Chapter 22: Lessons from Dominic

She got her temper in check and handed the man the documents as soon as she caught up to him. He took them without even looking at her and began to read as he was walking.

' What a joke, a man that can multitask' she snorted again but maintained her pleasant plastered smile on her face, as she was now walking by his side.

What Raven didn't notice was that Li Naihe had now slowed down his pace, allowing her to catch up to him and walk together.

After countless turns and corridors and executive and privileged elevators and spaces, they finally made their way out of the company. Raven was so annoyed at this point she could burst a blood vessel.

'Breathe Raven, breathe! Smile and look pretty for the man, all the world's a stage after all' she told herself, trying very hard not to snap at him. She felt more like in a zoo...

It was his fault and at the same time it wasn't. These were the laws of this world so she would accept it. For now.

A slightly evil thought started to take shape in Raven's mind 'could she maybe make subtle changes in this world for the better? Would the repercussions be too great?' she wondered staring blankly out the window as the buildings were just blending together. She couldn't quite recognise the city, but she knew from the book this was City M. It was of course a fictional city in the book, but it was certainly very real in this universe. Clearly the book took inspiration from this city, but she wasn't familiar with it at all.

She had travelled quite extensively with her research and various other engagements, but this was not a city she had visited. She was now quite excited to explore it and learn more. She wasn't necessarily a history buff, but she did enjoy learning about the past of a place she was visiting; after all the past was always a good lesson for the future.

Determined to go out and explore after the workday was finished, she slowly started to relax and take in the sights.

Li Naihe sensed her subtle change in mood but said nothing. He looked a bit more relaxed now as well. Raven couldn't figure out why, but she didn't quite care because he was still reading the report. Maybe it was to do with the meeting.

After twenty minutes of silence, which she didn't find uncomfortable at all, they arrived at the destination. It was a large hotel, looking quite expensive, and standing out from the rest of the buildings around it. It was seventy stories high, and quite imposing in this environment. 'Hmm, maybe it has good food' Raven thought as she was contemplating her own take on hotel meetings. For her it was not the donned thing, but she wouldn't judge.

As soon as they arrived, she quickly got out of the car and walked on the other side to open the door for President Li. Dominic always did that for her wherever they would go, so this was assistant appropriate behaviour.

As soon as she reached the other side and opened the door, she saw Li Naihe's surprised expression. It was only for a split second before his cold, impassive and aloof attitude returned, and his face changed back to its default setting. Raven thought this was quite funny, he was colder and more robotic than her actual robots. Maybe she could get along with the man as his employee for a brief time.

President Li got out of the car and pointed at her to lead the way. It was assistant appropriate behaviour for Raven, so she started walking straight ahead without sparing him another glance.

Li Naihe's smile briefly graced his face with its presence. Really the man's aura was so dark and strong, even smiles were afraid of it. Raven didn't notice this with her back turned towards him, but she did sense a change in his mood. He seemed happy.

'What a strange man' she thought yet again, for the millionth time, walking straight to the restaurant's reception to announce their arrival.

They were on time, but they were not early. Seeing as they were meant to meet with a relatively small business that needed their support, she expected they were already here and waiting for them. It wasn't necessarily an issue if they weren't, but if you were trying to gain favour from a business, you would certainly turn up a bit earlier. Even if it was just to scout the place and figure out where to sit, it was still appropriate business etiquette.

The receptionist informed her that their party has arrived first and Raven's face turned glacier. The woman was slightly frightened by the sight, but quickly recovered and started walking them towards their reserved booth. They didn't opt for a private room in this restaurant, and Raven suspected it was because Li Naihe did not want to give these people the wrong impression. He did not value them and thus wouldn't treat them to a private room that was both expensive and would indicate he valued their business. She wasn't sure what this meeting was about exactly, but seeing as it was a small project, from the notes she had glanced in Liehen's calendar appointment, she would not even have bothered to give them the time of day if this was her business.

In her day to day she would work with many small businesses and startups and she was happy to support them if they were innovative, but she would not tolerate disrespectful behaviour. If the other party did not arrive by the designated time, which was acceptable in Raven's mind, she would walk out.

As it were, they still had exactly 5 minutes to show up at the booth before she would've normally walked out and blacklisted them.

The receptionist walked them over to their booth and the manager very quickly greeted them. Although they were a small party (just the 2 of them) he clearly was aware of who Li Naihe was and wanted to make a good impression.

Seeing the man trying so hard, Raven thought it would be appropriate to smile at him and thank him for welcoming them.

She gave him her best dazzling smile and said a cheerful thank you. The manager was a middle-aged man, and the passage of time was not exactly kind to him. He had a wedding ring, so Raven could assume he was married. He looked tired, but he still seemed happy with his business and was gladly welcoming people into the restaurant.

As soon as she thanked the man, the temperature dropped twenty degrees in one second. Everyone around them seemed to shiver for no reason.

Raven was entirely oblivious to this shift and just moved aside to make room for President Li to choose a side of the booth to sit on.

She didn't think it was needed to inform him the other party had not arrived, seeing as they were the only two at their booth.