Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 974 Extra Story 112 Of Aaron A New Start

"Miss Mo..." the shop manager said carefully. Truly, he felt like he was in a pickle. After all, Zoey was Aaron's younger sister and it seemed improper to straight up refuse her. While Ximena might choose not to accept her order, if each and every designer in "Only Memory"

refused to entertain her at the same time, the shop manager was afraid that Zoey might freak out and cause a commotion in the establishment.

"Let her lash out, why are you so scared?" Ximena said in an apathetic tone. It was as if she was able to read the shop manager's mind. Clearly ending the conversation right there and then, she pulled the sketchbook she used to draw her designs and started scribbling on it. "You may leave now," she said, without even looking at the man she was talking to.

"Yes!" the shop manager answered respectfully and a little bit to gleefully. After that, he started his way towards the office's exit. In all actuality, he was not afraid of Zoey coming in, freaking out about how she was being treated, and then making a whole scene. The only thing he was truly worried about was how he was going to expel her from the establishment once she started. Considering that Zoey was Aaron's sister, he thought that doing that would be very hard.

Upon reaching the door, the shop manager slowly opened it and walked out. But just before he did, he looked back and took one last glace at Ximena. The designer was drawing the outline of a design sketch in an calm and peaceful manner.

Seeing that, he could not help but smile widely. Ever since he had met her, he had known that she was the one for a man like Aaron. He believed that come a time Ximena fought someone in battle, Aaron would stand beside her, giving her strength and being her shield against her opponent. With that in his mind, he continued on his way and gently closed the door. After finishing her sketch, Ximena took a break.

She turned her head and looked at her cellphone that was put aside. Its screen suddenly turned bright and a short message was displayed on its lockscreen. Upon seeing the message, Ximena's thoughts came to a halt. Putting down the pencil in her hand, she picked up her cellphone. With a deep breath, she opened the short message and silently read it-

"Ken will pick you up at 12 noon. Please be ready."

The text sounded more like an order than a message and Ximena felt like it totally did not allow her to refuse. Its domineering tone stunned her for a few minutes and her mind went black. A few moments later, however, she was back up and a weird smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. Since the night they had learned what had happened between her parents and his mother, Aaron had changed his attitude towards her. He had been humbler and tolerant of her, which, for most people, was almost impossible to even imagine. While she knew that Aaron could be someone like that, her mind didn't let her fully believe that.

After reading the text, she opened the drawer under her working table slowly. Inside was a photo that she had acquired a while ago, through the help of a private detective. Since the photo had been taken and developed years ago, its side were already crumbling and yellowing. But the two people in it didn't seem to fade, even one bit. Seeing the handsome face of her father beside her equally stunning mother, Ximena felt like she was with them, encased in their loving embrace. It made her very emotional that tears were starting to form in her eyes.

Once again, she looked back at the face of her mother, the woman she owed her life to. They definitely looked alike, except her nose was clearly from her father. With these thoughts in her mind, tears slowly rolled down Ximena's cheeks. Sadness was starting to engulf her heart, and she didn't know what to do. However, deep inside, Ximena knew that whatever she did, nothing would alleviate what she was feeling.

Every time she was with Aaron, no matter what she did, she always remembered the report on the accident that had happened to her parents. Every time that thought came to her mind, she wanted to leave the child of the woman who had mercilessly killed her parents. But then whenever she started thinking of ways to break up with Aaron, the intensity of her sadness seemed to grow stronger.

After taking a deep breath, Ximena took the photo out of the drawer. She leaned against the backrest of her chair and stared at it, losing herself in what could have been. After a few moments of tearful reflection, Ximena said, in a very shaky voice, "Dad, mom... I can't leave him. But I also can't forget you two either..." Through her tears, a bitter smile appeared on Ximena's face as she asked, "Will there be a compromise?"

All of a sudden, her cellphone rang, disturbing her momery. Frowning slightly, she took a glance at her phone's screen. Seeing who it was, she took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and put the photo of her parents back into her drawer. She picked up the call and said, "What's the matter?"

"Why didn't you accept my order?" Zoey screamed from the other line. Her shrill voice sounded like a lioness' roar, and Ximena couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Once you open a shop, you should welcome every order. Is it reasonable to select customers?" Zoey yelled again.

"I have my reason to select customers," Ximena said, cold and emotionless. "Zoey Song, you'd better understand..."

"What do I need to understand?" Zoey interrupted Ximena. She was so angry that she swept a cup off the table by her side. Continuing her angered rant, she said, "You are nothing but a bed warmer for my elder brother, Ximena. You're dirty, cheap, and don't deserve to be respected. How could you feel that you're qualified to bluster to me like this?"

Hearing that, Ximena's blood pressure rose so high that steam could be seen coming out of her ears. Amidst her anger, Ximena replied, once again in an indifferent tone, "Why am I qualified? I am qualified... because your elder brother hasn't been with any other woman for the past two years except for me."

"Oh wow," Zoey sneered at her on the phone. "Ximena, who do you think you are?" On her end, Zoey shook her head in disagreement, as if Ximena was in the room with her. "Do you think that my brother has no other woman besides you? Oh my God! I didn't know you can be so naive. That is the most ridiculous joke I have ever heard. Please let me laugh for a while. Aha..." After laughing hysterically for a couple of seconds, Zoey added in a harsh tone, "I guess that you must have forgotten my brother's status.'

"No matter how high of a status he has, Zoey, he is nothing but a man in my eyes," Ximena said. While she felt that something was starting to block her throat, Ximena kept her composure and her voice indifferent, calm and arrogant. In a cold tone, she added, "Besides, I have never thought that Aaron would have no other woman. I'm afraid that you've misunderstood my point. But I guess that's always the case with you." As a smile played at the corners of her lips, she squinted slightly and arrogantly. "By saying that Aaron hasn't been with any other woman in the past two years, I meant..." She paused intentionally for a short while and then continued, "Officially." Before Zoey was able to respond to what she said, Ximena quickly added, "If you're calling just to talk about this, I suggest that you never call me again. Because every time you do, you just get all riled up for nothing. Don't you feel embarrassed by that?"0000000☐☐☐☐