'Argh! What should I do?' Derek's mind was in a constant state of chaos ever since he picked his young miss up from the Luo Residence.

The cause of his chaotic mind was none other than the man sitting next to his Miss.

He had arrived on time to pick Lina up for her work at Obsidia, only to find an extra person standing with her.

He was aware of who this person was because he had met him once at Wade's office and also, the man was famously called 'The Emperor' of the business world.

His thoughts came to a halt when he saw the man turn towards his miss and began speaking to her in hushed tones.

Not wanting to invade their privacy but at the same time not wanting to let that man take advantage of his miss, Derek alternated his sight between the road and the backseat.

He was already aware of Lina's recent hospital stunt so now he was extra careful while driving.

Thinking of the greater good, he decided to have faith in his young miss and focused his entire attention on the road.

__

A few minutes before Derek had arrived,

"Kitten, can I get a ride with you. My office is close to yours." Reuben requested with soft pleading eyes which Lina was finding hard to reject.

'I don't want to attract any attention like the last time there was someone in my car.' She hesitated and was thinking about how to refuse him.

Previously, her pictures were circulated in the company forum for just getting into the car with Wayne in it.

So she was worried that if someone were to see her with this powerful figure then another uproar might be sparked in the company.

What she was not aware of was the uproar that had already occurred after people read about her real identity in the tabloids.

"You can come with me if you need a ride." Wade promptly offered to save his sister from that awkward situation.

But Reuben being Reuben, was not pleased with his friend butting in when he was trying to get some alone time with his kitten.

'Grandpa's rule #1: Be as shameless you want to get close to the girl. But make sure to not be disrespectful!'

He recalled the first rule on the list and decided to put it to proper use to his present situation.

"I seem to recall that the lease on Obsidia's store in Phoenix mall has not yet been paid. It would be a shame if we have to shut it down" He muttered nonchalantly while tapping a finger on his chin.

Hearing these words, Wade's mind conjured an unpleasant memory which he had tried to bury deep inside the crevices of his brain.

Reuben smirked in victory when he saw his friend's pale face.

'I can always remind him of our bet and what he did to actually win that bet… This is my eternal free ticket and I can get away with anything.' He chuckled lightly and then turned to Lina.

When she had heard about the matter regarding the lease to her stores in Reuben's malls, she frowned and wondered what they were talking about.

'Obsidia is doing well in both the stores so what must be the problem? Why would he shut them down?' She glanced at Wade for some answers but he stood frozen in his place.

"Ruby, what about the lease? Is there a problem?" She questioned with furrowed brows.

She may be a happy-go-lucky woman about other things but her work and her family would always bring out the stern and serious Lina that rarely appeared.

'How could I forget that Kitten is a designer in Wade's company!?' Reuben mocked his stupid brain and was wondering how to answer her when Wade spoke up.

"He'll tell you on the way to the office. I have to attend a meeting somewhere else, I'll see you at lunch, Nana." Wade conveniently tossed the question to Reuben.

He then kissed her cheek and then strode away.

'I'll get you back for this, you jackass!' He cursed the man who kept bringing up those bad memories as he walked towards his car.

Reuben chuckled when he witnessed how he had successfully utilized Grandpa Ming's first step.

"Come, Kitten. You don't want to be late on your first day after a week-long leave, right?" He held Lina's slender waist and guided her to the black Sedan that had just arrived.

He moved faster than the driver and held the door open for her just like a gentleman should.

'Chivalry isn't dead, it is just dormant and needs to be utilized in the right places for the right people.'

Another one of Aloysius Ming's wise words.

Lina giggled when she saw his smooth actions and after giving him an appreciative nod, she sat inside.

'Holding the door open for me isn't going to make me fall for you, my silly Ruby!' She shook her head as she watched him walk to the other side of the car and take his seat beside her.

"Now tell me what was that about the lease?" She repeated the question and looked up when she felt Derek's eyes on her.

She smiled at him and then turned to Reuben to wait for his answers.

Reuben glared at the driver who was keeping a constant eye on them and using this as an opportunity, he scooted closer to her and bent lower to reach her ear.

"Secret." He whispered and broke into peals of laughter when he saw her glaring at him.

'I won't reveal my best friend's secrets even if I am wooing his sister.' He nodded while thinking of their strong bro code.

The bet that won Obsidia a store in Phoenix mall would forever be a traumatic incident for Wade and he certainly would not be pleased if others were to know about it.

Especially if that other person was his little sister.

However, Lina wasn't aware of Reuben's heroic and loyal actions.

'This matter concerns my company and this guy is playing around with me?' She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him.

Reuben was thinking of Wade's secret but Lina was worried about her company's best selling store.

"I'll just ask Wade!" Lina huffed when she realized that she had fallen for his tricks.

Reuben shook his head when he saw her staring out of the window and blatantly ignoring his presence.

This was the first time that he was trying to get someone else's attention and he found this fact to be extremely amusing.

'Oh, how the mighty have fallen! From being chased around by women to being the one doing the chasing. The tables have turned on me, haven't they?' He observed and then poked her cheek to get her attention back on him.

He could feel the burning glare on the hand that was touching Lina but he chose to ignore the nosy driver for the time being.

'Is he really treating me like a kitten?' Lina scoffed when she felt him constantly poking her soft cheek.

She abruptly turned towards him and sat with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yes, Mr. Ming? What can I do for you?" She raised her brow and inquired as a formal smile appeared on her face.

'Not only did he scheme to use my car, he even refused to answer my question!' She sneered inwardly and sat silently to hear his response.

Reuben frowned when he heard the formal way she had addressed him just now.

"What did you just call me?" He asked as he leaned forward, reducing the distance between their faces.

"Has old age gotten to your ears, Mr. Ming?" She defiantly smirked while mocking his age and calling him with that formal name once again.

Contrary to what she had expected, Reuben just clicked his tongue and moved away from her.

Sitting back in his seat, he turned away and focused his attention outside the window.

'What? He's sulking now? What a big baby!' Lina glanced at him and then turned to look outside her window.

Like the MC's in the novels, she had expected him to be overbearing and steal a steamy kiss from her but it looked like Reuben was not that kind of man.

Though a little disappointed, she decided to throw any thoughts of kissing him out of the window that she was staring at.

Thus, the two in the backseat rode in absolute silence for the remaining ten minutes of their journey to Obsidia.

While she was wallowing in her disappointment, Reuben wasn't doing any better at that moment.

'Why isn't she trying to coax me? Is there something wrong with this rule that grandpa had written?' Reuben wondered as he stole glances at the woman sitting next to him.

'Try to act cute and spoiled at times. Women think it is adorable when men demand their attention. The keyword is CUTE, not DUMBASS!'

He had followed those words but Lina had not looked at him even once ever since and now they were already at her workplace.

While Reuben was still trying to find where he had gone wrong in following Grandpa Ming's instructions, Derek had already gotten down to open the door for Lina.

She turned around and shook her head when she saw the man inside still lost in deep thought.

'Wooing me, my ass! I was simply worried about how he would perform. He's already failing and it's just the first day!' She scowled at her own expectations and then turned to walk towards the entrance.

"NOONA….!"

The loud and excited scream made Lina turn in the direction that it was coming from and smiled when she saw who it was.