Half an hour earlier, inside Lina's bedroom.
'That was one refreshing shower!' Lina moaned in satisfaction as she wiped her body dry.
Looking at her damp body in the large mirror placed inside her bathroom, she angled her body in such a way that she could catch glimpses of the tattoo on her back.
The image of the wolf howling at the moon which had been etched on her body was a cover-up for the scar that she had received when she was a young girl.
'Ruby did not hate me for it.' She reminisced and a smile crept upon her lips.
The memory of the man's warm palm resting on her hips made her touch herself where he had touched her.
His large and slightly callused fingers could not be compared to her dainty and soft fingers but this did not stop her from imagining that it was Reuben who was touching her right now.
'Did I just…?' She wondered in amazement at what she had just done.
Coming back to her senses she blushed that she had just imagined or to be exact, fantasized about Reuben touching her once again.
As her thoughts were already focused on the events that had taken place on that day, she had no trouble in recalling the kiss that he had placed on her scar.
'Why is he so sweet sometimes!?' She exclaimed while covering her face with her palms.
Biting her lower lip, she moved her hands aside and then glanced at her face in the mirror.
Looking at the dark flushed cheeks, she was not sure whether this was due to the warm shower she had just taken or the fact that she had imagined Reuben's soft lips kissing her all over.
A slight shiver ran down her back and this time she was sure what the cause of that shiver was.
'I need to put on some clothes, it is getting cold in it!' She chided herself and then completed wiping her body dry.
She then went ahead and applied lotion all over her body before throwing her bathrobe on.
The next minute, she wrapped a second towel over her head and stepped out of the bathroom from which the warm fog was soon dissipating.
"Still with the computer!?" She sneered when she noticed that Benji was in the same position that she had left him in.
'What a nerd!' She shook her head at this man who did not know when to quit once he got engrossed in his computer work.
When Benji looked up, he saw the dripping wet hair tied in the towel turban and this made him narrow his eyes.
"Go dry your hair first! Don't expect me to take care of another sick person!" He sneered at his boss who was now pouting at him.
'Such a meanie!' She chastised his words in her heart and then stepped in the direction of her dresser.
"I just stepped out so breathe for a moment, Benji!" She scoffed as she sat before the dresser and turned the hairdryer on.
Once Benji was sure that she was not paying attention to him, he glanced at his bloodied knuckles which he had hidden behind the screen of his laptop until now.
If she had taken a closer look at him, then she would have observed certain abnormalities about him.
For example, how his breathing was heavy as though he had rushed over, his clothes were crumpled as if he had been in a scuffle and finally his knuckles were smeared with blood.
Now, at this moment, even he did not know whether this blood was his or the other man whom he had faced off just a few minutes ago.
"I need to use the washroom." Benji announced and then entered the washroom before Lina could answer him.
Lina rolled her eyes at the moody young man and then summoned a servant while he was inside.
She asked the maid to fetch someone else to help her move these two large suitcases to the Main Hall.
"Just leave it there by the couch. Send word and I will be down when Uncle Pat arrives." She instructed and the maid was quick to do as she was told.
She reassured Lina that she would call her once their master returned home and then left the room.
"Must be an upset stomach." Lina surmised when she noticed that Benji had not yet come out of the washroom.
Not willing to sit in wait for him, she decided to put on some clothes and then entered her wardrobe which was a small room in itself.
"Ah! I missed my babies!" She squealed while hugging the clothes which hung on the walls that her personal maid, Suzie had arranged in perfect order thanks to her OCD tendencies.
Lina had not seen her ever since she had returned to the house and decided that she would ask Mrs. Ping about this later on.
One side of the wardrobe was empty as it had already been packed in the suitcases which must have reached the Main hall by now.
So, she moved to the other side and picked an appropriate style for herself, and then hurried to put them on.
Stepping outside the wardrobe now dressed to impress, she raised her brows when she noticed that Benji had finally left the warm embrace of the washroom and graced her with his presence.
'I'm sure that he had stomach issues!' She snickered and then stood before the mirror to look at her reflection in it.
The black joggers she teamed with pure white high top sneakers and a sheer black top made her look fresh and trendy.
"How do I look?" She questioned her assistant who had finally shut down his laptop and was watching her.
Before Benji could say anything, she nodded her head and then flipped her hair to the side.
"I know that I look good enough to walk the runway." She cackled as she tied her hair in a high and tight ponytail, making her hair look sleek and bouncy.
These actions coupled with her words made Benji roll his eyes as he stopped the compliment that he was about to give her a moment before she had praised herself.
Picking up the bag she had filled with snacks, she tossed it at her assistant who caught it with ease and frowned upon checking what was inside it.
"Nana, this is junk!" He reprimanded her with a stern voice but her attention was elsewhere.
Looking up, he noticed her packing another bag, a backpack this time.
"My Tab, scrunchies, mint, wallet… What else?" She muttered to herself as she recollected whether she had missed something in the list of things she needed.
Sure that she had taken everything she needed for her closed-door cultivation, she put on the backpack and then turned around towards him.
"Ready!" She exclaimed in an excited voice as she would soon be doing what her heart laid in.
Benji picked up his laptop and the most important thing, Stephen's notebook, and then rose from his seat.
'I almost forgot about that!' Lina knocked her forehead as she was about to enter closed-door cultivation without the thing that she would need the most.
The complacent look on Benji's face made her frown as she scoffed at him and then turned around.
Thus, Lina with her backpack and Benji with a bag, his laptop, and a large notebook made their way down the stairs towards the Main Hall.