Startled for a moment, Arya looked down in deep thought. Arianna was already back to work by the time she lifted her head.
After a moment of hesitation, she went over and stopped right behind Arianna, watching her being busy with work for some time before saying,
"Nothing... I'm just taking a look."
Arianna stared at her as her eyes darkened slightly. She did not say anything and went back to tending the flowers.
"Come by earlier on the fifteenth. We'll head to the beauty salon first. I want to get my hair done." Arianna's voice reached her again after some time.
"Are you doing alright with Xavier? I can see that he's pretty caring towards you. Your grandpa is very satisfied with him as well."
Arianna's gaze landed on Arya's face; a loving tone hidden in her voice.
Arya glanced at her in the eyes as she gave it some thought before nodding.
"We're doing okay. He's really good and caring towards me."
"Arya, I really hope that you've met the right person this time. You don't have to act tough on your own anymore in the future. When you reach my age, you'll start to realize that things you once thought were important will become insignificant. The most important thing is that he's good to you."
Arianna suddenly felt sentimental. A sense of loss flashed through her eyes for a split second, and then they returned to clarity.
"Mother... How did Father treat you?" Arya clenched her fists slightly and looked at her mother as she asked carefully. Her voice was filled with obvious pain.
As if she had foreseen Arya's question, Arianna did not seem surprised at all. Her cold face looked calm as ever while she looked down at a freshly sprouted plant and let out a sigh before looking at Arya peacefully.
"I know you've been longing to know what happened between your father and me... Well, you have the right to ask anyway..."
Arianna suddenly put the watering can down and put the pot back to its original position. Then, she grabbed a clean towel and wiped her hands before standing back up, appearing a little sad when she saw the scattered flower petals on the staircase.
"You don't have to doubt his feelings for me. He's really good to me... Actually, he has never given me an explanation about Layla and her daughter. I'm the one who suggested a divorce back then because I couldn't stand it. Being betrayed by my own husband and good friend isn't a proud thing to announce, so I don't really want to talk about it."
Arianna let out another sigh. "I just feel sorry for you. If I had insisted just like the typical character in those television drama series, and treated Layla harshly and forbade them to enter the Johns family, maybe you might not have needed to suffer this much, but I can't forget about your father. To me, he should be a prideful existence. He'd never be stopped by such trivial matters of feelings.
"So, I'm willing to grant his wish. Arya, every man has his own pride. Had I insisted back then, your father's career might've been ruined. I can already foresee how life would be afterward. I chose to back off, but I've grabbed onto his heart forever. There might be a lot of ways to keep a man's feelings for you, but nothing works better than guilt... I'm not willing to tell you this because I don't want you to become like me. Arya, your mother has a dark side of hers. She's not as perfect as you see on the surface..."
A cold wind blew through, turning the air around chilly. As Arya was looking at her mother, she saw a tint of sadness and fragile on her usual cold expression. She felt irritated and distressed.
"Arya, forgive my prideful self for not giving you an enjoyable childhood..." Arianna said as she watched a petal slowly fall onto her toe.
Arya looked at her and waited, yet she did not seem to continue.
Arya's mind started to wander as the scent of the plum blossom wafted all around as well as the pink rain of petals caused by the gust of wind.
Suddenly, Arianna looked at the plum blossom Arya was focusing on and smiled.
"The first time I met your father was under the peach blossom garden in the school... Back then, we..."
She stopped halfway and remained silent for a moment before turning around and heading back into the hallway. Arya then slowly followed behind her too. It made Arya feel sour on the inside when she saw her gaunt figure walking under the breeze mixed with flower petals.
After walking for some time, she suddenly sighed,
"Your father and I must be a failure to you, but if I had a choice again, I would definitely still have married your father and given birth to you whether or not things still end up the same today."
Arya was shocked at her words. Her face turned pale and she tried to think but could not come up with a reply.
The mother-daughter pair just kept quiet as they walked through the corridor. The cold wind kept delivering the fragrance of the flowers to them while some remains of pink petals danced around. Arya's long hair rose up slightly as her clothes fluttered around her. It seemed unreal...
It was already 2 p.m. when they arrived back in the living room.
After an hour of chatting with Robert, Xavier was short on time to leave. He got ready to go when he saw Arya return, and Robert sent them off with a big smile.
Outside the Johnson Residence, the chauffeur Rick had arranged was already waiting outside.
Arya handed the briefcase to him as her voice brushed against his ears.
"Come home earlier after you're done. I'll go back with Grandmother after shopping."
He nodded and ran his fingers through her slightly messy hair before walking towards the car.
Arya watched the car until it disappeared at the end of the road. Just as she was about to get into her car, the phone inside her pocket started ringing.
It was Bella calling. She was urging Arya to go over soon, so Arya gave her a brief reply before hanging up and rushing over.
Bella was sitting on a long bench beside the public square waiting when Arya arrived at the New Era Plaza. What surprised Arya was that David had come over as well.
"Grandfather, Grandmother! Have you guys been waiting for a long time?" Arya called out to the old couple who were chatting to each other as she went over to them.
The old couple stopped talking and looked towards the direction of the voice calling out to them. When they saw Arya's face flushed from rushing over, Bella and David traded glances and laughed.
"Not really. Have you had lunch?"
Arya nodded. "I went back to the Johnson Residence with Xavier. My mother made lunch for us."
"Then, what about Xavier? Where is he?" Bella looked around but Xavier was nowhere to be found.
"He said he needs to be at the council office and he'll head straight back to the Knight Residence at night. Where do you two want to walk around?" Arya handed David his walking cane as she asked.
David took the cane from her with a smile. "I've never really had the time to visit after this place started running. I heard from your grandmother that this place is doing well, so I decided to tag along to take a look."
"I'm pretty sure he saw President Elder Thomas looking pretty suave in a suit several days ago and wanted one himself, so he came along to shop today. Just how old are you already? Still not changing that side of you! Yet you try to make yourself sound cool!" Bella rolled her eyes at David and grabbed Arya's hand as she mocked him.
David was unhappy when his wife made fun of him.
"Aren't you too? Didn't you think about getting some custom-made qipaos as well? Arya, your grandmother's mind is going dull. She's even going to sign up for a Latin dance class later. Trying to flirt around even at such an old age! Do you know that at Elder Thomas birthday banquet, they were both dancing so happily? He was your grandma's comrade from last time and he wrote a disgusting love letter to her before. I can still remember it now!"
David was suddenly triggered and ignored Bella's clouded expression as he recited the content of the love letter from his memory.
"You're the wind that passes through flowers like the sunset of that spring evening, bringing along the elegant fragrance, gently moving through my metal gun. Oh my lady, you're..."
Before David could finish, Bella jumped onto David, blushing furiously.
"David! Shut up! You think you're the only one good at picking up girls! Do you want me to reveal everything about you in front of our granddaughter-in-law?"
"Sure, I'm good at it anyway!"
"You!"
...
Arya stood aside as she watched the old bickering couple with a smile. She did not stop them and just observed quietly.
After a while, they stopped.
"I'm not talking to you anymore!"
"Hmph!"
The two of them looked away angrily.
Finding herself in such a funny situation, Arya had no idea which side she should be on. After a brief moment, she tried to smooth things over.
"Alright, Grandfather and Grandmother, this is actually pretty easy. Since Grandmother likes to dance, why don't you become her partner, Grandfather? I remember that you dance pretty well, and with this, you can train yourself too, so why not?"
The old couple found the suggestion acceptable, and the war ceased. The three of them walked around together.
They went into a retro shop and the owner welcomed them passionately when he saw David. With Bella's encouragement Arya tried on several qipaos.
While she looked skinny, she had a nice figure. Everyone thought she looked great as she put on the qipaos, and Bella got the salesperson to pack it up immediately.
"Grandfather, this section consists mostly of foreign brands. It's one of the higher spending areas, kind of similar to Imperial Sky Fashion City, but this isn't the company's main focus this year anymore..." Arya walked forward as she briefed David.
David nodded from time to time in satisfaction.
"Mmm, that's pretty good. I'm not worried about leaving the company to you two at all."
...
At 6 p.m. in the evening, the sky turned dark and the three of them came out from the shopping area. There were also several servants behind them who were called from home on short notice to help carry the things they had bought.
When they arrived at the public square, Arya told Bella and David to rest on the long bench while she went to get the car. Unexpectedly, she ran into two people she was not pleased to meet.
They were Ethan's mother, Madison, and Evelyn.
Madison's impression of Arya had always been quite positive before. She also knew that Arya treated her son very well, but she seemed to be fonder of Victoria after finding out what had happened between them.
For some reason, Victoria just fit her standard of a daughter-in-law better. Also, her son liked her more.
However, she felt mixed emotions when she saw Arya, especially after reading the news on the papers for the past few days. She gave it some thought before walking over to Arya who was getting her car.
"Arya?"
"What's the matter, Mrs. Martinez?" Arya was pretty calm herself because she did not really have any feelings towards Madison.
"You really overdid it, Arya. You're even attacking your own sister! Just who is that, Caitlyn? You chose her! What exactly did she give you?"
Evelyn was really angry, ignoring the fact that Madison was there, she already started yelling at Arya.
Arya glanced at her and laughed coldly.
"Do you think that the ambassadorship was already decided for Victoria? If that's what you think, then I can tell you that you're right. I did it based on my personal feelings. I didn't want Victoria to get it, so what?"
"You! Witch! Aunt, look at her!" Evelyn glared at Arya before turning to Madison.
Madison's eyes seemed to have mixed feelings as she looked at Arya in disappointment.
"Arya, why won't you let it go? I'm not really willing to intervene between you youngsters, but your behaviour is really disappointing. No matter what, it's impossible between you and Ethan anymore. Why do you have to take revenge...?"
"Mrs. Martinez!" Before Madison could finish her words, Arya interrupted her.
"I think I've made it clear to Ethan that from the moment he chose Victoria, it was over between us. As for whether I'm taking revenge or not, it's between the Johns family and me. It has nothing to do with you. I hope you don't interfere, or else, you might be affected as well."
Her tone was cold and unfriendly. Evelyn had been enduring her many times, and she could not hold it in anymore since she kept attacking them offensively.
"Arya! How dare you!?" Evelyn's tone was stern while she glared at Arya.
"Arya, how could you say that? I don't remember you being like this in the past!" Madison frowned as she looked at the aloof Arya.
"How was I like in the past? Listening to whatever everyone says? Or what? If Victoria wants to get back at me, ask her to come by herself. I'll deal with her personally."
Arya's tone sounded condescending as she glanced at both of them.
"If you guys still think that I'm clinging onto Ethan, you two can go back and ask him if he's still qualified. Why does he feel so great about himself?"
"What did you say?!" Evelyn's face turned ferocious when she heard Arya's words.
"I'm saying that you, Evelyn, think you're pretty smart, but you don't even know when you've been used." Arya smirked with a faint light in her eyes.
"Didn't you like Thomas before? You've written quite a few love letters to him as well, haven't you? But Thomas gave you no reaction at all, yet you treated me like a sore thumb because of this matter... Moreover, did you know that he's back already?"
"I'm going to bet that Victoria didn't tell you. Do you want to know why Thomas didn't respond to you at all?" Arya lowered her body slightly and whispered into Evelyn's ears.
Evelyn's expression froze. She seemed embarrassed, but at the same time, she was curious as well. Her eyes darkened as she stared at Arya, expecting her answer.
"Because the letters you sent to were similar to the letters Thomas gave me. They turned into ashes at the hands of someone. Thomas never received your letters. If you don't believe me, I can give him a call now..."
"Impossible! This is impossible!" Evelyn's expression darkened as she yelled before Arya could finish her sentence. She glared at Arya angrily.
Arya stood up straight with satisfaction when she saw Evelyn's frustrated expression, and she smiled.
"You don't believe me? Okay, I remember another thing as well. On your twentieth birthday party, the diamond necklace your cousin gave you vanished. Then, Victoria gave you her necklace, didn't she? Don't you want to know where your necklace went? Go back and ask your best friend. Maybe she might accidentally tell you... Haven't you realized that she seems to come to your aid ever so conveniently every single time?"
Evelyn's expression turned odd and Arya smiled. She then went into her car without looking at the two of them.
The moment her car arrived in the public square, the servant's voice reached her from outside.
"Missus, it's a call from Master!"
Arya turned around to see the servant running towards her with a phone in her hand.
Her phone battery had died and Xavier had probably called Bella to reach her. Arya took the phone after she got out of the car to answer the call.
"Hello..."
"Mmm, it's me." Xavier's voice came from the other end.
"I'm not going back to the Knight Residence tonight. There's something I need to attend to. I'll go right back to Maple Residence later. I'm just letting you know, so you can go home earlier after dinner later."
Jacob and some others had dragged Xavier along for drinks. Even Daniels joined them as well. He was probably in a room with them right now as Arya could hear the noise of glasses over the call.
Arya went silent for a moment before replying,
"Mmm got it. Don't drink too much. There's a meeting early tomorrow."
...
On the other hand, Evelyn was still beyond herself after she heard what Arya said. She was doubtful even long after Arya's car vanished. Only after Madison called out to her several times did she came back to her senses.
Madison was a little shocked to see Evelyn's haunted expression and asked,
"Evelyn, what did Arya mean? Why do you look so unwell? Are you alright?"
Evelyn tried to shake it off, her eyes returning back to normal.
Arya must be trying to weaken her relationship with Victoria, but she, Evelyn, would not fall into the trap!
That must be what was happening!
Evelyn clenched her fists as she told herself even though there was a hint of uncertainty that flashed through her mind.
"I'm alright, Aunt! Let's go!" Evelyn said after a while as she suppressed her emotions. She clung onto Madison's arm and walked ahead together.
...
At night, in the Knight Residence.
Bella was sending Arya off at the entrance. The butler had tucked several big bags of stuff inside the car. She held onto Arya hands and said kindly,
"Arya, remember what Grandmother told you tonight. Have more of these tonics that I gave you. Otherwise, you'll suffer much more when you become pregnant. When your mother-in-law had Xavier back then, she almost lost him because she overexerted herself. Your father-in-law forced her to rest at home for half a year and at last, she gave birth safely. The red bag is for you, the blue bag is for Xavier. I know the both of you are busy with work and don't really care about these things, so I've prepared them for you guys."
Arya was a little embarrassed when she heard Bella's words. The topic throughout the night did not move away from having kids at all; it was obvious that she was desperate for grandchildren.
"Also, don't let Xavier drink and smoke..."
"I got it, Grandmother. I'll let him know!"
Arya could not stand it anymore, so she quickly nodded as she stepped into the car.
"I'll head back now. Grandmother, you should go back too. Goodbye!"
"Okay. Come back whenever you're free..."