Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 878 Extra Story 24 Of Aaron Under The Leadership Of A New CEO

At the fancy restaurant, Ximena did not have even a single bite of the delicacies placed before her. She was lost in bitter thoughts about the afternoon's events at the tubular apartment building. Despite the fresh aroma of the flowers decorating the table, she could only smell the bloody scent that seemed to have soaked into her mind. The horrors she had witnessed there was pervasive, and when she closed her eyes, she could still see the children being strung up.

"The baked snails are the chef's specialty at this restaurant. They taste pretty good," Aaron said slowly and ignored Ximena's pallid face, as he pointed at the plate in front of her. "Why don't you try it?" "No, that bloody smell has taken my appetite," Ximena said defiantly, clenching her teeth against the impulse to vomit.

Aaron slightly raised his eyebrows, and discontent showed in his deepening eyes as he said, "Didn't you want me to take you out to dinner?"

"But I didn't say where I wanted to go for dinner!" Ximena managed to squeeze some words past her nausea. She glared huffily at Aaron, fully aware that he had done it on purpose, but she couldn't challenge any of his arrangements. "And what are you going to do to those kids?"

"Hadn't you gone through it too, as a child?" Aaron took his glass, savored a sip of wine, and looked at Ximena with dark eyes. "Then, is it really necessary for you to ask me?" he concluded; his tone mild as if discussing the weather.

"Do you have to do this?" Ximena frowned tightly. "Whatever those adults did, those children had no part in it. Besides, those children are not even their own biological children at all."

The darkest dealing on QY Island was using innocent children to meet the demand of people with abnormal sexual preferences, but one day she would severely punish all those perverts.

"I know what you're thinking; you don't have the right," Aaron said abruptly as if he had figured out what she was thinking at that very moment. He looked at the fervent glow in her angry eyes and shook his head with obvious scorn.

"But, you have!" she responded sharply, gritting her teeth. "Your Highness, you, as the lord of the dark world, have control over the Congress and soon you will take over the Leng's Corporations. As a result, you will undoubtedly become the ruler of QY Island! Therefore, you have the right, if you want it."

"What does it have to do with you?" he asked slowly and deliberately in a flat tone.

'Yeah, what does it have to do with me? You've always disliked me. So why on earth should you help me get rid of those perverts?'

thinking on this, Ximena became frustrated, while she sat utterly powerlessly next to the most powerful man on QY Island. The harmonious music which was being played became jarring on her ears, as her memories spoiled the melody with bitter resentments not yet settled. Wearing a bitter smile, she lowered her eyes, and murmured sulkily, "Sometimes I really hate my birth parents who had abandoned me... Why gave birth to me, if they didn't want me?" 'At that time, if not for the mercy of a kind stranger who had saved me, would I have suffered the same fate as those children today? No, my destiny might yet prove to be worse than that of those kids'. She shook her head to clear her mind of these bitter thoughts.

Aaron didn't give her any response. Instead he was just eating gracefully, occasionally looking at Ximena, while his heart struggled with an unfamiliar distress.

Sitting across from them in the restaurant, Vivi and Zoey were constantly observing Aaron and Ximena. There was a mix of raw emotions playing on their faces.

"Vivi," Zoey said, looking at Ximena disdainfully, "that's the matter which you wanted to tell me about tonight? That my brother is having dinner with that woman?"

Vivi lowered her eyes, pouted her lips, while occasionally peering across at Aaron. She spoke meekly then, "Aaron said that she was just one of his playthings. Naturally, I believe him and his words." She was gentle and sweet when she spoke, and her voice held a delicate and touching tone.

Zoey looked at Vivi and sniffed, "If I were you, I'd go pour some wine in that woman's face right now...

Then, angrily burst out, and scream, 'Why did you steal my man?""

Vivi frowned, studied Zoey, and said gently, "Zoey, Aaron doesn't like it when I behave in that way..."

"What does he like?" Zoey snorted coldly. "He only likes to show his usually cold face." But after a pause, she asked curiously, "Vivi, has your daddy gotten the contract from the Leng's Corporations?"

Vivi shook her head. "The Leng's Corporations are busy with internal restructuring these days. I'm afraid a lot of things have been delayed."

"It's better not to get it right now," Zoey whispered, leaning over, and raising her eyebrows. "I heard from Mommy that my brother would certainly take over all of the Leng's Corporations. It's not gonna happen any other way..."

Vivi had thought that Zoey might have heard something new, but she was disappointed as she had already known what Zoey told her. So she said, rolling her eyes, "We all knew the outcomes when Aaron started his take-over actions. We just didn't expect it would happen so soon."

Zoey laughed sneakily. Casting a glance at Aaron who was saying something to Ximena, she hissed in a low voice, "Doesn't your father ever consider taking over all of the business in his area?"

"Of course he does," Vivi said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I'm not going to get involved in this business. I don't want Aaron to ever face a dilemma because of me."

Zoey pouted her lips and said in a whining tone, "Be careful! If you, keep thinking like this, you will lose my brother." As she spoke, she winked her eyes over at the object of their discussion, reminding Vivi to look at Aaron and Ximena.

Vivi glanced sideways and saw Aaron wiping Ximena's mouth with a napkin. His gesture was gentle and graceful.

Immediately, a fit of anger spread from the soles of her feet to her heart, as a wave of angry heat rose to flush her face. Her hands had been placed on her legs, and they now clenched tightly into her own flesh, as her eyes watered at the complex emotions assailing her.

*

Ximena stood in front of the living room window of the villa, watching the window being stained by rain drops streaking down the translucent surface. Slowly she frowned, as her eyes followed the descent of the tiny drops. How like tears they were?

With past experiences, including her first encounter with Aaron, and the big thunderstorm the other night, she knew that on every rainy day, Aaron's mood would not be good.

Looking at the endless drizzle outside, Ximena speculated that his aversion to rainy days could have something to do with his mother. But none of this had anything to do with her.

Since that day at the tubular apartment building, her nights were haunted by nightmares. When he was not around her, she would have nightmares the whole night long. Eventually she would awake with the dawn, tired and strained. "Knock, knock!" Abruptly a knocking sound interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in." Ximena turned and saw the housekeeper. With a frown, she asked, "Is he not coming back?"

The housekeeper bowed his head respectfully. "His Highness will be back later. He instructed that I inform you to wait for him to have dinner." After that, the housekeeper retreated quietly.

Always, the man was like a monarch who stood high above the masses. When he wanted to see her, he issued orders, and someone would send her a special notice.

Ximena pouted her lips, plagued by the miserable fate of the children back in the tubular apartment building. For now, she was too weak to do anything for them. The only thing she could do right now was to deceive herself that they were being treated well... Ximena sighed lightly and turned to the dressing room. Aaron didn't like her dressing in casual wear. She had to dress herself up elaborately as long as he was in the villa.

After changing clothes and putting on fresh makeup, she went downstairs. The pleasant smell of food from the kitchen could be detected now. After several days of seldom eating anything due to a poor appetite, she felt quite hungry.