"Grandpa, I wanted to talk about the incident that happened all those years ago." Reuben's voice was soft as a whisper but it was clearly heard in the ears of the old man.

Grandpa Ming groaned after hearing his reason and clicked his tongue.

"How many times have I told you to let it go, boy!?" He sighed in exasperation while shaking his head.

This grandson of his was brilliant in everything he did but he too was just a human.

Just like any other man, he also had his own flaws. The biggest one being, he was too stubborn and would not give up on things easily.

Now that would be a good trait, a virtue even, IF he used it to better himself and strive to reach greater heights.

However, in this situation, this grandson of his was just being bullheaded and clinging on to the ghosts of the past.

"Grandpa, just listen to wha-" Reuben rushed to explain his side of the story but was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

"No, you listen to what I have to say!" He raised his voice making the younger generation shut his mouth.

"I have asked you to stay away from that Yang girl. Whatever happened was in the past now and you need to let it go. To tell you the truth, it was not her fault and even you know that!" Aloysius Ming sternly dictated to which he was met with absolute silence.

"That old man from the Yang family will be turning in his grave if he knows that my grandson is trying to mess with his beloved and only granddaughter!" Grandpa Ming huffed after his rant.

Hector Yang, Lina's paternal grandfather, was an old friend of Aloysius and he was aware of just how much the now-deceased man loved his grandchild.

"So if you respect your grandfather, you will just forget about her and throw away any plans of revenge that your evil mind is cooking up!" He commanded the young man and once again all he received was silence.

Aloysius narrowed his eyes thinking that Reuben was still not willing to let things go and just as he was about to lecture him some more, he heard a silent whisper.

"But I can't leave her alone… At least not anymore." Reuben's meek voice stunned Aloysius and he was dumbfounded for a few seconds.

'Who is this person? And what have they done to my grandson?' He doubted the authenticity of the person on the other side of the call.

"Why not?" Grandpa Ming asked in confusion.

"Because I kissed her, Grandpa!" Reuben tugged on his hair and almost yelled this answer.

Aloysius scoffed when he heard the reason and then a mocking chuckle erupted from his mouth.

"I already know that. It was an honest mistake so stop brooding over it now and move on!" He taunted the young man and rolled his eyes.

These words made Reuben recall what had happened between him and Lina in the past.

__

At the tender age of 16, Reuben had completed his heir training under the tutelage of his grandfather and had finally returned to the country.

The first person he met at the airport was his mother who had carried her camera to click pictures of her son whom she had met after a long absence.

Reaching Ming Residence, Reuben first pigged out on his mother's delicious home-cooked meals and only then did he remember that he had to meet those two idiots he called his best friends.

Wanting to catch them by surprise, he decided to use the back gate and give them the shock of their lives.

However, his schemes came to a halt when he met someone else on the way to the main hall.

Reuben was walking through the abandoned swing sets that Wilbur Luo, Wade's and Wayne's father had built for them when they were younger and that was when he heard an eerie whimper.

Scared out of his mind, he hesitantly turned around only to find the entire area empty and without a single soul in sight.

'It's just your imagination, Reuben. Move along!' He chided his pounding heart and turned around.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, the whimper was heard once again and this time it was followed by a soft cry.

His head whiplashed in the direction of the cry and his jaw dropped at what he saw.

"What the hell are you doing there!?" He yelled while looking at the figure at a place where it shouldn't be.

On a tree a few feet away from him was a round figure clinging onto a branch for dear life.

Hands wrapped around the branch with her entire body stuck to it.

Reuben frowned when he saw that the ball-like figure was actually a little girl and she was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

The child seemed to have noticed his presence and she cried out for help.

"Help me, big brother! I'm stuck!" She whined with her big watery eyes blinking as she stared at his face.

Reuben almost chuckled out loud when he saw her looking like a koala that he had once seen on his visit to the zoo.

'She's round and fluffy just like a baby koala!' He coughed to hide his laughter when that image popped up in his mind.

The fluffy koala he was watching at the moment was none other than Lina when she was just 9 years old.

"Stop laughing and help me!" Lina cried out in her childish voice which made Reuben glare at her.

'She must be their cousin from the Yang family. No wonder she seems so bossy!' He speculated her identity and stood in the same place with his arms crossed over his chest.

"First tell me why are you up there in the first place?" He questioned with his brows raised.

The child pouted and then sheepishly chuckled before looking away.

Reuben was amused while looking at her behavior but did not let it show on his face.

Noticing that she would not get help from the handsome newcomer, Lina hesitated for a while before answering him.

"There was a baby cat stuck on the tree and I climbed up to rescue it." She sulked while revealing why she was up on that high branch.

Reuben's brows furrowed and he looked at her face before scoffing at her.

"Then where's the kitten?" He asked with his brows raised and watched how the child's plump cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

"Stupid cat jumped down and ran away. Now I am stuck here and I can't get down." She whispered and then glared at Reuben who burst into peals of laughter.

'What an idiot! Who asked her to climb the tree when she can't get down by herself?' He shook his head and did not take her glare seriously.

"Help me out or at least call my brothers!" She scowled as she let go of the branch and sat up straight.

"Hey, wait!" Reuben rushed towards the tree where she was at because he was worried that something bad might happen to her.

'She can easily break a leg if she falls from that height!' He frowned as his long feet covered the distance between them.

However, the moment Lina had sat up, her balance had tilted and she came crashing to the ground.

Her loud shriek was followed by an even louder thud.

*THUD*

Reuben groaned due to the impact that he felt when she landed straight in his arms which resulted in his body being pinned to the ground under her weight.

He opened his eyes and was about to yell at her for being so reckless when he felt a weird sensation.

'What the hell!?' His eyes widened when he saw that his lips were currently occupied by being pressed against the other person's tiny yet soft lips.

The first thing that Lina felt was the hard body that she had landed on.

She sighed when she felt no pain but froze when she felt someone else's breath on her face.

Opening her eyes in horror, she was met with the eyes of another which were at such close distance to hers.

Reuben had frozen since the moment she had looked at him and now they were just there, in the same position.

Lips collided, breaths mingling and the child's body weight crushing his torso.

The little girl was the first to move away and seeing her reaction, Reuben's brows furrowed dangerously close together.

'How dare she!?' He growled in his mind when he saw her rubbing her lips on her arms in an attempt to wipe away any sign of them being touched.

"My first kiss was with this weird big brother? No no! I want my CEO!" The fat little girl's incoherent murmurs reached his ears due to their short distance.

'Who is she calling weird!?' Reuben scoffed and then tried to get up but she was still on top of him.

"Mind getting up! You weigh like a ton!" He snarled at her which made her flinch.

Lina rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out while lifting her body off of his.

However, once again Reuben froze and this time he felt like strangling the little girl.

"Where do you think you are touching me!?" He bellowed in fury and immediately pushed her away.

The little girl's body which was already not steady had been pushed a couple of feet away due to the immense force that he had used.

She looked at the older boy who was already up on his feet and then she looked down at her skinned knees which were beginning to bleed.

"Why did you do that!?" She pouted and rubbed her nose to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes.

However, Reuben was not bothered about the harm he had caused her and all that was on his mind was the little crime she had committed in her innocence.

"You know nothing! Not only did you kiss me! You… You...!" He glared at her with hatred that caused her to tremble in fear.

The aura that was seeping out of his body was menacing and the pressure was making the child's eyes to blur due to the tears.

"Don't you ever show your face before me or else don't blame me for what I do!?" He barked furiously before striding away from there.

He could hear the loud bawling that was emanating from the position that he had just left but he had no intention of looking back.

"Did I just get assaulted by a child!?" He stomped his feet and left Luo Residence with a seething desire of vengeance in his heart.