"Is that so?"

Butler Mo and Lina turned towards the source of the sarcastic voice.

"Welcome home, Young Master." The butler received the newcomer with a proper bow and then hurried to get his coat and the other bags that he was carrying.

Lina smiled at her brother and turned her body to face him when he took his seat next to her on the couch.

"Are you really feeling better?" He asked with worry laced in his voice, still not convinced about what he had heard just as he entered the main door.

"I'm fine, Wade! I'm a big girl now and you don't have to keep worrying about the little things." She reassured him with a soft smile.

However, Wade knew that she was just masking her emotions because he too would feel like crap if his brother had chosen to trust the words of a stranger rather than his own family.

Lina was sad at first but then thinking of the way she was spurned, her anger outweighed her sadness.

"Go freshen up, I'm hungry!" She urged him to leave quickly so that he might come back early to accompany her.

Wade couldn't get her to open up about her feelings and all he could do was shake his head as he walked up the stairs.

As she waited for her brother to return, Lina kept checking her phone for replies from Reuben but there were none.

Ironically, now it was her turn to patiently wait for him to text her back.

Within minutes, Wade was back downstairs and he signaled something to the butler as he sat next to her.

Lina alternated her gaze between them in confusion as Butler Mo placed a few bags on the table before her.

Wade gave her an encouraging nudge, asking her to open the bags and see what was inside.

'Presents for me?' Lina, the greedy kitten, hurriedly peeked into the bags.

Her eyes sparkled when she saw the three bags filled with an assortment of eatables she liked.

The stuff inside ranged from snacks to candy, from savory to sour.

Her radiant smile was evidence of just how much she liked the present that her brother had fetched for her.

'So what if one brother has gone crazy, chasing after a wicked woman? I still have another brother who is an amazing guy!' She coaxed her frustrated heart.

She then threw herself in Wade's arms and gave him a big bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you, Gege! That was very sweet of you!" She exclaimed after letting him go.

Wade nodded his head as he rubbed his sore arms.

'How could she be so delicate yet so strong at the same time!?' He wondered and coughed after feeling a slight pain in his ribs which she had somehow managed to crush.

"Let's eat!" She declared as she rose from her seat and walked towards the dining table.

Usually, they would wait for everyone to arrive before beginning their dinner but Lina decided on skipping that tradition today since she was in no mood to face Wayne.

Butler Mo did not waste a single second and very soon a large spread of Lina's favorite dishes appeared on the table.

Wade sat next to her and was about to pick his chopsticks up to place her favorite spring rolls in her plate when he heard her scream.

"Stop!" She screeched making the poor man drop his chopsticks to cover his tormented ears.

Lina glared at him and shoved his chopsticks into his hands before picking up her phone.

"No touching!" She warned him then focused her attention on her phone.

Wade frowned as he watched her lean over the dishes with her phone aimed at them.

'She screamed as though someone had ripped her kidneys out and it was all because she wanted to click pictures of her food?' He snapped his head and stared at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

But Lina was too busy sending those pictures to a certain special someone, to even care about being judged by her brother.

Wade clicked his tongue when his eyes caught sight of the name to whom she had sent the multitude of pictures.

*Ruby

Lina gave him a sideways glance before wordlessly picking up her chopsticks to start eating the scrumptious dinner that Butler Mo had worked hard to prepare.

She was now so used to eating his food that she had almost forgotten about Mrs. Ping and Chef Greene's cooking.

"When will we talk about what happened before we left the restaurant?" Wade muttered after a few moments of silence.

Lina looked up, her mouth still stuffed with the soft stir-fried spicy noodles that were too delicious to resist.

She tilted her head and frowned as she tried to pinpoint what he was talking about.

Noticing her confusion, Wade gulped nervously before helping her out.

"I'm talking about… the… you know… the…" He mumbled in embarrassment as his cheeks turned red.

"Oh spill it out already!" Lina scoffed when she heard him rambling on about nothing of actual use.

"I'm talking about the kiss!" He blurted out in a voice which was a little louder than normal, making the nearby servants turn around and peep at them.

Lina glared at him furiously even though her red cheeks proved just how shy she was.

"Was that your first kiss? I will kill that bastard if he took your first kiss in such an unromantic way with me still inside the car!" Wade whispered but the anger in his voice was apparent.

Lina's heart warmed when she heard his concern for her and she shook his head.

Now, the concern had faded in his eyes and suspicion emerged when he saw her head movement.

'So he kissed her before! That asshole!' Wade glowered at his best friend whom he had now labeled as an 'incorrigible horndog'.

"When was it?" He narrowed his eyes as he interrogated her.

Lina raised her brows and scoffed before shaking her head.

"That is a private business between a boyfriend and a girlfriend!" She proclaimed with a proud tone which made him scowl.

But Lina was not one to take his interrogation silently, her eyes narrowed and a smirk appeared on her face as she recalled something.

"Oh pray tell me, why were you laying under my boyfriend in the first place, brother Wade?" She questioned in a sugary sweet voice which made his blood run cold.

'I'm already going to get hell from that demon… Now, will my sweet and innocent Nana join him to expand the list of demons in my life?' He lamented and cursed Reuben for affecting her personality in such a short amount of time.

While these two cousins were having a staring contest, they failed to notice the two men who had walked into the house.

"Welcome, Master and Young Master!" Butler Mo's greeting interrupted their contest and made them turn towards them.

Lina's eyes first fell on her Uncle Ace who was looking amazing in a grey suit with sky blue stripes all over.

'He may be old but he is eye-catching!' She praised his style while checking his outfit out.

Ace shook his head noticing her gaze and then snapped his finger to bring her attention back to his face.

"Had fun today, kiddo? The first day of work was fine?" He inquired while relaxing the tight tie around his neck.

Lina's smile became strained when she heard this question and her eyes traveled to the man standing beside her uncle.

Wayne had been watching her from the moment he had entered the house yet the second their eyes met, he looked away.

'I should be the one who is mad at him so why does it seem like he is the one who is mad at me!?' Lina raged in her mind and then harrumphed before she too looked away.

The other two in the room, the uncle-nephew pair of spectators alternated their gazes between these two who seem to be at odds with each other.

Butler Mo noticed the scornful look that Lina had thrown at Wayne and was swift to make out that he must have been the cause for Lina's bad mood.

"Please get changed while I prepare your dishes." He requested which was answered with a nod from both the men who had just arrived.

Lina glanced at Wayne's back as he walked away one last time before putting her head down to finish her food.

Ace had noticed the strange atmosphere ever since Wayne and Lina had made eye contact but he decided to stay silent until he could get some more information about what had happened.

Lina quickly forked out her food and had planned to leave before her uncle and other brother got back.

However, Butler Mo had chided her when she choked on a piece of meat because she had not chewed it completely.

Not wanting to dishearten the man whom she had adored from her childhood days, Lina begrudgingly chewed on every morsel which was time-consuming.

'I should have just stuck to soup today.' She pouted while trying to finish the food on her plate.

Her plans of escaping turned to dust that was blown away by the wind when Wayne and Ace came down the stairs dressed in home clothes.

Ace took the seat at the head of the table while Wayne sat opposite Wade and Lina.

Lina continued to keep her head down and had planned to ignore Wayne's presence until she was done with her food but it seemed as though luck was not on her side.

"How was work, Nana?" Wallace Luo asked a second time as she had never answered him earlier.

Lina looked up and smiled at him while nodding her head.

"Signed a few documents, went through a few files. The usual." She replied with a nonchalant shrug which caused Wade's eyes to narrow.

"I should start sending the important files down to your office to reduce my workload. You are the CEO, do some work for your own company!" Wade complained while stuffing a spoonful of rice in his mouth.

'She promised to share the workload but completely forgot about it!' He scowled when he saw her sticking her tongue out at him.

Ace shook his head looking at the childish behavior of his niece and nephew who were already old enough to have their own children.

"So harming people is a part of the 'Usual' for you?" Wayne's sudden question brought the cheerful atmosphere to a standstill once again.