"So… Kelly Han, huh?" Lina wiggled her brows at her cousin who was slumped on his chair behind the desk.
The cousins were inside the VP's office right now and Wade rubbed his forehead after feeling her curious and excited gaze on him.
Earlier, as soon as the meeting had been adjourned after all the duties were assigned to those present, Wade was the first to leave the room.
The rest could only sit in their places and watch as their VP fled the conference hall as though he was escaping from a dangerous situation.
In the next moment, everyone understood what was going on when another figure soon followed after him in equal haste.
Lina's disappearing figure made those who were aware of the playful relationship between the cousins shake their heads.
Mrs. Tong was next as she scoffed at Stephen before leaving the room.
Her words and actions had left a bitter aftertaste in many of their hearts and hence they too ignored her departure just as she had done for them.
As expected, Benji followed his Boss's footsteps and walked away while the rest also soon did the same.
However, there was a certain someone who was still seated in the same place with flushed cheeks and a thumping heart as he was busy reminiscing the designs he had viewed just earlier.
'Noona… For me…' He blushed and gripped his shirt right over his chest as the room was engulfed in the sounds of his rapid heartbeat.
___
Back inside Wade's office, Lina had no clue about the order of the people who had left the conference hall nor was she aware of the only person who still remained there.
Right now, her leering gaze was fixed on her elder cousin as she waited to obtain some answers from him.
Wade groaned as her intense stare was too much for him and all he could do was give up.
'She already knows about this matter…' He analyzed his situation.
From what he had noticed, it was clear that Lina had already figured out what was going on in his mind and only wished to hear the same coming right out of his mouth.
There was nothing left to do so if she wanted confirmation from him then he was going to give her just that.
"Yes, I like her..." He whispered while looking away from her sparkling eyes.
Lina celebrated her victory by pumping her fists in the air as she had guessed it right.
Wade's strange manner of speaking and his gentlemanlike behavior had made it easy for her to grasp what was on his mind.
Now, his acknowledgment had confirmed her theory which proved that she was right.
"So how old is she?" She snickered while questioning him about the lawyer lady's age.
Usually, it would be disrespectful to ask about a lady's age but knowing Wade, Lina knew that he would never show any interest in a woman his age or younger than him.
The older they were when compared to him, the higher his interest in them would be.
"Around thirty-three." Wade replied with a blushing smile gracing his face.
He was twenty-eight this year so there was a gap of five years between them which he was ecstatic about and that joy appeared on his face as well.
'He's a weird one.' She admonished his strange fetishes but did not dissuade him.
It was his preference and she had no right to interfere in how he wished to live his life.
While she did not care who they liked and how they decided their preferences, there was something she was keen about.
Therefore, in the next moment, Lina's eyes narrowed as she leered at him.
"Marital status?" She interrogated and sneered when she saw his shoulders flinch.
Memories of an incident in their past resurfaced and they both shook their heads, not wishing for a repeat of that to ever happen again.
"She's single. I made sure of that when I first felt a liking towards her." Wade confessed to which Lina nodded after letting out a sigh in relief.
In the past, Wade had run away from this country to join Lina in America and even went along with her when she was studying at university.
While Wayne was working hard to become the heir of the Luo family's businesses, his younger twin, Wade was having the time of his life with their baby sister, Lina.
The two hung out, had fun and while Lina attended her classes, Wade wandered around the campus to spend his free time until she could return.
This was when he became close with the librarian who worked in this university as that place was where he would often visit while waiting for Lina to return.
The young and innocent Wade had given both his heart and his body to the older woman with whom he had gotten close in a short while.
However, only after the deed was done did he discover that the lady he had slept with was already married.
Thus came the end of his short-lived first love.
Upon making that discovery from someone they know and trusted, Wade was left heartbroken for days.
Immensely saddened that his first love was a married woman with whom he had unknowingly cheated, he decided to cut all contact and stayed away from her ever since.
It took him a long time to recover and mend his heart after that incident.
He was also vigilant while looking for women to date after that as he had already learned his lesson back then.
That was a dark scar on his heart which he never wished to repeat.
Therefore, he understood why his sister was questioning him about Kelly's marital status as he had also done the same back when they first met.
Thankfully, she wasn't married or even in a relationship back then and this continued to this day, giving Wade the courage to continue his tender feelings for her.
Kelly Han was a talented and work-driven woman whose serious nature and stern eyes had caught Wade's attention.
Each time they conversed with each other, he could feel himself drawn to her which was what he liked about her the most.
She was serious about her job and did her best in whatever case she was assigned and that was her charm which brought people's attention to her.
The post of the Head of the legal department had been given to her for her capability and not for his desire to be with her.
His personal life wasn't involved when he had chosen her for the post and this, even Lina was aware of as Wade never mixed personal and professional matters.
Now that Lina had assured that he had not gotten involved with someone married and that Kelly was his crush whom he liked, she decided to move onto another topic at hand.
"What's the deal with the Tong lady?" She inquired while rubbing her chin.
Wade straightened his back and was glad that she had not interrogated more about Kelly but at the same time, he groaned as a conversation concerning Mrs. Tong was equally troublesome.
His furrowed brows made Lina raise hers as she was more than inquisitive to know what the deal was with that old lady.
Noticing this, Wade decided to use her curiosity about that lady to warn her.
"She's not someone to be trifled with, Nana. You better stay away from her as much as possible." His words sounded both as a command and a request.
Wade was worried that the petty woman would harm Lina after what had taken place today.
While he was thinking of how he could manage this situation from worsening any further, his sister's brow raised in amusement.
He had just asked her to watch out and stay away from Mrs. Tong which was truly an odd sight.
Usually, Wade and Wayne would encourage her to be brave and promise to have her back if she ever got into trouble but this time, Wade was asking her to stay away.
'Who exactly is she?' Her curiosity only kept heightening but no proper explanation was being given that could quell her thirst to know more about that lady.
However, it looked like Lina would have to wait for longer as someone had interrupted their conversation by knocking on the door.
Wade turned towards the sounds and found his assistant, Kirk Douglas, peeking into the room with his head between the slightly ajar door.
"Nana, someone is waiting for you." He reported then nodded at Wade before closing the door once again.
Wade and Kirk could be considered friends before they took on the roles of employer and employee.
Therefore, when no one was around, they skipped the formal titles and spoke freely just like how Lina and Benji behaved when no prying eyes were around.
The cousins shared a look before Lina nodded at Wade, indicating that this conversation would be continued later.
'I wonder who it is?' She mulled over who could be waiting for her as she walked out of the room.
Kirk had not mentioned a name but seeing how he had disturbed their conversation, she could conclude that it was someone important.
Therefore, she did not make them wait and exited the room soon after.
Left inside in the same place, silence took over the VP's office as the man himself was tugging on his beautiful blonde strands.
'It's only a matter of time…' Wade groaned, grumbling that soon everyone in their family would hear about his secret crush.
While he could deal with the teasing from his uncles, he did not wish to face the same from his brother and their best friend.
'Ugh! Now Nana is close with that man as well!' His troubles intensified as not only would Lina leak this news to Wayne but also to Reuben whom she was now dating.
Wade was still oblivious about his baby sister spending nights together inside one room, on one bed during her closed-door cultivation period.
However, he was completely aware of their relationship status as she had declared it before him and Wayne at the same time.
Many times in the past, Lina had sneakily leaked information about his bleak dating life to Wayne but now there was one more person she could speak of this matter to.
This only increased his worries about being tormented by those two demons who would not leave any chance to annoy him.
'I should have tried harder to keep them away…' He sighed as his sister dating his best friend was turning out to be hazardous to his own dating life.
However, now there was nothing that he could do other than watch as Lina broke this news to those two who would pounce on this opportunity to tease and annoy him.