Reuben's hand was still secured around Lina's waist therefore, with just a tug she was made to stand right in front of him.

Looking into her eyes, he tried to find out what she had been hiding from him.

"Kitten, you said you were a 'little' under the weather." He emphasized on the 'little' that she had mentioned earlier.

"So why exactly did Dr. Su remind you about taking your medicine and even threatened to get you admitted AGAIN?" He raised his brows and looked amused when Lina looked everywhere except his face.

He cleared his throat to get her attention which was when she sheepishly glanced at him for a quick second.

"Oh… So you too know Dr. Zane? Isn't he a great guy? So young yet he's so good at his job." Lina piled up compliments about the petite man who just pushed her into the lion's den and escaped.

However, her inner voice was completely opposite to the generous words that she uttered so sincerely.

'Just you wait, you bespectacled rat! I'll never take your meds!' She vowed while cursing at him.

Lina could feel his intense gaze directed at her but she avoided his eyes and stared at the door without blinking.

"Look at me, kitten." Reuben had enough of her jokes and hooked his fingers under her chin.

Turning her head to face him, he looked into her eyes as he leaned closer to her.

Lina's body instinctively moved away but she had forgotten that she was still in his arms.

"Now tell me what happened." He spoke in a stern voice which did not allow any room for refusal.

Inches away from each others' faces, this couple stood at the door, completely oblivious of the large crowd that had been watching them from the moment they had stepped inside the banquet hall.

While Lina was thinking of how to explain things to this anxious man, someone came forward and yanked her out of his arms.

Reuben turned around to glare at this annoying intruder but froze when he noticed that it was Patrick Yang.

Patrick had been flirting with Ace in a discreet manner when he noticed the hushed atmosphere in the hall.

'Did someone die?' He chuckled and then turned to the door where everyone's sights had been directed.

Patrick leaned to the side to get a better look at what they were seeing and that was when he caught sight of the dress that he had personally picked out for Lina.

His eyes darkened when he saw the hands of a certain man holding onto his beloved Nana's waist and the other on her chin.

Reuben's back had been towards Patrick and only Lina's gown could be seen because he had almost shielded her entire body from everyone's peering eyes.

'Who is this guy and how dare he touch my niece!?" He stood up from his seat and strode in their direction.

When he was just a few feet away, he recognized that the pervert clinging to Lina was none other than Reuben Ming but that did not placate his anger in the least bit.

Snatching Lina away from his embrace, Patrick glared viciously at the other man who also glared back.

"What do you think that you are doing, Reuben?" He snarled in a low voice because he did not want to create a big drama on the day of Lina's debut.

"Mr. Yang, I was just speaking to my friend here before you interrupted us." Reuben shot right back.

Lina stood at the side with her head spinning because this was the third time today that Reuben's face had been so close to her.

'That mole under his lip just makes me want to touch it.' Her lewd thoughts about Reuben came as a surprise to her.

Shaking her head vigorously, she held onto her temple and tried to expel such evil thoughts about a friend.

'No Nana… You cannot fall for a friend. That will just end in disaster!' She reminded herself of numerous friends of hers who had tried to date but their relationship and friendship ended tragically.

She liked Reuben and losing this pure friendship was a risk that she was not willing to take.

'Not right now…' A silent voice emerged in her mind but she had not paid attention to it because of the two men standing before her.

"Nana, are you alright?"

"What's wrong, kitten?"

Patrick and Reuben spoke at the same time and then looked at each other.

"Who is this kitten?" Patrick sneered at him and harrumphed.

"That would be me." Lina raised a finger and pointed it to her face.

Patrick forgot about his annoyance with this lovey-dovey nickname that Reuben had given his niece and focused his attention on her.

"Headache again? Should we go to the hospital?" Patrick was ready to drag Lina to the hospital the moment she said yes.

However, Lina just shook her head and refused him.

"I'm just hungry, that's it." She dismissed his concerns and glanced around the room.

Only then did she realize that everyone had been staring at her and this thought made her subconsciously hide behind Patrick's huge body.

She had now come to the conclusion that whenever she was around Reuben, her sense of perception would weaken considerably.

Seeing her timid eyes, Reuben chuckled but instantly shut up when he saw Patrick's glare.

Patrick then held onto her palm and caressed it to calm her down.

"Come, Nana, you have to meet many people tonight." He then led her away from Reuben.

Lina turned around and mouthed the word 'sorry' as she followed her uncle.

'If not now then I will make you answer my questions later.' Reuben nodded his head at her and then tried to find his mother.

'Mom still owes Lina an apology.' He then walked in her direction.

--

"That was rude, Uncle Pat!" Lina grumbled as she walked with him.

"Don't give me that face because you have a lot of explaining to do, young lady!" Patrick raised his brow at her when he saw her pouting face.

Lina could only swallow the words that she was about to speak in Reuben's favor.

Patrick silently chuckled when he saw her puffed up cheeks and pulled her along to greet his business partners.

The people they met all praised Lina's beauty and tried to find out more about her.

But the thing they wanted to desperately know was how she had managed to get so close to Emperor Ming without being burnt by his fierce gaze.

Unfortunately, this was the only question they couldn't ask because they feared that it would offend the aloof man and that was the last thing their business required.

---

While Lina was meeting these new people and trying to mingle with them, Reuben was rolling his eyes as he watched Talia Zheng's tearful eyes.

When he had reached his mom's position, he found that she was speaking to her friend, Eve Zheng.

Reuben sighed and respectfully wished her before asking for some privacy so that he might converse with Renee.

Renee was also eager to know what his decision was so she excused herself and moved a little away from them.

"So? Did you speak to her?" She asked the moment they were away from the crowd.

Reuben first nodded his head and then shook his head.

"Heh? What is that supposed to mean?" Renee frowned when she saw his confusing gestures.

"I spoke to her but not about what had happened." He observed his mother's scowling face and explained what had happened.

"So you were going to end your friendship with her but when you saw her with Moira's son you abandoned that plan?" She summarized his words.

Seeing Reuben's serious nod Renee felt like laughing out loud.

'This idiot son of mine felt something for her!' She was rejoicing inside but kept a poker face while speaking to him.

"It's funny how the woman you hate turned out to be the woman you don't want to let go of." She chuckled as she patted his arm before leaving.

Her words echoed in Reuben's ears and he smiled when he realized that they were accurate.

'I don't want to let go of her. She is my kitten after all.' His smile however faded when he saw the woman who had appeared before him.

"Brother Reuben… Do you really like Miss Yang?" Talia's words came out as a soft whisper as she looked into his eyes.

'Does she really have no sense of shame? After everything I did to keep her away why is she still here?' Reuben did not answer here and turned around to walk away.

He had asked his parents not to tell them that he had not actually slept with Lina on the night that he had been drugged.

Therefore, Talia was still in the misconception that Lina and Reuben were now a couple.

Reuben was satisfied with this result and found no reason to clarify her doubts, so he began walking away but stopped when he felt his hand being held by someone.

He glanced down at the baby pink manicured nails that were wrapped around his forearm and then at the woman whose eyes had turned red.

"Let go!" Reuben's eyes darkened and he felt an itchy feeling arising from his arm.

He hated it when people touched him without his permission, especially when it was a woman.

'Lina may be the reason for me to hate women but astonishingly I do not hate it when she touches me.' A gentle smile appeared on his face when he thought of his kitten.

'Brother Reuben doesn't like that Lina but he likes me! Look at the smile he is giving me right now!' Talia's heart soared to the sky when she witnessed his extremely rare smile.

This smile had given her the confidence of inching closer to him.

She even gathered her courage to raise her other hand and brought it closer to his chest.

Reuben was lost in his thoughts so he had failed to notice the subtle move that she had made.

"Miss Zheng, has no one taught you that you shouldn't touch something that does not belong to you?" A sarcastic voice woke Reuben up from his trance and his smile widened when he saw who had arrived.