Never Judge

"I'm glad I'm not that late." Ram said with a laugh as he entered the lounge where Cedric, Adrianna, and Eric had been resting. He came in with one hand holding Francesca's and another waving at his friends.

"How are the issues at home?" Cedric asked Ram, raising an eyebrow.

Cedric knew that family meant everything to Ram, and even if the Abads were not his biological parents and Veronica was not his biological sister, he loved them all the same. As a matter of fact, Ram only ever searched for his family once, after that he dedicated his efforts into making the Abads richer and more powerful than they already were.

"Of course mom and dad threw a fit, our grandparents did too as well, but you know how Veronica has them all wrapped around her finger. They eventually gave in and were more than happy to hear that she and Miguel would continue to try." Ram said with a shrug. 

"I can't wait for the adoption drama to cross over to the Chans." Eric grumbled as he leaned back against the couch.

"Miguel hasn't told them yet?" Cedric asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, of course not." Eric said with a laugh, shaking his head.

"Won't prolonging it make it worse?" Adrianna asked as she gave Eric a curious look. "I mean, they will find out eventually."

"They are taking it one battle at a time, Adri." Ram explained as he led his girlfriend, Francesca over to a vacant spot next to Adrianna.

"Veronica can convince the Abads faster." Eric explained. "If she gets them to agree then it will be easier for their parents to convince my parents that it's not as bad as it sounds." 

"Plus they already have Tristan." Cedric said with a grin. He knew for a fact that Eric, Miguel, and Nicole's parents spoiled the child to no end. It had even reached a point where Ian and Nicole had threatened to keep them away from Tristan if they didn't stop spoiling him.

"So I'm guessing they'll be telling your parents soon?" Francesca asked Eric as she took a water bottle from the table and took a gulp.

"Probably tomorrow morning." Eric said with a shug. "It depends on how on board Ram's parents are. If auntie and uncle are fine with it, they'll tell my parents first thing tomorrow. If not, they will probably bring Dominic over to meet the Abads for a few days before breaking the news to my parents."

"I feel sad for Veronica and Miguel." Adrianna said with a sigh as she leaned against Cedric. "It's not like they haven't been trying, as far as I know they've been trying everyday -"

"Okay, stop right there Adri." Ram said as he covered his ears.

"Huh, why?" Adrianna asked as she tilted her head, confused with what Ram meant. 

"Yeah, Adri, that's not something we want to know about." Eric said, joining in as he rolled his eyes making Cedric laugh.

"I have no intention of finding out how often my friend and my sister have sex." Ram said with a disgusted look on his face. "It's bothering enough knowing that they do have sex, I don't need a clear mental image of them doing it frequently."

Everyone laughed at Ram's clear disgust at the thought of Eric and Veronica procreating.

"Sir, it's almost time." Dave said as he entered the room, carrying some documents with him.

"What's this?" Cedric asked as Dave placed the documents on the coffee table in front of Cedric. It was quite a tall stack, he didn't expect to be doing work tonight during the event.

"Well boss." Dave said as he pointed at the documents. "These are all the companies that want to cooperate with the Reyes Group."

Adrianna laughed as she saw a stunned and confused expression on Cedric's face, he clearly didn't expect that everyone would want to work with the Reyes Group.

Cedric massaged his temples as the amount of documents gave him a headache.

"Put this in my car, let's deal with it tomorrow." Cedric said as he placed a hand on top of the stack. "Tell everyone that we are happy that they are all eager to work with us, we will take our time to assess their companies and see how we can cooperate with them."

Dave nodded as he collected the documents, before he stepped out however, he couldn't resist but make a comment. 

"You do know, boss that you brought this on us." Dave teased with a laugh as he left the room, letting the door close behind him.

"He is right, you know." Adrianna said, nudging her husband.

"Don't you need to touch up or anything?" Cedric grumbled as his wife teased him. 

"Adrianna is always gorgeous." Francesca said with a smile as she looked at the woman next to her and grinned.

"Tell your girlfriend to stop flirting with my wife." Cedric complained as he glared at Ram. 

"What?" Ram said, lifting his hands up innocently. 

"Let's go." Eric said as he stood up and fixed his tie. "There is another red carpet and we will be holding up the whole event if we do too many interviews."

"Alright." Cedric said with a laugh as he helped his wife get up for the couch. 

"I wasn't trying to flatter though." Francesca said with a sweet smile. "Adrianna is always gorgeous."

"Thanks Francesca." Adrianna told the other with a smile.

"So Eric, no date today?" Ram asked Eric, knowing that the one woman he wanted to take to all the events could not be his date.

"I think it's best to stay on Katerina's good side." Eric said with a laugh. "I know this was her decision, but I've noticed that she's been getting more and more jealous as time goes by."

"She loves you, and she wants to be your only woman, that's normal." Cedric said with a shrug.

"So do you want me to be a jealous woman?" Adrianna teased her husband.

"I have never given you a reason to be jealous, honey." Cedric said as he planned a chaste kiss on his wife's lips.

"Ugh, too sweet." Eric complained as he walked out of the lounge ahead of the two couples.

As a talent for Lights Entertainment it wasn't new to the fans and the reporters to see Ram and Eric walk down the red carpet together. It was public knowledge that the boss and his brightest star were good friends.

Some had even gone as far as creating rumors about Eric and Ram being a secret couple. Those shippers were very much dismayed when news of Ram's relationship with Francesca was made public. 

Many were shocked to hear that Ram had actually decided to date an artist, he had stated in the past that he would never date one of his employees.

So when they finally walked the red carpet tonight the reporters took advantage of his seemingly good mood and began to ask about his relationship with Francesca.

"Sir, sir! Mr. Abad!" A reporter called out.

Ram decided that he didn't mind answering questions tonight, so while holding Francesca's hand he walked over to the reporter, ready to answer any question.

"Sir, you had announced in the past that you would never date an artiste, and yet here you are with Miss Rocci, what convinced you to break your rule?" The reporter asked as he placed a microphone in front of Ram.

Ram looked at Francesca and smiled. 

"Honestly, it was my friend Cedric Reyes that set us up." Ram said with a laugh. "At first we only dated as a way for me to avoid matchmaking mothers and aunts, but Francesca Rocci has managed to capture my heart." Ram said as he planted a kiss on Francesca's lips.

It was their first public kiss and it took Francesca by surprise. Ram was normally formal and very strict around other people, but today he was much more relaxed.

"Wow, I never expected you to be publicly affectionate." Cedric teased Ram as he and Adrianna walked over.

"Is it true that you set them up, sir?" The reporters asked, quickly shifting their attention back to Cedric. He was after all the bigger news of the night.

"In a way, yes." Cedric said with a shrug. "I didn't think they would fall this hard." Cedric said with a laugh.

"Mr. Eric, Mr. Eric." Another reporter called out as Eric approached the group.

"Yes?" Eric asked with a charming smile that made the women swoon.

"Is it true?" The reporter asked.

"Is what true?" Eric asked with a laugh. "I won't be able to answer your question if you don't complete it." Eric teased.

"Is it true that you are in a relationship?" The reporter asked, taking Eric and his group by surprise. It had been a while since a question like that had been thrown his way.

"Yes." Eric confidently answered as he turned and walked away.