"Morning." Aiden stood in the kitchen doorway attracted by the amazing aroma that had drifted upstairs. Mia was up early today but she seemed really energetic. There was a spring in her step, and she hummed to herself while frying the bacon. She had gone for a traditional English breakfast, her speciality but also to give Aiden a break. It took the conversation last night for her to realize and begin to appreciate just how much he does for her. Mia had on her long white work coat and had tied her hair up in a fishtail braid. Aiden smiled to himself, he would do anything to see her happy.
"Hey, what happened to Mika Hu, is he still under your care?" Mia could hear the sarcasm in his voice, anyone attractive was an enemy to Aiden if Mia was involved.
"No actually, we had a meeting and he discharged himself. Apparently, he just needed some identity therapy as well as family therapy. His recovery was amazing, I still need to check on him every now and again though in-case of a relapse." Aiden pondered for a while, check on him huh?
"Does that mean your going to his house?" Mia walked over calmly and pinched his nose painfully.
"Stop worrying, you're so annoying. It's my job I don't have a choice." Aiden put his hand over his mouth hearing just how childish her voice sounded, even her lips pouted slightly, and it caught him by surprise.
"Are you laughing at me?" she said with her hands on her hips. Aiden let a chuckle escape his lips, Mia hit his arm and went to storm off, but Aiden grabbed her hand and spun her around until she lost balance falling into his lap.
"I trust you 100%. It's him I don't trust, you may forget this, but you're really beautiful meaning men will try to steal you away from me." Mia's face flushed in embarrassment, he said some stupid things sometimes, but she was slightly happy. It was a compliment at the end of the day.
"Idiot." She said quietly trying to hide her face. Aiden grasped her chin gently and turned her towards him, her bright blue eyes were teary from discomfort. Mia tried to avoid his eyes, but he found hers anyway, how he drew her in with those bright green eyes. It was like an electric pull between them, but she didn't feel this before. Had their conversation strengthened something between them?
"You can actually look at me now. I'm really glad." Mia looked like a deer in headlights, Aiden was different. Usually he had his guard up pretty high but today he had no filter and just said anything that sprung to mind. Aiden stroked her face and pulled her body closer to him.
"You're going to be late…" she said almost fearfully, the usual fight she had was gone like a dog submitting to the Alpha. Aiden ignored her and pressed his lips against hers, Mia let him be for a few seconds seeing it was futile to pull away now. However, he wouldn't let her go, Mia grabbed his shoulder and pulled back catching her breath.
"You're different today…" he said breathlessly, Mia was wild eyed, it was like pot meet kettle. Mia cleared her throat suddenly shy he had caught on.
"Speak for yourself what was that about?" Aiden smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're my girlfriend, why can't I kiss you?" Mia palmed his face and stood up, if he said anything else like that her heart couldn't take it, was he trying to kill her?
"You're impossible. Eat your breakfast, you have a long day today." Aiden smirked as she took on the motherly role most likely to try forgetting the title, he had just given her.
"Did you check my schedule?" he asked suddenly catching on she commented on the length of the day.
"Oh um yeah…I just wanted to make sure your not overworking yourself. Running a clinic and a global industry are two different leagues." Aiden's eyes widened in surprise, maybe she was worried about him after all?
"You always surprise me. Don't worry I can handle it. Thanks though." Mia blushed again and returned to her files reviewing her morning rounds. First was a home visit with Blaike and next was clinic hours. It wasn't too bad and Blaike would always brighten up when he talked with her.
"I've files a police report about everything that happened. Lang Hai is shifty, but he can't evade them forever so don't worry about anything okay? I've got your back." Mia almost choked on her tea, why was he so open today. Actually, why was she getting so flustered about everything he said.
"Um…thankyou that's great. Are we still carrying out operation help Chu tonight?"
"Yeah. I owe him for last night anyway, I'll handle Chu. I push you pull, we'll be their own personal chaperones for tonight." Mia smiled and nodded. It wasn't a secret that Chu always like Yu, whenever Aiden and Mia would go on dates, they would both be third wheels but along the way even though they were from completely different backgrounds. Chu began to like Yu but never had the guts to tell her, consideration Yu wasn't bright either she failed to notice.
They both finished up and headed for the car. Usually Aiden was pretty quiet and listened to the stereo before work but today he'd turned it down and was listening to Mia talk about Lisa Wei. It was pointless work gossip that didn't concern him but Mia appreciated this sudden interest in the people around her other than him.
"What about your work?" Aiden sighed.
"I'm pretty much the standard boss, people are mostly afraid of me because I don't like slackers. Work ethic is something I take seriously. Look at you, you've always given it your all. I appreciate people like that." There it was again, her heart jumping out of chest. It was like her mind had reverted back to high school age, all composure was gone whenever he said nice things about her.
"Aiden, you should think about yourself more. I bet working in your area is really stressful, you know if things are on your mind you can tell me, right?" Aiden reached over and held her hand. Mia had said the same thing to him in school five years ago.
"I know. Thanks." Mia felt his grip tighten right before she was about to head into work. Mia knew what he wanted but didn't know of she had the courage to do it. After a mental battle she reached over and pecked him lightly on the lips before fleeing the car like a criminal. Aiden sat there looking at where she'd sat in shock. How did she always surprise him like this? It was like she could read his mind. Mia waved before running into work.
Aiden was put in an even better mood recounting the affection she'd shown, looks like his efforts were well rewarded. Aiden drove towards work and began thinking about the night before and just how distraught Mia was about everything. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her cry, but it still hurt his heart remembering the way she shook in his arms. What was even more worrying to him was she never mentioned exactly how her father passed but had a bad feeling about it. Still, there was no point speculating it was enough Mia just telling him the truth.
"Morning Master Li. Did you sleep well?" a female employee greeted him at the building which put him on edge immediately, he'd never seen her before never mind greeting him. He glanced at her name tag. 'Alice Koujo' he wasn't familiar with the name.
"Fine. Which department are you from?" he made light conversation as she entered, the elevator with him.
"Fashion. It's actually my first day, I never imagined I'd meet you straight away." She was quite attractive, with big brown eyes and bobbed brown hair but Aiden thought she was quite young to be in such a career.
"It's a small world. Do your best." She smiled brightly at him before exiting on the fashion floor. It was peculiar but he got bad vibes from her, even though she was overly cheerful and innocent something didn't sit right with him. His office was on the top floor and he was greeted by his trusty assistant Yang.
"Morning Master Li. Did you sleep well?" that question was becoming too common.
"Do I really look that tired?" he said in annoyance stroking he skin under his eyes, maybe he was tired after last night's events but more mentally than physically.
"Excuse me. You have a meeting with Hangzhou shopping mall at three o clock, after that your schedules fairly light." Aiden looked at the itinerary and scratched his head. Didn't Mia say he was going to have a long day?
"Is that all nothing else? What's this at eleven?" it was a scheduled meeting, but the other party wasn't named.
"Oh um…it's a family enquiry meeting. Your father has requested to review your current overseas negotiations." Aiden face darkened, so that's what Mia meant. That girl must be psychic or something he thought to himself.
"Is there anyway to cancel it." He really didn't want to see his father, there was also no sea without water so his mother would surely attend too.
"I'm afraid he was insistent, although he sighed the company over to you, he's still an investor." Aiden sighed, of course he was his father would control anything to do with him. However, there was dark thought bubbling inside of his head. If his father did have anything to do with Lang Hai or Mia's father, then it would be nuclear war.
"Very well." Aiden stood up and began pacing thinking about what to do. For some reason he really wanted to talk to Mia, she was good at calming him down at times like this. When Aiden took his entrance exams in high school, she sat up the whole night with him calming his nerves. With her help he passed top of the class. After indecisively pondering for a while, he asked Yang to leave the room while he phoned Mia praying, she was on break. As the dial tone was about to end she picked up and Aiden breathed in relief.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked cheerfully, already she knew something was wrong hearing his sigh.
"Sorry to call you at work but can we talk for a while?" Mia sat down in the staff room away from her colleagues staring out of the window with a soft smile on her face. Mia already knew what was going to happen today, but it took Aiden a little longer to catch on. It made her happy he had reached out.
"Sure. I have a bit of advice for you but don't take it the wrong way." Aiden felt a lump in his throat, that usually meant he needed to pull himself together.
"I want you to show them how good of a person you are without them. Don't be humble about all of the hard work you've done and don't think for a second you owe them anything. A parent is not someone who gives you the world but helps you find your own way in it. If they have anything to say about me, I don't want you to feel guilty or feel the need to get angry for me it will only give them what they want. You know if you need me, I'll be there okay?" Aiden slumped back down in his chair feeling a invisible weight lift from his shoulders. In thirty seconds flat, she'd resolved everything he was troubled about, they didn't call her Joni for nothing after all.
"What if I can't keep it together?" Mia knew what he meant, he always got mad when they said horrible things about her but that didn't matter.
"They can call me all of the names under the sun but you know me better. Don't play into their game, the more agitated you get the more they believe your unstable to be in our relationship. It sounds strange I know but don't give them a reaction. You can do this, I believe in you." Aiden let a chuckle escape his mouth is disbelief.
"You're right. Thanks, you really calmed me down. See you tonight. I love you." Aiden hung up leaving Mia hanging in mid-air, did he really just say that so easily over the phone. All of the staff members noticed her touch her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Doctor James, are you dating someone?" Hao asked almost disappointed, Mia was on the spit with the whole room staring at her.
"None of your business, come on let's head back." She defensively dodged the question and Hao watched her hurry back to work feeling quite disheartened. Kai could see the defeat on his face punching his shoulder.
"You can't really blame her, she's one of a kind after all. Keep your head up she'll realize you like her sooner or later." Hao rolled his eyes and got back to work, that wasn't a very good way to lighten his mood.
Mia completed the rounds and decided to visit her mother whole she still had time. Jane was painting Mia's favourite bird, the Robin with watercolour. It never failed to amaze Mia how skilled her mother was, her visualization was stunning, and the colours were perfect.
"It's beautiful Mom." Jane jumped and spun around. She smiled and stood up holding out the paintbrush.
"Do you remember the constant rain in England? When that little Robin would hide under our porch, you used to go out and feed it. I still remember the way it would perch itself on your hand while it pecks the crumbs from your hand." Mia was delighted to see her mother looking so nostalgic today, usually reminiscing about the past would send her over the edge but today she seemed very stable.
"Of course, I remember that was the last winter we had in England before moving here." Mia sat comfortably and began writing in her observation notes, this behaviour was vital to record because it was so rare. Jane stopped painting and sat opposite to Mi giving her a peculiar look.
"Sweetheart, are you back together with Aiden?" Mia felt the pen crack in her mouth, and she looked up at her mother with fearful eyes. Jane smirked and nodded, her heart had never beat this frantically before. How could she know?
"You have that glow back, whenever he would spend time with you. You would smile just like today, am I right?" Mia couldn't bring herself to speak her words wouldn't come out but what unnerved her most of all was the teary eyes belonging to her mother. They were difficult to decipher, Mia didn't know what she was thinking.
"I've been an awful person to you my girl. To see you look so afraid to fall in love kills me. It's my fault for saying such terrible things to you, if you're in love then as long as your happy then I'm happy. That is my duty as your mother." Jane stood up causing Mia to flinch, this wasn't someone she had seen in a very long time. This was more like the mother she knew all of those years ago when they had just moved to China. Jane walked over and kneeled ahead of Mia taking both of her hands.
"Mia, will you forgive me?" Mia felt her eyes tear up, this wasn't the first time she had asked for forgiveness but this time it seemed more genuine than the rest, so much so she felt a weight lift from her head.
"There's nothing to forgive. You're my mom no matter what and thankyou for your blessing. You've made me very happy."
"Doctor James, I need a hand." Hao popped his head around the door looking rather distressed and Mia jumped back into work mode. Jane understood and gave her a reassuring look before watching her leave. Mia walked into the corridor to hear nothing, but silence and she found it strange considering how distressed Hao looked.
Mia walked into her office to find Hao looking rather meek and it made her uneasy. She closed her door and sat in her seat waiting for him to say something. From his body language he looked nervous.
"Could you tell me what happened now?" Mia stiffened up. Hao tapped his head gesturing to Mia.
"You can tell me if he's hurting you Mia." He fists clenched under the desk, he had the whole thing wrong. It pissed her off that he would make these sorts of assumptions. Aiden wouldn't dream of laying a hand on her.
"Hao, what exactly are you getting at?" she said in confusion. He sighed and sat down ahead of her.
"You come in either completely out of it or injured. I'm really concerned about you. Mia, if he is harassing you, I'll take care of it." Mia couldn't help a scoff escape her mouth.
"You misunderstand the whole situation, it wasn't my boyfriend who did this to me. If you had bothered to ask beforehand them, I would have clarified that."
"Well who then!" he asked angrily. Mia's temper flared up when she realized what was happening here.
"I'm not some damsel in distress you get to play hero for. I can already tell you wanted that to be the case so you could get closer to me but your wrong Hao. I've had a stalker since high school and recently he's been overactive, if it wasn't for my boyfriend god knows what he would have done to me. So before you start making accusations think before you speak." Mia tried to stay calm but her face screamed anger. Hao was still on the spot and felt like an idiot, here he was thinking she was in an abusive relationship he could rescue her from.
"I-I'm sorry I never thought about that." Mia shook her head in disappointment.
"You're a good man, I'm not denying that, and you've saved me on many occasions in the workplace, but my private life doesn't concern you. Please refrain from involving yourself, you're dismissed please return to your shift." Hao stood up unsteadily being shot down like wild game. Mia felt slightly guilty being so abrupt, but it really did nark her off he made this wort of serious accusation. Her nice, calm day had been ruined yet again but she stayed positive remembering the kind of day Aiden was probably having right now.
-------------------------Shijie Li Industries---------------------------
"Master Li, it's time for the meeting." Aiden tried taking deep breaths, but this was getting to him worse than he'd imagined. His parents were a big trigger for his anger, but this was a professional setting. Mia had really helped him a lot during the phone call and in away he wished she could be with him right now to keep a cap on his tongue. His mother and father had come for one reason and that was to check on his lifestyle, or in other words investigate his current status with Mia.
Making his way with files in hand he stood outside of the conference room hesitating if this was a good idea or should he postpone it until a later date. Then, Mia's words popped back into his head. Show them how much of an amazing person you are without then. It was a compliment he valued more than anything after being their puppet for so long. Mia was right, he needed to prove he was independent and didn't need them at all. Bravely, he took a deep breath and walked into the room like any other meeting not even glancing at them once.
Their eyes followed him to the director chair, and he organized his papers delicately until he finally made eye contact with them. Mr and Mrs Li were trying to push him over the edge already having marriage contract sitting carelessly ahead of him. So, they really were trying to push Mia out of the picture once and for all.
"Meeting is in session, everything discussed in this room with be confidential and therefore any discussion external to this meeting is prohibited and will result in prosecution." Mr Li smirked hearing the professionalism in his voice. Aiden wasn't playing around today.
"You look well son, are you taking care of yourself?" Mrs Li asked kindly, Aiden tried his best not to scowl. Since when did she care about his wellbeing?
"I'm well looked after." He said bluntly slyly referring to Mia. She did cook and clean as well as care for him after all and vice versa they had a balanced relationship at home unlike his parents.
"Okay, lets get down to business. I'm impressed by your management skills and you've successfully outstretched the industry overseas. Your communication skills and excellent and you have really helped this company excel. However, I only have one inquiry…if you had to choose between Mia and the company what would you choose?"