Love Began with the First Meeting

Freya saw what Aaron had done for Ximena from the beginning. He looked totally different from the man she had seen last night. Today, he was a man who pampered his woman in a way that would make any woman envious of Ximena. It seemed that they had fallen in love with each other deeply.

Ximena had no idea how important Aaron's conference had been which she had interrupted, but the senior executives of Leng's Corporations were clearly aware that hundreds of millions of dollars were at peril for every minute they delayed the conference. However, Aaron had put the conference on hold for her sake, and had even accompanied her to wait for Freya at the cafe.

"Sir," Aaron's secretary greeted him, as she quickly walked towards him to hand over the documents she had just sorted out. "The senior executives in charge of the European and American markets have integrated their opinions as you have directed. They are waiting for your orders to proceed with the conference."

Aaron took the documents from her and walked into his office without saying a word. Ken turned on the monitor and the images of the senior executives appeared in several blocks on the screen. They were all from different parts of the world, and the time difference was evident from their varying backgrounds.

"Let's carry on with the conference," Aaron declared in an indifferent tone. He listened to their reports as he read the documents in his hands. He quite easily managed the multi-tasking with no hurry. "Approved," he gave the first order. The senior executive in charge of the Finnish market, who had finished reporting, silently sighed in relief.

Aaron went on to listen to the report of the next senior executive. After signing his name on one of the documents which the secretary had given him a while ago, he frowned slightly and raised his head to look at the person who was giving his report. "Stop. I don't want to hear such a tedious report. Next!" he said. He began to read the remaining documents, totally ignoring the look of defeat on the executive's face.

Time flew by and in the blink of an eye, it was noon.

Aaron checked the time on his watch. After taking a short glance at the person who was reporting to him at that moment, he lowered his eyes and wrote some words on a notepad as quickly as possible. Then he signaled to Ken silently, handing the notepad to him. Ken took the notepad and without any verbal instruction from Aaron, he knew what he had to do. He nodded to his boss, and walked out of the CEO Room.

Ximena read the note which Aaron had sent via Ken, saying that he wouldn't be able to join them for lunch. She could not ignore the disappointment in her heart, but she was not an unreasonable woman. She knew how busy Aaron was. She realized that she had been thoughtless by barging into his office and asking for his help in the morning.

"Aunt Freya, let's go for lunch," Ximena said, folding the paper and putting it into her bag.

"His Highness has made a reservation at a restaurant," Ken said respectfully. "Let me drive you there."

Ximena nodded. She walked out of the cafe arm in arm with Freya.

Ken drove Ximena and Freya to a restaurant in the LW Hotel. When they arrived, delicious dishes which were to Ximena's and Freya's liking had already been cooked by the chef, as arranged by Ken before they had left the cafe. When they sat at their table, the waiter began serving the dishes.

Standing by their side, Ken said, "Miss Mo, His Highness said that if he doesn't manage to get here in time, you may take Ms. Fu for shopping or may go back to the manor in the afternoon. He is sure to have dinner with you in the evening."

Ximena nodded. She had regained her usual calmness and dignity, and was no longer flurried or helpless as she had been in the morning. "I have asked the waiter to pack some food. Take it to the company for Aaron," she said.

Ken nodded with a faint smile. He then said goodbye to Ximena and Freya, and left their side. He saw that Ximena had changed. She had begun caring for Aaron. Perhaps it was because of Freya's appearance, or because she had been moved by what Aaron had done for her. No matter why, it was a good start.

Ken lowered his head to conceal the smile on his face. Taking the packaged food containers from the waiter, he left the LW hotel and went back to Leng's Corporations.

It was not until half past two in the afternoon that Aaron had finally finished the conference. But he still had many documents to sign. On such days, he usually wouldn't have enough time to have a meal. And of course, Ken had never disturbed him either. But today, there was a slight knock on the door.

Aaron frowned almost invisibly and answered, "Come in."

Ken opened the door and walked into the room, with the food which had just been warmed in the microwave. "Your Highness, Miss Mo asked me to bring this food back for you," he said. Aaron looked at him suspiciously, so he emphasized, "Miss Mo also asked me to remind you to eat something no matter how busy you are."

Aaron kept staring at Ken with his sharp eyes until Ken gave up and smiled faintly. "I did bring the food back on Miss Mo's orders, but... I made up that last bit myself." Immediately, he added, "But I believe that was exactly what Miss Mo meant by asking me to bring the food to you."

Without saying anything, Aaron looked at the food in Ken's hand. Finally, a warm smile flashed across his eyes. He stood up and walked to the sofa in his office. Ken placed the dishes on the tea table beside the sofa. Then, he stood back. Aaron picked up the chopsticks and began eating. He asked, "Was there anything unusual about Freya?"

"She was acting pretty normal and Miss Mo hasn't figured out anything yet," Ken replied. "But perhaps that is because she is still enjoying her happy moments with her Aunt, without thinking too much about the details. She is very smart. I think she will soon find out that something is wrong." A woman who was able to win Aaron's heart would by no means be an idiot. The reason why Ximena had been humble for so many years was because of the limitations of her background and her life at the time. But once she was given a platform, she repaid with double the excellence. She had already proved her capability. It was one of the reasons why Aaron was attracted to her.

Hearing Ken's words, Aaron stopped eating. His sight fell on the food on his plate, but his eyes gradually turned deep. He said slowly, "Then let her be happy forever."

Ken was a bit stunned. He could not understand why Aaron would make such a decision. The higher the position one climbed, the more severely it would hurt when they fell off the edge. Nobody knew that better than Aaron did.

After all, due to her secret, Freya was like a time bomb. Although she might never want to hurt Ximena intentionally, nobody could foresee how things would happen in the end. But, just as Ken had said, Ximena was very smart and sensitive. Once she calmed down from her current joy, she would realize that everything that had happened was completely abnormal. Ken figured that there was probably no other choice.

"Yes, Your Highness," he said with a silent sigh. Then he turned around, about to leave the office. ¶¶¶¶☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐