Her eyes twinkled like the stars, and she shrugged. "I'm just curious."
"Do you think that your Mr. Knight is the kind of person who goes to such places?" Xavier looked at her thoughtfully.
"Then, why did you say that you've seen Victoria in a nightclub in New York?" She lifted a hand to gather her messy hair as she asked disapprovingly.
"I just said that I seemed to have. It's been so long. How would I remember whether I've been there or if I've seen her?"
"How despicable!"
As she listened to him, Arya's beautiful face could not help but flash with a faint ripple, yet her eyes filled with a warm light. She looked down at his large hand that cupped the back of her hand.
"You didn't hurt your shoulder injury, did you?" Xavier did not bicker with her further. He just asked her softly as he leaned towards her, yet she just turned her head away and looked out the window. She answered plainly,
"It's fine!"
He laughed and without saying anything anymore, he just sped up.
The car sped all the way to Grand Waves Villa area as Arya stared out of the car window. The sky was also gradually turning dark outside. When they drove past the supermarket near the Grand Waves Villa area, Xavier finally stopped the car. She figured that she had to make a trip to the supermarket too.
There were many people in the supermarket since everyone was preparing to purchase New Year goods. All the hampers and gifts on display filled one's eyes with glitter. They had just walked through the supermarket entrance when piles of festive items greeted their sight.
Xavier frowned slightly as he watched Arya get the trolley. He fell silent for a moment before walking over.
Arya watched as he took the trolley over from her, his handsome brows furrowing. Then, he turned to look at her, his gaze as clear as autumn water. She could not help but ask,
"For someone as prestigious as you, is it your first time in the supermarket?"
Nevertheless, Xavier gazed at her as if he wondered if she was a moron.
"Did you think that all the yummy food you ate at home before this had flown into the refrigerator by themselves?"
"Mr. Knight, I notice that you have a bad habit — you keep attacking me with your speech and your tone is very unfriendly like a military instructor treating his troops. In fact, don't think that I don't know. Those ingredients were all bought by either James or Rick..." Arya smiled as she glanced at him.
His long arms circled and then held her by the shoulders. He pushed the trolley with one hand and smiled, not bothering to defend himself.
"If I really were a military instructor, I would've removed you by now. With your attitude, I'd give you 50 points at the most for your total assessment score."
"Why don't you just give me 60? In fact, don't you know that giving 59 points is even more savage than giving 50?" Arya raised her brows and looked puzzledly at him.
"Because 59 points will make you guys remember more. Did you think that this score was simply given out?"
...
A while after, Arya had already tossed a bunch of things into her trolley, but Mr. Knight had put a lot of things back from behind her. The reasoning was simple: no taking junk food that allayed one's hunger!
No wonder this woman was so skinny.
Now that he thought about it, if a person lived alone, they would usually be more carefree, especially the working class. When they were usually hungry for a meal, they would eat the next meal. Sometimes if they were too tired when they reached home after work, they would lie on the bed and wake up to the start of a new day.
Even though Xavier came from a prestigious family, it was obvious that Michael and the rest did not raise him like a prince. On the contrary, after he entered high school, the family did not give him anymore allowance. The old fellows from the Brown family and the William family had discussed and agreed to all do the same. Jacob and Daniel were raised like that too. After that, they were even sent off to a military academy where their days were pretty arduous.
The three buddies had hustled for a livelihood before, so they knew the feeling extremely well.
Now, all of it was different...
"Don't eat these things anymore. Otherwise, why do you think we got married for?"
His deep yet sensitive voice suddenly echoed. Under Arya's shocked gaze, he reached out to take over the hardtack in her hand and put it back onto the shelf.
Seeing her empty hands, Arya was stumped and her twinkling eyes suddenly flashed with a faint light. A sense of ease ran through her indifferent face as she looked at him, then quietly lowered her eyes.
Yes, she was used to it...
Every time she shopped at the supermarket, she would stop at these items out of habit — hardtack, instant noodles, or food like frozen dumplings...
She fell silent for a moment. After thinking about it, she then suddenly felt a little pained in her heart. As she blinked, there was an instance when she could not help but be slightly moved by his attentive consideration.
"Have you eaten these things too, Mr. Knight?" She turned over and walked ahead as she calmly asked him.
"When I was serving in the army, I'd always eat late at night with Jacob and Daniel. Nothing feels more familiar than seeing them even though it doesn't taste great," he answered very calmly.
She always thought that he should be the same as Ethan, or even lived better than Ethan. The latter had lived like a prince since he was young and was still living the way a master did. She did not expect him to be like her and she believed that he needed to be thrown into this cruel society to improve himself and settle...
She suddenly remembered something that her grandpa, Robert, had said to her.
Arya, true growth requires going through the grind of society and years of settling. A true relationship is like that too. It needs to go through time's wear and tear, accumulating and settling, before it can truly blossom and bear fruit.
...
She thought about it, and then suddenly smiled. She abruptly turned to him.
"Actually, I don't like to eat these things either."
Her bright and moving smiled entered his sight, making him suddenly feel soft in the heart. His usual apathy for everything seemed to carry some faint warmth. When he thought about the endless decades that he would continue to journey on with her, there was a faint joy in his eyes.
This feeling felt pretty solid and he decided that he quite liked this new life.
When they walked out of the supermarket with huge bags of groceries, it was already close to five in the evening. The warm sun on the horizon had gradually dimmed and it was not as warm as it had been earlier.
They put the things in the back seat, and then the husband and wife got into the car.
Xavier was about to start the car when suddenly he heard a little girl speak up in a crisp voice,
"Big brother, buy a bouquet of roses for Sister!"
When he heard her, Xavier wound his car window down and looked out. Indeed, he saw a very adorable little girl holding a flower basket, standing not too far away from his car and smiling at him. The flower basket was filled with tender and alluring red roses which were very beautiful.
He smiled, then waved to the girl, indicating for her to go over.
The little girl ran over very quickly.
He took out a few crimson notes from his wallet and handed it to the girl while saying softly,
"Is this enough to buy all your flowers?"
The little girl nodded before she quickly put all the roses in her basket together and made a simple and imperfect huge bouquet. Then, she handed it to Xavier...
"These flowers look pretty. Do all you women like these sort of things?" As he said this, he passed the bouquet to Arya.
Arya's brows raised. She took one look at the bouquet in full bloom, then her eyes fell onto his handsome face.
"I don't know about other people, but the more I look at it, I find that I do quite like it!"
She accepted the flowers and lowered her head to smell them.
"Coincidentally, the blue rose in the vase at home has withered. I'll put these in the vase when we get back. I keep feeling like the house feels livelier when we decorate it with little things like this. What do you think, Mr. Knight?"
"The Missus is right. Let's go home. The two of them are probably rushing over soon." Then, he started the car.
Soon, the car that was draped with a gentle golden radiance of the setting sun sped towards the Grand Waves Villa area, bringing with it the delight of returning late.
Some things quietly changed just like that with the wash of time. Just as the sunset that gradually changed with the horizon, after the sunset, what came after would be the magnificent sky of stars...
...
After they returned to Maple Residence, the husband and wife did not rest. Drinking a glass of water, Arya followed Xavier into the kitchen and helped him out.
"Mr. Knight, is this little water enough for the rice?" She brought the pot over and asked Xavier who was busy cutting the vegetables.
Xavier looked from the side and took over the pot to pour away some of the water. "There's too much. Mmm, it's fine now. Go play some music."
Then, he plugged the pot in to cook.
When the man cooked, he liked listening to relaxing music. She had asked him about it before and he said that cooking was a relaxing pleasure. Of course, he wanted to increase the quality of his pleasure.
He had a bunch of nonsensical logic. Sometimes she felt like he was just used to living like an old man. He was also so unhurried. Cooking just one meal would always take him more than an hour such as that soup he had stewed a few days ago. Being in the mood and having the time, he stewed it for quite a few hours...
"Which CD to play?" She gave him a look and took the towel he handed to wipe her wet hands as she asked.
"You decide. They're all the same genre," he just said and continued cutting his potato slices.
She put the towel aside and walked out. A while after that, a piece of relaxing and alluring music started floating throughout the villa.
It was a very, very old Oscar hit which sounded pretty mellow and quite encouraging.
Say you, say me...
When she returned to the kitchen and saw his busy figure, she suddenly could not help request,
"Mr. Knight, can you make that steak with honey sauce? That one's quite nice."
"Mmm, I'll make it for you later," he answered calmly, his soft and gentle tone like a father coaxing a gluttonous little girl.
"You've been eating this dish for the past few days. Haven't you gotten tired of it?"
She smiled cheerfully and walked over to say softly,
"This is my most honest approval of your culinary skills. Shouldn't you be happy?"
"Missus, your approval is too cheap." He chuckled before putting the shredded potato on the plate. At that moment, the doorbell outside buzzed.
Arya subconsciously raised her brows and looked at him, thinking that it must be those two buddies he mentioned who had arrived. She could not help but be a little nervous. In the meanwhile, he just took the towel to wipe his hands, looking calm as usual.
"They're probably here. Let's go out to take a look."
Then, he walked towards the door as she quietly watched his back. A while after that, she followed him.
The sky had already darkened outside at this point and the streetlights outside the villa had already automatically lit up. The dim yellow light warmly blanketed the floor.
Xavier switched the living room light on and the bright and warm lights instantly filled the whole house. He subconsciously slowed down to wait until Arya had caught up, then he continued picking up his pace to walk ahead.
"The two of them are pretty easy to talk to. Since you're a woman, they can only let you be. If they ask you anything and you find them going overboard, just nod or shake your head. It's fine. Don't be so dumb," Xavier reminded his lady Arya as he strolled slowly.
"Mr. Knight, are you worried that I'm going to be taken advantage of?" Arya who walked beside him suddenly turned to look at him and smiled calmly.
"I was just worried that not only will you be embarrassing, but that you'll embarrass me too." Xavier shot her a look.
"Missus, your husband's image will rely on you to hold up today. I don't hope that you will be in high spirits or be a killer. Just be normal. What are you nervous for?"
Just as Arya wanted to ask something, the man had already walked over with huge strides and pressed the switch at the door. With a click, the tightly closed door ahead finally opened slowly.
What entered her sight was a domineering and flashy Range Rover. With one look, she knew it was Jacob's signature car. This fellow had been advised many times by the old revolutionaries at home about this car. They had even organized many sessions for criticizing him. Lastly, unable to handle being a traitor, he confessed that he had gotten it from Xavier and had even signed a letter of indebtedness with Xavier, causing the latter to be criticized by the Brown family elders on an international call!
Among the three buddies, Master Daniel and Xavier were both in the gentle and calm party. Their manners were graceful, and they preferred to be reserved and low-profile while Jacob was the steadfast, domineering type. He looked a little imposing, but it could also be because of his profession.
However, Xavier and Daniel knew Jacob's personality. Among the buddies, the one who fooled around the most was him and Daniel second. If he wanted to go wild, he was not bad at all, but Xavier was quieter instead. He was mild-tempered, but he definitely would not make things awkward because his dry humor could quickly liven up the atmosphere.
The three buddies had been playmates since they were young, so naturally, their relationship was extraordinary.
"Master! Missus!" James's voice greeted. Arya looked up and saw James walking over wearing a black tuxedo.
Usually, the buddies' dinners did not leave James out. To them, he was one of their good friends as well, so Xavier had let him attend.
Arya nodded. At that moment, James handed a folder and a very nicely packaged gift box to Arya.
"Missus, Mayor Johns made Rick take this for you. Since I was coming over, I thought I'd bring it along."
When she heard him, Arya was startled and she looked down at the items before her. Then, she remembered Benjamin's words. He did say that he had some things for her to take for her mother, Arianna.
That afternoon, after she left with Xavier, she did not think about it anymore. Now, she wondered what became of Ethan and Victoria's engagement banquet in the end.
James seemed to know what Arya was thinking, so he continued,
"Missus, the engagement ceremony ended earlier with the reason that Victoria was unwell at last. Mayor Johns had already left New York City with a plan tonight, so these..."
Arya looked on with mixed emotions in her eyes at the items. Just as she was hesitating about whether or not to take them, the man beside her suddenly said softly,
"Bring it to the study room."
"Yes, Master!"
The instant Xavier said that, James brought the items into the villa. Behind them came the sound of a car door closing.
Arya very quickly snapped out of it. She thought about how she was going to call the Johnson residence after dinner later, but now she had to receive her guests first.
As she thought about this, she breathed in slightly, and then looked up at the sound. Two tall and lofty figures instantly entered their sight.
One wore a tailored metallic grey tuxedo, while the other wore a silver-gray mid-length windbreaker. The two of them were elusive, handsome guys.
The one in the metallic grey suit was elegant in aura besides being handsome and refined. He was Daniel and was no stranger to Arya. Previously, at a certain banquet, she had seen him before.
The other was steadfast and attractive. He looked quite easy-going as he carried an indescribable imposing manner. He should be the important and highly-positioned Master Brown!
The two of them walked in through the door one after another. When they saw Arya before Xavier, the two of them stopped in their steps.
"It's quite hard to even see you. How many times have the both of us called you only to be told off by you? You even told James to tell us to prepare generous gifts. What are you going on about?" Jacob stood firm when he immediately frowned and asked.
"I'm very curious about what you mean by having us prepare generous gifts too. I asked James, and even he was mysterious about it!" The instant Jacob finished, Daniel's voice echoed.
Xavier looked indifferent. Some light shifted in his eyes as he asked,
"Does that mean that you've prepared your generous gifts?"
"That will depend on what you're up to... Whether it's befitting of the generous gifts that we've put together with great care." Jacob and Daniel exchanged a look before they silently nodded and looked together at Xavier.
Xavier smiled. Suddenly turning to his side, he pulled Arya who stood behind him out. His long arms gently circled her shoulders and his deep and sensitive voice was heard.
"This is Jacob. You should know him. This is Daniel, the Master Williams that you guys always discuss."
Xavier pointed at the two of them and introduced them to Arya.
Then, he looked at Jacob and Daniel to say,
"This is Arya, my wife, your younger brother's wife or your sister-in-law."
When he said this, Jacob and Daniel were stumped for words. The two instantly looked like they had been struck by lightning. Their eyes flew wide and they suddenly unknowingly looked around. A while after that, their eyes stopped on Arya before them.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Arya," Arya very amiably and appropriately greeted them as she spoke lightly.
When they heard her voice, Jacob and Daniel snapped back to reality as they stared at Arya. Then, their eyes fell onto Xavier who remained calm.
"Aren't you planning to explain anything?" Jacob frowned and asked.
"What's there to explain? We're married," Xavier plainly said and then turned to indicate for them to go in.
"Arya? Director Johns? Glory World's Director Johns?"
At this moment, Daniel vaguely recalled Arya. He did remember her and seemed to have heard that she was a director at Glory World who Elder Knight recognized.
"Wow, Xavier! You've become the hare that eats grass by its burrow!"
The buddies had been playing together since they were young. Just one look at each other and they easily knew what each other meant, so when Daniel said this, Jacob immediately responded,
"Let's go in first. It's quite cold outside."
Xavier was unperturbed as he looked at the two of them. Then, he pulled Arya along and turned to walk into the villa, quickly closing the door behind them.
He had just walked into the villa when he let go of Arya and said,
"Go to the store and choose a few bottles of wine."
Arya looked up at him, then at Jacob and Daniel who were still in shock. She thought about it, then nodded and quietly walked towards the storeroom.
Xavier watched her figure vanish past the door. He turned to the duo who had already taken off their coats and changed their shoes. Without saying anything, he just returned to the kitchen.
Jacob and Daniel exchanged a look, then they followed after him.
In the spacious kitchen, Xavier was working on the steak with honey sauce that Arya had requested. Jacob and Daniel were also helping out with the other dishes. Even though their culinary skills were not on par with Xavier's, they were usually used to being well-fed and clothed by themselves. Contrary to popular belief, they did not have any harmful habits of rich sons of capitalists or government officials.
As Daniel washed the ingredients, he looked at Xavier from the side and could not help but comment,
"Why did you get married so suddenly? Even if your family pressured you, you don't seem to be the kind that would simply compromise. It's been so many years. I haven't seen them really be able to control you."
"He is definitely crazy, Daniel. I'm telling you, I've always thought that even when our two children can goof off together, he might not even be married. I mean, has he been interested in any women all these years? The bros don't even know how he got through all those years," Jacob voiced out.
"His brain was always filled with different things compared to everyone else. Who knows what he's thinking about again?"
Daniel shook his head as he looked at Xavier and laughed.
"But this Arya seems pretty impressive. She fits your taste in women. Even if you don't want to explain, we buddies are too lazy to ask. As long as you're satisfied, you're the one who has to bear all of this anyway."
"No wonder you keep saying you're busy. It turns out that you're busy with your wife at home! But what are you actually thinking? Why did you get married without saying a word? You're only 30, man. 30! We haven't even messed around enough and you're married. You've really gone mad!"
Jacob handed the plate to Xavier in a manner that seemed like he really wanted to advise him earnestly.
...
The two of them kept bantering until finally, Xavier said casually,
"I wanted to change a different kind of lifestyle. What's so bad about that? Who told you that life after marriage would be duller than before?"