"Are you alright, Vice President?" The head of security asked, spotting Evan Sterling stepping out of the elevator.
"I'm fine. The elevator will be back in service once maintenance finishes. Suspend it for now," Evan explained.
"Understood. The elevator is out of order. It won't be used again until the repair crew fixes it tomorrow."
"Good work." Evan nodded.
"My pleasure." The security head helped call another elevator.
Aria Brooks stood to the side, almost completely ignored. She stared at the man they called Vice President.
The elevator doors slid open. Evan was about to step inside when he noticed Aria still frozen in place.
"Aren't you going downstairs?"
"Yes, yes!" Aria snapped back to reality. She answered quickly, then lowered her head and walked toward Evan.
Maybe it was the aftereffect of the scare. The moment Aria stepped into the elevator, her heart pounded. Her body went stiff.
Evan turned his head to look at her. Aria felt embarrassed. She quietly moved to the corner of the elevator, standing like a punished schoolkid.
She didn't relax until they got out of the elevator.
But when they stepped out, she realized they weren't on the first floor. They were in the underground parking lot.
Aria turned to look at Evan.
"Don't mind taking my car?" Evan asked.
Aria shook her head. But the next second, she blurted out, "Are you really the Vice President of our company?"
"No?" Evan asked with a smile.
Aria shook her head awkwardly. She lowered her head and muttered, "It's just... safer this way."
"My car is up ahead." Evan chuckled. He asked again, "Afraid of being tricked?"
Aria grinned. She didn't know how to answer.
Of course, she was afraid of being tricked. Getting into a stranger's car? A car driven by a man? How dangerous was that?
And now she was broke. No phone. No money. If she got kidnapped, raped, and killed, her body dumped in the wilderness, she wouldn't even have a chance to scream for help.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she bumped into someone.
She looked up. Evan was staring at her. Embarrassed, she almost wished the ground would swallow her whole.
"Are you getting in?" Evan asked.
Aria shook her head like a rattle. She was about to walk toward the back seat. Then she realized treating the Vice President like a chauffeur was incredibly rude.
She silently turned around and headed for the passenger seat.
Evan got in, fastened his seatbelt, and then asked Aria to do the same.
Aria buckled up. "Vice President, do you drive fast?"
"No. But it's better to wear your seatbelt."
Aria nodded and said nothing more.
"What would you like to eat?" Evan asked as he drove.
"Anything is fine, Vice President. You decide."
"Is there anything you don't eat?" Evan pressed.
"No. I'm not picky," Aria replied.
Evan raised the corner of his mouth. Aria felt embarrassed.
She hadn't said anything wrong, had she?
Half an hour later, they were in a private room at a Western restaurant.
Evan wiped his hands, looked at the menu, and ordered a few dishes. Then he asked Aria if she had any dietary restrictions or wanted to add anything.
Aria quickly replied, "No, no. I mean, Vice President, you can order whatever you want."
From the moment they entered the restaurant, Aria's heart started bleeding. How much was this meal going to cost?
Now she regretted asking the Vice President to treat her to dinner.
Well, he had helped her a lot in the elevator. She deserved a good meal.
She would just have to survive on instant noodles for the next month.
Evan returned the menu to the waiter. He picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Aria stared at his hands. She was a little stunned.
She had never seen a man's hands look like that. Slender fingers. Distinct, bony knuckles.
"What's wrong?" Evan asked.
Aria lifted her eyes to meet his. She snapped out of her daze. Embarrassed, she shook her head. "Nothing, nothing!"
"Are you getting used to working at Sterling Group?" Evan made small talk.
"It's fine. But I've only been here for two days," Aria answered.
The next second, she remembered knocking Evan down on her first day. Her face burned.
"Take your time. If you have any problems, you can give feedback to the company. The company needs new people to drive development," Evan responded.
Aria looked at him, a little stunned. Did new people really matter that much?
Evan put down his teacup and looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"No!" Aria came back to her senses and shook her head.
Luckily, the first dish was soup. It arrived quickly. Otherwise, Aria wouldn't have known what to talk about with the Vice President.
Should she talk about knocking him down yesterday? Or nearly crushing his hand in the elevator today?
"Have the soup first." Evan finished speaking and ladled a bowl of soup for Aria.
"Thank you, Vice President!" Aria was flattered. She thanked him, then bowed her head and started drinking.
The soup was light, but it tasted amazing.
With some food in her stomach, she felt better. She relaxed.
One of the happiest things in life was having enough to eat and drink.
After the fright of the evening, Aria felt like she was living like a fairy.
The dishes came out one after another.
Aria ate quietly. Since the Vice President didn't speak, she didn't dare to.
Her chopsticks reached out. She was about to pick up a piece of fish. But they got caught on the Vice President's chopsticks.
Aria immediately felt embarrassed. She quickly pulled her chopsticks back and gave an awkward smile.
Evan, however, continued eating as if nothing had happened.
Aria thought that if she could ever reach that level of composure, she would be a big shot.
She tried to calm herself down.
Maybe she was too hungry. Maybe the food was just that delicious. When Aria finally stopped eating, she realized she was full.
She could basically roll out of the restaurant.
"Where do you live?" Evan wiped his mouth, lifted his eyes, and looked at Aria.
"I'll just take a taxi! Thank you, Vice President!" Aria said quickly.
"Do you have the money for a taxi?" Evan asked with a smile.
Aria remembered her bag was still at the company. She felt depressed.
"It's not safe for a girl to take a taxi this late. I'll drive you back," Evan continued.
"It's too much trouble for you, Vice President!" Aria replied uneasily.
"Think of it as a company benefit."
"..."
Aria had no choice but to follow Evan as he stood up and walked out of the private room.
Just as Aria was thinking about how to pay for the meal and the fare, Evan, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.
Aria, once again unprepared, bumped into Evan's arm.
Aria was completely numb to the embarrassment. She could only turn her head, look at Evan, and smirk.
"Dad, Mom—" Evan looked at Aria and greeted.