Chapter 197 - Words Of Disapproval

'So they have finally arrived… Well, it took them long enough.' Lina nodded in greeting when she saw the men who had appeared from behind.

She knew that her brothers would come in search of her since she had already been out for too long.

'This woman delayed me with her nonsense.' She turned around and glanced at Jeanette Liang.

Lina took in a sharp breath of air and knocked herself on the forehead when she saw the plight that the other woman was in.

'Stupid Nana! She must've hurt herself!' She chided herself for being too harsh earlier when she decided to shrug her opponent's hand away.

Jeanette Liang, her opponent, sat on the floor with her feet sprawled to one side.

She had her head lowered with her shoulders trembling as though she was sobbing in silence.

This image could induce a deep sense of sympathy and pity in anybody's heart who witnessed it.

Lina too, who had a soft corner for beautiful things or people in her heart went weak when she noticed this pretty woman shedding tears.

Her heart moved for the damsel in distress and she took a step closer to her.

"Here, take my hand." She muttered and stretched her left hand, the non-injured hand out to help her up.

However, before Lina's hand could even reach closer to Jeanette's body, her hand was swatted away.

Though it did not hurt her physically, her heart contracted as a tinge of pain shot through it.

The reason for this strange occurrence was when she saw the face of the person who had smacked her hand away.

Wayne Luo bent forward in a swift motion and knelt down on one knee.

"Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?" He questioned with panic and worry visible on his face.

Lina looked down at her wrist which had turned a slight hue of pink due to the blood which rushed to that region after it received the hit and then at her brother who was trying to coax the other woman on the floor.

'What is going on here?' She wondered in bafflement, utterly confused about this bizarre turn of events.

If things had followed the usual script, then her brother Wayne would be the first to defend her.

However, things seemed to be moving in a completely different direction from what she had expected.

She was least bothered about the smack she had endured but her brain was trying to comprehend what had just taken place.

'Did Wayne just hit me?' She turned to her other brother who by now had appeared next to her.

On one side stood Lina with Reuben and Wade by her side and on the opposite side was Wayne who was wiping the tears off of Jeanette's soft and pink cheeks.

Jeanette raised her eyes and gazed at Wayne's face before throwing herself into his arms as she buried her face into his chest.

Wayne whispered words of comfort into her ears while patting his back in hopes of calming her weary heart.

Lina along with her crew gazed down as they watched how tender and careful Wayne was with his actions.

"Can you try standing up?" He asked the woman trembling in his arms.

His mild voice had a soothing effect as it gave evidence of the patience and tenderness with which he was dealing with this petite woman.

Jeanette gave a weak nod following which Wayne let her out of his embrace and stood up.

She took a deep breath after which she brought her feet together and pushed herself off the floor.

Wayne's smile which had blossomed when he saw her efforts of getting up all by herself, faded when he saw her body plop to the floor once again.

"Jen!" He called out before getting down on his knee once again.

Jeanette Liang held her ankle in a tight grip and shook her head at the man who was trying to take a look at her injury.

"Brother Wayne it hurts so much!" She mewled out both in pain and anxiety.

Not knowing what else to do since she wouldn't let him take a look at her ankle, he quickly scooped her up in his arms and stood up.

Lina and the other two men had been silent spectators of the cinematic drama that had just taken place right before their eyes.

They snapped out of their trance when they noticed the fierce glare that had been directed at them.

To be precise, at one of them in particular.

"I saw what you did, Lina and let me tell you that you have disappointed me." He spat out his words of disapproval.

Not giving her a chance to speak a single word, he turned around and swiftly exited the corridor with Jeanette laying snugly in his arms.

Lina's eyes opened wide in shock when she witnessed how her brother who never once raised his voice at her had done so today on account of another woman.

But what had irked her to no end was the gleam of victory that had appeared in Jeanette's eyes as she peeked at Lina one last time before burying her face in Wayne's shoulders.

Lina's widened eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she noticed the mischievous light that had flashed in Jeanette's eyes just as the two figures turned around the corner.

'She did it on purpose!?' Lina gaped wordlessly at the now empty corridor.

All emotions of sympathy and worry which she had felt for the woman whom she had assumed to have accidentally injured had now turned into anger and annoyance.

But what hurt her the most was the lack of faith that her brother had shown in her.

'He did not even let me explain myself before declaring that I was the culprit!' She wailed inwardly and turned her face away.

Turning to her left, she found the face of the man whom she had been rushing to meet earlier.

Sadly, the recent turn of events had soured that enthusiasm.

She gave him an apologetic smile before turning to the other side.

"Gege, take me home." She mumbled with her head lowered.

Wade glanced at the crown of her head and then turned his eyes to his best friend.

'That must've been a big blow for her.' Reuben observed as his eyes roamed around her defeated back.

He knew of the bond between the twins and their cousins so he was also aware that this incident might have hurt Lina's sentiments.

He then nodded to Wade showing that he would not be offended or angry if they left midway.

"We have accomplished the purpose that we had come here for in the first place. I need to get back to work now." Reuben expressed his thoughts in hopes of easing the dark cloud around her.

To make his acting more realistic, he even gave an impatient glance at his watch and clicked his tongue.

Lina turned around and after observing his poor acting skills, a wide yet bitter smile appeared on her face.

'Instead of lashing out at me for ignoring him, he's trying to make up excuses to not make me feel bad?' She bemused and took a step towards him.

Reuben glanced down at his Kitten who had come closer to him and flashed her an understanding smile.

Raising his hand, he patted her head gently and then ruffled her hair.

Wade rolled his eyes and cleared his throat to get the two lovebird's attention back on him.

"I thought you wished to leave?" He questioned with his brows raised.

Lina nodded her head at him and then turned back and shot Reuben another apologetic smile.

"Let me walk you to your car." He offered, not forgetting his grandfather's advice about being chivalrous to his lady.

Wade scowled at his friend who was behaving as though Lina was all alone but when he saw the soft smile that graced her face, he decided to not let his opinions be known.

Being the owner of the establishment was a great perk because he did not have to bother about paying the bills.

On their way out, Reuben sighted the manager of the restaurant attending to another customer.

'I'm leaving.' He shot him a glance which was instantly responded with a subservient and quick nod.

When they reached the parking lot, Reuben's driver had already arrived and was waiting for his master.

They had all arrived in two cars at the restaurant. Wade, Reuben and Lina in one car driven by Wade and the other one was driven by Wayne.

Since Wade would be driving Lina back, he had sent a text to his driver to quickly reach his location.

Driver San's gaze alternated between his boss and the pretty lady who walked by his side.

'Master is moving in the right direction and so quickly at that!' He exclaimed in cheerful admiration.

Assistant Kim was always updating him about the new developments in their boss's love life so he was well aware of who Lina was.

Instead of boarding his car, Reuben first opened the door for Lina and helped her in.

"Text me when you reach home." He demanded after which he shut the door.

Lina nodded her head like a chicken pecking grains which made Wade roll his eyes as he started the car.

Just as he was about to drive away, there was an urgent knock on Lina's window.

"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" She wondered out loud as she pushed the button to roll the windows down.

Once the windows were lowered, Reuben leaned down and popped his head inside the car.

Holding her cheeks in both hands, he moved his face close to hers giving her a chaste yet loud smack on the lips.

Smiling against her lips, he kissed her one last time and after withdrawing his hands, he moved away.

Shoving his hands into his pant's pockets, he winked at her.

"I forgot my goodbye kiss." He smirked playfully and then walked in the direction of his car.

Lina and Wade both sat frozen in the car after what had just happened.

"I'll see you soon, Kitten." Reuben's fading voice resounding in their ears which successfully woke them up.

"Wait… You… Him… Kis-" Wade's overheated brain could not form a proper sentence.

"Just drive already!" She yelled at her brother and covered her face to hide her blushing cheeks.

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While Lina and Wade were driving back home in awkward silence, Wayne was shooting anxious glimpses at the woman laid in his backseat.