Kristina's face sank as her eyes held mixed emotions and disbelief. She thought about it for a while before answering,
"It should be him. Earlier, when I called Arya, he answered the phone halfway!"
"He answered the phone?"
Layla very quickly caught onto something. She immediately lifted her wrist to take a look at the time. It was close to midnight, which meant...
"Arya is with Master Knight?" she could not help but blurt out as she stared at Kristina with wide eyes.
Kristina's aged face started to look uncertain. Although she did not answer, the answer seemed obvious!
"Go ask around in the next few days. I keep feeling that things aren't that simple. Earlier, your father even warned me not to mess with Arya, but with that personality of his, when has he ever not protected Arya? Huh, he even said that we can save trouble for ourselves? Just with tonight's incident, if it were not for her provocation, things wouldn't have turned out like this."
As Layla listened, she frowned and thought about it for a while. Then, she nodded with a heavy expression.
"Okay, I'll go ask around. Don't worry, Mother. I'll talk to Father. About Victoria, I..."
"Now that things have come to this point, sigh, I think it's best if we see how Victoria is first. Most importantly, we have to consider the Martinez family..."
Kristina now felt a huge headache too, especially with the way Elder Martinez had furiously rushed to leave earlier and the way Ethan left without turning back. Even she could not bear the humiliation, what more...
"If it really is true, then Victoria has really gone overboard. Even your father was... If Benjamin finds out about this, he'll be angry again. You must know that once this matter is dug out again, even he's implicated. Victoria's too rash with her actions..."
Kristina frowned and glared at Layla who was stunned. She quickly said with a pale expression,
"Mother, Victoria was only provoked by the recent incidents. Now that she's like this, I hope..."
"Enough, the key problem isn't with me. You'd better think about how to keep the Martinez family calm. Johns Media is finally stable again, so I hope that there wouldn't be another surge of trouble after this."
Layla was also worn out, so she could only console her,
"Yes, Mother, I understand. I'll think of a way. Johns Media will be fine. Let's take a look at how Victoria is first."
...
A while after, the door to the emergency ward finally opened and Victoria was wheeled out from inside.
"How is it, Doctor? My daughter, how is she?"
"How's Victoria? Doctor?"
Layla and Madison went up together.
The doctor pushed his mask down and looked at Victoria who was still unconscious on the sick bed. He responded with a heavy tone,
"She's a little weak. Her fetus isn't very stable. Trigger her less and take care of her well. Make sure she has a balanced diet and keep her happy."
"Thank you, Doctor. We will. Thank you!"
"I'll prescribe some meds to stabilize the pregnancy. Later, the nurse will explain what needs to be taken note of. The patient needs to rest right now and she's not very emotionally stable, so it's best if she's not disturbed now. Just leave one person to watch her."
Soon, the entourage consisting of the doctor and the nurses sent Victoria to her ward while the few of them followed them.
As she watched Victoria who slept soundly on the sick bed, Layla breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Madison beside her and said,
"Thankfully, it's alright. Madison, you're worn out from the day. Go home first. I can watch her. And, Mother, you should go home too. You've just recovered. It's won't do you any good to be tired out. It's alright with just me here!"
Madison glanced at Victoria on the sick bed, then nodded after thinking about it.
"Okay then, I'll go home first. I'll explain what happened here to the elder. As for..."
"Madison, I'll be sure to talk to Victoria. No matter what, her heart is with Ethan. If it weren't for... Sigh, now that they're already married and with a child, what else can they do? I hope that your family can..."
When she heard Layla's words, Madison suppressed the heaviness in her heart with much effort. She responded helplessly,
"I got it. I'll do my best. I'll leave things here to you then."
Then, she turned to leave.
Apart from Victoria on the sick bed, only Layla and Kristina remained in the ward.
When she saw Madison turn to leave with an odd expression, Layla's heart sank. She quickly turned to look at Kristina, who looked pensive, and asked a little anxiously,
"Mother, what should we do? I'm afraid that on the Martinez family's end..."
"What are you worried about? No matter what, Victoria still has Ethan's child right now and they just got married!"
Kristina was rather calm now, her sharp eyes twinkling. Then, she continued,
"Regardless, I still believe that Ethan and Victoria still have feelings for each other. Otherwise, Ethan wouldn't have signed the papers so quickly. We'll wait and see."
"Mmm, we can only do that now! Alright, Mother, go home first. It's already very late. Just leave things here to me. Right, about tonight, can we not tell Benjamin?" Layla looked worriedly at Kristina.
"Mmm, I know what to do. Quickly settle the thing I told you to do," Kristina responded and left the ward.
When the door shut, Layla relaxed a little. She took a deep breath and turned to look at Victoria who lay on the sick bed. Upon seeing that she slept rather soundly, her tensed heart then eased.
She thought to herself that the fate of her and her daughter seemed to be extraordinarily similar. Many years ago, she had been deeply in love with Benjamin. Because of him, she had also been in so much pain that she wanted to die. To get Benjamin, she did not spare using all sorts of tricks, forcing Arianna to let go.
However, many years later, her daughter fancied Arianna's daughter's fiancè, and she also did not spare using tricks to win Ethan's heart.
In fact, now Ethan and Victoria were already married. Furthermore, Victoria was carrying Ethan's child too.
When she thought about this, Layla could not suppress the smugness in her.
Arianna, oh Arianna! So what if I couldn't win Benjamin's heart? The person who can stand honorably by his side and be the Mayor's wife is me. In fact, didn't your daughter completely lose to my daughter?
Now, no matter what, Victoria was the Martinez family's young lady of the house. This was a fact set in stone. Even if all the scandals caused a larger ruckus, as long as her child could be healthily born, then all of those things would be irrelevant!
This child had come at the perfect time!
It was getting later at night. Maple Residence was quiet, and the lights had already gone out in the villa. A cold wind brushed past and the wavering trees seemed bleak.
Inside the comfortable bedroom, Arya was sleeping peacefully. However, as she was deep in her slumber, she suddenly felt the man beside her acting oddly. His fingers seized tightly onto her wrist. The grip was so tight that he almost was hurting her. His arms around her waist were also contracting, and she was starting to feel pressured.
At the same time, she could hear his heavy breathing in the dark and his palm was getting sweaty. Arya then noticed something was wrong. Struggling, she switched the table lamp on and turned towards him and then realized —
He was frowning, and his handsome face was getting pale as sweat bathed his forehead and his sleeping robe was drenched. His breathing was heavy...
His strained expression looked like he was having a nightmare. She got especially worried seeing him.
Arya panicked and quickly tried to wake him up, her hoarse voice filled with a concerned tone,
"Xavier, wake up! Xavier..."
She called out to him as she reached for his forehead, but before her hand could touch him, she was suddenly pushed away as he sat up almost instantly. His force was so strong that Arya almost fell off the bed.
He soon came back to his senses and quickly grabbed Arya who almost lost her balance.
"Are you alright?"
Arya took a deep breath and sat by the bedside. Her eyes were evidently worried while she studied him. He still looked pale with sweat all over him. After a while, she shook her head and asked,
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Xavier closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Soon, he opened his eyes. There was still traces of his suppressed unease from before, but they soon returned to his usual calmness.
He took a deep breath before looking at her and apologized,
"Sorry for waking you up!"
Arya looked at him quietly for a while before grabbing a handkerchief from the bedside drawer and handed it to him.
"Wipe yourself. I'll get you another sleeping robe. Go and wash up. You're all drenched now."
He nodded. When he took the handkerchief from her, his sharp eyes noticed the bruises on her wrist. However, she went towards the wardrobe before he could say anything.
After watching her for a while, he went towards her, taking the towel from her hand.
"I'll do it myself. You can sleep first."
"You..." Arya looked at him hesitantly.
"I'm alright. Be good and go back to sleep. I'll take a shower first."
He patted her head before heading into the bathroom. His silhouette seemed rather lonely and she suddenly felt uneasy about it. After pondering for some time, she sighed and then left the bedroom.
Xavier took a cold shower and then changed into a clean sleeping robe. When he came out of the bathroom, Arya was nowhere to be seen.
After looking around, he put his hand on his aching forehead before leaving the bedroom as well.
Arya came back to the bedroom with a glass of iced water. She did not see Xavier anywhere, but she then heard some noises by the balcony, so she headed over.
There was the smell of cigarette smoke in the air. She saw him leaning against the railing by the balcony.
"Where did you go just now?" He threw the cigarette away when he saw her.
Arya stopped before him and handed the glass of iced water to him.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright. Were you frightened?" He grabbed the glass of water, his eyes locked onto the bruise on her wrist. His eyes seemed gloomy and complicated.
Arya rubbed the bruise and looked into his eyes with a smile and shook her head. After a brief moment of silence, she asked,
"You have something on your mind, hence the nightmare..."
His darkened eyes softened when he noticed her asking him carefully. He took a few sips from the glass and did not reply immediately.
She stared at him for some time, but he did not seem to be answering her question, so she averted her gaze and took a deep breath as she placed both her hands on the railing. She looked downwards at the dim street lamps and did not push him for an answer.
The atmosphere became a little uneasy as the cold wind blew and messed up their outfits. Her hair was starting to get messy as well.
The two of them stood there silently and no one said a thing, yet his gaze never left her.
After some time, she could not stand the cold anymore and shuddered slightly. She turned to him and frowned.
"It's cold here. Let's head back in..."
His heart softened when he saw her frown. He held her into his arms and his hoarse voice reached her ears.
"Are you angry?"
"No..." She turned her head away. She would never admit that she was a little upset that he did not reply to her question.
"So, you are then. You always avoid my eye contact when you're not telling the truth, Arya..." He suddenly sighed, his fingers grabbing onto her struggling hands.
"It's going to be Qingming in a few days. I'll have nightmares whenever it's this time of the year, but I don't want you to be scared..."
"I'm alright." She gave him a brief reply, raising her head from his arms.
"But I just want you to know that... if you need anything, I... I'll do my best to protect you. I know that I'm still weak, but I'll do my best." Her eyes were filled with determination, and her tone was firm.
Her genuine expression made him feel warm inside and his heart softened for her.
It was the first time someone said they would protect him, and this was coming from a frail little woman he had to constantly worry about.
He smiled, an odd light flashing in his eyes before he held her in his arms and said quietly,
"Thank you, Arya. How I wish that I could have met you earlier. I wouldn't have needed to waste so much time before..."
Stunned, she raised her eyebrows and looked at him as she stammered
"Mr. Knight, judging from your words... Could it be... Am I... I'm that to you?"
"That?" He asked back.
"Am I... your... first love?" She looked at him carefully and asked with a quiet tone.
Xavier took a pause, his dark eyes shooting her a meaningful glance. Instead of answering her, he turned his head away and barked out several coughs.
"So, am I?" She was persistent in getting her answer this time.
"Am I? Am I... Mmm!"
In the end, instead of replying her, he kissed her passionately. How would Arya still remember her question at this point?
She drowned in his breathy kisses for a long time. He picked her up effortlessly and they went back into the bedroom to continue sleeping.
However, they were both not really sleepy. They started chatting on the bed instead, talking about all sorts of topics, mostly consisting of Arya firing questions and Mr. Knight answering them. For example —
She asked, "Mr. Knight, what colors do you like?"
He replied, "Black and white."
...
She ranted,
"Mr. Knight, do you still remember the Deputy Head of Department? I heard he's the Deputy Headmaster now. He caught both me and Su Nan so many times in the past."
He gave it some thought before replying,
"That fatty with the glasses? The one handling student recruitment now?"
"Mmm, I saw him a few days ago at the New Era Plaza. I almost couldn't recognize him. I'm sure you didn't know his lover is our... Xavier? Are you asleep? Hello...?"
...
The next morning, it was nearly 10 a.m. when she woke up. After Arya washed up and went downstairs, Xavier had already prepared breakfast.
They went to University after a light breakfast. Arianna called them beforehand and said she had bought the ingredients and wanted them to head over earlier.
Arianna's hostel in University consisted of two rooms and a living room. While it was a decade-old house, it was decorated comfortably. She would usually stay there when work piled up.
When Arya and Xavier arrived, several students were talking to Arianna about their thesis, so the couple took on the job of preparing lunch.
When the students saw Xavier and Arya, they addressed them as "Sis Arya" and "brother-in-law". It was really music to Xavier ears, and he even invited them to stay for lunch before heading back, but the students were shy and quickly left after their discussion. They did not want to bother them.
"Mother, set your things aside. Lunch is going to be ready soon," Arya said to her mother as she was coming out of the kitchen with a dish in her hands. Arianna was still busy working in her study room.
Arianna nodded, quickly packing her things before walking out of the study room.
"I thought you were only guiding thesis students now. Why do you still have these big stacks of assignments?" Arya put the dish on the table as she asked.
"Teacher in the department went overseas for a course on short notice, so I'm replacing him for a semester," Arianna replied indifferently. Before she could finish, Arya's phone started ringing in her shirt pocket. She looked at it and saw that it was her father, Benjamin!
Arya unconsciously glanced over at Arianna's direction. Naturally, she saw her slightly darkened eyes. As she was hesitating whether to pick up the call or not, Arianna spoke,
"Pick it up. I'm going to take a look in the kitchen." She swiftly disappeared into the kitchen.
Arya took a deep breath and her expression turned complicated. She only picked up the call after a while.
"Hello, Father?"
"Mmm, it's me, Arya." Benjamin's deep voice reached her ears.
"I know you're at your mother's place. Can you come down for a moment? Help me pass something to your mother. I'm right downstairs."
Downstairs?
Startled, Arya walked over the window and raised the curtain. She then saw Benjamin standing right under the tree opposite the house in his usual suit.
After staying quiet for a while, Arya turned back to the kitchen. She could hear Arianna and Xavier talking. Upon debating internally for some time, she grabbed the keys and went downstairs quietly.
As she walked down from the staircase, Benjamin was standing right there. He seemed much skinnier than before and the serious vibes around him were much weaker. He seemed quiet, dead quiet.
"Didn't Mother ask you to not come?" Arya stopped right beside him and looked at him with a complicated gaze.
It was the Peach Blossom Festival at University tomorrow. Benjamin would send Arianna gifts every year on this day. Arya also knew that today was their wedding anniversary.
Benjamin did not reply to her. He just looked at Arya in the eyes silently as he handed a bag to her.
"Please hand it to her for me."
After giving it some thought, Arya did not take the bag. She looked at Benjamin and asked him a question instead,
"Mother is just upstairs. Why don't you give it to her yourself?"
Benjamin stayed quiet. After a while, he sighed before stuffing the bag into Arya's hands. He seemed defeated.
"She doesn't want to see me... I don't want to ruin her mood either."
"You can go back now. Help me pass her the items. I'll be leaving now."
Benjamin's eyes darkened as he looked at Arya. He did not want to say anything else, so he turned around and left.
Arya wanted to call out to him. However, the words could not come out of her mouth.
She thought he might ask her about Victoria's matter, yet he was just here to give her mother something.
At the same time, she had no idea how to phrase it well. Since a very long time ago, he had no more relationship with her mother. Apart from being connected by a daughter they conceived together, they did not seem to be related anymore.