more assertive than Aiden was used to seeing her.
It must have been from being with Arthur for such a long time. She scolded Arthur for a
while, but Arthur helped her without any expression. He had no intention of letting go of
her and said, I've helped you for decades and I've never felt embarrassed about it.
Why are you embarrassed? Watching them quarrel on the steps, Aiden couldn't help but
smile and shake his head, then offer to help. What brings you both here today? Aiden
asked. This lady wants some of your famous cake, Arthur smirked.
But his words were immediately refuted by Aunt Susie. Don't listen to his nonsense, little
Aiden. He's the one who wanted cake, but he's embarrassed to come by himself, so he
had to drag me along.
Aiden rolled his eyes at the two and invited them into the restaurant before they started
fighting about who really wanted cake.
Outside, Dan
and Stephanie watched Arthur and Aunt Susie enter the store while they stood shivering
in the cold wind. Dan asked, Stephanie, is he the one? Dan looked at the flags on the
limousine in the street and understood Arthur's power.
He wore an expression of fear. He recognized Arthur's face and grew more nervous.
There were several powerful people at the restaurant this evening.
Every guest was important and Dan can only wonder about the situation. As powerful as
everyone was, they were quite friendly with Aiden, who was very welcoming in return.
This proved to Dan that Aiden must be extraordinary.
Dan's earlier arrogance had shifted into fear, and now he was starting to panic. He'd
kicked a hornet's nest. This must be the man everyone was talking about, Dan thought
to himself.
Stephanie was realizing the same thing. She was no better than Dan. She considered her
attitude earlier, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to curl up and
die.
Dan turned to her and said, hit me. What? She asked in confusion. Come on, hit me hard,
he said.
A crisp slap echoed in the silent street. Dan covered his swollen face and murmured, it's
not a dream. Dan and Stephanie could see through the windows that when the elderly
people entered the restaurant, everyone stood up for them.
Inside the restaurant, Leah blinked in awe, reflecting how important the old man was.
She could not help but scream with excitement, grabbing her mother and stammering,
mom, it's Arthur Wiles. Clara responded, Leah, is your brother a sage? He knows all these important people.
Who is Arthur Wiles? Leah answered, he's the founder of Chesterton. He's legendary. He
shed blood to establish a peaceful and prosperous age in our country.
He's kind of a big deal, mom. By comparison, Dan Walton was just some stupid actor.
Suddenly, Dan's autograph didn't mean so much.
Leah tossed it aside and went to ask Arthur for his signature with a sweet smile. As for
Scarlet, the moment she saw Arthur, she froze in shock. She finally understood how
Aidan had the courage to refuse her.
If I knew people like Arthur Wiles, I would do the same, Scarlet thought. Scarlet touched
her chin and gave more thought to firing her two employees standing outside. What had
been intended to be a family dinner had now turned into an event.
Aidan found himself helpless to turn anyone away. He'd have to expand the menu, help
cook, and be a good host to his guests. It had been a while since he'd been in the
kitchen, and Aidan was initially unsure of his skills.
But his proficiency was still there, and he prepared several colorful and delicious dishes
to serve his guests. This was Scarlet's first time tasting Aidan's cooking. She was
astonished and praised him.
She looked at Aidan curiously. She didn't quite know what to make of him. She also
didn't realize she might be falling for him.
The dinner was wonderful, with everyone making toasts and enjoying each other's
company. Dan and Stephanie, who didn't dare leave while Scarlet was still there,
huddled together in the cold wind all night. After the banquet was over, Arthur and the
others left, but Anthony stayed behind.
Aidan knew he had something to say, so he invited him to his room. At this hour, Dora
had fallen asleep in Anthony's arms, and she was drooling on his jacket. Anthony looked
at Dora fondly.
Then he raised his head with a sigh and said, ''I plan to let Dora go to school again next
week. I don't want to mess up normal development. Aiden nodded in understanding.
A month had passed since the last kidnapping incident, but the security bureau of
Bayside District had failed to crack down on the group behind the traffickers. So, for the
sake of safety, Dora has been staying in the Kays' family villa. Seeing how happy Dora
was tonight, Aiden could guess how lonely she'd been stuck on the mountain.
But why was Anthony consulting Aiden about this matter? The last time Dora and my
father went to the market, I secretly sent bodyguards to protect them, Anthony said, and Aiden understood his meaning. Anthony continued, You know what happened? Those
bodyguards are blind and have no sense of duty. I don't trust them anymore.
So, I fired them. Aiden replied, To be honest, I understand. I can't believe some of the
people I've had to deal with lately either.
Anthony stopped him before he could say more. But Aiden, you are different. Dora and I
trust you.
Aiden suddenly responded, Wait, are you asking me to be Dora's bodyguard? Anthony
rarely showed his emotions, but Aiden could see a trace of embarrassment in his eyes.
He said, I know this is a lot to ask, but… Aiden shook his head and resolutely replied, Mr.
K, you don't have to be embarrassed. I don't know how to repay you for all your help.
The least I can do is protect Dora. Don't worry Did anything happen to her? Even if Aiden did not love Dora already, he would never
refuse such an important task given Anthony's concern and mentorship. Dear Aiden, I
know I could count on you, Anthony said. There was no need to further elaborate on his
gratitude.
The two agreed that starting the next week, Aiden would pick up Dora and take her to
school. As for the safety inside the school, Anthony was certain the traffickers wouldn't
dare to do things in the school. What's more, Anthony knew he was being overcautious
and that the kidnappers may have already shifted their target.
After seeing Anthony and Dora out the door, Aiden went to clean up only to find Amy and
Leah huddled together looking at something on Amy's phone. Aiden did not have the
energy left to sigh before asking, what are you two doing? Think carefully. Two girls
looked up at Aiden and Leah got up and took him by the arm.
I can't believe you're Amy's brother. You're just what was expected, smart, golden eyes,
and gifted. Before Leah could continue, Aiden stopped her.
If you're not talking about business, I'm going to bed. Two girls exchanged a look and in
a hesitant voice, Amy said, hey big brother, can you help us with something? What is it?
He asked. So in their two words, Aiden finally heard a general.
It turns out that in order to strengthen the sense of
teamwork among the students in Amy's class, they were organizing a team competition
for after Thanksgiving break. It was to be an outdoor military simulation game.
They'd have weaponry, water bombs, paintball and laser guns, and other equipment,
wear tactical equipment and military uniforms, and have an array of protective
equipment. In the game, they would all play soldiers and carry out simulated combat,
which they were excited about. The game would be fun while also testing the
cooperation of team members.
This was not only a team building exercise, but also gave the students a chance to blow
off some steam before the end of term. Teams were related to dormitory halls and the
girls' dormitory teams were able to invite an outside boy to assist them. Amy's dormitory
hadn't selected anyone yet, and Amy and Leah were now asking Aiden to be on their
team.
Aiden wanted nothing to do with it. He shook his head and refused. Although he finally
had some free time, he didn't want to spend it playing games with a bunch of kids.
Please, please, please, little Aiden! Leah uttered a coquettish voice that was so sickly
sweet, Aiden thought her teeth would fall out. Please help us! Sarah in the opposite
dormitory has been laughing at the fact that we can't find anyone to help our hall. Amy
also said angrily, she's such a jerk.
Amy was generally indifferent to people and seldom got angry. For this Sarah to rile Amy
up so much suggested she'd done something pretty serious. If Amy was being bullied,
Aiden wouldn't hesitate to protect her.
He thought it over for a moment and finally agreed to their invitation. The girls were so
happy that they couldn't sleep. Aiden spent the rest of the holiday break hanging out
with his sister and her friend.
They went to the amusement park, arcades, coffee shops, and a fancy restaurant. The
girls got to be carefree as Aiden treated them. This kind of princess-like treatment made
Leah wish she had such a brother.
After the holiday, Aiden returned with Amy and Leah to Marlboro Middle School west of
Bayside. He almost didn't recognize Leah in her school uniform when they went to
register him as a guest with the school administrators. After that, Aiden met Amy's other
two roommates.
The first was an honest girl named Diane Miller who was from the countryside. Their
other roommate, a pretty girl named Janine Hart, was a native of Bayside District. Both
were delighted to have Aiden join their team.
But after spending the holidays with Leah and his sister, he had become comfortable
with the weird hero worship from the middle school girls. Before departure, the school
principal held a short mobilization meeting to address some administrative matters.
Aiden was bored and looked around taking in his environment.
He saw a girl wearing a pink headband, beaming in pride as a burly young man
approached her. The young man, with a clean-cut head, thick eyebrows, and big eyes,
seemed equally excited to be there. While it was winter, he only wore a thin camouflage
suit, and Aiden could see his muscles bulging under his clothes.