Opening his weary eyes after the short break he had taken, Reuben glanced at Mathew Kim and then turned his eyes to the grandeur analog clock.

It was 4:25 PM and time for the employees to leave.

"Inform the driver." He muttered and then stood up from his seat.

After which he walked to the washroom to freshen up and wash his exhausted face.

Mathew understood his brief command and quickly called the driver and asked him to prepare the car for the Emperor's early return.

Soon, Emperor Reuben Ming followed by his faithful eunuch Mathew Kim strode out of the private elevator and towards the main door of Ming Enterprises.

Reuben was feeling worse with each passing second but his discomfort was never visible on his cold and indifferent face.

'I need to get some sleep and no more long baths!' He chided himself with determination after feeling his temples throbbing painfully.

As he walked by, the employees all greeted him and looked up at him with reverence and awe.

Some women even drooled as they caught the rare sight of their workaholic Boss leaving work along with them.

While Reuben was heading to his apartment that was extremely close to his office, Lina was heading down the stairs of the Yang Manor.

When she had entered her house, she found the place to be eerily silent and abandoned.

Neither could she find any maid around nor had she caught sight of Butler and Mrs. Ping.

Blaming the odd timing and her surprise return she dismissed her overthinking mind, she did not call them out to greet them and hurriedly went upstairs to change into her home clothes.

Now walking down in chic black and pink striped silk pajamas with her long violet tresses bunched up in a messy bun, she caught sight of Lucille sitting on the couch with a fashion magazine in her hand.

The older lady looked elegant in a long peach maxi gown with her legs crossed one over the other as her eyes paid attention to the different winter ball gowns and her slender yet slightly wrinkled fingers flipped through the pages.

"Oh, so Aunt is still at home?" Lina inquired as she took her seat on the adjacent long and comfortable couch.

Hearing her surprised voice, Lucille looked up from her magazine and her mood soured in the next instant.

'She wasn't here for so many days and it was so peaceful. Why did she have to come back?' Lucille sulked and gave her a nod in greeting.

"You don't seem to be happy about my return?" Lina tilted her head and questioned with a chuckle.

'If you know it then why did you come back!?' Was what Lucille wished to say, but alas she couldn't.

Her expressions were forced as she struggled to smile back at this annoying brat.

"I wouldn't dare! After all, you are the beloved daughter of the Yang family." She taunted the younger woman now that there was no one around them.

"You can come here anytime you want. This is your house as well." She added to continue her appearance as the elder who always yielded to the youngster's wilful demands.

Though her words were comforting, the tone and her eyes revealed her true intentions.

Lina's brows raised in amusement when she noticed the changes in her behavior.

"Dropping the pretense are we now, Miss Rong?" She retorted with a smirk which made Lucille's blood boil.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Lina. I am just stating what the entire city is currently speaking about." The mature woman shrugged and picked up the magazine once again.

'Still so tight-lipped, huh? Two can play at this game.' Lina smiled sweetly as her evil mind was making up ways of getting Lucille's mouth to open up.

She then nodded her head to show her agreement with what the elder had just mentioned.

"They aren't wrong now, are they? After all, I am the daughter of the Yang family." She proudly declared and enjoyed the deadly glares which were sent her way the moment she uttered those words.

Lina decided to ignore the second half of her taunts and focused on what would piss her off the most.

Lucille could not keep her calm after hearing her haughty words and she flung the magazine onto the table with all her might.

The magazine collided with the glass of water that was placed on the table and knocked it to the ground.

Lina clicked her tongue and pitied the servant who would have to clean it up so she gracefully leaned forward and picked up the broken pieces with caution.

Lucille narrowed her eyes and sneered in her heart when she saw Lina carefully placing the glass pieces back on the table.

'What does she want to prove here? She could've just asked a maid to clean it up…' She scoffed at the stupid child.

"Don't forget that Mandy is also the daughter of the Yang family!" She asserted in a loud and dominating voice.

She neither stammered nor stuttered while uttering those words. She spoke with the aura of an elder who was teaching the younger generation a proper lesson on what was right and what wasn't.

"As a matter of fact, she is the eldest daughter and first heir of the Yang family." She scoffed after announcing her next statement.

Lina stared at this woman sitting before her with unblinking eyes following which she burst out into peals of laughter.

"Oh come on, lady! Now we both know that neither of those statements has even an ounce of truth in them." She replied while wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes.

Lucille's heart skipped a beat, not due to love like the usual cases but due to the fear that shrouded her heart and her entire body the moment she heard Lina's retort.

She struggled to calm her pounding heart and clenched her clammy palms after which she glared at the brat who had caused her to lose her composure.