Love Began with the First Meeting

Aldrich's words didn't ease the tensed atmosphere. Instead, what he said had worsened it.

Everyone present found themselves lost in silence. Nobody dared to move nor made a single noise. If one had a coin and dropped it on the floor, for sure the tinkling of the coin would echo across the room amidst the ghoul silence. They all bowed their heads low and were too afraid to break the stillness. In times like these, Aaron was supposed to be the most sophisticated in dealing with the situation, but at this moment, finding himself that he too was lost in silence, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Aldrich was staring at Aaron with his sharp eyes. Yet, Aaron with his dark eyes did not avoid his gaze; instead, he looked straight right into his eyes. The father Aldrich and the son Aaron, who seemed to share a deep hatred towards each other, were staring fiercely into each other's eyes. At that moment, the argument they had with their mouths earlier had shifted through their eyes and judging from the way they looked at each other, a decision would be determined within a second.

Meanwhile, Helen felt awful and she kept wearing a terrible facial expression. But, she had promised Aldrich that she would keep her silence and had no say about the matter before coming here. Moreover, her three sons had already handed over their shares of the Leng's Corporations to Aaron, what else could she say to argue? Needless to say, every time she was faced with Aaron, whatever she wanted to say would always be meaningless!

"About the question, if it's over or not, does it really matter to you?" With his menacing gaze still on his father's face, Aaron's aloof voice spat out slowly. "You just want to hear that forgiveness from me, right? In fact, even though I won't forgive you, do you really care at all?" He sneered coldly and continued, "Before you ask me, you'd better ask yourself first... If you have decided that it's over, then you shouldn't come here to ask me anymore."

Hearing his argument, deep inside, Aldrich was annoyed at Aaron but somehow loved him being his son. Among his four sons, he found that only Aaron, who had not grown up by his side, was the one that was very like him, both in characters and appearance. Looking at Aaron was like looking himself in a mirror. Aldrich could always see the younger version of himself at Aaron.

Amidst the state of heavy minds and absent-mindedness of the people around the table, the dinner ended abruptly. No one left the table in advance nor did anything to remedy the situation.

Leaving the restaurant, Aaron drove his car on the night street of QY Island. The twinkling neon lights seemed to have made his eyes and thoughts blurry, making him drowsy while clutching the steering wheel. Thinking things over on his mind, he couldn't believe why the old man asked him like that. Worst was, he also couldn't understand why he answered the man in that way too. In fact, they both knew that a lot of things had changed, with Aldrich, with Helen, and with Aaron especially. Things were not the same as they were before. He didn't care about anything at all in the past now, and wouldn't just allow them to mess with his life anymore.

Perhaps, although he did not want to admit it, in all honesty, he just hated that old man too much, for the sole reason that he was not with him even for a single moment as a father in his life.

Aaron blinked his eyes gently, and suddenly he felt so depressed that he could not breathe smoothly. The heavy mind he had after seeing that old man and the fact that he was unable to see his child made him suffocated for a while.

'Five percent odds... Ximena, the doctor said there are only 5% odds for you to be pregnant again!

But what can I do to make you come to me and love me?

You have walked quite a few steps towards me before the incident. But now... You ran back to your own fortress, armed yourself to the teeth and you're no longer willing to walk a single step out of it.' As Aaron shut his father off his mind and thought about Ximena this time, his mind was racing wildly.

The corner of his lips formed a sneer, full of self-mockery. 'After I get over all the miserable past, what kind of life should I have in the future? Is a family really that hard to be established?

Ximena, if... If I want to have a family with you, maybe we can still have a complete family even without children?!' Trying hard to keep his focus while driving, Aaron continued thinking.

The car gradually drove far away from the streetlights, and the shining stars on the ink-dark sky were always intoxicating. But even if people had great attachments to such intoxications, when the dawn came, those stars would gradually disappear. It reminded people to wake up from their dreams, even if they didn't want to.

With the sun still hiding in the clouds, Aaron came to the hospital early in the morning to pick up Ximena as she was allowed to be discharged from the hospital. But when Ximena saw that he came to pick her up in person, she instinctively tried to resist such care. Seeing that Ximena had already packed her stuff, Aaron said calmly, "Let's go."

"Your Highness, it is very kind of you to pick me up in person. I am sorry for the waste of your time!" Ximena said in a flat but ironic tone.

Aaron frowned on the ironic tone. When Ximena thought he'd get angry, he just picked up Ximena's luggage from the bed, threw it to Ken and walked out of the ward.

Inside the car, everybody was silent. Ximena looked out of the window, taking in different sceneries as they passed along. Gradually knitting her beautiful eyebrows, she wondered, 'The scenery is unfamiliar. Aren't we going home?' Within a split second, she was startled by her own thought. She sneered in her heart and thought bitterly, 'Home? I have no home at all. No matter in the past or in the present, home is just a fancy hope in my dream.'

Just a few inches away from him, Aaron seemed to see Ximena's sneer, and then unconsciously, he wanted to know what the woman was thinking. Actually, he wanted to give her the best things in the world, but he found that even though he was desperately willing to give, she was not necessarily willing to take.

"We're heading to our new home," breaking the silence, Aaron said naturally as if he had said those words a million times.

Stunned, Ximena paused for a moment, and then answered simply and indifferently, "All right..."

Watching Ximena's indifferent look, Aaron was in a fit of anger, but he still chose not to vent out and only showed her a gloomy face.

After some time, the car arrived at the manor which Aaron called "new home". Even though it was in winter now, it could not be felt in QY Island, and the flowers were blooming proudly in the lawn. As soon as Ximena got out of the car, she smelled the delicate fragrance. Closing the car door behind her, Aaron took Ximena's hand, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand back from his palm, but she failed as it was held tight by Aaron. Then she turned back and had a look at him. In return, he looked at her eyes and said softly, "We're home now."

At that moment, Ximena felt a deep touching emotion spread over her, and she looked at Aaron as if she were unfamiliar with the man in front of her.

Home, a word he had mentioned so many times today. After she lost the child, she thought she no longer wanted anything. However, when Aaron peeled away her disguise of pretending to be strong and offered her a warm home she always longed for, she only realized that she really couldn't be happier to have all that.

Knowing that to resist would be futile, Ximena didn't struggle anymore, allowing Aaron to lead her and walk inside. Walking in, Ximena noticed that the decorations inside the house were her favorites, and the whole decoration style was very warm, unlike those delicate villas full of the cold and lonely atmosphere before.

After showing her around, Aaron pulled Ximena out of the house and they headed for the greenhouse. Not knowing where he would lead her, Ximena grew somewhat hesitant and slowed down her walking pace as she approached the greenhouse.¶¶¶¶¶¶¶