"Nice one, buddy! It's fine if you just look handsome, but you've also got crazy driving skills that are practically God-like. We bros are stunned just watching you. How did you even do it?"
One of the tall, dashing guys in a blue tracksuit walked up to Xavier. His expression was filled with admiration and he could not help but exclaim,
"Exactly! I could see everything clearly from behind. All of your drifts were executed beautifully. Even if you're reckless, that's not how any of us would have driven, especially when you were getting at the bend earlier. That was crazy!"
The shock on the crowd's faces did not fade. They fixed their gaze on Xavier's God-like handsome face, admiration filling their eyes. Soon, they noticed Arya who was standing beside Xavier too, and they all gasped.
"A handsome man and a beautiful woman! What a perfect match!"
"No wonder he went all out! If I had such a beauty, I'd go all out too!" The man in the blue tracksuit could not help but comment and the crowd laughed along.
"Is she your wife or your girlfriend? She's pretty fine! Here, this is your prize, your spoils of war!" The man handed over a gift box and smiled as he said.
Wife?
Girlfriend?
Arya frowned slightly. She was about to explain, but she saw that Xavier had already stretched out a hand to take the gift box. Distantly but courteously, he said,
"Thank you. Your skills aren't too bad either."
"They're alright. Compared to you, we aren't on the same level. You wouldn't happen to be a professional racer, would you? From the display of your skills, I'm afraid a normal professional racer wouldn't have such capabilities either. In fact, given such a car model, it was really impressive!"
Xavier handed the gift box to Arya before he shook his head indifferently and said in a lowered voice, "No."
Accepting the gift box, Arya saw that it was wrapped really well. There was even a delicate and beautifully tied ribbon on it.
"Miss, aren't you going to open it to take a look? Initially, we thought that tonight's gift would be Master 's for sure, but who'd have thought that an unexpected winner such as your husband would appear? You snagged our expensive and meticulously prepared gift so easily just like that. Master, you've got to try harder next time and please your woman."
When he said, the tall, handsome guy called Master could only shake his head from the side and admit defeat,
"My skills aren't as good as his. There's nothing I can do about it!"
When the crowd heard his sporting comeback, they instantly burst into laughter and teased Master for a bit.
"Miss, open it to take a look!"
"Yeah, I'm also very curious about what's actually inside. Look at the way they're being so mysterious!"
"Take a look! Is it some treasured object? We're quite curious too."
Beside her, people started to egg her on.
Arya was startled. She subconsciously looked up to Xavier, yet his deep gaze just swept across her and then lowered to the gift in her hand. His thoughts were obvious. He wanted her to open the gift box and take a look at what was inside.
After falling silent for a while, Arya could only nod and then slowly pull the ribbon on the box. With suspense, she opened the gift box little by little. What came into view was...
She was a beautiful Barbie doll with waist-length blonde hair, wrapped in a stunning and luxurious lilac princess dress. While she was very attractive, what attracted the people even more was the golden rose in the Barbie princess's hand!
Screaming with exquisite craftsmanship, a delicate stem propped up the rose in full bloom. Underneath the dim streetlights, one could still vaguely see that golden rose had hints of a flirtatious crimson. Its magnificence made it hard for one to tear their eyes away.
"Wow!"
Indeed, once the gift made its appearance, the crowd instantly cried out in surprise. Gasps were heard and everyone's eyes widened as they stared at the box in Arya hand. Many women had already covered their mouths on the spot as shrieks and whistles rang out.
"Such generosity! I say that the people at the club are too biased towards you! Good thing it was snagged by another master like you. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't concede defeat!"
On the side, a sweet and pure-looking girl smiled and said as she looked at Arya with envy,
"Miss, you're so lucky! This was meticulously planned and prepared by our club. This flower is called 'The Peak of Romance Under Speed' and it's a token to wish you both happiness!"
Arya was startled and she felt a little awkward. She looked up to Xavier, only to meet an unfathomable gaze. Just as her thin lips started to part and explain herself to the crowd, he suddenly tossed away the cigarette butt in his hand.
"Keep it. You drive. Let's go home."
With those simple words, he waved to the crowd and walked around the car to get into the front passenger seat.
Arya frowned when she saw that he had already gotten into the car while the crowd was still smiling and looking enviously at her. She inhaled slightly and put the gift box away. Gently pulling on the wide, black windbreaker on her, she returned to the vehicle and started the car.
The car started to drive steadily ahead again. The cold breeze continued to pour in from both sides of the car window and it was a little chilly. From the corner of her eye, she could see that he was gently covering his forehead with a hand and frowning as he lightly leaned back in the car seat.
After some thought, Arya closed the car windows and turned the temperature in the car up. In her calm voice were hints of concern.
"The wind is strong and might give one a slight headache."
Xavier calmly leaned back onto the seat and looked up gently. From the side, he quietly asked,
"How long have you not practiced?"
He could tell that she had probably been wild once. Her movements just seemed a little out of practice.
When she heard him, Arya paused. Her cold gaze greeted his knowing gaze and she fell silent for a while. Then, she suddenly laughed gently as if to mock herself.
"You could tell?"
After a short pause, a soft sigh floating into his ear along with the thin air.
"Three years. It's been three years. I don't have any special abilities. I just thought that racing was a very good way of venting my worries until... Later on, I suddenly felt like I've lost interest in everything. Then, I stopped going back. Indeed, there are some things that will slowly become unfamiliar after you've neglected it for too long..."
Xavier watched her silently, noticing that both her eyes were focused on staring ahead. Her slim body looked very frail and some undertones of loneliness and desolation were apparent on the fair and delicate side of her face. He stayed silent for a moment, then finally nodded gently. He tore his gaze away and slowly shut his eyes.
"Many people are used to stubbornly use other people's mistakes or the past to hurt themselves. However, this is actually a very stupid way to do things. Arya, do you think you are someone like that?"
His voice suddenly calmly brushed past her ears...
Arya, do you think you are someone like this?
Are you?
In that instant, Arya found that she did not have an answer, so she remained silent. The light in her twinkling eyes started to shift. While he did not say anything either, he just leaned back to rest. The car gradually flowed with a vaguely warm atmosphere and the quiet air did not seem stiff.
The car steadily drove through the clean and long cement main street, making its way towards the Grand Waves Villa area. The guards at the entrance were already different from the one they had seen when they left that morning.
However, once the guard saw Xavier's car and the man himself resting in the front passenger seat, he very respectfully bowed at the car and swiftly opened the gates. He even stole a few more careful glances at Arya who was in the driver's seat before he smiled and waved to greet her.
Arya also nodded gently at him before driving the car in.
At the entrance of Maple Residence, Arya steadily parked the car. Xavier seemed a little tired beside her, so much so that when the car stopped, he was still leaning back with both eyes closed and his breath was even.
She thought about it for a moment before looking at him to gently call out,
"We're here. Get down. Go home and sleep."
After she said that, she did not see him react for a long time, yet his brows were still furrowed deeply. He seemed like he was not very comfortable.
"Xavier?" Arya could only raise her voice a little.
This was when Xavier opened his eyes which were heavy with fatigue. He took a look at Arya, then pushed the car door open to get down.
These past few days, he had been pulling all-nighters. Last night, he was even up all the way to daybreak, and they had gone out and about that entire day. His body, which was on the weaker side, could not quite hold up. Further affected by the cold winds, he suddenly felt quite drowsy.
Arya put the car keys on the gift box in her hands before handing the entire thing over to Xavier as she smiled and said,
"Go back and rest well. Thank you for today. I haven't been this happy in a long time."
Xavier turned his body sideways. Seeing her beautiful little face flash with a bright and contented smile while her beautiful eyes filled with currents of gratitude, his indifferent face flashed with peace too. He nodded gently and lifted a hand to accept the gift and the car keys.
"The prize is yours," he simply said before beaming. Before Arya could answer, he had already turned around and walked into Maple Residence.
Arya was shocked and she quickly raised the gift box in her hand. "But..."
"Have you ever seen a man like a Barbie doll or a rose? It suits you quite well." His deep voice indistinctly floated in the night breeze while his figure gradually vanished from her sight...
Arya was stunned for a moment. The light in her beautiful eyes shifted and she looked over at the direction in which his figure vanished for a long time. Only when she saw the lights on the second floor of the villa light up did she regain her senses. She fell silent for a while and finally sighed to herself before walking towards her own car.
She put the gift box on the front passenger seat. Starting the car, she then left Maple Residence.
Maple Residence was still quite a distance from where her apartment was. Arya took a huge round before returning to the area she stayed at. By the time she lugged a huge bunch of her belongings back home, it was already late at night. She had a quick shower, prepared the next day's meeting materials, and then fell asleep from exhaustion.
She had just received a call from Vice President. The next morning at 9 a.m., Glory World Corporation's new Chairman was taking over, so naturally, she needed to be well-prepared.
The next morning, Arya woke up as usual. She got ready and went out with a thick briefcase and her own handbag after having a light breakfast.
As she went to get her car in the garage, she realized that the black windbreaker Xavier had given her the day before was quietly sitting on the front passenger seat. She frowned and remembered that she had forgotten to return it to him.
She hesitated for a bit, then put it in her bag. Putting her briefcase and handbag on the side, she started the car.
The car moved towards the direction of Glory World Corporation swiftly. Along the way, Arya looked around for a laundry shop and finally found one.
"When can I get it back?" Arya asked as she took the receipt.
"It'll be done tomorrow, Miss," replied the shopkeeper.
Arya nodded. "Thank you. I'll come and pick it up tomorrow evening."
She kept the receipt and returned to her car. It had taken her quite some time to find a laundry shop and she hoped that she could make it as she had never been late to work before.
She sped up as she thought about it.
At the moment, in the middle of the busy Tor Avenue in New York City, before the entrance of an enormous building, five men in black suits and two similarly clothed women were standing there attentively as if they were waiting for someone.
Every employee was surprised. The seven of them were the top elites of the company: the three Vice Presidents and the four Directors. They were not usually seen in public, so it was surprising to see them all gathered at the entrance. Some big shot must be arriving that day.
"I heard the new Chairman Knight is coming. Otherwise, there's no way that these Vice Presidents and Directors would wait here!"
"That's right! The Master is coming and so is his elite think tank from abroad. All of them are handsome blondes! I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Right! I really want to see how the Master looks like. Everyone said that he's extraordinary... A handsome man approved by all of New York City. I wonder what kind of woman he likes..."
"Get lost! It's definitely not someone like you. Hmm, why are there only seven people? I don't see Director Johns..."
"Where is she? Could it be that she's not attending events like this too? Oops, the guards are coming over. Let's go!"
...
The employees started gossiping and only left the scene when the security guards chased them away.
"Vice President Lin, isn't Director Johns really arrogant now? Doesn't she know that the new Chairman Knight is coming today? How can she be so late?"
An unhappy voice broke the silence. Among the group of the top brass at the entrance, a woman in a grey suit huffed impatiently.
The woman had a good figure, a sharp chin, and even sharper eyes. She looked very capable. With light makeup on, she appeared around 30 years old, but she was actually nearly 40 and was one of the project directors of Glory World Corporation.
Vice President Lin who she called out to was Vice President Mr. Lin, a skinny, middle-aged man. The old Chairman had recognized his capabilities and appointed him as Vice President.
Glory World Corporation had three Vice Presidents in total: Lin Ling, Ken Right, and Nora Adams. They were all talented individuals in the field of business and had stayed in Glory World Corporation for over 20 years.
Under the Vice Presidents were the Directors. Many of them were sent away to other subsidiary companies. Including Arya, there were currently five directors in the main branch of the company.
The woman who had spoken up just now was one of the directors. Her name was Rebecca and while she was a capable individual, she was not very popular with her colleagues. Nevertheless, she performed her job well, which was why she could reach the position of being a director.
"Director Johns requested leave from me yesterday. She's probably sick, so it's understandable that she might be late. Chairman Knight isn't here yet, is he?" Lin glanced at Rebecca unhappily.
The person who had called him yesterday was Chairman Knight. Director Johns must have known Chairman Knight personally, but Arya was always on time. Why was she running late today?
Lin Ling was worried about her.
He was the one who had brought Arya up ever since she joined the company. The girl was smart and hardworking. As she was one of his best subordinates, of course, Lin Ling would be unhappy when Rebecca criticized her.
Rebecca kept her mouth shut after being told off. She glanced over at Vice President Ken Right who just glared back at her unhappily without saying anything.
The female Vice President Nora Adams hesitated for a while before voicing out her thoughts,
"Vice President Lin, it's a big event that Chairman Knight is coming for today. Would he feel disrespected with so few people welcoming him?"
"The Master doesn't like causing a big fuss. It's fine as it is. Just wait patiently!" Lin Ling replied and then rubbernecked into the distance. Finally, several black luxurious cars slowly came closer.
"He's here!"
They were surprised and quickly stepped forward.
Four cars slowly stopped in front of the entrance of Glory World Corporation. The car up front stopped right beside the door and three cars followed right behind it.
The doors of the three cars in the back opened quickly as four handsome, blonde, foreign men came out. Each of them was flanked by two bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses.
"Master, we've arrived!" Rick got down from the car swiftly and opened the door of the passenger seat.
Xavier who was still reading the meeting documents slowly closed the files. He handed them to Rick and stepped out of the car.
"Congratulations for taking over Glory World Corporation, Master!" Under the lead of Lin Ling, the management team went up to congratulate him.
Xavier wore a casual, white suit that day. As he stood before the entrance of Glory World Corporation, he raised his head and took a long look at the tall building that almost reached the clouds. His eyes brightened a little, then they returned back to their usual calmness.
He nodded and then walked right through the entrance. Abruptly, he said,
"Inform all the related personnel that I'd like to have a meeting now."
He disappeared after leaving the message with Rick and James quickly following him.
Soon, the crowd at the entrance quickly caught up with the figure in white.
Just several moments after the crowd left, Arya rushed into the building with her thick briefcase.
It was already past 9 a.m. and it was her first time being late to work. Moreover, given that it was the first day of the new chairman arriving, hopefully, the new Chairman Knight would not give her trouble on this special day.
She sighed and without giving much thought to it, she went straight up to the meeting room on the 57th floor.
At this moment, inside the clean and neat meeting room on the 57th floor, the long tables were sandwiched by people, and the room was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
As everyone was looking at the handsome but distant young man, he was studying several freshly submitted projects. With his face devoid of expression at the moment, he caused a certain degree of uneasiness for everyone.
Most of them had heard about Chairman Knight's unorthodox method of expanding the business abroad, and everyone was worried misfortune would befall them as there were internal rumours about him intending to restructure the management level.
Now, everyone was just staring at Xavier while trying to not make a sound.
After a while, Xavier put the document down and raised his head to face everybody. His eyes glanced over at an empty seat on his right side and he frowned.
"Is someone on leave today?"
Rick quickly responded when he saw Xavier's reaction, "Chairman Knight, that's Director Johns's spot. She might've been delayed by something since she's always on time. I'll give her a call now and check what happened to her."
A tall and cool man stood up anxiously. Just as he was about to call Arya, hurried footsteps came right into the meeting room. Before anyone could react, the door to the meeting room was opened from the outside.
"Sorry, I'm late!" Arya halted in her tracks and apologized. Her face was slightly red due to her rushing.
She caught her breath and scanned everyone over. As she was shuffling towards her place, the man chairing the meeting gave her a shock.
How could it be him!?
Xavier...
The new chairman of Glory World Corporation, her current boss!
It took a while for Arya to come back to her senses. It was no wonder that she thought his name was familiar when he told her yesterday...
Xavier raised his head and looked at the girl who had just barged in. His eyes seemed calm as ever while some people were throwing mixed glances over at Arya.
"Go back to your seat. There'll be no exceptions the next time."
Xavier then turned away.
Arya nodded and went over to her seat. She quickly pulled the meeting documents out of her briefcase.
The meeting room fell silent once again.
After a moment, Xavier spoke in his deep and cold voice,
"Who's in charge of the project with the Wang Corporation in New Jersey City? Please report on the progress."
The manager-in-charge stood up nervously as he flipped through the documents and started giving an update.
The manager endured through the pressure and reported the whole progress of the project clearly. Historically, it was impossible for a manager in Glory World Corporation to break under such a merger challenge.
Xavier did not say anything and just sat there as he quietly listened to the manager's report. He just nodded and reminded him of several important pointers to take note at the end.
Moving forward were the reports for several big projects which were handled by special teams and were not under Arya, so she just listened and did not give any opinions.
"Director Johns, please tell us about the progress for New Era Plaza."
Arya just realized Lin Ling had already finished his report and it was now her turn.
There was a short silence before she flipped her documents open.
Her voice was cold and firm. "The New Era Plaza project is all completed. Currently, we're in the latter phase of observation to monitor the business operations. I've analysed the data here. The outcome is similar to our expectations. More detailed information will require further market research."
She then raised her head and looked at the cool Xavier.
Xavier nodded. Rick went towards Arya and took the documents from her and handed them to him.
He flipped through them and finally said something after being quiet for a long time, "I've gone to New Era Plaza personally. It looks pretty good in general. Vice President Lin, get someone to follow up on it and it'll be fine."
He slowly closed the documents as he spoke.
"I went to the South River Bridge yesterday and remembered that someone did a proposal about developing that area before. I've discussed it with the Vice Presidents and we think it has potential although it's being put aside due to other projects like New Era Plaza and Jewellery City."
Xavier turned around and looked at Rick who quickly passed him another document.
Looking through it, he gave Rick an eye signal and the latter then handed some photocopies to the few Vice Presidents present.
Lin Ling explained, "Chairman Knight, this proposal was made by Director Johns and Director Ron, who's been stationed outside now. I feel that their combined effort was bold and very fresh, so I handed the proposal to the old chairman."
"Now that New Era Plaza and Jewellery City are finishing up, I'd like to try this proposal, but I'll need a more specific proposal. Is there anyone confident enough to take this project up?" Xavier said and then looked at everyone.
They all glanced at one another. After some whispering here and there, everyone coincidentally locked their eyes onto Arya.
The number of resources and materials required for such a big project would be unimaginable. Many people would love to try their hand at it but were afraid to.
It was a super huge project with a shockingly enormous amount of investment. While she was the one who suggested it, it would still be a challenging task for her to carry it out.
As Arya was about to decline, the man at the front seemed to have already made his decision and took away her chances of rejecting it.