Love Began with the First Meeting

With these thoughts in his mind, Aaron felt anger building up inside his chest. Slowly, he stood up and walked to Ximena's bed. Sitting by the side of the bed, he stretched his slender hands and placed them around Ximena's neck. All he could see was red, and with a deep

breath, he started exerting force into his hands, wrapping it around Ximena's neck, choking her.

Ximena's face turned blue. By instinct, she struggled, but she could not wake up.

With cold, unfeeling eyes, Aaron looked at Ximena, who was writhing but could not defend herself, like a god would do down at human beings.

He didn't lose his mind. He could feel the force of his hands. He was sure that the woman would be killed by him as long as he held on for a few more seconds. Nobody was there to stop him. At that moment, Ximena was his toy, and as a toy, Ximena would only die when he said she could die.

The seconds were ticking by, and Ximena only had a few moments to live. A slight hoarse sound came out of her throat. Her struggles increased but they were feeble. Her breaths were becoming weak. It was not until then did Aaron release his grip on her neck slowly. The doctor was standing by the door of the room, shocked by what he was seeing. Sensing his presence, Aaron looked up and cast him a deathly glace. The atmosphere of death and murder was filled the air.

"Rescue her," Aaron said without any emotion. The doctor held his breath, frightened at what Aaron might do. While he was frozen in his place, Aaron slowly approached the door and exited, his steps heavy but silent, and his aura dangerous.

The sound of hurried footsteps of the medical care givers came through from the corridor. However, Aaron didn't care about that. Without any reaction to all of this, he left the hospital, as if nothing had happened.

Ken was waiting for Aaron outside the hospital. When he finally saw him exit the building, Ken became curious. There was no emotion on Aaron's face, as compared to the worry it had had when they had been on their way to the hospital. Eager to know what happened, Ken tried to take a peek at the hospital but since he was outside, he could not find anything.

"Go back to the company," Aaron ordered in a peaceful voice after he got on the car. His sharp eyes were overcast with cruel haze.

"Yes, Your Highness," Ken answered. He took a glance at the back seat from the rearview mirror and then started the car, heading to the building of the Leng's Corporations.

As soon as Aaron finished dealing with a heap of documents, he received a phone call from Zoey.

"Dear brother, how could you leave me alone in the hospital?!" she complained on the phone in an aggrieved, clingy voice.

Hearing her complaint, Aaron frowned. His mood got worse, and his restraint finally snapped. "Zoey Song, I'm not your guardian. If you want to be treated as a baby, go to your dad. Don't bother me," he said coldly. He hung up the phone as soon as he finished saying that. His handsome face became contorted with anger. It seemed like everyone was challenging his limit today.

*

Ximena was having endless nightmares. Somebody was dipping her head into the water, preventing her from floating up and getting air. Her throat hurt so badly that she could not even swallow her own saliva. Her eyelids were very heavy, as if they were filled with lead. She tried her best to open her eyes and to move her own body but her efforts were in vain. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't move.

After several attempts, she finally was able to open her eyes. At the same time, the bright lights irritated them. It took her quite a while to adapt to the brightness and refrain from shedding tears, something she thought was because of the lights, but then quickly realized that it must be because of something else.

'Where am I?' she asked herself. Looking around, she couldn't figure out the answer, mainly because her mind was still clouded and her focus still wasn't a hundred percent.

Slowly, her muddled brain got itself together and she realized that she was in a hospital room. The smell of the disinfectants and fresh linens reinforced her conclusion. 'How did I get here?' she thought to herself. 'Who sent me here? Aaron?'

As his name came to her mind, she could not help but laugh at herself. It was impossible that she had been sent to the hospital by him, mainly because she was sure that he was enjoying himself in another woman's bed.

"You have woken up! I'm calling the doctor," said the nurse who was there checking up on her. After saying that, she left the ward in a hurry. Ximena felt that her throat hurt and her lips were so dry and so she licked her lips and gulped a few times. Those relieved the thirst she was feeling, though her pain didn't seem to go away.

Soon, the doctor came and did a series of checkup for her. After he determined that she was alright, he left the room and told a nurse to use a cotton swab to wet her lips with water.

Ximena looked around her surroundings again. In her eyes, the pure white wall looked gloomily cold. A strange tinge of coldness suddenly ran through her spine. Finally, she realized that she was by herself in the hospital and Aaron didn't accompany her at all.

After staying in the hospital for three days, Ximena was able to fully recover. She had been here alone for the past three days. While she was okay with being alone, this time, she was sleepless every night. It seemed that the long nights became the toughest time for her to spend mainly because people were likely to become weak at night. Also, whenever the night came, she could not help but think of Aaron. During her time alone, she realized how much he was just like opium poppy for her. Once you started using it, even if you tried your best to withdraw, you would only fail. And your attempt of giving it up would only result in intensified clinging to it.

The other day, when Ximena was having an afternoon nap, she suddenly felt like she was gazed upon by someone. That made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Frowning, she opened her eyes slowly. What appeared in front of her eyes was a man's handsome face. Her heart quivered when she saw the familiar profile and the usual coldness on his face. He was standing by her bed.

Aaron bent and stretched his hand towards her. However, his hand was pushed away by Ximena as soon as it touched her cheek.

"Don't touch me!" she roared. It was not until these words came out of her mouth that she realized what she had done and said just now. She just refused him out of her instinct, and she forgot her status.

Ximena felt that the atmosphere inside the room turning cold in an instant. Aaron looked at her in a way that felt like she might be executed for hundreds, even thousands, of times.

But suddenly, he laughed. However, it was grim. After his fit, he held Ximena's chin between his fingers. It was so painful that she could not help but groan slightly. In a cold voice, he said, "How dare you speak to me like that?! It seems that I have spoiled you too much that you have forgotten who you are."

Seeing the fire in Aaron's eyes, Ximena felt like she was falling down an abyss. Out of control, her heart trembled. But she took a deep breath and readied herself for battle. Sneering, she said, "Don't touch me with a hand that has touched other women. It's dirty..." Ximena was defiant, without giving any impression of weakness, just like a leopard.

"You said I'm dirty?" Aaron asked, as if he had just heard a big joke. "Well, that was the most ridiculous joke I have heard in my life. A commodity who leeches on to me disdains me and says I'm dirty..." While saying this, his gaze became gloomy and ruthless. "Ximena Mo, a commodity has no right to make any choice."

All of a sudden, Ximena came to senses. Seeing the fury in Aaron's eyes, she felt ridiculed by what he just said. She didn't know how many women have been by this man's side, but when they had met for the first time, she had begged him for help shamelessly in order to survive. Then after that, she had accepted his inspection and she had willingly laid under his body. How could she say he was dirty? What qualified her to be able to say that? Was it because Aaron had treated her better in the beginning and had pampered her that somehow that she felt that she had become his "family"?

The sound of clothing tearing resounded in the air. At the moment, both of them got to know that "family" was not something they could have as long as they wanted. It didn't matter who they were, one of the humblest people in QY Island wandering at the boundary between life and death, or who could control almost everything in QY Island.

At the moment, Ximena could not feel anything except pain. The muscles on her face were twitching. Her whole body was starting to convulse. Her pupils began dilating. Her consciousness was clouded. She felt herself was nearly dying. Like a broken toy, she was unable to move, letting Aaron do to her everything he willed.

Aaron's gaze was still cold. Although he was in her, there wasn't any trace of pleasure in his face. Finally, seeing how much pain Ximena was in, he stopped.

He tidied up his own clothes and then took a glance at her. Even though he felt his heart was shattering, he didn't want to admit what he was feeling. Unwilling to see her, he turned around and strode out of the room.

The door slammed shut. Ximena still didn't move. Instead, she looked at the ceiling blankly, her eyes not able to focus on anything.

As the ending of that story, the multiflora rose died in the end, because the prince didn't understand how sensitive and fragile the rose was. He didn't know her life had to be supported by his love. The rose didn't get all his love and care. Even worse, he left her aside and forgot her. Immersed in the world of hopelessness and fruitless expectation, she couldn't do anything else but perish slowly.

*