Love Began with the First Meeting

Aaron said that in a soft voice, but his words pierced Ximena's heart like an arrow. Looking at him blankly, she didn't know now whether she should go on asking or not. However, people could not always control their hearts. Ximena desired to know the fact from her heart, even though she knew clearly her insistence would do no good for both herself and others. "I've always known that what I wanted to know would never bring any good to my life..." It was as if she hit the nail on the head. "But then, if I end up always wondering about what happened in the past, I would never live peacefully. And I do not want that." With her lips tightly pursed, her face looked distressed and it seemed like she was in pain. "In fact, Aaron, we are the same kind of people. We won't give up until we get what we want, know what we want to know." Upon hearing that, Aaron smiled, uncharacteristically warm and welcoming. With his deep-set eyes, he stared at Ximena, who was now looking withered because of the distress she was feeling. Slowly, he said, "Ximena, then... why not have a try? Let's set a time limit of two years. If in two years I can successfully make you forget about the past, we will go forward without thinking nor caring about the past again... Do we have a deal?"

His last sentence surprised Ximena. The unprecedented tenderness of it was something she hadn't heard in a while, and somehow it made her appreciate him. Yes, he would be tender towards her when they slept together at night, but he had never spoken to her in such a soft voice or gazed at her with such tender sight face to face.

'Do we have a deal?

Do we have a deal?'

With these words echoing inside Ximena's brain, she chuckled to herself.

"Okay!" she suddenly exclaimed. This one simple word was intended not only for Aaron, but also for herself. That, however, didn't mean that she would not try to uncover and explore what had happened in the past in the next two years. It was just that she wanted to see if she herself would be able to really forget about the past within the next two years.

Hearing her enthusiastic answer, a faint smile suddenly appeared on Aaron's lips. With a deep breath, he bent his head forwards and with his slender fingers, he lifted Ximena's chin in order to give her a soft peck on the lips. "Ximena, please try your hardest to forget what happened in the past..." he whispered in a deep, magnetic voice. Despite whispering, the statement seemed to resound in the garden house, making the blooming roses all around to shake. Caught in the beautiful moment, both Aaron and Ximena could not let go of the hopes they had for the future, something that they had buried deep in their hearts for the longest time.

It was late at night. The sky, which had been covered by clouds and haze, looked like hell, and it seemed like at any moment, the devil would climb out of it and would devour the whole universe. By opening his big mouth and exposing his sharp teeth, he would swallow the moon, which had not been very bright, in one bite.

Something then began tapping on the windows, creating an eerie, tiny sound. The arrhythmic sound then became louder and louder. Finally, the sound of crackling thunder came through. Then, after a few moments, it rained like cats and dogs. The downpour was so hard that it was as if the rainwater was just poured out from the sky. The water cleansed everything it touched, satisfied thirsting soils, and soaked the ground.

Aaron was standing in front of the window. Behind him, Ximena was on the bed, sleeping tight. Her sickness and everything they had done that day took a toll on her still fragile body. She was exhausted as hell. As a result, she needed more rest than usual. While her breathing sounded even, it was heavy, as if she was panting.

The quietness of the room was disrupted by a ringing cellphone. It was Aaron's phone. Quickly, he fished it out of his pocket and without looking at its screen to check who was calling, he picked call up and placed it by his ear. "Hello?"

"I have sent you what you asked for," Brian's cold and unfeeling voice came through from the other side of the line. It added to the melancholic mood of the night, courtesy of the weather.

Hearing what Brian said, Aaron's eyes suddenly lit up. Mindlessly observing the rainstorm that was happening outside behind the security of his window, he said in a low voice, "Mr. Brian Long, I appreciate your help."

Looking at the changing patterns on the screen of the computer in front of him, Brian said slowly, "Take it as a gift from Molly for Miss Mo." After taking a short pause, he added, "I hope I will have the chance to attend your wedding ceremony one day." Hearing that, Aaron couldn't help but smile. At the same time, however, sadness also washed over his face. Sighing, he answered, "Okay. I'm sure to invite you if that day comes."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the phone call ended. With both hands in his trouser pockets, Aaron sighed and continued watching the world get drenched through his window. Complicated emotions gradually started building up in his chest. Brian was on his mind. After experiencing various kinds of things in the past several years, he and Molly had only ended up breaking up, with Molly leaving with their son, Addison.

Truly, even heroes fell for beauties. However, in Aaron's opinion, a "beauty" would not necessarily mean very beautiful woman. She could be just a woman who the hero loved deeply.

The rain was showing no sign of stopping. Actually, it was even pouring harder than a few minutes ago. Undoubtedly, such a heavy rain in QY Island during winter would make the air colder.

When Ximena woke up the next morning, Aaron was no longer in her bedroom. Since she had wept too much the previous day, her eyes were once again swollen and were as big as two eggs. It was just like she got in a fight, and she was badly beaten. It was a pain to open her eyes. Once she did, however, she went to the living room. Aaron wasn't there.

"Miss Mo," the butler greeted her, giving a hint to a maid to put Ximena's breakfast and medicine on the table. "His Highness said that he had to go to the company. He would come back to have lunch with you this noon."

Sighing, Ximena nodded. Her head felt heavy, as if it was filled with lead. While the food the maid put in front of her looked and smelled good, she had no appetite at all.

It was still raining outside, though much more lightly than last night. Fog was everywhere because of the downpour last night, and it was making it difficult for people to see clearly outside.

Deciding that it was in her best interest to eat, Ximena sat down then and tried eating. After a few bites, Ximena went back to her bedroom to change clothes as she had planned to go out. She was on her way to the door when the butler got in her way.

"Miss Mo, you haven't fully recovered yet," he said in a respectful and calm voice. "It is too cold outside. I suggest that you refrain from going outside for the time being."

After rolling her eyes and frowning slightly, Ximena affixed her gaze on the butler. She asked, "Are you stopping me?!"