"I wouldn't be what?"
His deep voice was similar to that of a cello. It was very pleasant to the ears and all of them stopped walking and turned towards the source of the voice.
They saw Xavier's handsome face and his tall figure. He was wearing a casual gray suit and his beautiful eyes looked like stars in the sky, emitting an elegant aura around him.
Even Mia, who was usually immune to handsome guys, was shocked. Her eyes went numb for a second as she was enchanted.
Xavier walked towards Arya slowly with Rick and several men in black suits behind him. They all nodded to James when they saw him.
"I'm right on time."
Arya raised her head and looked at him as he stopped right beside her. She then turned around and looked at Mia and Aaron who were still stunned at the sight of Xavier. She introduced them to him,
"This is Mia whom I've been telling you about, and this is Aaron. They are my really good friends. Nannan, Aaron, this is the guy you guys have been so curious about."
She then looked at Xavier with a beautiful smile on her face.
His face softened when he saw her smile. He then nodded lightly to Mia and Aaron.
"Hello, I'm Xavier."
Xavier!
Master Knight!
Both Mia and Aaron were shocked once again when they heard his name.
Among the upper class in New York City, the name Xavier would not be foreign to anyone. They could recognize him just by judging the aura he emitted.
The two of them recovered from the shock after a while. They gaped at Arya with disbelief, then took a good look at Xavier.
"Arya... You... You're kidding me... The one you're married to... is Master Knight?" Mia gasped and she asked carefully before turning over and looking at Aaron who was extremely surprised as well.
Arya smirked when she saw their reaction. She traded glances with Xavier before nodding to Mia and Aaron.
"You guys must've heard about him."
"Hello... Master Knight..." Aaron came back to his senses and quickly greeted him.
Xavier nodded humbly and said,
"Let's talk inside."
"Mmm, Mia, Aaron, let's go in. You guys must be hungry after walking around the whole afternoon."
The group then went into Room 808.
It was a high-class VIP room with a cozy environment and a luxurious and elegant design. It was a full-service room.
The waiter served the dishes moments after they sat down.
"Arya, I'm still feeling surreal right now. Are you sure we're not dreaming? When were you affiliated with Master Knight?"
Mia's eyes switched between Xavier then Arya again and again. Then, she asked Arya quietly,
"That's enough, Nannan. Don't doubt what you see right now. I'm... really married to him, and some days ago, we met each other's parents."
Arya laughed when she saw Mia's blushing face. Of course, she knew why she was embarrassed. It was a rare sight to see the usually bold Mia become awkward.
"Do you think he heard what I said just now?" Mia mumbled quietly and stole a quick glance at Xavier who was wiping his hand with a wet towel at the moment. She felt uneasy when he seemed to be acting coldly.
"Arya, did I just embarrass you?" The uneasiness in her tone made Arya laugh.
"What are you guys talking about? Why don't you share it with me and let me have a laugh too?" Xavier turned over when he heard her giggling. He took another wet towel and handed it to her.
"We'd find it funny, but you might get angry, so I've decided to not tell you." Arya took the towel and wiped her hands as she replied.
Xavier raised his eyebrows as his eyes brightened slightly and he looked at her quietly.
"What kind of nonsense did you say about me now?"
Arya shrugged and looked at him innocently with a secretive smile. Xavier glanced at her and did not continue asking. Instead, he carefully served everyone wine.
Aaron and Mia felt slightly overwhelmed being served by him.
In just a short time, they completely succumbed to Xavier's aura. The way he behaved so caringly towards Arya did not seem like he was faking it at all.
"You guys are Arya's friends, which makes you guys my friends as well. Cheers! Thank you for taking care of this silly one for so many years!" Xavier elegantly raised his wine glass, his deep voice sounding magnetic. His eyes were filled with sincerity as he looked at both Mia and Aaron calmly.
Mia and Aaron quickly raised their wine glasses as well.
"You're more than welcome, Master Knight. Arya is our good friend. It's a given that we're concerned for her."
"I never expected Master Knight to be the one married to Arya, but now that I look at it, you guys are a perfect match. I have nothing more to say. I just hope that you'll treat Arya well, Master Knight. She's really a silly girl. Although she always looks headstrong, she's just pretending to be tough on the outside. She was easily bullied when she was little back then. Please protect her since you've married her. Don't let her get hurt anymore. In any case, please be happy. Be better than that witch..." Mia's heart softened when she saw the way Xavier and Arya smiled at each other. She started sobbing and spoke sentimentally, unable to continue.
Aaron gently patted the back of her hand.
Mia quickly put on a smile. At that moment, she suddenly felt fulfilled. She always had Arya on her mind and worried that she might not be doing well!
"Sure, let me worry about her in the future." Xavier smiled and gave his promise.
Arya felt a warmth blossom in her chest when he heard his words. She saw his deep gaze when she turned over and looked at him. The way he looked at her stunned her for a moment before she averted her gaze away.
"Nannan, Aaron, thank you for always being by my side. The both of you are really important to me, so you guys have to live happily as well." Arya raised her wine glass in gratitude.
Mia nodded and raised her wine glass as well.
Clink!
The four glasses met together and a beautiful arc of light reflected from the wine glasses, signifying long lasting friendships.
As they emptied their glasses, Arya felt the coldness within her dissipate. Just as she wanted to get some food, the man beside her already spooned quite a bit of it into her bowl.
"I don't mind you looking at me the whole time if that'll fill you up," Xavier noticed her gaze and replied without even looking back.
"How'd you know that I was looking at you if you weren't looking at me?" Arya retorted quietly and then she started working on the food he scooped for her.
...
During the meal, Xavier and Aaron chatted a little. Mia was being really talkative and kept bringing up the embarrassing things Arya did before, making things awkward for Arya.
"Master Knight, do you know that Arya loves to draw comics? Her favorite thing to draw is a pig. During our first year in high school, there was a comic competition and she won the first prize by drawing that pig of hers. Our art teacher even labeled the pig as the world's best pig!"
"Mia! Stop it!"
Arya's face could not hide her blushing as her mind started replaying the scene when Xavier had found her drawings in the company elevator. There was even an image of her as the queen punishing Ethan and Victoria...
Xavier then gave it some thought before solemnly reminding her,
"I almost forgot. You left your pig with me."
Mia then went on talking all about Arya, and Xavier more or less captured the gist of it — she was actually a very simple person.
...
The meal went on for about two hours. Mia was feeling happy and had drunk a little too much, She started saying that she wanted to go singing and bathe in a hot spring. In the meanwhile, Aaron helplessly supported her out of the room.
"James, please send them back home safely! Oh, also, get them some hangover remedy on the way back too. Nannan drank a lot tonight..." Arya watched Aaron guide Mia into the car as she instructed James.
"Don't worry Missus, I will," James got into the driver's seat.
Xavier should have sent them back, but after a long day, he seemed tired and he had also had quite a bit to drink just now.
"Let's go back too." Xavier put his hand on his forehead as the car left. He turned to the Cayenne beside him and opened the door to the front passenger seat to get in.
When Arya got into the car, he was resting with his eyes closed.
"Are you very tired?" Arya strapped her seatbelt on and a faint light shone in her eyes.
Xavier took a deep breath. "I'm alright. You can drive now. Your friends drink like fish. I drank in the afternoon too, so it was pretty tough for me just now."
Without even opening his eyes, his voice sounded tired and hoarse unlike the calmness he displayed just now.
Arya suddenly laughed. "I never told you to outdrink them! Mia can probably hold her liquor better than me. You don't have to force yourself."
"I'm just trying to make you look good, alright? How many points do I get?" He asked quietly.
"Thank you for making me look good, Mr. Knight! Well, I guess I'll give you 90 points!" Arya rolled her eyes at him as she helped him to fasten his seatbelt.
"Is 100 the full marks I can get?" Xavier opened his eyes slightly and squinted at her. Was she trying to trap him again?
Arya was impressed by how alert this man was. Ever since the last time she had won him in the kitchen, she never found other chances to mock him. It was as expected of Xavier!
"I'll close the windows. The breeze might make you more uncomfortable when you're drunk."
Arya did not reply his question on the full marks. She closed the windows and turned on the music in the car before starting the car.
"How was your trip to City New Jersey? The company we worked with in City New Jersey has delayed their submission of the proposal for a very long time. The old chairman got Vice President to meet them once before. For some reason, it got delayed again," Arya asked out of concern as she watched his tired face.
Xavier shifted his body slightly. "It's almost solved. We changed to work with another company and they want to add on another project."
"What project?"
"Start a new Movie City."
"A new Movie City?"
Arya gaped at him in surprise. "Is that why you asked my opinion about getting Johns Media the other day?"
"Mmm, the other Vice Presidents think it's a brilliant opportunity," Xavier replied absent-mindedly.
"I remember Smiths deciding to withdraw their investment in Johns Media. If it were not for Han Corporation, then Johns Media... Well, if you want to get Johns Media, maybe you can start working on Smith's side," Arya suggested quietly after a brief moment of silence.
Xavier opened his eyes with a faint light in his gaze. He was surprised.
"You agree to get Johns Media as well?"
Arya took a deep breath and sighed, "You don't have to mind me. As long as we can get the most benefit out of it, do it. It means nothing to me anymore..."
She did not want to think about it too much. After struggling for so many years, she was very clear about it. In the end, what did she gain from all of this?
She had lost everything a long time ago!
All her endurance had only resulted in false hope, so she could only remain silent and face it head on indifferently.
She did not know if she would explode in her silence, but she knew that she was really exhausted. If she continued to struggle, she might not be the same Arya anymore.
"I'm not very familiar with Johns Media, but I do know that most of the artistes under them are pretty popular, so even if they are facing this issue, they won't fall so easily. Maybe we can try to ask for an alliance and then try to find a way to take over it," Arya voiced out her opinion after a short pause.
"So, should we go for a peaceful resolution before resorting to using force?"
Xavier was surprised by how clear her judgment was.
Arya nodded. "I guess so. The company is mostly managed by Grandmother and the Elder Madam of the Johns family and Layla. As for Grandfather and Mayor Johns, they are usually uninvolved, so..."
"Mmm, I'll think about it," Xavier replied after she went silent. Then, he closed his eyes and rested as well.
The car fell silent as no one said anything while it traveled through the drizzle straight towards Maple Residence.
After some time, Arya, who had been focusing on the road, took a glance at the man beside her. He still had his eyes closed with a slight frown on his face. He did not seem to be sleeping comfortably. Then, she asked quietly,
"Is there any hangover remedy back at home?"
"I don't need it. It's fine."
Xavier turned over to face her.
"Didn't you walk around today? Did you find anything you liked?"
"I just went to help Mia pick their wedding rings. They are registering their marriage in the next few days. Their wedding is on the 15th this month, so we'd better prepare gifts beforehand."
Arya could not help but have a joyful smile on her face.
"Finally, they're marrying each other. Back when we were still students, they were doing fine. I'm quite envious of them having a long-term relationship. It felt like a fairytale story came true since they've come a really long way from being childhood friends to a married couple."
Evidently, she was touched by the series of events.
The man seemed indifferent about it, however.
"Romantic fairytale? Just how old are you? Do you still believe in fairytales? I don't like the idea of marrying childhood friends."
Arya was stunned when she heard him. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked at the man. With a grin, she asked,
"Do you have a childhood friend as well?"
"You mean you?" Xavier replied Arya's question almost instantly,
"You might have a chance if we rewound time twenty years back."
Arya shrugged and laughed. "That's possible. I was quite pretty back then and many boys liked to befriend me when I was little. They often liked to share their food with me, so I saved quite some money since I didn't need to spend on food."
"How old were you back then? You were already using your charm already! I never knew that you were such a person, milady." Xavier raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then, he admitted,
"Indeed you're quite a beauty..."
"Do you really not have any childhood friends? Why don't you like the idea of it?" Arya did not forget what he said just now and she tried to probe further.
"The Knight family is very strict. Grandmother forbade me from getting into a relationship too early. Moreover, little girls are annoying," Xavier said straightforwardly.
Little girls were annoying?
Arya was stunned. Then, she was reminded about what Mia said just now.
"Xavier, you..."
As if he knew what she was going to say, Xavier glanced at her oddly and said,
"Delete whatever that shouldn't exist in your mind. Are you planning to drive along the sidewalk?"
"Ah!" Arya then realized that she was in the middle of driving. The car had almost gone up onto the sidewalk, so she quickly braked. Her expression became slightly alarmed although the man beside her was calm as usual.
...
It was already late at night when they arrived back at Maple Residence.
Xavier was really tired, so he went straight to bed after a shower.
Arya stayed in the study room for one and a half hours to look up on Johns Media Culture Media Company. When she noticed the time, it was already midnight. She tidied up her stuff and went out of the study room.
It was dark when she entered the bedroom. A faint yellow light came from the wall lamp beside the window, and from where she stood at the entrance, she saw the man sleeping on his side.
Arya did not turn on the lights. She padded over softly under the faint light before picking up the dirty clothes he left on the dressing table and went into the bathroom.
...
She quietly took a shower and started cleaning her wound.
Her wound was closing up perfectly. Although it still felt painful at times, it was much better compared to several days ago when it bled occasionally. She wondered if it would leave a scar...
Arya studied the wound on her shoulder for some time and then sighed. She put on her sleeping robe, tied the sash and then left the bathroom quietly.
As she lifted the blanket to lie down, the man rolled over and grabbed her by her arm to pull her closer. His deep and slightly hoarse voice reached her ears.
"The doctor reminded us that we've to go and check up on the wound these few days."
"Are you going with me?" Arya glanced at him and asked since he reminded her about it.
"Mmm, let's go take a look tomorrow after breakfast. It's the weekend anyway," he said quietly.
Looking into his indifferent eyes along with his unique, pleasant scent around her, Arya felt odd. To be exact, she felt oddly uncomfortable and her face was starting to get flushed...
Their bodies were starting to emit their natural heat that seeped through their sleeping robes. Arya felt some warmth from him and involuntarily, her stiff body started to relax.
"Oh," she replied after a while, looking downwards uncontrollably to avoid looking at him...