Meeting The Huangs

"Hi, Stellar. It's been a while. How's the celebrity life treating you?"

Stellar paused, her face radiating with confidence as she looked at them.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

A small grin played on Stellar's lips as both of the women stared at her with shock. Hunter glanced at Joshua, trying to snicker a laugh at the back.

"Snarky as well, Ms. Wang. Is that how your parents raised you?"

Stellar's unwavering gaze remained fixed on her face as she looked at them from head to toe, smiling at how ridiculous they looked.

"Hm, maybe. But I still don't think that's any of your business."

Lilian rolled her eyes at Stellar's demeanor. "Where is all this confidence coming from, Stellar?" 

A smirk formed on Stellar's lips as she mocked the two women before her. "From Rex, who never cared for anything except for himself."

She then pointed at the two people descending the stairs, holding hands and laughing sweetly at each other.

Lilian's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Rex smiling at Lucas.

Her face flushed in red, and her knuckles tightened as she glared at them, anger flashing in her eyes.

Stellar noticed Lilian's expression before she walked towards Lucas with a sly smile on her face. 

Upon seeing her approach, Rex let out a deep sigh and let go of Lucas.

"Stellar, what do you think you're doing?"

Stellar placed her forefinger in front of her lips, signaling Rex to keep quiet before leaning toward Lucas.

"Be ready."

Lucas blinked in confusion as he watched Stellar walk towards the stand in the middle of the stage.

She then tapped the microphone to grab everyone's attention and smiled.

"Good evening. Welcome to the 31st annual celebration of the Ming Corporation. I am Stellar Wang, one of the company's board members."

Applause echoed from every side of the venue as Stellar smiled at the attention she had garnered and continued her speech.

"Ming Corporation might be one of the youngest companies among the alliance, yet it has thrived in the business world, led by Hunter…"

Lucas turned to Rex and asked, "Where did he get the name "Hunter"?"

Rex chuckled at the question and glanced at Hunter, who had a deadpan expression plastered to his face.

"He got it from his favorite power rangers show. He thought it was cool so he asked his father to change his name as Hunter."

Lucas laughed a bit before nodded in understanding, panning his gaze towards Hunter, who was now shaking his head in annoyance.

"What was his supposed name then?"

Rex only shrugged at the question as Lucas rolled his eyes, knowing that he would no longer receive any answer from the latter.

"You know, if Stellar and Hunter weren't cousins, they could have been perfect for each other."

The statement made Rex burst into giggles. "What? It's true, though." Lucas pouted, grumbling some incoherent words while Rex still continued to laugh against his shoulder.

This interaction was observed by many, including Lilian, who was fuming in anger as she instructed Joshua to have every detail ready for his report by tomorrow.

Joshua rolled his eyes, bowed at his boss and walked towards Ezekiel. 

"Are you okay?"

Joshua shook his head and rested it on Ezekiel's shoulder. 

"I am dying," Joshua whined, prompting Ezekiel to roll his eyes in response. 

"You asked for it, no? Man up and finish it."

Joshua pouted, already having anticipated Ezekiel's answer. He looked at Ezekiel intently, causing the latter to stare back.

"She gave me an assignment."

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow, waiting for whatever Joshua had to tell him.

"She tasked me with stalking Lucas."

Ezekiel was baffled by what he heard.

He stared intently at Joshua to see if the fellow was joking. However, the seriousness on Joshua's face made him gulp, not because of what Joshua said, but because he feared what Rex might do to the Chus. 

"Are you sure?"

Joshua nodded, struggling to form the right words in his mind correctly.

Ezekiel sighed, glancing in the direction of the Chus and shifted his gaze to the fuming Lilian.

"Alright, who else knows about this?"

"Just you."

Ezekiel nodded, his mind racing to connect the dots on what to do further.

"What information do you have about him so far?"

"Barely anything. It was as if his information were all erased after the announcement."

Joshua pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled down the notes that he jotted down.

Ezekiel looked over and could see that the latter barely had gathered anything at all.

"Alright, I will try sending you some later. Knowing how she operates, she'll probably ask for more information when you report back.

Joshua nodded, trusting Ezekiel completely as Lilian would be as predictable. Even if Ezekiel was as loyal as a dog to Rex, Joshua knew that he was the only one he could rely on.

"Please don't tell anyone. As much as I don't want Rex killing me, I want to see how he will be able to protect Lucas from this."

Ezekiel chuckled, "Well, you know we can't do that. I would need to tell him eventually, Joshua."

Joshua sighed. He knew that keeping the information hidden away from Rex would put Ezekiel in a tight position. "But I want to see how he would protect Lucas."

Ezekiel smiled, patting the younger's head. "You worry too much, Joshua. Lucas is a smart fellow. He just doesn't look like one, that's it."

Joshua sighed, looking straight at Rex with wonder. Ezekiel noticed the clothes Joshua was wearing and suddenly realized who they belonged to.

"Who gave you those clothes?"

Joshua looked back at Ezekiel and sheepishly replied, "Lucas."

Ezekiel nodded in understanding before turning his attention back to the stage where Stellar had just finished her speech. 

She then walked down the stage with a smirk spread across her face, looking at Lilian from the corner of her eyes.

Making her way to Lucas and Rex, she extended her hand forward, as if asking Rex to kiss it.

Rex could only smile at her and accepted her hand. Lucas and the other invited guests watched as the scene unfolded in front of them. 

Stellar then turned to Lucas, smiled and leaned in to kiss him on both cheeks before whispering, "Are you ready to meet your parents as Lucas Wang?"