Pampered Wife of Xavier

Chapter 2: Accompany Her To The Hospital

Arya nodded slightly as she lowered her gaze and took another sip of tea. She thought for a moment before she decided to plainly explain,

“When I was younger, because she was worried about my teeth, my mother limited my intake of sweet foods. When I grew older, I became used to it and my taste has always veered that way.”

Xavier smiled. Just as he was about to say something, his handphone by his side suddenly buzzed again. He looked apologetically at Arya before picking up to answer the call.

The call was from Bella Knight, who was asking Xavier whether he had made it on time for the appointment.

When he heard Bella Knight’s anxious tone, Xavier could not help but frown. He listened to Bella Knight grumble for a while before he answered exhaustedly and indifferently,

“I’m already meeting her. We’ll talk again when I get back.”

He silently hung up and then looked at the person opposite him. He watched her with her teacup in a hand as her apathetic eyes gazed at the gloomy sky outside the window. The speakers started to play some familiar tunes —

Maybe love blinds us.

It’s a passion that makes one undaunted by dangers…

Who did love captivate?

Who surrendered to love, invading loneliness besieged by the blaze?

If the warmth of a kiss can conquer resentment…

A cool wind blew in from the window, the chilliness abruptly invading their moment of silence. Arya could not help but shiver slightly. She subconsciously clasped both her hands together, but just as she released them, she heard a loud crash. A scorching heat burned the back of her hand. In an instant, she felt her wrist being pulled away by a large hand.

“Careful.”

His concerned tone revealed sensitivity.

At that moment, Arya also retrieved her gaze. Then, she realized that the back of her hand was scalded a little by the spilled tea. A dimness flashed in her still eyes as she felt embarrassed. She wanted to hide her hands, but before she could move, a pure white handkerchief was slowly extended to her.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly accepted it. She lightly wiped the tea that stained the back of her hand.

“Thank you.”

Once again, she thanked him softly and an apologetic smile spread across her beautiful little face.

“Did you get hurt?” He frowned and looked at her slightly reddened hand as he asked.

Arya lightly shook her head. The light in her eyes seemed to be quite faint, yet she smiled and responded with some difficulty,

“No worries. I’ll just go back and ice it.”

“What’s so interesting about the sky, so much so that it made you this absent-minded?”

There was a glow in Xavier’s eyes as he nonchalantly looked outside the window that Arya had gazed out of earlier. What entered his line of sight was the murky sky. It was boundlessly grey. The cold breeze that entered through the window seemed to bring some humidity, and one could vaguely see the drizzle that fell.

“I actually don’t like to watch this kind of sky. The dripping rain makes me a little uncomfortable.” Arya lightly covered her scorched hand and then followed his gaze and sighed softly,

“It seemed like spring for New York City has come especially early this year. It isn’t even Spring Festival yet and the weather’s already like this.”

“Mmm… Earlier, when I passed by the plaza, I heard them say that Spring is beginning in another two days,” Xavier responded, and then abruptly turned away. He was about to pick his teacup up when he saw her still holding the back of her hand. His huge hand suddenly crossed over and pulled her other hand that was trying to cover up. He immediately caught sight of the angry red skin on her hand…

Xavier’s brows furrowed even further. He was silent for a while, then finally he smoothly stood up and picked up her bag that she had put aside.

Arya was stunned. There was some suspicion in her eyes and she was about to say something when his low voice was heard —

“Let’s go and take a look at the hospital. Otherwise, it’d be you who suffers.”

Then, without waiting for Arya to agree, he started to walk out.

He had just walked out of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern when his subordinate, James Knight, had driven his car over. Although it did not look like a luxury car, it was rather similar to her Passat; it was a Phaeton.

It was the kind of car that was luxurious on the inside while being low-profile and reserved on the outside, just like its owner, who was reserved in a way that made him hard to fathom.

“Brother!” James Knight quickly stopped the car and swiftly got down to respectfully greet him.

However, when he saw Arya beside Xavier, his eyes lit up. He could not help but show hints of a stifled smile on his face. Remaining calm, he carefully took a sidelong glance at his brother, yet he realized that his brother still looked apathetic and downcast as usual.

He pointed at James Knight. “This is James Knight.”

Arya nodded slightly. “Hello, I’m Arya!”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Arya!”

James Knight smiled in response as he opened the car door.

Xavier pointed inside nonchalantly, indicating for Arya to enter.

Arya remembered that her car was parked in the parking lot, so she said softly,

“There’s no need to trouble you. I drove over myself.”

Xavier lowered his eyes and looked at her hand, which was already red and swollen. He skirted the car and rumbled in his low voice,

“You sure you can still drive right now?”

Arya looked down at her hand. The searing pain made her frown involuntarily. When she saw that James Knight had already put her things in the back seat before getting into the driver’s seat, she thought about it for a moment prior to getting into the car.

James Knight immediately started the car.

“Brother, where are we going?”

“Knight’s Hospital,” Xavier plainly said before he picked up a magazine from the side pocket and started flipping through it.

Arya did not say anything either. She just shrunk slightly into her seat and gently put her injured hand on her knee while her other hand lightly held it down. Then, she leaned her head against the window and looked outside.

Outside, it was foggy and drizzling. On the wet streets, the pedestrians that scurried to and from held umbrellas as they rushed past the sidewalks. The wind that poured in from the car window that was wound down halfway was a little chilly, yet there was a simple warmth that flowed in the car, repelling the coldness that came from behind her.

“New York City’s changed a lot.”

Suddenly, the man’s low voice entered her ears. Arya abruptly turned her head and realized that Xavier had looked up from his magazine and was looking calmly out of the car window.

Arya suddenly remembered that he had been living abroad for the past few years, so she smiled and said,

“Yep, especially these past few years, after the new five-year plan was released, this place became the new development area. The people of New York City were determined to create another flourishing city like the one in the north of the city.”

Glory World Corporation had quite a few projects there too, and she was in charge of one of the larger projects, so Arya was quite well-versed in the situation there.

“I’ve heard them mention it.”

He suddenly retrieved his gaze and took a look at her. He saw her frowning slightly and he looked down, his attention falling on her hands. Indeed, he saw that the back of her hand was becoming even more inflamed, so he frowned and said to James Knight up front,

“Reach Knight’s Hospital in ten minutes.”

Issued with the urgent order, James Knight nodded and then accelerated.

It was a weekend. Despite the fog and drizzle, the streets were not as congested as they were on a typical working day, so the car swiftly passed through several highways before quickly arriving at Hospital T.

Inside Knight’s Hospital is a spacious and neat consulting room.

“You’re lucky it isn’t blistering yet, otherwise it’d be tricky. Take some medication home to apply and use it on time to avoid your wound from becoming inflamed. Also, for the next few days, don’t let the wound get wet.”

After the doctor helped Arya apply some medication on the back of her hand, he issued her a prescription as he reminded her of all this.

Arya nodded slightly. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“No worries, just be careful the next time. Take the prescription and pay, then you may get your medication.”

The doctor handed the prescription over. Just as Arya was about to take it, the man beside her was quicker and his long fingers confidently grasped the doctor’s prescription. Nonchalantly skimming it, he then gave it to James Knight who was behind him as he said, “We’ll wait for you in the car.”

James Knight obediently accepted it and nodded. “Yes, Brother, I’ll go right away!”

Then, his tall figure walked out and he vanished in an instant.

“Let’s go.”

Xavier looked down at Arya, who was still sitting on the stool. Soon, he walked out of the consulting room first. Arya was stunned for a moment, then she took her bag, got up, and slowly followed after him.

The sound of their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. Two shadows were cast across the floor. She walked in front while he followed right behind her. Their rhythmic footsteps sounded exceptionally distinct in this empty walkway.

When they walked out of the hospital, it was still raining, and the sky had already turned dark. The streetlights by the sidewalk were turned on too.

“Thank you so much for today.” Arya raised up her bound hand and her elegant face flashed with a grateful smile.

Xavier nodded before he responded softly, “You already said thank you to me more than five times along the way.”

Arya looked embarrassed and wanted to explain herself when suddenly her handphone buzzed. She looked apologetically at Xavier before taking her phone out…

The phone blinked with Mia’s number. That was when Arya realized that it was already late. Initially, she meant to pick Mia up from the airport right after meeting this man, but she did not expect such a thing to happen. Now, she started to frown from being upset with herself.

“Hello? Arya! I just landed. Are you driving over right now? Are you late again, or did you forget?”

The call was just picked up when Mia’s sweet and high-pitched voice immediately came through. Arya had to move the phone slightly further away and even beside her, Xavier could hear everything clearly.

Arya took a deep breath and then softly answered,

“I’m going over right away. Wait for me a while.”

Then, she hung up because knowing Mia’s temperament, she would definitely grumble again.

She looked up at the rain that kept pouring while she thought about how her car was still at the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern. It was about half an hour’s drive away from where she was. She definitely would not be able to make it if she went back to get her car right then. Besides, she could not really drive given the state of her hand anyway, so Arya could only ponder over whether she should flag a cab.

“Rushing?” Suddenly, Xavier’s voice came from the side.

Arya suddenly looked up and her eyes met his concerned gaze. She could only nod.

“I said that I’d go pick Mia up from the airport in the evening, but I forgot all about the time. Thank you for today. I’ll treat you to a meal the next time, but I’ve got some urgent matter, so I’ll go first!”

She could not care further. Arya just uttered these words and then picked up her bag to provide shelter for her head before running into the rain…

Xavier’s indifferent gaze looked past the gloomy drizzle and stared as that delicate figure swiftly got into a cab. Something flashed in his eyes.

He quickly retrieved his gaze and walked into the drizzle, getting into the car.

After James Knight paid and walked to the car with the bag of medication, he noticed that only his brother was in the car. Suddenly, he was curious. With the bag in his hand, he asked,

“Where’s Ms. Arya, Brother?”

“She left.”

Xavier was focused on checking something on the laptop across his lap. The blue light from his screen complemented his extremely handsome face, making him seem even more mysterious.

James Knight was stunned. He hesitated for a moment and then waved the bag of medication in his hand.

“She forgot her medication!”

Xavier looked up. Upon seeing the medication in James Knight’s hand, his handsome face frowned. Then, he said with a lowered voice, “Find a time. Play by ear.”

Then, Xavier looked away and continued to study the laptop in front of him.

James Knight was shocked. He pondered for a long while and was still not sure what the brother meant. However, seeing his brother’s focused expression, he dared not ask. He thought about it and could only nod in response, then he got into the car.

“Brother, are we going home right away now?” James Knight asked softly.

“Return to Maple Residence,” Xavier said simply. Then, he slowly closed his laptop and gently massaged the fatigue between his brows away before he leaned back and shut his eyes to rest.

“Okay!”

When he saw Xavier’s behavior, James Knight did not dare say more. He started the car instantly and the car slowly drove into the drizzle…

Even though Knight’s Hospital was quite far from the airport, by using the bustling city’s highway, it would only be a 40-minute journey.

When Arya reached the airport, it was already night time and many people milled around the airport, especially at the arrival gates. It was crowded with people from all over the city. Many were representatives from travel agencies or huge companies who had come to pick their guests up. They all held huge boards and squeezed into the crowd. Arya wore huge dark brown shades and stood far away behind because there was no way she could squeeze in.

Tourists kept walking out of the airport. Soon, the people who gathered at the arrival gates had started to slowly disperse too. It was not long before only a few people were left.

When she did not see Mia come out for a long while, Arya had to pull out her phone to call her, yet no one answered for a long time. As she was hesitating about whether or not to go in to look for her, suddenly Mia’s sweet shout came from behind her —

“Arya, Arya! I’m here!”

When she heard her voice, Arya turned around and looked toward the source of the voice. Quickly, she could see the familiar figure amidst the crowd.

Mia held her luggage high above her head in one hand while her slim yet extremely nimble body squeezed through the crowd toward Arya.

The elegant face hiding underneath the huge shades smiled with warmth. She adjusted her shades slightly and then walked towards the departure gate.

Bam!

Once she rushed up to Arya, Mia threw her luggage and backpack aside before rushing up to give Arya a hug. She could not help but sound a little raspy as she said into Arya’s ear,

“Wonderful! We haven’t seen each other for a few months and I realize that the person I miss the most is still you!”

Then, she tightened her grip on Arya’s waist. Her force made Arya think that she was about to be snapped in half!

Underneath the shades, her twinkling eyes flashed with tender helplessness. She reached out and patted Mia’s shoulder, yet she did not say anything. She just let Mia hug her.

At the same time, Arya also lifted her hand to slowly take her shades off and put them into her pocket.

“What happened to your hand?”

Mia's sharp eyes noticed that Arya’s hand was bandaged. She quickly pulled her hand over to examine it closely. Apparently, there was concern and anxiousness in her eyes.

Arya smiled cheerfully and lightly patted Mia on the shoulder as she laughed gently.

“No worries. I just got scalded by a little tea. I just got it bandaged at the hospital.”

“Scalded! Is it serious? Why are you so careless!?” Mia frowned and shot her an unhappy look, then she examined her hand in detail again. When she saw Arya’s slightly pursed lips, she slowly let go and could not help but nag her once more.

“Let’s go back and have some food first. I’ve already made reservations for dinner. You’ve had such a long flight. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Arya pretended that she did not see Mia’s glowering gaze. The corner of her mouth curved as she bent down to pick up the luggage that Mia had thrown to the floor. Then, she handed the little backpack to Mia.

Mia nodded and took the backpack in Arya’s hand. “If you didn’t mention it, I really didn’t feel anything, but now that you have, I’m starving. The fast food on the plane is inedible. Traveling with a group is boring! Luckily, I ran off alone halfway and toured France and all the other nearby countries by myself. A lot of pretty interesting things happened too. I got to know a few handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed guys. I’ll tell you more later, and at the same, introduce them to you. I’ve specially chosen them for you and arranged them into a thick file!”

As Mia said this, she took a thick notebook out of her backpack. “I’m telling you I’ve arranged it very diligently. If you dare to trample on my good intentions again this time, I’ll stop being your friend, you hear me?”

Arya turned over and casually looked at the thick notebook in Mia’s hand. She could not help but feel her headache. She said helplessly,

“Don’t tell me that in this period of time that you were away, you’ve been preparing all these?”

Mia shrugged matter-of-factly. She hugged the notebook as if it were her baby. “Of course, this is related to your future happiness. I must always keep it to heart. This is my heart’s blood. If you dare to disrespect the fruits of my labor, you’d better watch out!”

Arya could not help but bury her head in her hands.

“Mia, did you know that Benjamin Miller is about to go mad from trying to look for you? He keeps calling me more than five times a day to ask about you, but you… I really don’t know what to say to you.”

As if in sync with Arya, the instant she said that, the phone in her pocket immediately buzzed. She took it out and unlocked it, then she showed it to Mia. Her brows were raised as she said to Mia,

“You tell him yourself.”

Mia pouted, then she took the phone. She had a look before hanging up and tossing the phone back to Arya with a grin.

“Forget about him. Just let him be all anxious about himself. Tonight, I have a date. I’m not answering anyone’s calls!”

Then, she picked her backpack up and walked ahead.

Arya could only shake her head as she collected her luggage and followed her.

They had just stepped out of the airport when a cold breeze harshly ruffled their clothes. Arya thrust out a hand to hail a cab, then she put the luggage into the car. When she was about to get in, Mia suddenly hugged her from behind and said softly, “Arya, look over there!”

…

“What’s wrong?”

Arya turned over to look at Mia, yet she realized that her clear face had become pale and she was staring blankly ahead. When she noticed Arya watching her, she turned to Arya and concern flashed in her eyes.

In that instant, the world seemed to have suddenly fallen into a gloomy silence.

Mia quickly gripped Arya. Her face had also darkened as she turned to look over. Just ahead of them, less than ten meters away, beside a luxurious Rolls-Royce, a tall and lofty man had stopped to talk on the phone beside the car.

The man had a stern face. Under his sharp brows were profound eyes, a pointed nose, and thin lips. He wore an elegant, silver-grey, branded suit. His every move showed off his extraordinary nobility.

Beside him stood a girl wearing Chanel’s latest white spring outfit.

Her beautiful light blonde and slightly curly, long hair fell on her shoulders. Her bright and animated little face held a hint of tenderness. Those long, shapely eyebrows and her eyes that flashed with hints of soft light complemented her thin lips that curved up ever so slightly, adding to her composed and elegant aura. At this moment, her hand gently pulled on the man’s sleeve while the man gently gazed at her before he continued to speak on the phone.

They made a very outstanding couple, and many people were already showering them with envious gazes from the side.

“Ethan, my mother’s already made reservations at Emperor. Uncle and Aunty should be there already, so we can just go straight there since it’s already very late.”

Victoria lightly clung onto Ethan’s arm. Her gentle voice was just like water flowing gracefully under the bridge, slowly entering one’s ears.

Ethan put his phone away and turned to look at Victoria. Then, his handsome face revealed tenderness before he nodded slightly.

“Let Robert take the luggage back to the villa. We’ll go straight over.”

Victoria smiled cheerfully. “Mmm, but we had such a long flight and I am quite tired. After dinner tonight, let’s go home earlier to rest. Seeing you so exhausted, you know that I’d worry.”

Ethan laughed softly as he reached out to hold Victoria by her slim waist and pulled her into his embrace. Victoria’s face flashed with a flirtatious smile and she lightly tiptoed to swiftly plant a kiss on Han Ethan’s lips.

“Sluts just love being pretentious!”

The sound of a cold and a sneer of disdain interrupted this rare romantic scene.

It was a very familiar voice!

Victoria was stunned. She quickly turned her head towards the source of the voice. What entered her sight was Mia’s willowy figure with her hands crossed while her clean and fair face was filled with contempt. The mockery in her eyes was dense. She was nonchalantly watching them with a gaze as if she was watching a clown put on a performance.

“Mia, it’s you!”

Victoria’s gentle face was infected with a surprised expression. She was about to walk up when Mia’s mocking expression stopped her in her footsteps. She could only look up at a loss and appear a little hurt by Ethan who had stayed silent.

While Ethan’s eyes had also locked onto Mia’s cynicism-filled face, his hands around Victoria’s hand tightened slightly.

“Mia, was that you on the plane earlier? I thought I recognized it wrongly. We haven’t seen each other in so long! How are you?” Victoria sucked it up, the bright smile on her face filled with a hint of darkness.

Mia sneered with contempt. “I’m good. Of course, I’m good. Without a certain disgusting fly flying around by my side, I’ll undoubtedly be good.”

“Mia, I…”

Victoria could not help but lower her head sadly.

“Enough!”

On the side, Ethan, who had been silent, finally spoke up coldly. He pushed Victoria behind him to protect her and then angrily glared at Mia.

“Mia, you can come to me if you’re mad about anything. There’s no need to attack Victoria with such malicious talk.”

When she heard him, Mia could not help but laugh out loud with pity in her eyes.

“Attack her with malicious talk? Ethan, I never would’ve thought that you were actually such a heartless scumbag! How are you two treating Arya fairly by doing this?”

Arya…

When she heard the name, Victoria was stunned. Her body involuntarily stiffened.

“The thing between Arya and I have nothing to do with Victoria. There’s no need for you to target her.”

Something gloomy flashed across Ethan’s eyes. His low voice passed through the hazy drizzle, and when one heard it, it sounded particularly bitter and heartless.

Victoria sniffed as she bit her lip and looked like she was steadfast in enduring the insult. It made them sympathize with her as she held out her hand and pulled Ethan’s sleeve. She shook her head gently.

“Ethan, that’s enough. She’s right to criticize me. It’s all my fault. I’ve always felt very guilty…”

“Victoria, this has nothing to do with you. There’s no need for you to blame yourself!”

Mia sneered again with anguish. Her eyes could not hold back the tears welling up in them. She slowly lifted her hand and pointed to Victoria who was behind Ethan and choked on her tears.

“Enough! You don’t need to pretend anymore. What for?! Arya was blind back then to have known you two heartless scumbags. You’ve stolen everything that belongs to Arya. Do you feel happy? I, Mia, have lived for close to 30 years, yet I’ve never seen such a shameless and disgusting woman like you! All day, you pretend to be Virgin Mary like a pure-white lotus when you’re actually filled with evil tricks. Whoever fancies you is blind. A slut deserves a cheating man!”

Mia’s foul words kept firing like a machine gun. She wished that her stern gaze could sentence the two people before her to an endless cycle of death.

“Watch your manners, Mia!”

Ethan’s handsome brows furrowed into a knot. With such horrible words entering his ears, even if he were usually apathetic, he still felt the sting of them.

“The matter between Arya and I can’t be explained in just a few words. Besides, that’s something between her and I. I hope you won’t intervene!”

“Manners? Do I need to care about manners when it comes to horrible people like you? Do you think my words are hard to swallow? Wild chicken! She’s a wild chicken! No matter how she dresses up, she can’t become a real phoenix! Ethan, you’ll definitely regret this!”

Mia was furious and her little face was beetroot at this point.

Ethan’s expression darkened. His eyes turned hostile as his hand bawled into fists and he shouted sternly,

“Mia! You dare say that again?!”

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

Mia shouted back with confidence, “I’m saying that Victoria is a wild chicken. No matter how she dresses up, she won’t become a real phoenix. She’s just a shameless white lotus that only knows how to use cheap tricks to climb her way up. Did I say anything wrong?”

“Shut up!”

“Ethan… Forget it…”

“Mia, I’m telling you the thing between Arya and I have nothing to do with Victoria. As for Arya, I can only say I’m sorry. I’m very clear about who I hold dear in my heart. Why do you have to pester me here because of this?”

…