was just waiting for the perfect timing to go and greet him.

While Valerie was shooting cupid's arrows at Louis, Talia's eyes had been focused on Reuben from the moment she saw him talking to his family.

Valerie had her sights on Louis who had been silently drinking.

Louis could feel the intense gaze that was directed at him for quite some time now but he chose to ignore it entirely.

'Why is this lady going there?' She narrowed her eyes at the thin figure in the dark grey gown.

When she noticed the star of tonight's party approaching Louis she was hoping that he would snub her and shoo her away just like how he would treat other women.

However reality proved to be different from her fantasies because not only did Louis smile at her, he even willingly patted her head.

'Where did this bitch come from?' She was burning a hole into Lina's back when she saw her checking Louis out.

Her eyes turned red in fury when she saw how close Lina had gotten to him and whispered in his ears and he too accommodated her by bending sideways so that it might be easier for her.

Just when she was about to stride in their direction and shove them away from each other, her hand was tightly clenched and she could feel nails digging into her wrist.

Valerie hissed and turned to look at her older sister who was also staring in the same direction.

"Jie, you are hurting me!" She tried to pull her hand away but Talia had not realized that she was using too much strength.

"It's that bitch I told you about! The one who slept with brother Reuben!" Talia whispered through gritted teeth.

Her eyes darkened and her body was trembling with anger because she had been watching Reuben's every move from a while ago.

This sudden revelation made Valerie whiplash towards them once again, only to witness the scene of Reuben dragging Lina out of the hall.

'Not only did this slut sleep with brother Reuben now she has set her eyes on my Louis!' She glared at the door through which they had already left.

Talia felt her blood boil and she let go of Valerie's wrist and started moving towards the door but was instantly blocked by her father.

"You've already done enough damage with the auction incident. Take another step and I will disown you right now!" The patriarch of the Zheng family, Henri Zheng declared in a serious yet hushed tone.

The women gasped in unison when they heard his threat and all plans of following Reuben were thrown out of Talia's mind.

Ever since the news about Talia's fake sob story had been exposed by Reuben, he and Benji had done many things to suppress Talia's company.

Due to the friendly relationship between the two families, Reuben had called to inform Henri that the next time Talia messed with him, he wouldn't hesitate to cut off all fundings that Ming Enterprise poured in the Zheng Group.

Though he felt humiliated at being threatened by someone so much younger than him, Henri knew that Reuben's words could not be taken lightly.

Talia was aware of Reuben's threats and hence she stopped her feet from moving forward.

'If not now, then I can definitely deal with that bitch some other time.' She lowered her head and stared at her clenched fists.

---

On the terrace garden, a fresh and cold breeze blew in the dark night.

Lina felt a warm breath over her face because of the lack of distance between her body and the man whose body was looming over her.

"R-Ruby? What's wr-rong?" She stuttered nervously.

Her back was against the cold wall and her chances of breaking out of this position were blocked by Reuben's arms which were on either side of her body.

'Is this the legendary Kabedon that the ML always does before he forcefully kisses the FL?' Lina's novel filled brain instantly went to one of the plots where the next move would be an extremely steamy kiss.

She turned a bright red from her neck all the way up to her ears.

Lost in her thoughts, Lina had not yet realized the dangerous situation she was in right now.

This was because Reuben's great sense of control over his emotions was completely negating her sense of perception.

Their opposite attributes were like fire and water, canceling each other out but they had not yet noticed that fact.

Reuben could feel her squirming around and this was beginning to piss him off.

"Stay still!" He growled at her and held her shoulders to keep her still.

After hearing the anger in his voice, Lina had finally realized that there was something wrong with him today but she was not someone who would take orders from just about anyone.

'That was rude and uncalled for!' A frown appeared on her face when she heard his oddly commanding voice which just made her want to rebel against it.

Reuben had been bending forward ever since he had pinned her to the wall but he felt no pain because his mind was focused on something else.

His mind went back to the thoughts he had after his talk with Felix and Renee.

'Was I really carrying a silly grudge about what had happened in the past for so long? Should I forget about it and move on with my life?' He pondered on his past actions.

His intense hatred for the person who had cast a psychological shadow over his mind, his bad-mouthing her, his threats of making her disappear…

Everything now just seemed like angry tantrums made by a frustrated teenager.

'I have lived for so many years with this hatred in my heart. How should I cope with it now that I realize it was just my bitterness of what happened back then?' He gulped the drink that he had snatched from his father's hand.

'Should I just let it go as mom asked me too? But how should I interact with Lina from now on?' He tried to take Renee's glass as well but she swiftly dodged his hand.

He silently scowled at his mother and then signaled a server to get him a drink.

After drowning three glasses of scotch, he had come to the conclusion that forgiving Lina for what she did was the best option for the sake of his peace of mind.

'I can forgive her but certainly not forget about what had happened!' This was the only thing that he was willing to do.

He decided that he would go to her right now and break off all ties he had with her.

'From this moment on, Reuben Ming and Lina Yang will never cross paths ever again.' He declared in his mind.

Feeling that his decision was the right thing to do, his eyes searched for the figure that he needed to meet and found her walking away from the dance floor.

"Mom, I'll be right back." He informed Renee and strode in her direction.

However, his feet came to a halt when he noticed Lina interacting with Louis.

'How does she know him?' He watched as Louis happily patted her head and they began to talk.

Seeing Lina so cheerful and radiant standing next to some other guy gave him a sudden sense of crisis and abandonment.

That someone dear to him would be snatched away if he did not do something right this instant.

He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way when moments ago he had decided to forget about her entire existence.

Reuben was still on two minds whether to speak to her or leave when he noticed Lina tiptoe to whisper something in Louis' ears.

'Why are they so close together!? This guy irks me!' His feet moved by themselves and he was now just a few steps away from them.

He watched with furrowed brows as Louis turned and looked into her eyes but before he could speak, Reuben had interrupted them.

"Ruby!" Her excited voice entered his ears but did not bring joy to his heart.

His eyes alternated between the two bodies which stood together and everything that happened after that was as though his body had moved of its own will.

"Ruby? What's wrong with you today?" Lina questioned when she noticed that he was lost in his thoughts for a few minutes now.

'He can think for hours if he wants! Just let me out of this embarrassing position!' She moved her eyes to the hands that were pressed on her shoulders.

Reuben glanced at her beautiful face and then at her soft pink lips.

Not wanting her to realize the subtle movement of his eyes, he quickly looked into her eyes when she glanced up at him.

'I don't even know why I dragged you out here so how should I answer your question?' His lips curved into a helpless smile.

"I've had a bad day. Can I get a hug?" He smiled at her and patiently waited for her reply.

'Seeing you so close to that guy Louis just made me react without thinking.' He chuckled when he saw the expression on her face.

Lina's face had confusion written all over it and she tilted her head to a side, just like a confused puppy.

'A hug? All this drama for a hug?' She rolled her eyes without restraint.

"Come here!" She chuckled and stretched her hands out to him.

Reuben let go of her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her body close to his.

Lina felt a little awkward with his body pressed up against hers but she endured it because her Ruby needed a hug.

'What are you doing to me, kitten?' He snuggled his head in the crook of her neck and sighed in exasperation.