Hearing what he said, Aria blushed even more. Seeing her blush, Ace smiled warmly, surprising the girls; some even gasped. Manson smiled, looking at his friend.
"Since when did he start smiling so warmly like that?" Manson thought, scratching his head.
"You... you also look handsome," Aria stuttered shyly, looking down at her palm, which wasn't holding the phone.
"Thanks," Ace said, meeting her gaze.
"Goodnight," Aria said, ready to hang up because his continued gaze sent goosebumps rippling across her skin.
"Goodnight, my beautiful midnight star," Ace said, then hung up without waiting for her response.
"Go home, and from now on, know your limits," Ace said, his cold eyes making the girls tremble.
Walking out of the room, Manson punched Ace on the arm. "Gosh, that was nice! You were so lovely. Oh my, I'm really jealous."
"Get your own, then," Ace said, walking toward the club's entrance, leaving Manson behind.
"I want to get one, sure, but will she accept me?" Manson muttered, walking to his car.
Parking his car, Ace walked into the mansion to find his parents watching TV. Before he could greet his mother, his father roared at him like an angry dragon.
"You! Where were you all this time?" he demanded.
"Out with Manson," Ace said, looking at his father.
"How dare you even talk to me like that, huh?" his father questioned.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going out? Now I have to cancel my visit to my friend's house because of you!" his father said angrily.
"You can go without me, Father," Ace said plainly.
"That's what you'll say? Shouldn't you apologize?" his father's eyes flared. The sole reason he disliked his son was his complete lack of obedience. His son was handsome, smart, and had a unique personality; he would be a good CEO one day, but his disobedience irritated him.
"Leave him alone, Markus," Lilian, Ace's mother, said.
"How do you expect me to leave him alone? He ruined my happy mood! I was going to see my friend!" Markus huffed, then waved his hand dismissively, signaling Ace to leave. 'What will I gain by shouting at him?' Markus thought.
Seeing his father's gesture, Ace nodded at his mother and walked to his room, closing the door behind him.
…
Aria sighed, alone in her room, thinking about what Diana and the other girls had said. They'd apologized, sure, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive them. She chose to forget and act as if nothing happened. The next second, she was all smiles, remembering her conversation with Ace.
The next morning, Marcel went to school, determined to tell Aria his feelings.
Aria, despite still feeling weak from the previous day's events, went to school. She loved studying and didn't want to fall behind.
"Hey! How are you doing?" Reyan asked. Seeing Aria's pale complexion and furrowed brow, he frowned, worried.
"Are you alright, Aria? What's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale?" Reyan asked anxiously.
Aria smiled. "I'm alright, don't worry," she assured him.
"How can I not worry, Aria? Look at you!" Reyan said, taking her arms and turning her from side to side, acting like a mother hen.
Aria was taken aback. "Eh, I'm alright! Stop acting like my mother, okay? I'm alright," she said, stressing the last word.
"Let go of her," Ace said suddenly.
He was approaching Aria when Reyan, coming from the opposite direction, didn't notice him. Ace saw Reyan holding Aria's arm and turning her around, which made it look like he was checking her out. Ace's eyes turned cold, his irritation boiling over. He didn't realize he'd walked up to them and snapped.
"Let go of her! Didn't you hear me?" Ace said. Thankfully, he was Aria's friend; otherwise, Reyan might have been bleeding.
Reyan and Aria were shocked by Ace's fierce look; they'd never seen him like this. They stood there, staring at him as if he'd caught them cheating.
Ace continued to glare at them, and Aria quickly removed Reyan's hand. "Hey, you're at school early," she said with a smile.
"Yeah," Ace said, not giving her a look.
"Hey, don't misunderstand! I was just checking on her because she looked pale and sick," Reyan said, trying to explain. He knew boys usually didn't like other men touching their girlfriends, and Ace seemed to be one of them.
"I know, but next time, don't touch her. She's not single anymore," Ace declared coldly, his voice deep. "She's my girlfriend."
Aria beamed, and when Ace looked at her, she grinned, lowering her head and laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Ace asked.
"Nothing. I just liked the way you declared me your girlfriend. All girls, move, move!" Aria said, smiling as she gestured for the passing girls to make way.
"You aren't looking well. Why did you come to school? I was planning to visit you at home after school," Ace said, looking down at her, noting her smaller stature.
"Oh, I don't know. But I didn't want to miss anything today. I could have just stayed in bed because of this minor injury... and maybe I wanted to see you," Aria said, smiling.
"Oh? Why did you want to see me? Something I should know?" he asked.
"No, there's nothing. It's just... I want to see you every day. When I see you, I feel at ease, so happy all of a sudden, Ace, my boyfriend," Aria said, looking deeply into his eyes.