Standing Right Next To You - Chapter 346
“Don’t be mad, Ruby~” A voice was heard close to Reuben’s ears which made him grit his teeth.
“Would you leave already!?” He growled at the person who was now raising their hand in defeat.
Assistant Kim was having the time of his life as he watched the frustrated face of his boss from the sidelines.
‘Boss sure is mad that he did not get his kiss.’ He snickered and was soon joined by the other assistant who chortled along with him.
Reuben glared daggers at the two men as they did not mind him and continued to laugh to their heart’s contents.
This made the Ice Emperor narrow his eyes and a wicked smile appeared on his face.
“It looks like Assistant Kim wants to continue working every day instead of spending quality time with his heavily pregnant wife.” He uttered with a devil may care attitude.
These words which were nothing but a straightforward threat to the assistant made him freeze and the jovial look on his face turned into a woeful look.
Mathew Kim’s face appeared as though he would begin shedding tears the next second after hearing the scary words from his boss.
Benji was ignorant about the leave that the other assistant had applied for.
Therefore, he tried to make sense of the sudden change in Mathew’s expressions which had taken him by surprise.
In the next second, without explaining anything to him, Mathew bowed to his boss and began dragging the big assistant once again.
“Come, Benji! Let me show you the room that is only for us.” He informed and tried harder to push the big man.
Benji did not shift an inch from his previous position as he alternated his gaze between the pair of assistant and boss.
Reuben raised his brows in challenge as he stared down at the big-muscled man.
‘He is a smart man with great instincts.’ He praised his assistant for comprehending what he had implied by saying those words.
He then turned towards the other assistant who continued gazing at them with confusion and skepticism apparent in his eyes.
“I can escort Lina to our room so why don’t you go have fun in the room which is specifically for the two of you?” He added which made Benji scoff.
The meaning of this sentence was simple, that he and Lina had a private room while the assistants had to eat in another room.
‘I thought that Nana was messing with me but it seems that…’ Benji paused and glanced at the weak little guy who had not stopped attempting to drag him away.
“Fine! But let me know when you are done. I need to take her to the hotel.” He acquiesced as he was left with no other options here.
Reuben had won this round and taken his revenge for the snide remark Benji had made in the car.
So he continued to smirk victoriously as he watched the pair turning around the corridor and disappearing from his sight.
Once they had vanished, he rested his back against the wall as he waited for his Kitten to finish what she was doing.
During this time, he recalled the events that had taken place from the moment they had arrived at the restaurant to this very moment.
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The kiss that he had been going for was interrupted by the assistant who was driving the car.
“We have reached, Boss!” Mathew yelled out and brought the car to a halt before the entrance of the exquisite looking building.
He had raised his voice and informed his boss to make sure that the Emperor did not make any moves on Lina now.
This was due to the multiple eyes of the people who had stopped and looked their way after noticing the car.
Everything about the Emperor was a hot topic to the citizens of this city, which also included the cars he drove.
The part of the city they were in was a hot spot for rich personalities to meet and dine.
Therefore, it was even safe to say that in some corner of some building, there might be a paparazzi who was keeping an eye on the people who were moving in and out of these high profile buildings.
Reuben gritted his teeth but sat up straight after controlling his urge to kiss his Kitten.
Lina on the other hand was not aware of the amount of free publicity he received to the point where he was frustrated by people who kept following him around.
‘He seems irritated about something…’ She inferred after scrutinizing his face for a few seconds.
Spending time with him each day, she was beginning to have a better understanding of his every expression which was an accomplishment for her.
‘He used to be hard to figure out but I am glad that it’s changing now.’ She smiled, not anxious that she had not received the kiss she had demanded.
“Paparazzi.” Reuben’s single-worded explanation was all she needed to understand why he had done so.
‘I had asked him to keep it a secret for now so it is only right to follow what he says.’ She did not argue with him and nodded her head, displaying that she understood what he was trying to convey.
This was followed by the assistants exiting the car and holding the door open for their respective bosses.
As much as Reuben wanted to lead Lina by the hand inside the restaurant and do chivalrous things like holding the door open for her, he knew that those were luxuries he could not afford at this moment.
‘I cannot wait for the day when Kitten and I announce our relationship to the public! We won’t have to be worried about reporters spotting us together.’ He reckoned as they stepped into the restaurant.
The assistants followed the man and woman who stood at two feet distance away from each other as they strode inside.
Reuben’s business attire was a stark contrast to Lina’s casual outfit which made her stand out in a lobby filled with businessmen and their colleagues who had come out to dine.
All eyes fell on the pair who had entered through the door with their assistants right behind them.
‘I want to gouge their eyes out!’ Reuben glowered when he noticed the attention that his Kitten was receiving from the men.
It was lunch hour and this restaurant was famous among the upper echelon, especially the businessmen who wanted a silent and secure place to discuss business deals over a meal.
This was attributed to the men who were either heading to the private room they had reserved beforehand or the men who were waiting for their partners to arrive.
Lina had long felt their watchful eyes on her but she did not look their way.
Her sight was focused on the path ahead of her and never once did she bother glancing at them.
The people present were stunned to see the Emperor arriving here with a woman as their minds began processing what the relationship between the two might be.
“Come, Kitten.” Reuben whispered as he tried to prevent the gloating look from appearing on his face.
‘So many men here and my Kitten only has eyes for me!’ He smirked, feeling superior to everyone present here.