The weather was pretty kind after the New Year; it was sunny for several days in a row.
After Arya confirmed the details of the opening ceremony with the PR Department on the third, she had been working tirelessly every day.
The trial business run ended on the fifth. A clean up commenced in Entertainment City and Glory World's employees soon returned to help out.
Arya supervised the whole decoration process as well as the backstage work. She had no breaks at all.
At that moment, Arya was standing there at the plaza inside Entertainment City as the workers were changing a new, large advertisement board. Manager from PR Department suddenly asked,
"Director Johns, did you mention that Chairman Knight is going to make it back in time tomorrow?"
Arya averted her gaze and turned towards Manager, nodding.
"That's what he said. Don't worry. There are some important guests that we need to call and invite again. I'll leave this to you."
Manager assured her, "Don't worry. It'll be done."
"Mmm, things might be a little rough tonight. Let's set the stage set up first. There's still a lot to be done tomorrow. We'll handle the big stuff today and things will get a little easier tomorrow. I'll help everyone out tonight, and I'll treat everyone to dinner afterward as well. Hmm, but looking at the time, it might be supper instead."
Arya looked at the sun setting. It was getting pretty late.
Manager and several other employees were thrilled.
"Great! Everyone will be pumped up to work hard thanks to Director Johns's generosity. You guys go and tell everyone about it and get them to work more swiftly. Get the job done earlier and Director Johns will treat us to supper later."
"Alright, got it!"
They grinned as they went up to the busy bunch.
...
While Arya was busy working, Xavier did not have it any easier as well. He did not stay over after finishing the contract. He went straight to the airport.
In the VIP room of the New Jersey City airport.
"Master, there's about 20 minutes until the flight. Rest here."
James put the heavy briefcase on a sofa before he poured a cup of tea for Xavier.
Xavier raised his hand slightly to stop James. As he sat down by the window, James's phone rang.
James quickly picked up the call, but then he frowned after listening to several words from the person on the phone. He turned towards Xavier who was resting and said quietly,
"Master, it's for you. It's Bureau Chief Ronald from the Civil Affairs Bureau..."
Xavier opened his eyes and he took the phone from James.
"Yep." His deep voice went through the phone.
"Hello, Master Knight! I'm Ronald. I have something to tell you," a polite voice replied.
Xavier held his fuzzy head with an arm. "Speak."
"Yes, Master Knight! I received a call from my assistant. Someone came to check on the Missus' marriage records, but he stopped him and wanted to ask you about it," Ronald reported.
Xavier frowned slightly as a light appeared in his eyes.
"Who's the one checking?"
"I looked him up and it seems to be CEO Ethan from the Martinez Corporation. Ethan..."
Xavier grinned when he heard the name.
"You can tell him truthfully then that Arya is married, and I am her husband."
He then hung up the call and passed the phone back to James.
"Master, why would Ethan check on Missus?" James asked.
Xavier's eyes darkened a little, but his expression looked calm as ever. Nevertheless, he did not reply to James's question. Instead, he kept quiet and walked towards the boarding lounge.
James did not push further. After a brief hesitation, he glanced at the two bodyguards in black suits as they caught up with him.
As for Bureau Chief Ronald, he called his assistant after receiving permission from Xavier.
...
It was 9 p.m. at night when Ethan received the news. He was watching TV in his living room when his phone rang.
"CEO Ethan, the investigation results are out," Secretary's voice came through the phone.
"How is it?" Ethan asked quietly.
"It's confirmed that Ms. Arya is already married. She registered last year,"
Secretary reported, stunning Ethan. His brain short wired for a moment, but he calmed his emotions down and went silent. He then asked,
"Did you find out who she married?"
"I asked as well. It's Xavier, the Chairman of Glory World Corporation, Ms. Arya's superior."
Xavier...
It really was him!
Ethan's hand clutching onto the phone lowered down as he was utterly shocked.
Xavier and Arya?
If his memory served him right, Xavier had just returned to New York City not too long ago, and Arya did not really know him well. Although they both worked for Glory World Corporation, the one staying in headquarters was the old Chairman David Knight.
How did that happen?
He could not believe it. He wanted to quickly call Arya and ask her about it, but after searching his phone contacts, he realized he had lost her number a long time ago. The number he saved before was not in use anymore...
After a long moment of silence, he stood up and walked towards the study room. He quickly turned the computer on and logged into his account.
After working on it for some time, he was shocked to discover that they had not been in contact for many years. Whether it was on WeChat, MSN, or QQ, he could not find any of her social media accounts.
His mind was distracted and there was a complicated flow of light brewing in his dark eyes.
Even if he knew it was impossible between him and her, he should at least be concerned about her since they were once...
Back then, when he saw her turn away from him, it felt like he lost a part of him and that thing started to become clear to him. Quickly, he logged into his private email account and searched through his old emails, hoping to find a way to contact her.
However, nothing came up even after looking for a long time. He then remembered that he had never given her his email address even though she had asked for it before. Instead, most of the emails in his inbox were emails filled with warmth and concern from Victoria...
He sat before the table as he stared at the screen without moving. He was not sure what he was feeling, but he just felt that he had lost something important. However, he could not put a finger on what it was.
The hole in his heart was growing wider and wider and his mind went blank until he clicked an email open. Those words of concern appeared before him and he started to soften.
It was an email from Victoria, filled with caring words...
He felt warm every time he received emails like this.
He suddenly remembered that this was his private email address and nearly no one knew about it. Nevertheless, since Victoria was the woman he loved, of course, she knew about it.
The void in his heart was instantly filled up. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. However, it was Arya's skinny figure that came into his mind.
"I've put the clothes in your car. It's cold over there. Keep it."
"I'm alright. Get some rest if you're tired. I can go back myself and you don't have to send me back."
Another image flashed in his mind and Victoria's cute and lovely image appeared.
"Ethan, put on more clothes. I bought a new coat today. I'll wear it for you tomorrow!"
"Ethan, can you go with me? I'm scared to be alone..."
He had somewhat captured the difference between the two of them and wanted to make sure, but he understood that those were just random thoughts inside his head. They passed by so quickly that he could not grasp them. He suddenly shot to his feet.
Bang!
...
His movement was too sudden and his sleeve swiped the glass jar on the table. A loud crash reached his ears as the glass jar shattered on the floor, the folded stars scattering all over the place. They very colourful and messy.
He looked downward at the floor full of stars as a scene played inside his head.
"I can't really think of anything to give you for your birthday, but I heard this is pretty good. I hope that all your wishes come true."
He already forgot which birthday it was, but she had cycled all the way to his house at midnight to call him out and give him this jar full of folded stars.
...
He looked at those little stars quietly for a long time, recalling her slightly red fingertips when she handed the glass jar to him.
"Happy birthday. I'm not going to give you a lot of gifts in the future because I'm worried that you might not value my gifts that much anymore if I give them too frequently, so I'm only giving you gifts on your birthday. I'll head back for now. Get some rest soon."
She had always been like that.
After some time, a sense of dread appeared in his quiet eyes. He squatted down and picked up the stars one by one, not stopping even when the glass stabbed his fingers...
Back then, him and her...
They were so young and innocent. Those memories were getting further and further away.
They were getting so far away that he did not even remember how the weather was on that day.
She had said, "Ethan, I don't know who you've ever liked or who liked you all these years, but are you willing to hold your promise onto the marriage contract if I asked you to?"
He had replied to her with a cold shoulder until she chased him and begged, and he...
...
When they were done with the stage decorations, it was nearly 11 p.m. at night after they had supper. Arya rushed back to Maple Residence and it was about midnight when she reached home.
Unlike the several nights ago when she worked until near dawn, she took a bath and wanted to sleep earlier. After all, her man was expected to come home the next day too.
After bathing, Arya lay down on the bed after switching the bright lights off. She only left the dim wall lamp on, leaving the gentle, yellow light illuminating the room.
Stars filled up the sky that night, and the silent night seemed charming as ever. A cold wind breezed through as several lonely fallen leaves fell onto the ground, and with the sudden appearance of a car, the leaves took off once again.
The car was heading into the Grand Waves Villa area. It was past midnight when it stopped in front of Maple Residence.
James opened the door and informed Xavier who was still working on his laptop,
"We're home, Master. Pack up your stuff. It seems that Missus isn't asleep yet!"
Xavier shut down his laptop and handed it to James before he got out of the car slowly. He frowned when he saw the dim light inside the room on the second floor.
What time was it already? Was she not asleep yet?
James quickly packed the stuff and wanted to take it in for Xavier, yet the latter took the heavy briefcase and said,
"It's late already. Drive the car back and come over at 2 p.m. tomorrow."
"Got it, Master!"
Xavier then walked towards Maple Residence alone, taking the keycard out from his pocket and swiping it across the sensor before the door opened automatically.
The lamps at the front yard were photoreceptive. They would be switched on at night and would turn off at dawn.
Xavier's lean figure passed through the yellow light as he walked into his home.
Arya was half-asleep and woke up when she heard the sound of the door opening from the outside. Vigilantly, she switched the bedside lamp on and looked in the direction of the door.
She heard some noise outside, and then the bedroom door opened. A certain someone came into her view.
Why was he back?
Midnight!
She rubbed her eyes, thinking that she was mistaken, but his deep and slightly hoarse voice reached her.
"Did I wake you up?"
"Why are you back? Why didn't you give me a call first?" Arya scratched the nape of her neck as she squinted her eyes and looked at him with her messy hair.
Xavier took off his necktie and coat, then he unbuttoned his shirt and walked towards the wardrobe, appearing very tired.
Arya observed him quietly for a while, then she got down from the bed.
She went forward and stopped beside him. Just as she was about to take the coat and necktie from him, he turned around when her fingers touched the corner of his shirt. He looked downward at her taking the garments away from his hand...
She silently looked up at him, her bright and clear face entering his sight. His heart suddenly softened, and his hand could not help but gently reach up to comb through her beautiful waist-length hair. He bent and lowered his head, planting a cold kiss.
His unique fragrance closed in, dazing her for a moment, but she did not reject it. She held onto his shirt tightly and just closed her eyes, allowing him to wordlessly demand as he wished.
While he did not cross the lines with his demands, he just had a brief taste and held back, stopping before he got ahead of himself.
He reluctantly peeled away from her lips, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her. His deep voice sounded so sentimental that it started to melt her heart.
"Did you think of me?" He asked.
She paused, then reflexively pulled tighter onto his shirt. Thinking about it, she glanced up at him calmly, her clear eyes filled with an earnest look as she answered softly,
"Compared to Mr. Knight yourself, I think I miss your cooking even more..."
"Such a foodie," he reprimanded softly, and then his handsome face flashed with a rare smile that was easy as a cool breeze. She noticed that the fatigue in his eyes faded away a little.
Arya struggled a little and then said, "I'll go cook supper for you. You can eat it after washing up."
He then gently let her go and fixed her slightly messy hair at the same time as he answered,
"I've eaten on the plane, so I'm not hungry. Please go and prepare the bath water for me."
She nodded, then she tidied up the dirty clothes and walked towards the bathroom while he opened the wardrobe to look for clothes.
...
Xavier put on a sleeping gown and simply brushed his air-dried hair. When he walked out of the bathroom, Arya was leaning against the bedhead and flipping through the agenda for the launch the next day.
When she felt a faint scent close in and the space beside her sink, she looked up from the documents.
"It's already so late. Why are you still looking at this? Put it away and quickly get to sleep." He did not allow for explanations as he took the document in her hand away. He closed it and set it aside on the bedside cabinet.
"It's the agenda details for tomorrow. Today, I was busy the whole day and didn't get to look at it. Tomorrow morning, I still have to rush over very early, so I want to see if there's anything I missed out on."
"It's more or less fine. It's late. Look at it tomorrow."
He pulled the blanket aside while Arya stretched in exhaustion and quietly scooted over to the other side of the bed. Before he lay down, he reached over to switch the lights off and turned to pull her into his arms.
"Did you settle everything on the other side?" She suddenly asked.
"Mmm, I'll leave the rest of it to Vice President and James. Generally, the problems have been resolved. What's next will be the concrete execution of things. On the other hand, the South River project might need more work on it."
His voice sounded tired. The year had just started and already he was beginning to be worn out; there were still more days ahead in the year.
"Mmm, I know. Many people are looking at it too, but I believe that Glory World will definitely be the one that succeeds." Arya's determined tone was filled with certainty.
"Pretty confident, aren't you?"
His calm voice brushed past her ear, while she just frowned and looked up from his embrace. Her starry eyes widened in the silent darkness as she gazed at him earnestly.
"Glory World is very capable. As long as we put a little more effort into the proposal, it shouldn't be too hard. Don't worry. I'm not too good at other things, but I'm pretty good at this. If I say we'll succeed, then we will."
Xavier was amused by her brimming confidence. He patted her head and chuckled. "My Missus is a heroine and she's looking more and more like a queen now."
"Of course!" She answered without any humility at all. Having been with him for quite some time now, she seemed to be gradually influenced by him and started to be narcissistic like him too.
A short while after, the even sound of his breathing was heard. He had not rested well for quite a few days in a row, so he was extremely exhausted. As time went on, he seemed to also have gotten used to sleeping beside her, and now hugged her to sleep as he felt more secure and safe enough to fall asleep.
When she saw that he did not say anything for a long while, she softly called out to him,
"Xavier?"
Quite a while after, she still did not hear his answer, so she turned to look and saw that he had already fallen asleep.
"Fallen asleep so quickly... I wanted to get you to help me get a gown too..." Arya muttered to herself before lying back down.
...
Arya clearly remembered that she had set an alarm for 7 a.m. last night, yet the next day she did not hear the alarm ring. When she woke up it was already past 9 a.m. and the man beside her was still sleeping.
She climbed out of bed annoyed and did not wake him up. She washed up and changed at the quickest speed before packing the documents up and rushing downstairs. Not even having the time to eat, she simply cooked some porridge for Xavier before she rushed to Entertainment City.
By the time she got there, everyone had already paused for lunch.
"Director Johns, have some food first. You rushed over so frantically..." Manager handed a lunchbox to Arya as he smiled and commented.
"No need. You eat. I just had some bread, so I'm not too hungry. My alarm didn't ring in the morning, so I was a little late. I'm really sorry." Arya smiled sheepishly.
"You've been coming early and returning late every day. How terribly busy! You should get some proper rest," Manager said in concern.
Arya nodded. "Mmm, thank you. Later in the afternoon, Vice President and the rest will rush over. Is the venue almost done being decorated?"
"Don't worry, Director Johns. It's pretty much done and everyone's just packing up. I've checked the stage too. It's all good. We've also gone through everything on the agenda, and it's generally already done. All that's left is our company's promotional logo. They've gone back to the office to send the gifts over, so it can definitely be done before 2 p.m."
As she listened to Manager, Arya took out her phone and checked the time. It was close to 1 p.m. and the launch would begin at half-past 3. There was also going to be a grand banquet tonight with programmes and the line up was strong. The entire event was quite extravagant.
Because Imperial Sky Entertainment City was a large-scale entertainment city led by Glory World Corporation coupled with many collaborations and investments from other companies, it was practically one of the super large projects of New York City in the recent years. It drew a lot of attention from the city residents and the government.
Arya quietly put her phone away and then said,
"Let's move faster. We're a bit tight on time. It's already 1 p.m. now. In another two hours, the honoured guests and the other guests will be here, so you need to watch things well. You should understand the significance of the launch. Be more careful. I'll go take a look at the venue. Check this side again and take note of anything that we've missed out."
She left with these words, and then walked towards the International Exhibition Centre.