From the side, watching, Mia felt heartache and sadness seeing this.
“Drink a few with me. Tonight, I’m welcoming you home. Aren’t you going to drink a little?”
Arya frowned as she finished the drink in her glass. She turned to Mia, who looked worried, and said softly, 
“Don’t look at me with that look that says ‘I told you I’m fine.”
Then, she reached out and was about to pour herself another drink, yet Mia beat her to it. She took the bottle and filled up her glass. Only then did she pour Arya half a glass. In a husky voice, she said, 
“You want to drink, so I’ll drink with you, but you have a poor stomach. Drink less. Half a glass for you, one glass for me.”
Mia held up her glass and downed a few drinks.
There was a faint smile on Arya's face. She suddenly looked down at the half-glass of drink in front of her. 
“Thank you, Mia.”
With Mia, Arya would forever be grateful. Perhaps after so many years, it was only Mia who had accompanied her. When the winds were strong, she would remind her to put on more clothes. When times got hard, she would be the first to appear then and there. To drink with you and chat with you...
Mia reached out to pull at Arya's cold hand that was on the table, as she said softly,
“Silly, do we need to mention these things between us two? Arya, don’t be sad now. There are many good men in this world. The Earth continues to orbit with one less trash man like Ethan, for someone like that. It’s really not worth it!”
Arya did not answer. She just breathed in, then she suddenly turned to look out the window. What entered her line of sight were the bright lights, the flickering neon lamps that shone so much that her eyes started to hurt.
Before she was caught in a daze, she suddenly remembered Ethan's apathetic figure when he left back then. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how she had swallowed her pride to beg for him to turn back, she still did not get him back...
‘Let go, Arya. You know that I love someone else now, and that person hasn’t been you.’
‘Let go of each other. You’ll forget with time. I hope you will live well. I will do my best to make it up to you.’
...
She remembered that when he had turned around to leave, the weather was like that day.
She remembered that back then, she had wanted to chase after him, but when she saw the woman sitting in that car, she instantly lost all willpower.
In the end, she still did not rush up to ask why, or let Ethan give her a reason. Instead, she stood for a whole night under the pale yellow streetlight and endured the rain for the whole night. Until she saw dawn break did she feel stiff and numb all over. She laughed in a daze at herself for all the damage that was done.
Because of his indifference when turning back, all of her hopes had turned into a passing cloud. What was left was a heartwrenching pain. It was a pain that was felt in the bones, a pain that was numbing.
She suddenly felt incredibly repressed and upset, the exhausted and numb heart of hers suppressed that piercing sore that had faint traces of being resuscitated. She finally could not hold it in anymore. She got up and said to Mia, 
“I’m going out for a breather.”
Mia was startled. She wanted to get up and chase her when the phone in her bag suddenly rang...
...
At the same time, in another luxurious VIP room within Emperor Entertainment City, a room was filled with joy.
Dishes were served on the table. Aside from Ethan and Victoria being present, there were also two pairs of middle-aged couples.
“Is Ethan going to settle down after coming back this time? Hopefully, he isn’t traveling for another year or two again after this.” A middle-aged lady in a maroon dress sitting beside Victoria smiled.
This lady was Ms. Layla Johns, Victoria's biological mother. She was about 50 years old, but her outward appearance was so well-maintained that she looked as if she was just about 30 years old.
Sitting beside Layla was a cold-looking man in a gray suit. The serious-looking man was Mr. Benjamin Johns, the respectable mayor of the City of New York.
Opposite them were Mr. Logan Martinez and Ms. Madison Martinez, Ethan's parents. While they were past their fifties, it was obvious that they had their heydays. If not, they would not have such a handsome and exceptional son.
“Mmm, I’ve decided to settle down this time,” Ethan replied.
“Our elder wanted Ethan back this time to take over the business. After all, we’re getting old and we need the youngsters to take the responsibilities off our shoulders. Ethan's been doing pretty well abroad the past few years, so I discussed with his father whether to let Ethan completely take over the company. Then, both of us can step down and relax.”
Madison smiled. As she was explaining, she put some food onto Victoria's plate.
“Victoria, it must’ve been tough for you to take care of Ethan abroad these past few years. Eat more. You’re too skinny. Has this boy been bullying you?”
Victoria blushed as she lowered her head and peeked at Ethan. With a smile, she said, 
“Thank you. Actually, Ethan's the one taking care of me. Of course, he wouldn’t bully me! Right, Ethan?”
Victoria turned to Ethan, who gave her a gentle look. He pursed his lips and did not say anything.
Logan smiled warmly as he saw how loving Ethan and Victoria were towards each other. He turned to the silent Benjamin and said, “It seems like you guys are doing pretty well abroad. After Ethan takes over the Martinez Corporation and familiarizes himself with the work there, let’s have them get engaged. What do you think, Mayor Benjamin?”
Benjamin put down the wine glass and threw a sharp glance at Ethan and Victoria, his tensed-up face relaxed, and he nodded,
“If you both have no objections, I wouldn’t disagree as well. Next week is the elderly’s birthday. Please come over and we can talk about the engagement. Is that alright?”
Victoria's face blushed even deeper when she heard her father’s words. She gently bit her scarlet lips and looked at Ethan.
Logan and Madison nodded and agreed with the plan.
“How about Ethan?”
Benjamin looked at him with his sharp eyes.
“I’m fine with it as long as Victoria is willing to become my bride.”
Ethan smiled and focused his eyes on Victoria. With her blushing face, she nodded and said, “I’ll follow Father’s plan.”
“It’s set then. Let’s eat.”
...
During the meal, Madison kept serving Victoria food, and she flashed smiles and thanked her constantly. Madison was really satisfied with her attitude.
“Father, is Grandfather healthy? The first thing I want to do after I come back this time is to spend more time with him. I’ve always worried about his health the whole time I was overseas,” Victoria asked when she saw that Benjamin did not mention it. She looked like she really missed her grandfather.
Benjamin looked at Victoria and then said in a regretful tone, 
“He’s still the same. He still misses your sister dearly. Next week is his birthday. Since you’re back, tell your sister to go back just this once.”
“Sister? Father, just now, Ethan and I met Sister at the airport, but she...” Victoria bit her lip and lowered her head sadly. “She’s still...”
“That’s alright, Victoria. Don’t be sad about your sister acting this way. Mother believes that she still cares a lot about you,” Layla Johns comforted her daughter.
“Arya... in recent years... she really stepped over her boundaries, but just let her be. Don’t worry about it, Victoria. Ethan, spend some time walking around with Victoria later. There’ve been quite some big changes in the City of New York in the past few years.” Madison did not know what else to say, so she gave Ethan some suggestions.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly when Arya was mentioned, yet he did not say anything and just nodded lightly.
Afterward, while Benjamin and Logan started talking about business, Ethan would sometimes voice his opinions. Victoria went to the toilet after a while.
...

Arya washed her face in the toilet. She had both her arms on the sink as she looked at her pale self in the mirror. She closed her eyes and calmed down. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly saw through the mirror that Victoria had just entered through the door.
Her body trembled while her arms on the sink suddenly froze.
Victoria saw Arya as well. She stopped in her tracks and stood behind Arya as she attempted to smile.
“Sister, I didn’t expect you’d be here too.”
Her voice sounded gentle and a little surprised, yet it sounded like screeching in Arya's ears. 
“That’s great. Father just mentioned you. It’s been a really long time since you’ve gone back. Father, Mother, and Grandfather really miss you. If it’s because of Ethan, I’m willing to apologize, Sister... Ethan and I... I’d rather have you scold me and beat me up if you’re feeling unhappy. Could you please forgive us?”
Victoria's expression turned sorrowful and her eyes were filled with mixed emotions and struggle. 
“It’s already been some years. I thought time could wash those unpleasant moments in the past away, but I’m really sad to see the current you, Sister. You told me before that a relationship’s worth is based on whether two people really love each other. Forcing a relationship can never bring happiness, isn’t that right?”
Arya felt pain bloom in her chest as she heard Victoria's words. A suffocating pain intruded her entire being, yet she put on a smile and glanced at the pitiful-looking Victoria in the mirror. Her tone sounded calm. 
“Victoria, didn’t you know that Ethan was engaged to me?”
“Sister, I... I know it’s my fault. In the beginning, I was just curious about what kind of person your fiancè was, so I got closer to him... I never expected to be attracted to him... and to fall so quickly for him...”
Victoria started to sob as she stared at Arya's stiff figure. She sniffed and then said, 
“I’ve constantly blamed myself, but Sister, I really love Ethan, so please, please forgive us, okay? We can only be truly happy with your blessings.”
“Sister, you’re really important to me. I really need your forgiveness and blessings, please?” Victoria's sobs and fragile voice were like cold, sharp needles stabbing into Arya's heart. It was so painful that she almost passed out.
How cruel...
The girl before her was her best friend. Then, suddenly, one day, her father divorced her mother and the mother of this girl became her stepmother. Ms. Victoria Martin became Ms. Victoria Johns. She was her father’s illegitimate child, so she became Arya's younger sister and Victoria's mother took over her mother, Ms. Arianna Johns place.
Victoria was really lovely. She was always so beautiful and kind, as well as smart and excellent at her studies. The moment she entered the Johns family, everyone loved her, including the grandmother who had always doted on Arya.
As for Arya herself, she was quiet and low-profile. She did not like to talk and her studies were mediocre. Aside from talking to her grandfather from time to time, she was usually a loner. People started to forget about her existence in the Johns family, and Victoria became the precious jewel of the family.
The engagement with Ethan was a promise between Elder Johns and Elder Martinez; they were really good friends and hoped to build a deeper relationship between their families and become better partners. Arya had always been thought of as the default daughter-in-law of the Martinez family, yet all of that evaporated with Victoria's arrival.
What sounded the funniest to her was that this crying woman and her mother had destroyed her happy family. They took her father away, took her place in the family away, and even took the love of her life away, yet now she was asking for her forgiveness...
There was probably nothing more ironic than this in the whole world.
She was reminded that a long time ago, Ethan and she were a couple envied by many others. They shared some warm memories between them, and now it was all nothing but a joke.
She thought she could still be happy even after losing the warmth of her family as long as she held onto her relationship with Ethan, but who would have expected that things would end this way?
It was all just temporary fireworks. No matter how beautiful it was, they would just end up in the pitch-black sky.
She looked up with a smile but her voice sounded extremely cold. 
“Both of you stabbed me in the chest. My wound isn’t even healed yet, and you want me to forgive you both. Victoria, you’ve really widened my perspective.”
“Sister, I know I’m wrong, I... I just don’t want you to look so miserable. I feel really tortured inside, especially when I heard from Mother that you haven’t been home in the past few years. Please... please don’t act this way... You’ll make everyone feel bad. Our grandparents and Father really miss you. They wish you’d to go home...”
As tears started falling from Victoria's eyes, she held onto Arya's shoulders firmly, yet her sister rejected her gesture.
“Get lost! Don’t touch me!”
Bang!
Victoria fell backwards and dragged the beaded curtain down. Victoria accidentally stepped on some beads and tripped with a scream, falling down hard on the floor!
A cold, angry voice rang out. “Arya, you’re really too much!”
In shock, Arya slowly turned around and saw Ethan's face. He looked so mad and disappointed.
Those eyes were supposed to be like poisoned steel needles that caused excruciating pain to Arya. However, the only thing she felt was just numbness.
Ethan went over and helped Victoria up. In anguish, he asked gently, “Victoria, are you alright?”
Victoria's face looked pale and hurt. She bit her lip as she sobbed. “I... I’m alright. I just slipped... It’s not Sister’s fault...”
“I saw everything, Victoria! You did nothing wrong. You don’t have to feel guilty.”
Ethan felt agony as he looked at Victoria's pale little face. Just as he was about to help Victoria up, Victoria screamed painfully when she tried to move. Her facial expression showed she was in great distress.
“It’s really painful...”
Sweat started to roll off Victoria's forehead as she held onto Ethan tightly. She was still trying to explain, 
“No, Ethan, if it weren’t for me... things wouldn’t have turned out this way. I’ve always hoped for her to forgive me all these years. If not, I’d still feel uneasy even if we got married. I...”
“Victoria, you...”
Ethan saw tears running down her cheeks. He squatted down and slowly held her up, but Victoria shoved him away and got up her own as she leaned against the wall. She walked over to Arya in pain. Every step seemed to be causing her grave distress.
“Sister, I...”
“Be careful, Victoria!”
...
Arya did not say a thing. She just looked at what happened before her as she felt an iciness inside her. She could not help but look away.
She did not feel the need to explain herself, so she turned around and walked right between the two of them. She wanted to leave and act as if she had not seen anything.
As she passed by them, Victoria held onto her shoulder desperately. Tears were streaked all over her face while she begged,
“I know you hate me. I’m really sorry... but next week is Grandfather’s birthday. He’s really concerned about you. Father, Mother, and Grandmother too... They are really worried since you’ve never gone back...”
“Let go!”
Before Victoria could finish her sentence, Arya's icy cold aura spread throughout the area.
“Sister!”
“What did you do to me that could make me hate you so? Victoria, my mother Arianna, only gave birth to me, Arya, so —”
Arya shook her off and her eyes stared at Victoria as if she was just looking at a stranger. Her voice sounded cold and strange.
“I don’t have any siblings. Please stop putting up an act in front of me. You might not be tired, but I am, so that’s enough.”
Arya's sudden gesture almost made Victoria fall again, but Ethan went up swiftly to hold her.
“Arya, the person who let you down was me. There’s no need for you to target Victoria like this. If it makes you feel better, I’m willing to compensate you.”
Ethan was hostile as he hugged the tearfully weeping Victoria into his arms and stared coldly at Arya.
Arya looked up slightly. As she watched Ethan's familiar yet strange handsome face, there was an instance when she felt a slight sorrow and a lot of repressed emotions, especially when she saw the indifference and disappointment in his eyes.
She laughed bitterly to herself, yet that unyielding spirit and pride inside of her did not allow her to show any sign of weakness or pettiness, so she firmly met his eyes and said calmly with not a single warmth in her tone, 
“Compensate? How do you plan to compensate? Apologize to me, beg for my forgiveness, and sincerely wish that you two live a long and happy life together?”
A faint sneer flashed across Arya's bright and exquisite face.
“Or like what you did back then — toss me a huge cheque?”
When she said this, Ethan's expression suddenly changed and he did not know what to say.
“Sis, Ethan was just hoping that you’d live better... We...”
Seeing Ethan rendered speechless, Victoria could only sniff and wriggle out of his embrace. She wanted to grab Arya's arm again, but her sister did not appreciate the kindness and smacked her hand away.
Victoria could not help but cry out with restraint again. Ethan was about to walk up when a figure in burgundy beat him to it and held Victoria steady. At the same time, her hand pushed her hard.
Bam!

Arya only felt her waist being shoved with force. Caught off-guard, she fell hard against the sink behind her. All she felt was a slight chill before her arm was suddenly electrified with pain too...
“Arya, even if you’re resentful towards Victoria for whatever reason, you can just come to me. Why do you have to hurt her like this? Can’t you see that her leg’s already hurt? You’re beyond cruel!”
Layla's worried and disappointed voice came through as she protected Victoria in her arms. Her gaze towards Arya plainly showed anguish. 
“I know that you’ve resented me for replacing your mother, but ask yourself if all these years, have I, Layla Johns, ever treated you unfairly?”
“Mother, don’t be angry, Sister’s already upset enough. Don’t provoke her anymore. I’m fine. I just sprained my ankle a little!”
Victoria was worried as she stopped Layla's wound-up fury. She was afraid that she would make everything worse.
“Victoria, Mother knows that you feel bad for her, but look at her! She’s not even appreciative of your kindness, so why do you want to torture yourself?” Layla glanced lamentably at Victoria, then she looked sorrowfully at her swelling ankle. 
“Look at your leg. It’s already swelling. Let me have a look at it.”
“Mother, I... It really hurts...”
Victoria moved her leg a little. When a piercing pain attacked again, she could not help but cry out loud.
“Enough, Aunty. Victoria's leg is quite badly hurt. Let’s take her to get it checked at the hospital first.”
At this moment, Ethan walked up and, once again, bent down to carry Victoria. In a gentle tone, he advised, 
“Hang in there. We’ll go to the hospital first. It’ll be fine!”
Then, he carried Victoria and walked right out. As his gaze swept across Arya, his expression became hostile instantly and was even filled with disgust!
Layla shot Arya an angry look too before she followed right after them.
Arya watched indifferently as they left. Suddenly, hints of pained bewilderment rose in her eyes.
After a long while, she could only laugh bitterly and drag her fatigued body to walk out in a daze. Absent-mindedly, when she wanted to wipe the coldness on her face, a white handkerchief was suddenly handed to her.
She was stunned for a moment. She slowly looked up.
Then, she saw him...
It was him...
Xavier Knight...
In his all-white tailored suit, his calm and reserved eyes had a faint look of concern. That still expression remained frozen on his noble and handsome face.
“Why are you here?”
She looked up at him, and after a long silence, Arya lowered her gaze. She turned away, not wanting to let anyone see the dismay and weakness in her eyes that she could not disguise.
Unfortunately, her raspy and tired voice and that pale face of hers had already given away the fact that she had been enduring some kind of torture silently. She did not know that hidden underneath the calm stillness of the eyes of this man who stood before her, was a gaze so sharp that it could almost see through everything.
Xavier did not answer. His silent gaze focused on her bandaged hand. After quite a while, he said in a muffled voice, 
“Are you okay?”
When these words tumbled out of his mouth, Arya was startled for a moment. She turned around and looked at him, her lips parting slightly. She wanted to say something, but after a long while, she still did not utter a word. She just silently accepted the handkerchief that he handed to her, and wiped the tears on her face away.
Arya gripped the handkerchief in her hand. A long while later, she then took a deep breath and looked up. Pasted across her exquisitely beautiful face was a bitter smile. 
“Do you also think that I’m a sorry figure, very vicious, and unreasonable?”
When he heard this, something in Xavier's eyes shifted. He then shook his head and his deep voice was very sensible. 
“I’ve never agreed with the concept of sacrificing to match make others. Everyone has the right to control their own emotions. There’s no need to sacrifice yourself to anyone.”
Arya silently retrieved her gaze. She turned to look ahead in the direction where it was already empty, her plain tone holding hints of fatigue. 
“If it were possible, who’d be willing to sacrifice themselves to match make others?”
Then, she could not help but take a deep breath and slowly turn around to look at him. She lifted up her hand that held the handkerchief and laughed softly.
“I don’t feel comfortable letting you see me in a mess like this. You’ve come to my aid quite a few times now. I really don’t know how to thank you.”
Xavier took a long, hard look at her. The flickering dimness in her eyes seemed to bring an unnamed appeal. As he stared, suddenly there was a shift from the depths of his eyes.
He did not know why, but seeing her like this suddenly made him think of his past self...
When she saw him keeping quiet, Arya asked casually, “Do you come here often too?”
However, the moment she asked, she started to laugh at herself. “I almost forgot that you’ve just returned to the country.”
Xavier's indifferent lips showed a faint curve. He modestly lifted his still eyes and looked at the lavish and elegant walkway ahead. “This is a pretty strategic recreational area.”
Actually, after leaving the hospital earlier, Xavier wanted to return to the villa, but midway, he received a call from Mr. Jacob Brown.
Emperor Entertainment City had been operating for quite a number of years. Back then, before Xavier Knight left the City of New York, he was a regular customer there.
Now, things are different. This place was still the same and not much had changed, but what was distinctive were the people.
“It’s a nice place here. Mia comes here frequently. I didn’t know that you were coming here or I’d have offered to buy you dinner.”
Arya smiled. She turned around and opened the gold-lined curtains. Looking outside the window at the colorful scenery, the breeze gushed in and made the curtain sway lightly.
Xavier looked at the scenery she was looking at, and then said, “I don’t mind if you invite me next time.”
Arya was surprised and stared at him, but he seemed indifferent and was not particularly expressing any emotions. She then replied seriously, 
“Let’s set a time then. I haven’t paid the money back either, so let me buy you a meal as a way of saying ‘thank you.”
“Your medication is still in my car.”
Xavier smiled when he noticed she was being serious. He pointed at her bandaged hand. 
“The doctor said your hand can’t come into contact with water. You’d better change the medication when you get back. I’ll have James get them.”
He then took out his phone and made a call. He issued some orders to the man called James and quickly ended the call.
“It’s alright. It’s just a little burn. It’ll be fine in a few days.”
Arya was very grateful for his kindness and concern.
Actually, Arya was not comfortable with people being so concerned about her. She was used to the days when no one cared about her, and due to the lack of attention all these years, a tiny gesture of kindness could touch her heart easily.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. People need to know how to love themselves.”
Xavier smiled, his eyes appearing full of kindness. However, the way Arya looked at him had an odd sense of distance.
James swiftly delivered the medicine, and he was surprised to see Arya beside Xavier. He greeted her politely, 
“Ms. Johns! I didn’t expect you’d be here too. I was just wondering how I could deliver the medicine to you!”
It was great that they had met in person, so he did not have to look around or deliver the medicine to her doorstep.
“Hello!” Arya greeted him back politely as well.
“Ms. Johns, this is your medication.” James handed the medication over.
Arya took them and thanked him. She turned to Xavier and hesitated for a moment. 
“Could you wait for me here for a moment? I’ll go get my wallet... I forgot to pay you back for the medical bill...”
Xavier glanced over and blocked her way with his large body. His tone was filled with a conclusive firmness. 
“Take it as you owe me a meal. Go home early.”
He left her with those words. Arya watched his back as he walked away.
“Ms. Johns Brother doesn’t like people talking about these things. You have to be careful of your wound. Take care and goodbye!” James smiled, then he quickly caught up with Xavier.
Arya was about to push the door open since she was right in front when she suddenly heard the sound of the door unlocking. It was opened from the inside and Mia's anxious face appeared.
“Arya, are you alright?”
Mia went up and held onto Arya's shoulder.
Arya shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s already very late and you must be tired. Let’s go back earlier. I’ll give you a ride.”
“Arya...”
Mia looked at Arya's posterior as she walked away. Becoming even more anxious, she caught up and informed him, 
“Arya, I think I saw your father just now...”
Mia's words halted Arya in midstep, her slender figure turning rigid all of a sudden.
“They are probably here to welcome them back. Also, your father’s secretary gave me a call just now and said that your grandfather’s birthday is next week. They want you to go home then. He knows you won’t take his call, which is why...”
Mia went up to her when she saw Arya stop. “I’m really worried seeing you like this.”
“Worried about what?”
Arya turned around and looked at her. With a smile, her eyes were indifferent, like a calm water surface.
“There are some things that need to be endured. It’ll be fine after getting used to it.”
“But...”
Arya turned back after saying, “Let’s go. It’s late now.”