"Aiden..." Matteo imdiately said warningly but was stopped when Charles held up a hand.
"Your brother isn’t going to do anything to her, Matteo. Besides, we should take these private matters sowhere more―" Charles’s eyes scanned the office, and imdiately, a few employees ducked under, pretending to be earnestly working, "―private, don’t you think?"
An unspoken conversation passed purely through their gazes, and eventually, Matteo gritted his teeth and held a hand out in the direction of his office.
"After you, then," he said.
Before he followed his father into the office, he turned back and glanced at Alia one last ti. Alia offered him a smile, which he quickly returned, but it was wiped off his face when Aiden enthusiastically waved at him.
"Don’t worry about Alia," Aiden said.
Then, as if they had been friends for all their lives, he placed an arm around Alia’s shoulder, pulling her close to his body. Alia hadn’t seen it coming, and due to the initial distance between them, she stumbled a little into his embrace, to which Aiden caught her with ease.
"I will take very good care of her," Aiden promised.
Matteo’s eyes twitched in irritation, but before he could say anything, Charles shot them both a glare. Only then did Aiden’s hand slip off Alia’s shoulder. Seeing that, Matteo shot daggers at Aiden one last ti before slamming the door shut. If looks could kill, Aiden would’ve already been six feet under.
"Well," Aiden said after the door to Matteo’s office closed. With the frosted glass, they couldn’t see what was going on inside, but Alia had no doubt that it wouldn’t be an easy conversation. "I heard you were planning to have lunch with my brother before this. Mind if I take his place?"
"I’d rather not," Alia frankly replied.
She was about to sit back down on her desk chair when she saw Aubrey had shot out of her seat and was frantically making her way over. Whether Aubrey was planning to rearrange lunch with her again or worse, invite Aiden out to lunch, Alia frowned.
Both seed like horrible ideas.
Matteo didn’t seem to have a good relationship with this brother of his, and Alia wouldn’t want Aubrey to spread her tales even further than the office. On the other hand, she would rather choke on a banana than go out with Aubrey for lunch.
Hence, she slipped a smile on her face and turned to Aiden. She said, "Actually, lunch sounds great." She reached for her small purse and gestured to the exit. "Got any place in mind?"
Aiden’s eyes sparkled at her words. He barely even cast Aubrey a glance as he led Alia out to the lift, ignoring the way her lips had already parted. When her hand nearly grazed his shoulder, he expertly dodged, making the movent seem all too natural.
"There’s a restaurant I think you might be interested in," Aiden said. "I just discovered it the other day with a few of my friends. I think you might like it."
"Sounds wonderful," Alia said, gritting out a smile.
Then, when she cast a glimpse at Aubrey and her hand that was still hanging in mid-air, Alia’s smile widened. Even the look she gave Aiden was now much more sincere, filled with genuine joy― albeit it was due to an entirely different reason.
"But I would rather not dine sowhere too well-known, though," Alia said in the lift. "The paparazzi will have a field day with the wrong scoop."
Would it pay to be honest with Aiden? Alia wasn’t sure. However, she had no better excuse in mind at the mont. Besides, Aiden was a rich boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Perhaps he would back off right after they arrived at a cheap, flimsy street stall.
"The place I have in mind is quiet enough," Aiden said. "We won’t be recognized so easily."
Alia made a face. "You’re not going to kidnap , are you?" Her words were half-playful, but her worries were very serious.
"My brother will be kept preoccupied for quite a while," Aiden casually said. "You won’t have to worry too much about work." He then smiled knowingly. "And don’t worry. If anything happens to you, my brother will have my head. I won’t do anything to you." His eyes twinkled. "For now."
They made their way to the parking lots out on the street, and to Alia’s surprise, Aiden sauntered over to a motorcycle instead of a fancy sports car like she would’ve guessed. He climbed on, slipping the black helt over his head before holding out a second one for Alia to take.
"Have you ridden before?" he asked, and Alia took the helt in her hands. She was starting to regret her decision. This was not worth spiting Aubrey.
"Once," she confessed. But those days were long and far behind her, and it had been a while since she was that young and bold. The years spent in her suffocating marriage had worn her down from everything fun or mildly dangerous.
"I’m a good driver," Aiden confidently said before patting the cushion behind him. "Climb on."
Alia gulped. She was grateful she hadn’t chosen to wear a pencil skirt today and had instead opted for suit pants instead. It was relaxed enough for her to take this mode of transport. She barely even wore her helt and climbed on when Aiden geared the engine.
"Hang tight," he warned, and Alia hesitantly put her hand on his waist.
He said nothing, but underneath the helt, Aiden smirked wickedly. Before Alia could even think that it wasn’t so bad and that everything was perfectly alright and safe, he turned up the gas and sped off. Alia was forced to lurch forward and wrap her arms around Aiden as he sped out of the parking area.
She wound her arms tightly around his torso, her eyes squeezed shut as she began to pray for her life. This was not worth it. She would rather be in her office, eating cup noodles or a lone sandwich than take a ride on the vehicle of death.
However, Aiden found every joy in it. He chuckled, his shoulders moving up and down as they cruised down the highway. Expertly, he swerved the motorcycle left and right, weaving in between cars seamlessly as the cityscape quickly disappeared behind them.
After what felt like forever, the motorcycle finally ca to a stop. The engine continued to rumble, and it was only after a while did Alia realized that they had been stationary for so ti. Even the tremors were actually due to Aiden’s laughter, which he tried but failed to keep in.
Alia imdiately tore herself away, and while trying to hop off, she nearly tripped and fell if it weren’t for the lamp post which she held onto for dear life.
"That wasn’t so bad, was it?" Aiden asked with a laugh, swinging his head a couple of tis to loosen up the hair that was previously trapped beneath the helt. Unlike Matteo, he didn’t gel his hair up, and the loose dark strands swung around, the silky strands of midnight reflecting the afternoon sun.
"Look," he said as he killed the engine and hopped off as well. "We’re here."
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