When they were done with dinner and finally left the restaurant, the streetlights were gloriously shining outside. The wind was very strong and very cold while the night sky seemed to be a little depressing, and the air wafted with humidity.
It was already the beginning of spring. New York City was a city close to the south, so every year after spring began, there would always be a period of time when the weather was like this. This year, spring had arrived earlier than the past years. In particular, this season was not one that Arya liked.
She looked up a little helplessly at the drizzle outside the car window. After a while, Arya suddenly turned to look at the man who was driving with concentration. The car was very quiet, so quiet that they could almost hear the sound of them breathing.
"Play some music," Arya suddenly said.
"The CDs are in the hidden compartment below," replied Xavier.
Arya bent down, opened the hidden compartment, and casually picked a CD out. She reached out to turn on the player and put the CD in. Soon, some distant singing crooned.
The song was a very familiar one. It was a very, very old song,
"There Is Only You In My Heart".
Looking back slowly at the night when we belonged to each other.
You are still the red sunshine that keeps my heart warm.
If I am silly enough to shed my tears, please be considerate and forgive me,
After parting with you tomorrow morning, the road may be lonely and long,
...
Even though there were thousands of romantic encounters
On my way ahead,
Even though there were thousands of night stars
That are brighter than the moonlit tonight,
At least, let them be compared to the deep affection between us...
...
She was not sure why as she listened to this singing, Arya vaguely felt an unnamed sorrow. As the song was about to end, she suddenly could not hold herself back and reached out to click on the repeat button.
"I can tell that you're a nostalgic person too. It's just a song, but you already relate?"
After a long while, Xavier's deep and perceptive voice was suddenly heard from the side. His tone sounded vaguely warm like the wind that blew past underneath the dim, yellow streetlights, appearing a little surreal.
"Isn't this CD yours?" Arya asked softly.
Xavier smiled but did not respond. Instead, a dim light glowed in his silent and starry eyes.
"Don't you feel that this seems quite relatable to us?" Arya suddenly looked at him.
Aa faint smile flashed across his honorable and handsome face. His deep and intoxicating singing was very warm and sentimental.
"Even though there were thousands of night stars that are brighter than the moonlit tonight, at least let them be compared to the deep affection between us... Never would I appreciate them, because tonight you sing with me..."
His low singing voice entered her ears and she felt a slight warmth in her heart. She could not help but become intoxicated by his singing.
She would not have expected him to know this song and to even sing it so well.
She pursed her lips slightly and smiled as she turned to quietly look out of the window. The two of them said nothing, yet the car was floating with an indescribable warmth. On this rainy night, it felt a little magical.
She was not sure how long had passed when the car finally cruised through a traffic port and slowly stopped before an apartment. Then, the lights in the car were switched on.
Arya quietly undid her safety belt and her body reached over to take the things from the back seat.
She was about to take her handphone and handbag when she noticed that the man had already casually picked up her phone.
He looked down at the lit-up screen and asked in a whisper,
"What's your password?"
Arya was stunned for a while, wondering about whether or not to take her phone away. She struggled for a while, then seeing the look he gave her, she could only softly spell it out.
Xavier very quickly unlocked the phone. His fingers elegantly clicked around, then there was the melodious sound of the phone's ringtone. After that, he locked the phone and tossed it into Arya's handbag.
He leaned over to help Arya open the car door as he asked, "What floor do you live on?"
"The seventh floor," Arya answered.
Xavier nodded. When he saw the drizzle continued outside, he suddenly got down from the car.
Before Arya could react, she unexpectedly heard footsteps from beside her. She picked up her things and was about to get down from the car when she realized that the falling rain before her was cut off.
"Go home and take a hot shower. Rest earlier. Remember to think about what I suggested. I'll be waiting for your answer." Xavier's deep voice had a determination that could not be resisted. He handed the umbrella in his hand to Arya.
Arya looked up at him without a word. In the end, she inhaled, nodded slightly and accepted the large, black umbrella in his hand. Her slim and frail body passed him.
She had just taken two steps when she suddenly thought of something. She abruptly stopped in her steps and turned around, her calm eyes falling onto the man that remained standing by the side of the car.
"You go home earlier too. No matter what my answer is, because you asked, I, Arya will always feel grateful towards you. Thank you for being there when I'm at my worst..."
In the end, she did not finish her sentence. Arya just smiled at him before turning around to enter the apartment.
Her slim figure very quickly disappeared in the hazy drizzle.
Seeing the calm and elegant figure gradually vanish from his line of sight, Xavier tore his eyes away. The cold wind and rain continuously attacked him but he stayed silent for a long while before reaching into his pocket to take a box of cigarettes out. He casually pulled a stick out...
Lighting it, he took a whiff...
Amidst the faintly discernible mist that shifted, one could only hear him suddenly coughing lightly a few times. It was quite a while before he finally tossed his cigarette butt into the rubbish bin beside him. He subconsciously looked up at the apartment and saw the light on a certain floor suddenly being switched on. Then, he got into the car and started it.
When the weekend came, Arya did not wake up early because she had worked hard until the wee hours of 3 to 4 a.m. of the night before, preparing and arranging the details for the South River project. Once she got busy, she lost track of time.
By the time she woke up, it was already close to noon. Her phone that had been on silent showed that there were quite a few miss calls. They were from Mia, but she already knew what she had called for. Pondering for a while, she decided not to call back.
After she washed up and had breakfast, she changed and prepared to leave.
She dressed up as usual in her black top and black pants. On the outside, she wore a black mid-length windbreaker. With her jet-black head of shiny hair tumbling onto her shoulders, she looked very thin and frail as a whole.
When she left the house, it was a rare cloudy day and the wind was dry.
It was the 70th birthday of her grandfather, Richard Johns, so she had to go.
If anything in that huge house was worth her recalling fondly even just a little bit, it would be her grandfather.
Richard Johns loved her rather dearly. She had not been back to see him for quite a few years. Even though she knew she should not have done that, she had no choice. There were too many memories that she did not want to remember in that huge residence.
Yes, Richard Johns's birthday banquet would be held in that huge house: West Park.
West Park was the Johns family's old residence, occupying a vast space. It was the kind of noble and lavish European-styled house that seemed like a castle.
At this moment, West Park was already lively. There was a beautiful arch at the entrance, a luxurious red carpet stretched from the door and into West Park while both sides were filled with gorgeous flower baskets.
Inside the residence, where the hall was decorated majestically, all sorts of dishes, desserts, and drinks were spread out on the tables that were neatly arranged while the seats on both sides were fully seated with people.
Well wishes kept on coming.
The banquet had not yet started. Up front greeting the guests were Layla Johns, Victoria Johns, and the rest.
"Congratulations! May the Elder enjoy boundless longevity!"
"Thank you, Director Renna!"
Victoria's sweet-tempered face had on a courteous smile as she gently thanked the guests who offered their well wishes.
"Miss Victoria is really becoming prettier and prettier. The Johns family is very blessed to have such a beautiful and kind daughter. I just wonder who'll be able to get married to such a lovely wife."
"Yeah, she's even a popular celebrity in the movies and television industry. Look at that charisma! How impressive! She is indeed Mayor John's daughter. She just looks extraordinary!"
When they watched Victoria greeting the guests, many of the wives from wealthy families were privately discussing her while Layla felt very proud on the inside as she listened.
This daughter of hers had always been Layla's pride and joy. Not only was she smart and capable, but she was especially understanding of others and she was pretty too!
"I wonder if Miss Victoria already has a partner. I'd really like to introduce my son to her."
"Don't even think about it! I heard that she's going to be engaged to Martinez Corporation's new CEO, Ethan Martinez. That CEO Ethan is a fine young man. I'm afraid your son won't have that chance..."
"Sigh, what a pity!"
...
Layla smiled as she walked up to Victoria.
She had looked for a long time and still did not see any signs of Ethan, so Layla suddenly asked, "Victoria, where's Ethan? Why isn't he here yet?"
"Ethan came a while ago. He's probably discussing something with Father in the study room. He should be coming over with Father soon, but earlier, Grandfather called Father over too. Maybe they're a bit delayed," Victoria explained with a smile.
"Your grandfather called your father over?" Layla was a little surprised.
"Yes, Mother, entertain the guests first. I'll go upstairs to take a look."
Then, with a smile, she turned to walk up the stairs beside her.
At this moment, on the wide cemented road that led towards the West Park's back entrance, a black Volkswagen Passat sped over. The brakes squealed before the car steadily parked beside the back entrance.
Arya stopped the car and took the present beside her before swiftly getting down from the car. She walked towards the back entrance and was about to ring the doorbell when suddenly, the door opened from the inside.
A slightly chubby middle-aged man walked out. When he saw Arya, he was suddenly stunned.
"Miss!"
His cry out loud was filled with pleasant surprise. "Why are you back?"
When she heard him, Arya instantly frowned slightly. She looked coolly at the middle-aged man before her.
She obviously remembered that this person was West Park's butler, Joseph, who had been working in West Park for quite a few years. Back then, he seemed to have been Kristina's subordinate.
When he saw Arya looking oddly at him, Joseph seemed to have realized something and smiled a little unnaturally.
"I'm sorry, Miss. What I meant is that you haven't been home in a long time. I didn't expect you to come back for the Elder's birthday. For the past few years you..."
Arya took a look at him indifferently before she walked in as she said coldly,
"I've troubled you, Joseph."
Joseph suddenly remembered something and turned around to catch up with Arya.
"Miss, I remember now. Elder Madam said that if I see you return, I should get you to make a trip to her study room. She has something to discuss with you!"
"There's nothing much to say between her and I. If there's anything, just let her get Victoria," she said this with indifference, then she walked into the residence.
The reason she had gone over today was simple. She just wanted to take a look at Grandfather, offer her gift, and then leave. She did not have the mood to join their banquet. Besides, based on what she knew, this entire function was probably not Grandfather's wishes too. Grandfather was always a very simple and low-profile person. Such a feast did not seem like his idea.
It was probably Benjamin and the rest behind it.
However, Arya thought to herself that all of these had nothing to do with her anymore.
Richard Johns's room was on the second floor. From her memory, Arya found the room very quickly. When she went over, the few servants who saw her in the corridor were all shocked but she just ignored them.
Outside Richard Johns's room, Arya stood at the door for a long time before she finally lifted a hand to knock. However, quite a while after she knocked, there was no response, so she pushed the door open to enter.
The entire room seemed a little dark. Arya stood at the door to look for a long time before her eyes adapted to the darkness. Then, she skimmed the room and finally, her eyes fell on the recliner in front of the French windows.
She pondered for a while before carefully walking over.
Indeed, in the recliner, she found Richard Johns who was fast asleep with his eyes closed.
His gaunt figure and grizzly hair made him look a little wan and sallow. His breathing also did not sound very smooth. His entire being was akin to a burning candle in the wind; it was sometimes alight, sometimes extinguished as if there was a possibility of dying out anytime.
When she saw him like that, she instantly felt a little sad as a bitter taste rose from her throat. Her chest hurt and she could only turn away and blink the bitterness back.
A while after that, she put the item in her hand down and took a blanket from the sofa, covering him with it. However, just as she was about to get up, Richard Johns's worn voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"I thought that you wouldn't be back this time."
When she heard this, Arya was slightly startled. She looked up at Richard Johns, paused, and then forced a smile.
"I just wanted to come back and have a look at you. Happy birthday, Grandfather!"
"I already have one foot in the grave. I don't care about these things anymore. These past few years, I've just been missing you. It's good you didn't come back too..."
Richard Johns gripped onto the arm of the recliner and trembled as he got up with much strain. When Arya saw his feeble attempt, she quickly held him up. The granddaughter and grandfather duo then sat down on the sofa.
"I'm sorry." Arya lowered her head bitterly. Before this elder that truly loved her, she yielded defeat with her head down.
"I don't blame you. Those things aren't even your fault in the first place. Do you still blame me for not helping you fight for Ethan back then?" Richard Johns's gaze was suddenly fixated on Arya who had lowered her head.
Arya fell silent for a while, then her beautiful face forced a smile as she shook her head disappointedly. She bent down to pick up two empty cups and filled them with water as she said,
"I know that you have your reasons. In fact, how could I rely on someone else to fight for my own happiness?"
When she said this, Arya suddenly breathed in a little and handed one of the cups to Richard Johns. Taking a gulp, her twinkling eyes exposed a distant gloominess as she lamented,
"I've tried hard, Grandfather... but no matter how hard I try, if it isn't mine, it isn't mine. I could move someone else or even myself, but I couldn't move him."
As Richard Johns listened to her, pity and love were apparent in his eyes. He said very lovingly,
"Don't be sad, Arya! You are so much like your mother from back then. Listen to me. You deserve much better."
Then, he gently patted the back of Arya's hand and sipped on the water. As if he suddenly remembered something, he looked at Arya and said,
"Right, I've heard about Johns Media Corporation. Your grandmother told me that this issue is a little tricky..."
When he said this, Richard Johns suddenly paused as he found some difficulty to continue. After contemplating it for a long time, he said,
"Your grandmother said that the Martinez Corporation might be willing to help handle this mess, but the precondition is that we must let your sister inherit Johns Media Corporation, which means that they hope that you could hand your right to the inheritance over."
When he told her this, Arya instantly stiffened. She turned to look at Richard Johns, her eyes filled with too many emotions. Shock, disappointment, sadness, and even pain...
"Well then, what do you think? Do you hope for me to hand the right to inherit over, or do you hope that I'll be firm and not concede? I remember back then when Father and Mother got a divorce, to compensate Mother, she received 20 percent of Johns Media Corporation's shares even though she never cared for it. Until today, that contract had never been brought up. Grandmother should be very clear about that herself, shouldn't she?"
Arya smiled bitterly.
"Arya, actually I hope that you won't be involved with this mess. Now that Johns Media Corporation's already in shambles, you wouldn't be able to handle it even if it's handed to you. Giving up isn't bad. I know that you don't care about these things either. I was just hoping that you could live..."
Bam!
Before Richard Johns could finish, the closed door was suddenly flung open. Kristina walked over in a stern and imposing manner, and behind her, Victoria followed.
"Did you forget how to knock too?" Richard Johns frowned a little unhappily, yet Kristina just looked past him and walked over in a few huge strides.
"Sis, you're here!"
Victoria's delighted and gentle voice was heard. A beautiful woman in pink had very quickly zoomed over. There was a light fragrance, and before Arya could react, Victoria had already clung onto her arm.
"I was really worried that you wouldn't come. Today is a rare day for the whole family to have a reunion. If you didn't come, then Grandfather would feel that this birthday would be meaningless too. Right, Grandfather?"
Victoria laughed gently as a lovely smile enhanced her sweet-tempered face.
Arya shot her a cold look from the side. Apathetically, she pulled her arm away, not even bothering to respond to her. At this moment, Kristina had already sat across her with a document in her hands too.
"Regarding Johns Media Corporation, I'm sure your grandfather has just explained it to you. Arya, I hope that you can be a little rational. Sign it. As long as you sign this, we'll compensate you accordingly. Otherwise, even if you insist, Johns Media Corporation wouldn't be yours. With those shares that you'll inherit, it's far from enough. In fact, you might even need to take on a huge amount of debt. We're just doing this for your benefit."
Kristina tossed the document and a pen to Arya.
"Sign what? Grandmother, about Johns Media Corporation..."
Victoria looked puzzled at Kristina; her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.
"Victoria, this has nothing to do with you. I need to discuss something with Arya. The banquet downstairs is going to begin soon. Ethan is probably downstairs. You go down first; I heard that Ethan has a surprise for you later."
Kristina smiled lovingly towards Victoria.
When she heard, Victoria's face instantly showed an understanding smile, so she nodded and said,
"Okay then, I'll go out first. Grandmother, Sis, come down quickly. In fact, Grandfather, you're the man of tonight, okay?!"