Chapter 9 Lionel Freeloads Off Of Their Lunch

• It was as though time had stopped at that moment. Both of them seemed to be trapped in each other’s gaze. The tension in the room as they looked at each other was electrifying, and Yasmin suddenly became increasingly aware of the speed at which her heart was racing.
• It had been a long, long time since she had last felt something like this...
• Feeling slightly giddy, she could sense her cheeks burning with embarrassment too. For some strange reason, she had a sneaking suspicion that the way Lionel looked at her now was different compared to last night.
• She wanted to push him away, but he had his arms around her waist. With that, she was unable to move an inch in protest.
• Thankfully, Serena chose to make her introduction at that moment, saving Yasmin from awkwardness.
• “M-Mr. Holloway?” Initially, Serena had been stunned into silence by the car that was parked before her. She had seen this exact model at a car exhibition before, and the price of a limited edition Mercedes Benz was something that she could never ever hope to afford. Just as she was about to ask Lionel which friend had gifted the car to him, she realized that there was another person in the car.
• The car was shocking enough as it was. However, when Serena saw that Lionel had his arms wrapped around Yasmin and that they were locked in an embrace, Serena felt as though she had been struck by lightning. She was so shocked that she could barely speak properly. “Y-You guys... Y-Yasmin... didn’t you say that you were going on a blind date? Or w-were you going on a blind date with M-Mr. Holloway?”
• Her voice grew progressively higher with every question she asked.
• Hearing this, Yasmin instantly snapped out of her daze as she shoved Lionel away from her. She sat upright on her seat with reddened cheeks as she exclaimed, “Stop speaking of such nonsense!”
• She tidied her hair in an attempt to hide her awkwardness. Bowing her head toward Lionel, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”
• Without Yasmin in his arms, Lionel clenched his fists. At that moment, he looked up and spotted Matthew in the front. Raising a brow in question, he queried, “A blind date?”
• Matthew quickly denied it, “No, that’s absurd!”
• He was astounded as well. Where did that wench get her information from? What a lie! How could she say that Yasmin is going on a blind date tonight? Since Lionel knew that Matthew and Yasmin had an appointment with each other that night, he could have misunderstood the situation entirely because of her words!
• “Drive!” Lionel refused to say anything else.
• Matthew glanced down at his phone. As a streak of light flashed across its screen, he caught a glimpse of a picture that showed a man and a woman hugging each other. Although it was rather blurry, anyone could tell that it was Lionel and Yasmin. Matthew had only just taken this photo discreetly.
• As he started the car, his lips curled up into a smile. Evidently, something was going on between Lionel and this girl here.
• “Yasmin, what’s going on?” Serena whispered to her, “Aren’t you going on a blind date?”
• No matter how dense she was, Serena was still sharp enough to be intimidated by the boss of Miller Corporation, especially when the man in question was Lionel. He was often cold and aloof, giving him a rather frightening aura.
• “No, I’m not! I’ll tell you everything next time. Also, could you shift over a little? You’re squeezing me to death!” Yasmin thought that she was going to suffocate to death. Although the seats in this car were much wider than that of other cars, Lionel was well-built, and Serena wasn’t small by any means either. Stuck between both of them, Yasmin struggled to shrink herself as much as possible. Besides, while the car was moving, she kept bumping into Lionel. Every time their skin touched, she felt goosebumps all over.
• “Oh, alright!” Serena sneaked another glance at Lionel. He was wearing a shirt with its top two buttons left undone. While he was sitting cross-legged on his seat, his long, slender fingers perched gracefully on his knees. As he cast his gaze downward, his long eyelashes brushed against his cheeks. Even his side profile is perfect!
• Serena felt as though her heart was about to leap out of her chest. She quickly turned her gaze away from him as she shifted toward the door. She could daydream about guys all she wanted, but she would never be able to get a guy like him.
• Yasmin shifted too until she was almost entirely up against Serena. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save her from bumping against Lionel.
• Yasmin was so annoyed that she wanted to die. If she had known that Lionel would be present, she would have made up some sort of excuse to leave. She still hadn’t forgotten how thoroughly Lionel had wiped his hands down after he caught her in his arms yesterday, not to mention the cruel words that he had used on her afterward. Moreover, she was also pretty sure that he would throw his shirt away when he got home.
• She didn’t know if it was because of her newfound knowledge that Lionel was her boss, but Yasmin felt a tinge of panic whenever she looked at him now.
• The tension in the car was evidently thick. Serena, who was usually a talkative person, was as quiet as a mouse now. Meanwhile, Yasmin gazed out of the window, pretending to admire the scenery as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. After a while, she finally decided to ask, “Oh, right, Mr. Collins. Where are we headed for dinner?”
• Perhaps it was because Serena was around that Lionel didn’t reply to her question in his usual snarky way. Instead, he remained as he was, with his fingers perched on his knees, looking as though he was deep in thought.
• “I know a private restaurant that’s pretty good. It’s right ahead of us.” Matthew shot a glance at the traffic light as he suddenly floored the accelerator.
• Yasmin and Serena had been sitting in a very tense position throughout the entire car ride. As the car shot forward, they were thrown back into their seats. Serena quickly caught hold of the grab handle to steady herself, but Yasmin wasn’t as lucky. Just as she fell back upon her seat, Matthew suddenly yanked the steering wheel to the right before he slammed on the brakes once again.
• “Argh!” Yasmin only had time to let out a yell before she was thrown to her left, directly onto Lionel. As the car screeched to a halt, she found herself lying on his lap, her face squashed against his abs.
• Yasmin felt a little panicked. As she quickly looked up, her eyes met Lionel’s. What horrid luck! His eyes looked as dark as they normally did, but she could make out the faint trace of a frown on his forehead. Yasmin’s heart skipped a beat once again. Just as she was about to get up, she realized that there was something strange down there that was poking at her cheek.
• She wasn’t a clueless little girl, after all. All at once, she felt a hot rush of embarrassment surge through her as her face turned a bright scarlet. Clambering up awkwardly, she bit her lip anxiously as she tried to will away the blotches of redness that were now clouding her cheeks.
• What was wrong with her today?
• Serena had been busy trying to steady herself the entire time, so she didn’t catch the events that had played out. Soon, she spun around and caught a glimpse of Yasmin, whose face had gone red completely under her mop of messy hair. Out of concern, she asked, “Yasmin, why is your face so red?”
• Serena sneaked a second glance at Lionel, only to see that he was wearing a frown on his face. Although his expression seemed slightly strange, Serena decided to let the matter go.
• “N-Nothing! Have we arrived yet? Let’s get out of the car!” Yasmin didn’t dare to peek at Lionel again. Instead, she bundled Serena out of the car.
• By then, Matthew had already alighted the car. He smiled cheerfully as he opened the door for Lionel, who shot him a frigid look as he stepped out of the car. Matthew took on an innocent expression almost immediately.
• The area that he had brought them to was extremely deserted. He parked the car by the roadside, and they continued to walk through an alley to the restaurant. Lionel led the way, while Matthew and the rest followed behind him meekly.