Standing Right Next To You - Chapter 449

Leon had assumed that she would just extend the duration of her free snacks offer but what she had proposed next was much better.

When they had first met, he had always felt that Lina came from some well-to-do family so when he learned that she was a member of the Yang family, he was left speechless.

The Yang Group was one of the richest families in their city and though Lina was not the heir of the family, she was still a rich young lady.

Leon was just like everyone else who under the influence of the media, now assumed that the alleged bastard child of the current Patriarch, Patrick Yang was the next heir of the family.

While CEO Yang had not made any official statements to validate this theory of the onlookers, they were sure that after taking his illegitimate child and her mother into his ancestral home, he would someday declare her to be his heir.

Unaware of just how wrong he was, Leon believed this speculation to be the truth that would soon be known to others as well.

Therefore, to him, even if Lina wasn’t the heir, she was still a wealthy young lady from a prestigious family who was also quite generous.

This realization made him nod in immediate acceptance, not even pretending to hesitate and mull over her latest proposal for a second longer.

Lina had no clue of these thoughts but chuckled at this sight, now sure that she had won him over effortlessly.

However, in the next second, an eager gaze focused on her made her turn in the direction it was coming from.

Seated next to her, Lina found her puppy looking at her with a wounded expression, making it appear as though she had aggrieved him somehow which made her panic.

“What’s wrong?” She clamored her inquiry, worried that he might not be feeling well.

‘Did the food not agree with him?’ She speculated what might have caused this shift in his emotions but soon discarded that thought.

Chef Greene and Mrs. Ping had worked hard to cook this meal for them and she could guarantee that they were cooked in the most hygienic manner.

Since she could not decipher what had brought about this change in him, she gazed back at him with curiosity and concern apparent in her eyes.

When Steph found his Noona’s worried eyes focusing on him, his heart soared for a second before he turned to the other side.

Leon had been watching this show in silence but was stunned when the Little Devil’s attention had landed on him.

The glare he just received made him straighten his back while applauding just how swift Stephen Jin was in transforming his expressions.

One second he looked like a wounded child who had been wronged and in the next second, he was back to perfectly portraying the role of a demon rising from hell.

‘He is better than those actresses on TV!’ Assistant Leon Jiu was impressed with this Young Master’s talents which ascended even his designing skills.

While he was expressing his awe towards the younger man’s acting skills, Steph had already looked away from him.

“Noona won’t take me along?” His soft mutter sent a shiver down Leon’s spine.

The one who was given the nickname ‘Little Devil’ was now acting pitiful right before his eyes so how could Leon not shudder at this contrast in the other person’s attitude?

Stephen was least bothered about what others might think about him due to his. Childish behavior.

Instead, he was more concerned about the answer he would receive from his Noona next.

“Don’t you still have work to do?” The one who had been a silent spectator until now had finally chimed in.

Benji raised his brow as he reminded Steph that he had not yet prepared the dress Lina was supposed to wear on the day Obsidia Designs would exhibit his Winter Collection.

‘If he wants Nana to step on the stage wearing something he designed then he should work hard for it.’ He added in his heart as he too did not want his Boss to walk the ramp wearing something that would be average at best.

She had worn many pieces created by different designers with her solely in mind.

Therefore, Stephen would have to amp up his efforts if he wanted to design and create a dress that would make heads turn on the day of the grand event.

While his heart was in the right place, sadly, his thoughtful reminder was not appreciated as the youngster glared at him.

To his surprise, he was now facing not just one but two pairs of glaring eyes.

“I don’t know when we can schedule this but you are definitely invited too,” Lina reassured her puppy who had been sulking just earlier.

It was Lina who had glared at Benji before turning towards Steph with a smile as she added his name to this list as well.

‘Damned if I do and damned if I don’t.’ The tall assistant scoffed at the two who were fit to be called Noona and her puppy as they indeed behaved alike.

Leon shrugged as he did not mind the addition of one more person to this gathering, provided that he just got the chance to eat some mouthwatering delicacies.

‘I don’t care if you invite the entire city.’ He snickered as he was not the one who would be paying the bill at the end of the day.

It was supposed to be Lina’s treat so she could invite whoever she wanted with the only condition that she took him along and he could eat a lot of delicious dishes, as many as he could stomach.

Seeing that no one had any objections to this latest addition, this small but odd group of co-workers decided to meet on an appropriate date whenever they were all free to have a meal together.

‘Somewhere away from the office.’ Leon, the foodie, included the most important aspect as they always had their lunch together while in the office.

As they reached this conclusion, their lunch too had come to an end but Lina wasn’t about to let them get back to work just yet.

A few minutes were left before the official lunch break of the office would end so she decided to make use of this short period to discuss something that had been on her mind.

The encounter that had taken place and the incident that followed during the meeting with the higher-ups of Obsidia that she and the others here had attended was what she was curious about.

Therefore, Lina chose this moment to get to the bottom of the matter which she had witnessed in that meeting today.

Sitting up straight, she put away her playful nature which made the others assume that she had something important to say to them.

“Who exactly is Jasmine Tong?” She interrogated without wasting too much of their time.

Her hazel eyes with tiny golden flecks swirling in them first leered at Leon before they shifted towards Stephen next.

Benji was not involved in this interrogation as he was just as clueless as her.

However, the nifty assistant did not sit idle while his Boss was busy questioning the other men.

He chose to remain silent but did not forget to get to work in order to help her gain some better answers.

When Lina heard clicking sounds that could only belong to a keyboard coming from her other side, she deduced what her assistant might be doing right now without even looking in his direction.

‘As quick as ever.’ She praised his efficient ways and waited to hear more from him once she was done with the other two who were the targets of her impromptu interrogation session.

Benji’s fingers were furiously typing away while his eyes were fixed on the screen of the laptop that he had picked up moments ago.

The only reason he had done so was to find any information he could obtain online about the lady who had dared to act in such an audacious manner towards his Boss during that meeting.

Since the meeting was in progress, he had forced himself to remain calm and not rage out because Lina was now working in this company as just another employee hired here.

She was a consultant and he was her assistant so abiding by the role they were currently playing, he bit back his tongue and kept a low profile.

However, while the rest might be ignorant of Lina’s true identity, he most certainly was not.

He was well aware of the real position and the amount of power she held in Obsidia.

So how could he stay unaffected when someone who had joined this company only in recent times was acting haughty before the very founder of the business?

Therefore, while his ears were perked up to hear anything the other two men would reveal, his eyes were scanning the information he found on the screen.

Stephen and Leon’s eyes too had shifted to Benji’s position when they had heard the sounds of loud clicks and clacks coming from his keyboard.

However, Lina seemed to pay no heed to his actions and continued to gaze at them with stern eyes which made them look at her as well.

Back when the meeting was going on, Leon had assured her that he would fill her in on the information he possessed about that old lady.

Therefore, he had no issues with the sudden query which he had faced.

Pleased with his attitude, Lina’s gaze shifted to the other man to see how he would respond but found him with his head lowered as though he was debating what he would do next.

Since Leon was ready to spill the beans, she chose to focus on him right now, realizing that it was not right to pressure Steph into speaking about something that he did not seem to be comfortable with.

“Spill..” She ordered Leon who choked at first but nodded soon after.