Xavier averted his eyes from the magazine to her as she spoke. He frowned slightly and asked after a short pause,
"Where are the keys to your apartment?"
Arya was startled for a bit. Without a word, she took out a bunch of keys from her shirt pocket.
"Room number 704. The entrance door might be a little difficult to open. Just lift it up a little and it'll be fine. All the documents are inside the black briefcase on the table in my study room. Bring the whole thing over. There's also my laptop and my hard disk on the table in my bedroom. Just get me these things first and I'll go back to get the rest on my own a few days later."
Her things were pretty messy and she guessed that he probably had no idea how to tidy up when he got there.
Xavier glanced at her and took the keys from her hand.
"Are you sure there's nothing else to get?"
Arya shook her head as her pale face blushed slightly. She took a sip from her glass.
"Nope. It'll be fine if you get me those. My stuff is kind of messy and sometimes I don't even know where I put my important stuff. My memory's getting a little weak lately..."
"People might think I'm bullying you as your superior. You're so miserable to be on holiday. I've never seen anyone as dedicated to their job as you."
Xavier looked at her oddly. She was injured and weak, yet she was still thinking about work. It was not hard to understand how she had climbed to the position of Director from a tiny employee in just a span of five years. She must have put in an unimaginable amount of effort behind everyone's back.
"Then, you can promote me as a token of appreciation." Arya looked at him seriously.
"Dream on! Didn't I just make you a Planning Director? Glory World doesn't encourage nepotism. You should know this better than me, Director Arya."
Xavier glanced at her as he closed the magazine. Then, he opened the drawer of the coffee table and took out a controller to put on the table in front of Arya.
"You promoted me? Wasn't it the Human Resources Department..."
"Do you think you really sat on a rocket and reached all the way to become a Planning Director in Glory World's headquarters? You've completed your projects magnificently. I'm fully aware of what's happening in the headquarters even when I'm abroad, which is why I made an exception and promoted you."
Xavier poured himself a glass of water as he spoke. He took a sip and looked at Arya earnestly.
Arya was startled. No wonder the company had promoted her so quickly. It had taken her a very long time to get to the position of Director, but in just half a year, she was promoted to Planning Director...
"However, what surprises me is how you impress me. It seems that I have to spend more time getting to know my employees better in the future."
Arya understood what he meant. She replied,
"Many big companies like to look at past experiences and age, but I feel that motivated young people might not be worth any lesser than people with relevant experience. I believe you aren't that shallow, Chairman Knight."
Xavier smiled. "If I were shallow, how could I have found you?"
He suddenly stood up and then pointed at the controller.
"I'll go and get your stuff. If you feel bored, you can watch some TV. If you're tired, then get some rest in the bedroom."
"Okay. sure. Oh, right, please get me a couple of books by my bedside too," Arya added on.
"Mmm, wait for me." He then left the house after that.
Arya turned over slightly and looked outside of the large window, watching his figure disappear outside the entrance after a while...
Her apartment was not that far away from Maple Residence. It was about half an hour's journey if one drove quickly.
James got the keys from Xavier and opened the door to Arya's luxurious-looking yet cozy little house.
The whole place had a light golden theme and was decorated with a mishmash of furniture with Roman and modern elements, giving it an elegant character instead of just being a plain deluxe place. It added some warmth to the quiet space and was generally quite similar to the interior of Maple Residence.
A myriad of impressed thoughts passed through his mind as he walked in.
"Master, the study room is over here."
James opened the study room to see a tall shelf full of books and a clean table by the large window. With just a slight turn of one's head from the table, one would be able to look outside at the world.
Simple and neat, just like her style.
Xavier walked in and looked at the shelf of books. He grabbed one and flipped through it before putting it back.
He glanced at the table and saw several documents opened. They were documents on the South River project. She had made many detailed remarks and comments on the documents, highlighting how serious a worker she was.
He quickly kept all the documents and put all of them into the black briefcase.
As he was leaving the study room with the briefcase, he noticed a small photo frame on the table. Halting mid-step, he took a closer look at it.
It was her in the photo. With her waist-leg dark hair, she was leaning back slightly as she put the back of her hand on her forehead and looked up into the sky with squinting eyes. The portrait seemed peaceful as though she was truly enjoying herself outdoors.
Xavier smiled and took the photo after giving it some thought...
Her bedroom was right opposite her study room and it shared a similarly simple and neat style.
Her laptop was on the shelf by her bedside. James took the briefcase from Xavier who went in to take the laptop and the books she mentioned. Before he left, he opened the wardrobe and took several sets of outfits as well.
"Master, Missus' apartment is pretty similar to Maple Residence's style." James laughed after he took a good look at the whole place. He took the bag from Xavier.
"However, renovations like this give people a perception of the home."
"Since when did you study renovation and decoration?" Xavier asked as he narrowed his eyes at James.
James looked down and lightly covered his mouth sheepishly. After a short pause, he asked,
"Master, is there anything else we should take? Are these all?"
He glanced at the stuff he held doubtfully.
Xavier fell silent as he looked around and walked toward the kitchen. Then, he opened the fridge and noticed that it was rather empty inside. After closer inspection, he saw some tomatoes and eggs in the bottom tray, but there was nothing else, not even a bottle of juice.
He frowned slightly at what he saw. Turning around, he noticed the cooking utensils and how clean they were. She probably had not cooked for the past week.
He wondered how she survived.
A cold light flashed in Xavier's eyes. He closed the fridge after a while and walked out of the kitchen.
"Put the things into the car. We'll head to the market first," he ordered as he walked outside the house.
James nodded and caught up with him. "Okay, Master. Emma mentioned that there's no more food in the fridge, so we probably have to buy some. It's quite late now and I don't think the Missus ate anything since the afternoon."
Knowing Xavier's rules, the Master was a man who liked to stay in. During his free time, he would usually cook on his own with his unusually impressive cooking skills.
When he was free, he would play golf or cards with his friends. Sometimes, he also played some tennis or went swimming. Without any overwhelming activities, he preferred a simpler way of life.
Xavier nodded and went towards the lift.
...
After Xavier left, Arya watched some TV in the living room. Soon, she fell asleep. It was warm inside, so she slept for several hours with just a thin blanket over her.
Xavier was not back yet when she woke up. The sky had turned dark and the whole villa was silent. The entire living room was dark as well while dim lights came from the street lamps on the cement path outside.
She rubbed her eyes as she tried to adapt to the dark environment. She wanted to switch the lights on, but she did not know where the switches were. Helpless, she stood rooted and gave it some thought. In the end, she took the phone from her shirt pocket out and called Xavier.
Suddenly, she remembered that she had never noted down his phone number. However, when she opened her contact list, the name "Xavier" was in it.
She then remembered the day when he had taken her phone and asked her for her password. He must have saved his number into her phone at that time.
She was startled and went blank. Just as she was thinking about whether she should call, the phone started ringing as if it had a sensor on it. It was Xavier.
Arya hesitated for a moment before answering the call.
"It's me." The call connected and Xavier's deep voice came through.
"Where are you? The sky turned dark and I can't find the switch for the lights," Arya frowned as she asked.
"Did you just wake up?" Xavier laughed.
"I'll be home in about ten minutes. Stay where you are and don't move around. You might injure your wound."
"Mmm, be quick. It's all dark here."
Arya then hung up. However, the moment she hung up, her phone rang again. It was her grandpa calling.
She gave it some thought before answering it.
"Hello? Grandpa..." Arya greeted quietly.
"You still know that you have a grandpa? Why was your phone turned off yesterday? What happened at the Johns family banquet? Where did you go? Couldn't you have given us a call? Did something happen?"
Robert's old voice sounded cross, but he sounded concerned as well.
"Grandpa..."
Her grandpa, Robert, obviously knew that Arya had gone to West Park. Every time the topic of John's family was brought up, Arya would act peculiarly. Most likely, he had already more or less heard about the incident of the day before.
"I'm fine. I'm doing pretty well. I'll go home to see you in another two days. I'm sorry, Grandpa."
She fell silent for a moment before quietly replying.
From the other end, there was suddenly the heart-wrenching sound of Robert coughing, then there was a lamenting sigh. Quite a while after that, that loving and deep voice of her grandfather's entered her ear again.
"It's okay. I didn't mean to blame you. It's just that when you turn your phone off like that, it's very worrying. Your mother just completed an academic report and returned home last night. She was worried about you the entire day. If you have some time in the next two days, come home for a bit."
"Mmm, I got it. I'll see if I can go back on the weekend. I'm a little busy for the next few days."
She contemplated for a bit before answering. Her injury had not recovered yet. Naturally, she could not let them know about it. Otherwise, with Grandpa's temperament, he would not leave the matter at that.
Then again, between her and the Johns family, there might not need to be a reason for them to keep in contact anymore. To frankly break off some things was not necessarily a bad thing.
She was just afraid that some things might not go as she wished.
Robert continued to say a few more heartfelt words to Arya, yet she did not remember any of them. She sat in the darkness for a long while and did not move. She did not forget that her impulsive actions would need to be explained to Robert and her mother, Arianna.
How would she explain it?
Would she really let Xavier follow her back to the Johnson residence in another two days?
Arya watched as the phone screen in her hand gradually dimmed and she was suddenly dazed. There was an instant when she could not believe that everything right now was real until she heard footsteps from outside. Then, the living room instantly lit up...
She subconsciously turned to look at the door. Indeed, the man was walking in with some bags in his hands.
"I made a last-minute trip to the supermarket. Are you hungry?"
He put the bags down on the table and then brought Arya's things over.
"See if I left out anything."
"Mmm, it's mostly here. Why is it just you who's back?"
Arya remembered that earlier, James had gone out with him, so she looked around as she asked.
"James doesn't live here," Xavier simply answered, then poured himself a cup of water. He drank it, then shot her a look. He saw that she was a little absent-minded with her pale face slightly scarlet. It was the look of someone who had just woken up.
"Why didn't you go sleep in the bedroom?"
"I didn't know I could fall asleep like that too. It seems quite late, dinner..."
Arya's eyes fell onto the bags on the table. It seemed to be some fresh ingredients that had just been bought. It must be for cooking at home, but Emma and the rest had already gone back, while her culinary skills...
Would he be impressed?
She frowned and thought about it. Before he could answer, she got up. "I'll go cook."
She had just said that when he frowned and shot her a look from the side. That gaze seemed pretty pressuring to Arya, and she subtly stopped moving.
"Are you sure you can do that now? Just sit down. There's a cook with Maple Residence, so you can eat within an hour."
Xavier then gently got up, took off his blazer, and pulled his sleeves up before carrying the ingredients toward the kitchen.
Arya was surprised. She only returned to her senses after quite a while. She had not really expected that the magnificent Chairman Knight of Glory World, and the Master Knight that ruled New York City, actually know how to cook...
Quickly, there were sounds of water swishing from the kitchen.
She hesitated for a moment, then she could not help but get up and slowly walk towards the kitchen.
She had just reached the door when she saw that in the spacious and stylish well-equipped kitchen, a tall man was focused on washing the ingredients in front of the sink with his back towards her. The rice cooker and the stoves were already started up.
However, Xavier, who was quietly washing the ingredients, suddenly felt someone watching him from behind. He instantly turned to the door and saw that Arya was standing there, watching him silently.
He paused for a moment. Not saying anything, he just averted his gaze before continuing what he was doing.
When he kept quiet, Arya softly mumbled, "Let... let me wash the ingredients."
She really felt bad for letting this honorable man cook. In fact, this man was her superior. She really could not get over the freeloading.
Before Xavier could answer, her hand had already reached into the sink, but a huge hand had very quickly held her wrist above and ahead of her.
"It's fine. You're the one who'll suffer if water touches your wound. Can't you be less restless?"
Xavier frowned, then softly scolded her and took his phone.
"Help me take this out to charge. The cable's beside the sofa. Play some music. The remote control is in the coffee table drawer."
Arya was startled, seeing that there was some unhappiness between his brows, she pulled her hand back and quietly turned around to leave the kitchen.
However, it was only a short while before her voice came from the outside.
"There seem to be quite a few cables here. Which one is for your phone?"
"Anyone of it is fine," he replied plainly.
Arya then casually took one of it to plug in, then she bent down to pull open the coffee table drawer and saw the remote control inside.
She thoughtfully examined it, then clicked on the switch.
Above her head, there were suddenly several rays of magnificent light that flickered as a piece of alluring music started to pour out. It was a very charming German song...
A short while later, dinner was ready.
The dishes were not considered sumptuous. They were just four simple dishes with a soup, but it looked very delicious and its fragrance whet the appetite.
Arya who sat far away on the sofa could already faintly smell the whiff of the tempting fragrance.
"Have some fruit juice. With your injury, it's best if you don't drink."
The man across her poured her a glass of fruit juice and elegantly placed it in front of her. When he saw her twinkling eyes in a daze and wanted to say something but stopped herself. He asked,
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"Nothing..." Arya subconsciously sighed, then she quickly picked up her chopsticks. After some consideration, before she finally met his concerned eyes, and said, "I just feel like all of this is happening too quickly. It feels like a dream."
"Aren't you someone who's quick to adapt?" Xavier plainly replied, and then pushed the bowl of rice to her, while he elegantly held up the fruit juice to take a sip,
"Or are you trying to tell me right now that you're regretting it?"
When she heard him, Arya fell silent. Then, she shook her head lightly and lowered her gaze quietly as she silently looked at the chopsticks in her hand. After quite a while, she answered,
"No, I'm just afraid that if we replayed the moment, I'll still make this choice, but..."
She seemed to have made some decision as she abruptly looked up steadfastly at Xavier, her twinkling eyes filled with bright splendor. She suddenly put her chopsticks down and took the glass of fruit juice. In a voice that was filled with a rare tenderness and no shyness at all, she said,
"I don't want to say any more thank you to you. I just wanted to tell you that I'll definitely do my best to be your good wife. We'll definitely live a happy life, right, Mr. Knight?"
Xavier quietly looked up. His eyes were still as the ocean met her bright, twinkling ones. His quiet, handsome face faintly eased as he responded to her expression and gently held up his glass too. Sentimentally, he agreed,
"Mmm, we'll live a happy life, and being a good Mrs. Knight would be the best way for you to thank me."
The husband and wife clinked their glasses to that toast.
"Earlier, Grandpa called me. My mother's just returned from completing an academic report and they want me to make time to visit the Johnson residence in another two days. Do you want to come along?"
Since they decided to let nature take its course and continue this journey, Arya did not plan to hide anything. While she understood very clearly that if she really wanted to let her grandpa and mother stop worrying, she would need to tell them about this marriage.
No matter what, they had already reached this point, so they should at least be loyal to this marriage journey that was about to begin.
"When are you planning to go back?"
Xavier now more or less understood her situation. He knew that her grandpa had been comrades with his grandmother when they were younger.
"This weekend," she answered before she picked her chopsticks up again.
"We should visit them, and at the same time, discuss the wedding. Have you ever thought about the kind of wedding you want?" He said as he scooped food into her bowl.
Arya was startled. She seemed like she was at a loss with the extra food in her bowl. If she remembered correctly, no one had ever taken food for her ever since she had grown older, yet today...
There was suddenly a faint warmth that blossomed in her heart. As she thought about his words, she felt her heart tighten. She thought about it for a long while and finally said,
"Let's set the wedding aside. It's about to be Chinese New Year soon and the company has been very busy. Besides, now's not a good time to have a wedding. I don't care about those things either..."
As she said this, she suddenly laughed at herself. There was a moment when she suddenly realized that she had actually been holding on for so long and just needed a reason to feel relieved. Now, she seemed to have found her reason, so everything else did not matter anymore.
Now, how many people would be willing to share her happiness, her anger, sorrow, and joy with her?
So, all those things did not seem to matter anymore.
"Grandpa is a very loving person. Oh, did you already know my grandpa from before?"
Arya suddenly remembered that previously when their blind date was arranged, her grandpa had aggressively recommended him, so they should know each other. However, the man across her thought about it and shook his head.
" I've heard about him, but I've never met him."
"But Grandpa had nothing but high praises for you. Are you sure you've never met my grandpa?"
Arya looked a little suspiciously at him, but when she saw that he looked serious and thoughtful, she could not help but say,
"I still feel like there's something odd about you two."
"If you really insist on some sort of connection, then I can tell you that previously in France, I did have some business relations with your grandpa. Although I've never met the man himself, now he seems to have become my grandpa too. This relationship would clearly be more of substance then," Xavier answered.
He thought about it and added, "Wait till your injury has recovered further, then I'll bring you back to the old Knights residence. I'm sure they will be very satisfied with you. Let's eat."
Arya's fair little face was vaguely surprised. She analyzed him from the side before silently lowering her head to eat.
Arya never would have thought that a man's culinary skills could be this impressive. She had just taken a bite of the scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes when she could not help but gobble it all up. Across her, Xavier kept adding food to her bowl. but she did not even pretend and just accepted it all.
When the meal was over, she had guzzled more than half of the food. She had eaten two whole bowls – an amount shocking even to herself.
"Did you specialize in culinary?" Arya put her chopsticks down with satisfaction and asked.
She felt that his skills were even better than her mother, Arianna's. Realizing how almost all the plates on the table were cleaned by her, her elegant face could not help but reveal two faint clouds of scarlet spots.
Xavier thoughtfully looked at the plates and then turned to her. He did not miss the way she looked all embarrassed and he laughed softly.
"When I'm free, I sometimes try my hand at it to pass the time, but I couldn't tell that you actually had the potential to upgrade to a foodie."
...
This book is only an adaptation.
Credits goes to the real author and translator.
Author: Ms. Bei Chuan Yun Shang Jin