A couple of hours ago at Ming Enterprises,
"Boss, have some water." Assistant Kim handed a sealed bottle of water to the Emperor who sat at the head of the table.
The first meeting of the day had just ended and the two men remained in the room while the heads of the finance department vacated the room after they had completed their discussions.
While the Emperor was at home, the changes that occurred in the company were all reported in a swift and precise manner just as their boss liked and appreciated.
An hour had passed by and finally, the old men in the finance department left the room.
Reuben flexed the stiff muscles in his neck which had been staring at the projector's screen for the past hour or so as he unscrewed the cap, breaking the seal of the water bottle.
'Such a germaphobe.' Mathew Kim sneered at the man who would not take a sip of water if the seal was opened before handing the bottle over to him.
The man who had seen and beared with all of the Emperor's whims of remaining untouched and liking things which were clean would be shocked pretty soon.
After all, he would soon be getting the front row tickets to watch the sickeningly sweet romance between his Emperor and future Empress.
"The next is the meeting with our planning department. They should be here in about ten minutes." He notified his boss about the next step in their schedule.
Mathew Kim watched his Emperor's face grimace as he let out a groan of distaste when he heard the name of the next department who would soon be here.
The faithful Eunuch was aware of the reason for his disgruntled reaction as only one person could cause that.
'Priscilla Lin, that thieving rat!' He scowled when thinking of that woman who was the cause of some major losses to their company.
The fact that Reuben had not yet dismissed that woman even after the ample amount of evidence that he had personally handed over to his boss made Mathew upset each time he thought about it.
As he was incognizant of the relationship between the rat in their company and his boss, he could not stop his mind from running wild.
'First, he asks me to keep an eye on Talia that snake then he orders me to book a private room for lunch with Lina that angel and now he has to meet that rat, Priscilla.' He recalled and once again felt that his boss was playing a dangerous game.
The frustration on Reuben's face was clear for him to observe but the fact that his boss did not fire Priscilla even when he was fed up with her was a thorn in his heart.
While Mathew was thinking of ways to figure out the truth behind this anomaly, he heard the loud sounds of heels clicking against the floor.
'The rat in heels has arrived.' He declared and stepped away as he took his seat next to his boss.
Reuben turned in the direction of the door and glanced at the person who had entered.
"Good morning, Sir." A middle-aged man bowed as he greeted Reuben to which he was answered with a nod.
The head of the planning department was soon followed by another person, a woman with whom Reuben was very familiar.
"How are you, Young Master? I heard that you were unwell these past few days, I hope you have recovered." A coquettish and saccharine voice was heard in the silent room.
'How does the rat know!?' Mathew glowered after controlling the shiver that had run down his spine upon witnessing this scene.
The Director was also unaware of this news and he shot a concerned look at the man who ran their company successfully.
'So they have eyes on me?' Reuben scrutinized the words that she had spoken and a dangerous glint passed through his eyes.
The fact that an outsider like Priscilla Lin had news of his sickness meant that there were people who were watching his every move, which also meant that they knew about Lina's frequent appearances at his apartment.
'I need to have a talk with Trigger about this.' He decided and was quick to regain his composure.
Priscilla was waiting to catch a glimpse of surprise or anxiety on his face but felt annoyed when she failed to grasp any such emotions on his face.
The indifferent expression was present at all times as he nodded at the Director to indicate that he was feeling alright now.
Not once did he make any efforts to answer the woman's query which made Mathew ecstatic to watch her face contort in anger at being ignored.
The Director was someone who had been working at this company from the days that Felix Ming held the reins over it.
He had watched the young man who sat before him today, learn and grow as an individual under the guidance of his father and grandfather.
Hence even he was perplexed when Reuben had asked him to hire this incompetent woman to be his assistant Director.
The Director had the same thought as Mathew, that their boss was trying to woo her and this was why he had given her a job at his company.
Almost every man in the company had their eyes set on this beautiful flower so it was possible that this Ice Emperor had the same thoughts in his mind.
However, none of them knew the truth nor did they understand the helpless older brother who had to bow down to the wishes of his cousin whom he loved dearly.
This was the only reason why a woman like Priscilla was allowed to remain in the company as anyone else who had thought of backstabbing him would get thrown out of the company or much worse.
"Shall we proceed?" Reuben inquired while gesturing towards the seats, asking them to sit down in order to begin their meeting.
The Director need not be asked twice as he took his seat and Priscilla had no choice but to follow his actions.
She had not managed to infuriate the man and watch him be helpless as he could not make his move against her thanks to the powerful backing she had.
Thus, the meeting began with everyone having thoughts of their own which they were trying to decipher to the best of their abilities.
Mathew felt that time was moving at a slower pace than usual as the meeting progressed but that was all in his head.
The Director made sure to not take more than an hour to touch upon everything that he had planned to discuss during this meeting.
Reuben was pleased with his efforts to improve the project qualities and also how he had not wasted much time in idle talk.
As he was in a pleasant mood today, he did not hold back his praise which made the Director blush while feeling proud that his hard work was being appreciated.
He was granted a sturdy handshake from the Emperor which boosted his confidence and will to work harder as he left the conference room.
The only people left inside were the Emperor, his eunuch, and the rat.
"See you around, Brother-in-law!" Priscilla smirked as she raised her voice while addressing Reuben in this new way.
These words had taken the men by surprise as they watched her saunter out of the room without waiting for their replies.