"Is there anything that requires my attention or can we go have lunch now?" Lina inquired while shutting the tablet down.

After her alone time that she had spent to get in touch with her inner feelings about Reuben, she had asked Benji to come to her office.

He then relayed to her about the different activities that had taken place in her week-long absence.

A few meetings which were headed by Director Bai regarding the flagship stores and their sales were held.

Benji had attended a couple of them and the ones which he had missed while he was at Lina's hospital, he had asked Leon to write the minutes of the meeting down for him.

'That guy is surprisingly reliable.' He complimented the man-child who pranced around the office while he wasn't busy with his work.

"Nothing at the moment." He answered with a shake of the head after looking through her schedule.

Lina nodded and then got up from her seat and after walking to her mini-fridge she picked up two bottles of chilled iced tea and tossed one at Benji.

'I'm hungry! I couldn't eat my fill at breakfast because Ruby kept staring at me every few seconds!' She lamented at her stomach which had silently growled twice already.

"Let's go." She pointed at the door with her chin as she sipped her drink to placate the tiny hunger monsters that were jumping around in her belly.

Benji followed her out of the door and securely locked it before walking towards the cafeteria.

However, Lina did not turn towards the direction of the cafeteria instead she halted before the elevator, making Benji also stop in his tracks.

He tilted his head and gave her a questioning glance to which he was rewarded with a much-needed eye roll.

"I have to eat with Wade today and it's not like I can eat with them any longer." She sighed and signaled him to look in a certain direction from the corner of her eyes.

Benji turned and glanced in that direction in a subtle manner only to find the other employees watching Lina's every move like a hawk.

"Why are you afraid of them? Did you forget that you literally own this place?" He sneered as he faced her once again.

Lina gave him a warning glare to keep his mouth shut because there could be someone who might unknowingly chance upon their conversation.

"They do not know that and don't have to know that anyway!" She scowled at him and pressed the button for the elevator.

"My presence would just make things awkward so I better lay low until this entire situation cools down." She sighed in exasperation and turned towards the elevator doors which had opened up.

"Coming?" She asked as she stepped inside but Benji shook his head.

"I have plans with Miss Julia and that annoying Leon." He informed her and scoffed when he saw the look on Lina's face.

Her brows were raised, jaws dropped open in awe and an amused smile sat on her face.

"When did this happen?" She mischievously wiggled her brows and placed her foot on the elevator's sensor because the doors were beginning to shut.

'Stop it, Elevator Kun! Have a little patience, I'm trying to get some juicy deets here!' She chided the inanimate object even though she knew that it wouldn't heed her words.

Benji scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he stood defiantly before her.

"I'll tell you all about it when you bother to fill me in on the current situation between that Ming guy and yourself." He spoke in a derisive manner and gently nudged her foot which was on the sensor.

The moment her foot had moved, Elevator Kun immediately got to work and Lina could only see Benji's smug face as the doors began to close.

"I'll get back at you for this!" She yelled but Benji missed the second half of that sentence due to the already closed door.

He then shrugged nonchalantly and walked towards the cafeteria where he was set to meet his new diehard fan, Julia and his deskmate, Leon for lunch.

Inside the elevator, Lina giggled as she thought of the giant Benji standing next to the petite woman Julia.

Her thoughts about their weirdly proportioned and completely imaginary babies came to a halt when she reached the top floor.

As the doors opened, she took a step forward and exited the elevator.

The three secretaries who had not yet left for their lunch gazed in the direction of the newcomer.

Noticing who it was, they hurriedly rose and bowed to wish her.

'I did not want to be treated this way which was why I had concealed my identity!' She smiled at the women who were paying attention to their behavior because she was the VP's relative.

She wanted to be just 'Lina Yang - consultant' here and not 'Lina Yang - VP's cousin'.

However, she would now have to get used to the differential treatment that had already begun since the moment she stepped foot inside the building.

Lina then awkwardly nodded at them as a gesture to not mind her presence and waved her hand at Kirk who was now walking in her direction.

Just as she took another step forward, she felt a strange and ominous feeling enveloping her heart.

She grimaced when that sensation sent shivers down her spine.

Before she could drown in that heart-wrenching feeling that had overwhelmed her, she was snapped out of her reverie when Kirk called out to her.

He had arrived in front of her a few seconds ago but did not get any response from her.

'What is she thinking about?' He frowned when she blankly stared ahead at Wade's office door.

When she had not replied to his greeting, he called out to her with an even louder voice which seemed to have woken her up from her daydream.

'What was that just now?' She wondered when that moment had passed.

The ache in her heart and the suffocating feeling in her chest caused her to scrunch her brows together.

"Are you alright, Lina? Should I call Wade and ask him to take you to the hospital?" Kirk panicked after seeing her pained expression.

He was there when she was in the hospital so he knew the severity of her seemingly insignificant and weird illness.

Lina waved her hand and gave him a smile that she had forced with all her might.

"Skipped breakfast… Hungry…" She formed a broken sentence in hopes of calming his anxiety.

She nodded repeatedly when he asked if she was sure that it was nothing serious.

Not wanting to enter that hospital room ever again, she could only think of one way to get herself out of this predicament.

'I'm sorry, Benji but I can only sacrifice you for now.' She apologized in advance for what she was about to do to him.

She straightened her back and then asked him to come closer so that she might whisper something in his ears.

Kirk obliged and bent closer to her and waited for what she might have to say.

"Benji is in the cafeteria and I think he might be there on a date. An actual boy and girl date!" She whispered excitedly, not bothered that she was throwing her assistant under the bus in order to save her own ass.

Kirk's eyes sparkled when he heard the news of his baby brother going on a real date.

'He wants to date someone from Obsidia? I need to make sure that she's the perfect woman for him. My Benjamin only deserved the best in life!' He exclaimed without a doubt in his heart.

Lina saw his excited face and was sure that he must've forgotten all about her at least for the time being.

Just as she had expected, Kirk patted her head gently and then rushed towards the elevator to take a look at who this woman was.

Lina chuckled and then stepped in the direction of Wade's office.

The secretaries who had witnessed Asst Kirk running away as though he would miss a flight were now peeking at Lina as she pushed the VP's door open.

"Should we warn her about who is inside?" One of the women asked the oldest secretary on what their action should be.

The head secretary shook her head and scoffed at her juniors.

"Did you forget what instructions, VP Luo had given regarding his sister?" She raised her brows and quizzed them with her hands placed on her hips.

The two younger women shared a look and then bowed their heads before repeating the exact words that had come out of the VP's mouth.

"Never stop my sister from meeting me. She must be treated with the utmost care and respect!" They uttered in unison.

The head secretary nodded her head, pleased with their answer and then signaled for them to follow her to their break room for lunch.

They glanced at the closed door and sighed when no angry shouts were heard from inside.

'Be safe, Miss Lina! That person is a scary one.' The youngest who had voiced out her concern for Lina earlier wished her luck and then ran after her seniors who had already walked away.

After Lina had pushed the door open, she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

The sound made by the door being shut disturbed the two figures on the couch and they raised their heads to look in her direction.

Lina sheepishly turned around after making the loud noise and froze as she looked at the scene that she had walked in on.

On the couch laid Wade with half his buttons undone and on top of him, pinning him to the couch was another person whom she was well acquainted with.

The distance between the two figures was so sparse that she reddened but soon that blush faded away when she saw who the other person was.

"Ruby?" She muttered as her eyes widened in disbelief.