"Boss, the representative from Zheng Group has arrived." Mathew Kim informed the Emperor once he had read the message he received.

The wise assistant had instructed the kind employees at the front desk of Ming Enterprises to send him a text notifying him of the appearance of this representative.

As their Emperor was interested in the project that the Zheng Group had proposed this time around, he as the trusted Eunuch had made sure that the man was brought up to the top floor immediately after he arrived at the office building.

'He must be on his way up right now.' Mathew believed as he was sure that the ladies at the front desk must have done their job without any problems.

Reuben nodded once he heard the news of the representative's arrival and adjusted his tie while sitting up straight.

Today, Ming Enterprises and Zheng Group will be signing the contract which would officiate the beginning of their collaboration.

He had kept the news of this collaboration on the down-low as he was waiting for everything to be signed and legalized in the proper manner.

'We can hold a press conference once the deal has been signed.' He decided and nodded to himself.

Felix Ming was waiting for the news of the collaboration to be signed and he would soon get his wish as Reuben was going to do just that in a few minutes.

"The contract?" Reuben inquired while his eyes stared at the door of the conference hall.

Mathew Kim nodded in response and pointed at the briefcase laid on the side table to the man.

He then rose to his feet to fetch the case and the papers in it because they were the star of today's meeting.

Just as the assistant had picked the briefcase up from the table, there was a knock on the door of the conference hall.

Upon receiving the permission, the secretary pushed the door open and gestured for the lean, middle-aged man to enter the conference hall.

A familiar face that Reuben had met before entered the room and walked in his direction.

This was the same man who had appeared for the previous meetings held for discussing the collaboration between the two companies.

He was here to represent Henri Zheng, the current patriarch, and CEO of the Zheng Groups.

Watching the man who was just as few steps away from him, Reuben rose from his seat.

"Hello, Mr. Ming." The man greeted as he extended his hand for a handshake.

The heir of the Ming family obliged as he accepted the handshake following which he gestured towards the table asking him to take a seat.

Once everyone had seated themselves, the representative, a man named Mr. Peter Wang tried his best to keep himself calm but the smile on his face failed to stay concealed for long.

How could he stay calm when he and every employee with him worked hard for the project that would finally be approved today.

He had been chosen to head this project because of his hard work and also the trust that their CEO Henri Zheng had in him.

"Shall we sign the contracts?" Reuben asked, happy to see the excitement on the other man's face.

Contrary to his expectations, apprehension and reluctance were visible on Mr. Wang's slightly wrinkled face.

'But… She hasn't arrived yet!' He remarked with anxiety appearing on his face.

The second person in charge of this project was supposed to arrive by now but the same person was nowhere to be found.

'I cannot reach her phone as well!' He lamented and gulped when he felt two pairs of eyes scrutinizing his every expression.

When Mathew and Reuben had seen how elated he was to sign the contract, they were pleased as this was the most common expression they always witnessed.

However, that joy on his face had disappeared and trepidation was all that was left in its place.

'Why is he sweating and looking at his watch repeatedly?' Mathew wondered, trying to make sense of this sudden change.

Reuben was not any better as he gazed at the man who was trying his best to keep a calm face.

"Master Ming, how about we look at the contract one more time before we sign?" Peter Wang requested as he shot the boss and assistant an appealing smile.

'Something is definitely wrong!' Mathew could feel it in his guts that this man was up to some mischief.

Hearing the words that the Zheng Groups' representative had said, Reuben's eyes narrowed as a contemplative glint passed through those dark eyes before it faded away.

"Does the Zheng Group not trust the contract that we have made?" He smirked as he raised his hand to signal his assistant.

Peter was terrified that this might cause some problems in the signing ceremony and shook his head in immediate denial.

"No! No, Master Ming! Zheng Group trusts that Ming Enterprises would never wrong us!" He proclaimed in a hurried tone to express his true thoughts.

'I just want to stall until she arrives!' He felt the need to cry at his sorry state.

The woman who was supposed to be here was nowhere to be found and could not be contacted which was causing this misunderstanding between the two companies.

While he was cursing his luck, Mathew placed the papers on the table.

Two copies of the same legal contracts were placed before each man in charge of the different companies.

Reuben and Peter each had their own copies right before their eyes.

"Have a look at it." The benevolent Emperor was kind enough to grant him this offer without taking offense to what he had said earlier.

Peter smiled, though it was an awkward smile as he picked up the papers.

One minute passed then another followed by another and then many more.

'Does he have the reading ability of a four-year-old child!?' Mathew stared at the man who seemed to be reading each line at a snail's pace.

The slow pace at which each page flipped was making Reuben flip out himself.

He had to meet his Kitten after this meeting and here, this man was taking his own sweet time to read the contents of the contract.

'I get that you should sign after reading each word of the contract but isn't this an exaggeration?' He scowled at the man who was getting on his nerves.

Reuben glanced at the watch on his wrist and frowned when he noticed that twenty minutes had already passed.

He glanced at his assistant who had similar expressions of annoyance on his face as he glared at the representative sent by the Zheng Group.

Peter could feel their glowering faces contort in anger which made him give up on the plan of stalling for time any longer.

"The contract is perfect, Master Ming." He praised as he closed the file and placed it before his table.

He had arrived at this conference Hall at 12 on the dot and now it was already 12:20 but the woman had not yet arrived.

Reuben sighed when Peter was finally done with reading every single line of the contract.

This brought them to the next step of their agenda.

Mr. Peter brought out a new file from his briefcase and handed it over to the young man.

"Here is the final report." He informed while glancing at the file which was the combined efforts of his group.