“Brother, do you want me to call Emma over?” James asked quietly after he placed the documents in the study room and saw Xavier come out of the bedroom.

Xavier glanced over at the girl on the bed and nodded. “Have her get some clothes too.”

He then walked towards the study room.

James nodded and did not say anything else. It was not unusual for the brother to work until late at night, and he disliked being disturbed while working.

So, Ms. Arya was also an employee of Knights Inc Corporation and a very capable manager too. She seemed pretty young and beautiful. No wonder the old President had asked him to take note of her for his Master.

James shook his head helplessly as he remembered what the elder Madam asked her and he laughed.

Actually, his brother was probably like what the rumors said. He had been a cold person four years ago. Today, in addition to his aloofness, he distanced himself from many others. He became even quieter than before and others found it difficult to approach him.

James thought to himself that it was probably impossible for someone to make the brother warm again.

However, the Master was acting rather kindly towards Ms. Arya. Could she be an exception?

Emma quickly rushed over after receiving the call.

Emma was the exclusive caretaker for the brother. She was somewhat the housekeeper of the Maple Residence. As a multi-talented housekeeper of m., she was over forty years old.

In her sleep, Arya suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time. Someone seemed to be feeding her medicine, and sleep beckoned to her like a drug. She also felt someone wiping the sweat off her and sometimes dribbling water into her parched throat...

James had already gone back as the night became later, but the lights were still switched on in two rooms on the second floor of Maple Residence.

Emma knocked on the door of the study room, only opening it after she heard a voice. She saw the Master working diligently behind the table.

“Master, I just fed Ms. Arya some medicine. Her fever’s gone down and I changed her clothes too. The bedsheet was all wet with her sweat, so I changed it as well,” Emma said quietly.

Xavier nodded silently without even raising his head. “Mmm, thank you for your hard work. It’s late already. You can go back first.”

Emma bowed and replied, “Okay, Master, I’ve made some porridge. Ms. Arya vomited a lot, so I’m worried that she might be hungry when she wakes up...”

Xavier did not reply to anything. Emma then asked, “Master, do you want some supper? I can make you some porridge too.”

“I’ve got it. There’s no need,” Xavier replied plainly as he flipped through the documents in his hands.

“Master, you should rest earlier too. I’ll go back first,” Emma said out of concern. She was worried that she might be disturbing the Master’s work, so she left swiftly.

Xavier raised his head as he heard the sound of the door closing. He pinched between his eyebrows as a wave of fatigue washed over him and he closed his eyes for a moment out of exhaustion.

...

After a whole night of rain, it cleared up near dawn. The morning breeze passed and the ground started to dry out, leaving a sense of freshness in the air.

A cool breeze came into the room through the small gap on the balcony, rustling the light-colored curtains. A pounding headache woke Arya up from her slumber.

She opened her heavy eyes and got her aching body up. What entered her eyes was a totally strange environment.

This was not her room!

She quickly looked around and realized that it was a huge room with a sunset yellow theme. In addition to that, it had a similar furnishing style to her house. However, it was full of expensive furniture with a similar color scheme, so she was sure this was not her room!

She quickly sat up. Due to her sudden movement, her headache worsened. She rubbed her temples and tried to recall what happened yesterday.

She remembered going to the New Era Plaza for an inspection with Bella. She met Ethan there, then she went back to the company. After sending Bella back, she went to a high-class entertainment club under Emperor Entertainment City and drank a lot there, then...

She had a little too much to drink, then she could not remember anything else...

“You’re up.”

A deep and calm voice came from in front of her. She saw Xavier in casual gray clothes, his beautiful face, calm eyes, and his plain expression.

“It’s you!”

Arya was shocked and her eyes flew wide open. Her hair covered her slightly pale face and her voice sounded dry. “Why am I here?”

She then looked at herself and realized that she had changed out of her clothes. Unconsciously, she covered herself up with the blanket.

Xavier saw her reaction as he looked at her. In his usual calm voice, he clarified,

“You were drunk by the roadside and I coincidentally passed by. You caught a fever and Emma took care of you for the whole night.”

A simple explanation cleared all her doubts.

Arya was relieved, so she nodded and said, “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

She felt a whole lot of gratitude for this man before her as he kept helping her again and again.

Xavier nodded as his facial expression softened a little. He pointed at the clothes on the chair beside the bed.

“The clothes are on the chair. Emma prepared some sanitary items too. After you’re done the washing up, you can come out and have breakfast.”

Arya looked in the direction he pointed and saw a set of neatly folded clothes. As she was about to say something, the man had already left.

She endured the dizziness and got out of bed. Grabbing the clothes, she walked towards the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, she walked down the stairs and saw Xavier flipping through the newspaper on the sofa.

Breakfast was served on the table with steam wafting from the food.

When he heard footsteps from upstairs, Xavier looked up from his newspaper to see Arya walking down from upstairs.

The clothes that Emma prepared for her was a lilac dress, which fit her well. Her waist-length hair was tied up, revealing a bright and beautiful little face. She looked very capable and healthy.

Xavier tore his eyes away, his gaze sweeping across the dining table beside him.

“Have some breakfast first. Emma rushed over especially early to cook you some soup for sobering up.”

“It’s okay. I’m going to be late for work...”

Arya wanted to decline as she had a look at the time earlier, realizing that she was going to be late.

Just as Arya said that a gentle and good-natured voice exclaimed, “Miss Arya, you’re awake!”

The sudden voice startled Arya. She looked over and realized that the person speaking was a very gentle-looking middle-aged lady holding a serving tray in her hand. She had just walked out of the kitchen.

“Hello!” Arya thought about it before deciding to greet the newcomer.

“Just call me Emma. How are you feeling, Miss Arya? Yesterday, you had a fever shortly after Master brought you home. You’re a little weak, so it’s best if you don’t drink so much. Furthermore, you got caught in the rain, then you caught a fever and the flu. That did it.”

Arya transferred the porridge from her tray onto the table as she smiled and turned to Xavier. “Master, come over and have breakfast.”

Xavier put the newspapers away, got up, and walked over. He took a look at Arya and said in a deep, sensitive voice,

“I’ve already asked your superior to give you the day off.”

“Yes, Miss Arya. Your fever’s just subsided. It’s best if you rest for one or two days before going back to work. I’ve just finished brewing the soup to help you sober up. I’ve put some ginger in. Drink one or two bowls of it. It’s good for you,” insisted Emma with zeal.

Across her, Xavier had already sat down. Listening to the sweet Emma, Arya nodded. Her throat was still a little dry and hoarse, but her eyes were filled with gratitude.

“Thank you for last night... for taking care of me the entire night.”

She could still vaguely remember some parts of the night before. She had tossed from side to side almost the entire night, vomiting and shivering from the fever. Amidst her daze was the kind Sis Wang that had been tenderly taking care of her.

Emma smiled. “No need to thank me. It was Master who carried you back. You should thank Master. I’ll go water the flowers in the yard first. Have some breakfast. Otherwise, it’s going to get cold.”

Then, she took off her apron and walked outside.

Arya breathed in slightly, then pulled out the chair slowly before putting her handbag aside and sitting down.

Xavier, who was across from her, was quietly eating his breakfast. His movements were elegant like the inherent manner of an aristocrat. Noticing Arya watching him, Xavier slowly looked up. When he saw that Arya was still frozen, he said,

“Is there trouble with your hand?”

Then, Arya remembered that the back of her hand was still bandaged, but that was not enough to affect her meal, so she shook her head.

“No, I just don’t know what to say. I always let you...”

Xavier obviously understood her. He looked into her eyes with a gaze that seemed to see through everything.

“You always let me see you so battered, and then you feel like there’s nowhere to hide?”

Arya was startled. Suddenly, she laughed bitterly and quietly lowered her gaze...

Xavier gently pushed the bowl of soup to her. In a very low voice, he said,

“Medicine can’t cure fake illnesses, liquor cannot dispel real sorrow. After you get used to it, you won’t find it too hard to swallow.”

“I know... but sometimes, you need a very, very long time before you can adapt, then adapting itself becomes a habit, doesn’t it?”

Arya breathed in and she smiled calmly.

“Thinking that you need time to adapt just because you have hope in your heart that you can’t let go of... Are you still mourning the past?” Xavier looked at her sagely, his smile with a slight chill.

“As much as you mourn, you won’t be able to go back to the past. Sometimes, I’m just a little curious as to how did I fail so tragically.”

Arya laughed bitterly, then she lifted her hand slowly and lifted the bowl of soup. She quietly drank it. Just a gulp in, she suddenly remembered that her car was still at the entertainment club, so she looked up and asked,

“Right, my car...”

She had turned her bag upside down and could not find the car keys.

“It’s right outside. I let my assistant drive it over. The car keys are on the coffee table in the living room,” Xavier said, pointing in the direction of the living room.

Her spoon stopped mid-way to her mouth. She thought about it for a while then decided to say,

“Thanks! You’ve helped me out a few times now. Previously, I keep saying that I need to treat you to a meal. I still owe you one from the last time. I wonder if you’re free today to let me do the honors if you’re willing.”

Her eyes were filled with faint gratitude and sincerity, and her slightly pale face had started to warm up too.

This was out of courtesy. Having been in the business for quite a few years now, she obviously understood that one should know how to be grateful.

“That’s such a sincere invitation. If I don’t do you the honor, it’ll seem a little rude.”

This time, Xavier did not decline especially since he was still resting that day. The next day, he would go to Knights Inc and officially take office as the new chairman of Knights Inc Corporation. He had actually been secretly observing the entire Knights Inc Corporation operations these past few days, and he had heard that the woman before him had produced rather noteworthy results.

Subconsciously, he had been paying some attention to her.

When she heard his reply, Arya's lips slowly curved into a faint smile. She said courteously,

“Thank you in advance. Have you thought about where you’d like to go?”

“City New York's changed too much. You decide where to go,” Xavier plainly answered.

“I decide? Are you sure that you’ll like the dishes I order?” Arya could not help but laugh.

“As long as it’s on the lighter side. However, come to think of it, your choice should be fine.”

“Mmm, got it. Then, I’ll bring you to the place I used to frequent. I think you’ll quite like it.”

Arya suddenly remembered the place that she frequented to have a rare sumptuous meal [1]. She recalled it being quite decent.

“Okay. I haven’t been back in a long while, so driving around is a pretty good idea. Take me around to see the changes in City New York today then.” An easiness flashed across Xavier's calm gaze when he looked at her.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Mmm, it’s my privilege.”

“Have breakfast then. We’ll go out in a bit.”

After Xavier said that, the two of them continued to quietly have their meal...