Evan seemed to catch on. He looked at his brother, then at the girl he’d just met.
“This is my sister, Emma. And this is Aria!” Evan introduced.
“Hi, Aria!” Emma chirped sweetly.
“Just call me Aria,” she said quickly.
“Okay! Aria,” Emma obeyed.
But she forgot almost immediately, calling her “sister Aria” again.
Emma turned to her brother.
“Brother, she just saved me. Otherwise, my wallet, my phone, and the gift I was going to give you would have been stolen.”
“I’ll invite Aria to dinner to thank her,” Evan said to his sister.
“Yes, yes!” Emma nodded eagerly.
“No, it was nothing. I barely did anything!” Aria waved her hands.
She didn’t want to eat. She felt awkward.
“Of course it’s not nothing. You helped me a lot. If my wallet was stolen, I’d lose my allowance for the whole month. And my phone—I just bought it last month,” Emma said dramatically.
Well, it wasn’t really about the money. It was about the principle.
“Just be more careful next time,” Aria said with an awkward smile.
“I will! But this time, we have to treat you to dinner. Aria, what’s your number?” Emma pulled out her phone.
Aria had no choice but to give it.
Emma saved it immediately and dialed back.
“Sister Aria, this is my number!”
“Okay,” Aria replied. She saved the number too, knowing she couldn’t escape the meal. She turned to Emma. “Emma, do you want anything else to eat?”
“No, I’m full!” Emma shook her head.
“I’m full too. Let’s go,” Aria said, standing up to pay.
But Emma stopped her.
“My brother already paid,” Emma said, taking Aria’s hand and leading her out of the café.
“Brother, can you take Aria home? I just remembered I have something to do!” Evan said, turning to his brother.
“No, no, I can take the subway!” Aria said quickly.
“Sister Aria, don’t be polite! If you don’t let my brother drive you, I’ll feel terrible. We’ll have dinner another day, okay?”
“It’s fine. You go ahead,” Aria had to agree.
“Thank you, sister Aria. Please take her home safely.”
Oliver nodded.
Emma waved at them and walked away.
Aria turned to tell the vice president she didn’t need a ride. She could take the subway. But once she was under his gaze, the words died in her throat.
“Let’s go,” Oliver said quietly.
Aria could only follow him silently.
“Is it stressful being with me?” Oliver asked without warning.
Aria’s face turned red. She didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, she managed, “I’m afraid people will think I’m trying to climb the social ladder.”
“Climb the social ladder?” Oliver stopped and turned to look at her. “What does that mean?”
Aria stared at her toes. Her voice was low.
“Vice President… maybe one day, when you really know me, you won’t like me anymore.”
“Is that so?” Oliver looked at the top of her head. “Before I knew you, I already liked you.”
Aria caught the sarcasm in his tone. She didn’t know how to explain. She just kept her head down and stayed quiet.
After a moment, she heard a sigh.
“I’ll take you home first.”
This time, Aria didn’t argue. She quietly followed him to the car parked on the side of the road.
As soon as Oliver got in, he got a message from his sister.
“Brother, Oliver came to pick me up. I’m heading home! Good luck!”
Oliver smirked. He put his phone in the console, started the car, and pulled away from the company parking lot.
The whole drive was silent. The atmosphere in the car felt heavy.
Aria’s emotions were tangled.
It wasn’t that she didn’t feel anything. It was that she couldn’t handle the consequences. So she chose to run.
The car stopped in front of her apartment building.
Oliver unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to her.
“Aria, I can’t promise we’ll end up together. All I can say is that I want a serious relationship with you, with marriage in mind. As for whether you’re ‘climbing’ or not—that’s not an issue in my family. We don’t care about social status. We care about whether two souls fit.
Honestly, I don’t know your past. I don’t know what you were like before. But I like who you are now. And I want to be part of your future.
So I hope you’ll think about it. And give me an answer.”
“Vice President, I know it’s not hard for you to find out about someone. If you’re serious, please understand me first. Then make your decision. Because I might not be the kind of person who can take things lightly. When it comes to feelings… I can’t afford to gamble. So I don’t dare take the risk.”
Aria lifted her head and met his eyes. Her voice was serious.
Oliver looked at her. After a long pause, he said, “If that’s what you want, I’ll give you an answer in a week.”
Aria nodded. Then she said, “Vice President, I’ll go up now. Drive safely on your way back.”
“Okay. Wait for my news.”
Aria got out of the car.
When she reached the entrance, she turned and looked back. She raised her hand and waved. Then she opened the door and went inside.
But that simple gesture felt like it had drained her completely.
Aria leaned against the door, frozen. Tears spilled from her eyes.
Oliver got out of the car and smoked a cigarette. Then he got back in and drove home.
When he got home, he called his personal assistant. He asked for a person’s detailed information. Family background. Members. Growth records. The more detailed, the better.
Aria went back to her apartment. She took a shower and sat on the sofa, staring into space.
That evening, she got a call from her father. He asked how work was going. Whether she had enough money.
She said it was fine. Her salary was enough.
He asked if she had a boyfriend.
She said she could take care of herself. He didn’t need to worry.
Her father sighed. He didn’t say anything else.
The distance between father and daughter couldn’t be bridged in a few words.
Sometimes Aria thought about her parents’ marriage. It had nothing to do with her. She shouldn’t hate one side just because they got divorced.
But in reality, it was hard not to.