Amy

"Yes, Lia. I have everything packed. We will leave tomorrow morning for Seattle", I told her the umpteeth time since today morning.

"Amy, I don't want things to go wrong. We have to keep back up, okay?" Lia told me.

"Lia, if you say this one more time, I am going to hang up, okay?" I told her rolling my eyes.

"Sorry, sorry. It is just I am scared for the first time in my life, Amy. Also, work at hospital is exhausting. I am not even allowed to take leaves as I just started. I had to literally beg the other doctors to exchange shifts with me", Lia complained.

"Well, it will all be worth it", I told her.

"I hope so. Anyways, I gotta go", Lia told me and hanged up. I just smiled at the phone and shook my head.

It was already seven in the evening on Thursday. We are supposed to fly to Seattle tomorrow and search the Lawson Mansion tomorrow night. We know it is very risky but, there is no other choice and we have to do it. The guys initially wanted to go alone due to the high risk. But, we refused to let them go alone. Eventually, they had to give up and let us go with them.

I just gulped as the thought of what may happen if things go wrong made me shudder.

I decided to make something for dinner and when I opened the door to go out, I realised that the living room was dark. I was confused at first but, soon my eyes adjusted and I noticed that a very dim light was coming from the candle burning on the coffee table and Aaron was sitting on the floor next to it. I was surprised not only because of the dark setting but, also seeing Aaron home already. It has been a while since that had happened.

I walked into the living room slowly and when Aaron looked up, I asked, "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Just. I felt like it", Aaron replied.

This was first time in days when Aaron had spoken to me normally. Looks like he is not in the mood to be angry right now.

I nodded and was about to make my way to the kitchen when Aaron stopped me.

"Mind sitting with me for sometime?" Aaron asked me.

"But, what about dinner?" I said and immediately regretted. Here, this man wants to talk to me after a whole week and I am thinking about dinner.

"Let's just order for tonight", he told me and I nodded.

I went and sat down on the floor next to him.

When he didn't say anything for sometime, I decided to break the silence.

"You wanna talk about something?" I asked and he sighed.

"I have been a jerk for last few days, haven't I?", Aaron asked me.

"I hid a huge fact. You had a right to be angry at me", I shrugged.

"I wasn't angry at only you. I was partially angry at myself too. I mean I dragged you in this for no reason. But, I was also confused and trying to understand because I didn't get it. Why did you even stay when I blackmailed you saying I will get seventy five percent shares? The company is not even yours. You had nothing to lose. Why did you not leave in the start if those shares didn't matter to you at all?" Aaron asked with confusion.

"They were Lia's right, Aaron. She may not want them but, I didn't know. I couldn't put her right in jeopardy because of what was going on between you and I", I told him.

"But, you could have said something", he sighed.

"I guess I was confused and angry too because of everything", I shrugged.

We sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes until, Aaron finally spoke.

"I am sorry", he said.

"For what?" I asked confused.

"For everything. For acting like a jerk, for pulling you into this mess, for being angry at you for hiding about Lia. I...I guess you did what you felt was right. I didn't have any right to be angry. I mean I also hid about Julia, right? If I had spoken first, then this could have happened in a better way too", Aaron said.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, Aaron. Even I am not. Like you said, we all did what we felt was right thing to do", I told him with a small smile.

"Still, I am sorry," he said.

"It's okay, Aaron. I have already forgiven you. Let's just say it was all just destiny," I shrugged.

Aaron scoffed, "You still believe in destiny? After all of this?"

"Yes, of course. What else is this if not destiny? I think destiny wanted to play this game with us. I mean think of it like this. If Lia wouldn't have been forced to go to Seattle with Arthur Lawson all those years ago, she wouldn't have even known Julia. Then, she would have never found out about Julia, she wouldn't have written the letter to you and if she wouldn't have written the letter, you would have never found about Julia. All that happens, happens for good", I shrugged.

"And you? What about you? What good happened with you in all of this?" Aaron asked me.

"Well, if Lia hadn't run away, I wouldn't have had to take up her place. If I hadn't become, Amelia Lawson, the heiress, I wouldn't have met you. If you wouldn't have found me, how would have I ever met such an amazing family?" I smiled.

"You mean my parents and Dan, right? You really love them, don't you?" Aaron asked with a small smile.

I smiled and said, "Yes." And you too, idiot.

"I remember you saying that people who don't have parents feel insanely happy when they get the slightest love of family. I am glad that's how you feel with them", Aaron smiled at me slightly.

"I too am glad that they accepted me as family", I smiled back.

"You never..tried to look for your..birth..parents?" Aaron asked slowly.

"No, they didn't want me in their lives and I don't need them in mine", I told with finality and he just nodded in understanding.

"Are you really okay, Mel?" Aaron asked me.

"Yes, I am alright. I still believe in destiny and I trust that things are only going to go uphill from this point", I smiled at him.

"But, what about all the pain I gave you, Amy? You said you are happy that destiny planted you in her position. But, if you wouldn't have been in the place of Lia, you wouldn't have had to suffer. Don't you hate destiny for it?" he asked sadly.

"It is all forgotten. I'll just say that it was a price I paid for everything that happened good. I met Luke and Lia again. I have so many people around me who really love me. What more can I ask for? Besides, I am glad that your whole revenge thing was directed towards me and not Lia", I told him changing the topic.

"Why?" he asked me.

"Well, you don't know Lia. She is like a coconut. All rough and tough from outside and equally soft from inside", I chuckled and continued, "She has already had a lot of heartbreaks due to her family. I don't think she would have been able to handle all of this. Also, she has always wanted that Cinderella and Prince Charming type of love", I laughed.

"And you? You...never wanted the Prince Charming?" he asked me with a smile.

"Nah, I am more of...Beauty and the Beast type", I told him.

He laughed, "Amy, I didn't know you were into beastility."

I scowled at him and smacked his arm.

He chuckled and asked, "What type is that?"

"Well, you know, I have always believed that every person has both the black and white. We are all different shades of gray. People often look dangerous and dark from outside but, are really nice from the inside. I always believed in the type of love where the outside doesn't matter. You know the looks and materialistic stuff don't matter, but what matters more is the greater good that is inside. It doesn't matter what you try to show the world. What matters is who you really are", I told him.

Just like you. It doesn't matter what you pretended to be. It matters how sweet you really are.

Aaron gave a small smile, "You are too good for this world, Amy."

I scoffed, "That's not true! I have my grays too."

Aaron rolled his eyes, "I don't see any."

"That is just cause you don't want to see them. I have trust issues, Aaron. I am not perfect either", I told him.

"That is a person's nature. You can't do anything about that", Aaron told me.

"It is not just that", I said biting my lip.

"What?" he frowned.

"It is not...my nature. It is because of Jasmine", I told him.

"Jasmine?" his frown deepened.

I sighed and said, "Jasmine was my really close friend in middle school."

"What?!" Aaron shouted, "Jasmine? We are talking about the same girl, right? Jasmine Trent?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, same one. She was one of my really close friends. Growing up in the orphanage, I was always sad about the fact that my birth parents had left me. I never really wanted anyone to find out that. So, I never told anyone. I would just make up stories about my life. Jasmine became a really good friend and one day, I confided in her. I told her that I was an orphan. Initially, she didn't say anything. She just stayed quiet. I thought she was okay with it so, I didn't bother. But, slowly, she began telling everyone in the school and using it against me. She started bullying me along with her minions. She used to say that I will always be alone and no one will ever love me. She acted like she was above me and all. They all started spreading rumours about me and my parents. All of them were false, of course, no one knows who my parents are. I realised that she wouldn't have done it if I hadn't trusted her so much. So, that's how I developed this trust issue of mine."

Aaron looked at me with sadness in his eyes, "You never stood up against her?"

I shook my head, "I never could. I didn't want to stoop down to her level. I always thought that avoiding the rumors was the best way of dealing with it. So, that's exactly what I did. I avoided her and her minions. It finally stopped in high school when Lia protected me from them for the first time. That's how we became friends, like we told you. After that, Lia became my protector and gave me a golden rule, 'Take no shit from anyone'. It was applicable to all, no exception."

"I guess I have something to thank Lia for", Aaron told me.

"And she wants to thank you for making me slap Jasmine", I laughed.

"Oh! You just needed a little strength and I gave you some of mine. That was nothing", Aaron shrugged.

You helped me get out of the biggest fear and trauma of my life. That was everything.

I smiled and just looked away.

"Can I tell you something though?" Aaron asked.

"Yes", I told him.

"I know that Jasmine broke your trust but, like I said before too. Shit happens all the time. You don't have to let them affect you for life. You learn and you move on. You can't stop trusting people forever. You just choose who you trust more carefully", Aaron told me with a small nod.

"Aaron, you don't-"

"I know she has hurt you a lot. I am not saying you start trusting people immediately. It will take time but, it will happen. Just don't stop it and let it happen", Aaron smiled at me.

I smiled back at him and nodded.

We took a deep breath and stayed quiet.

"Now I figured why you never really talked about your school. You didn't want to talk about it without mentioning Lia", Aaron smiled at me.

"Yes, it would have been incomplete mentioning only Luke and me and not her", I told him.

Suddenly, I realised something, "Oh my god! I never told you how Luke and I became friends, did I?"

Aaron shifted uncomfortably and said, "No."

"So, what happened is that he was-"

"Amy, can we continue this later? I think we should order the food first. I am feeling slightly hungry and it will take sometime before it gets delivered. Pizza sounds good?", Aaron cut me off picking his phone.

"Yeah, sounds awesome", I said with a fake smile.

Here, I was about to tell him such and amazing story about why I really admired Luke and he became my friend, and there he wants to think about food. Luke was not supported at his home for being gay and yet, he came out in front of the whole school while trying to protect another boy from being picked on. Lia and I felt that it was really brave of him and we complimented him about it and then, we just hit it off like we were friends since childhood. I was going to tell him all that but, looks like he just had to be a spoil sport.

Maybe he is really hungry. It is okay. Maybe some other time.

Aaron ordered the pizzas and we started talking again.

My phone pinged after a few minutes making me look at it.

"Who is it?" Aaron asked when I rolled my eyes and kept it back without replying.

"Lia. She is being paranoid about tomorrow. Usually it is me who does it. But, for a change it is her", I chuckled.

"All of this really means a lot to her", Aaron smiled.

"Yes, she has had her own share of problems with that family", I said with a sad smile.

"It is not easy to do what she has done. Going against your family, running away from people you know just to work hard enough so that one day you can fight for the right. She is a very strong girl", he smiled lightly.

"Mentally? Yes, very. Physically? We should probably double check with Daniel about how strong she is. I am sure the way things are between them, by now, he should know", I laughed.

Aaron groaned, "Uh..please don't remind me. They can't stop fighting at all, can they? When they called it a truce the other day, I thought now things will get better between them. But, I couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as the plan was set, they went back to fighting at the speed of light! And what was worse is that their topic of argument was about frogs!"

I laughed, "Is someone regretting his decision already?"

"Maybe. But, it was the best option. She will be safe at least", Aaron said.

"Although, I am worried about Daniel's safety", I laughed.

Aaron shook his head, "No, I think that ass deserves it."

"That's so rude", I shoved him laughing.

"It is true. By the way, Lia just told me it is in downtown medical area. What hospital is she at exactly? I may have some contacts to help her out just in case", Aaron frowned.

"Don't do anything without asking her first though. She is really into the no favors thing. She may have you killed if you try to do something she doesn't approve of. FYI, it is the same hospital you and I were admitted to. The J. K. City Hospital", I told him.

Aaron started laughing hard.

"What?" I asked with confusion.

"Do you know who owns that hospital?" He asked chuckling.

"No", I said still confused.

"Wanna give it a guess? I'll give you a headstart. Guess who does J. K. stand for", Aaron laughed and I frowned.

"Wait. Don't tell me. J. K. is Julia Kingston?!" I asked as realization dawned on me.

Aaron nodded, "Yes. Dan and I had opened it as a joint venture in her memory. But, eventually I became a silent partner and Dan still manages it's working until now."

"Oh boy!" I groaned.

"Oh boy, indeed. Now I don't regret my decision at all. They would have had to face each other anyways. Can't wait until they both find out", Aaron laughed.

"I can't believe you are enjoying this", I laughed.

"What? Why not? It is free live entertainment", Aaron laughed.

"It won't be entertaining anymore when they actually end up killing each other!" I exclaimed.

"I don't think it will reach there. Dan will probably find a new apartment for himself before that happens", he laughed and I laughed with him.

"Don't worry, they'll come around. We used to have a lot of fights too", Aaron reassured me.

"Not like them though. But, yeah. We had our arguments", I smiled recalling those stupid times.

"I remember how you used to hate it when you didn't want me to know something you were thinking and I would guess it perfectly well", Aaron chuckled.

"And you used to hate it when I used assume that you were the stereotypical boss, snoby billionaire ceo who wants all his employees to slog for him", I laughed.

"Uh, don't remind me. You were cynical about everything I would do. I had to give you an explanation every single time I'd do something you wouldn't approve of", Aaron shook his head.

"Well, I had spend most of my life with CEOs who think their employees are their slaves. You were a change hard to accept", I told him honestly.

"I know. I get you now. But, at that time, you used to get on my nerves", he chuckled.

"Yeah, but then I started seeing the good CEO you are and how much you love your employees. So, eventually I stopped doubting you", I told him with a smile.

"I am glad you think like that", Aaron smiled.

"It is true. After working in Kingston Designs I got to know how much your employees love and respect you", I told him.

"Really? I didn't know that. Guess, that is why I haven't received a single resignation in years", Aaron said with a proud smile.

"Yeah, that is one more reason why I didn't want to be the managing director. I don't think I will be able to live up to it", I pouted.

"Oh, you will. Don't worry. You will still have me though, right?" Aaron told me.

"Yes, I will and I will have Peter too", I smiled.

"Uh! You and Peter. Don't think I don't know what's going on between you two, okay? Sometimes I don't know if he is my secretary or yours. One of these days, I swear I will have to fire him", Aaron chuckled with an eye roll.

"Please, do. Then I will hire him", I grinned.

"Forget it. You are not getting him. Find a new secretary when you are there", Aaron told me narrowing his eyes playfully.

"You sound like a clingy girlfriend", I laughed.

"But, it is true. Peter is mine even more than he is Jenny's. He has known Jenny for five years and me for seven. I have known him since I started working. I was at every important day of his life like he was at mine", Aaron smiled.

"I know. You trust him and he trusts you more than anyone in this world", I told him with a nod.

"Yes, that is why he knows about tomorrow too", Aaron told me.

As the laughter does down, I said, "So, if there are any red zones that I might step into, you will always stop me, right?"

"No, I won't," Aaron said seriously.

"What?" I frowned.

"I won't stop you from going into any red zones. Why would I do that? Not just the job, even in your life. You are free to do anything that you want. I want you to live your life as a free bird. I want you to take risks, make mistakes, fail, and try again. I don't want you to be scared. I want you to know that you are capable enough of handling problems by yourself. Of course, I will guide you, listen to you, give you solutions and opinions, but the final decision will always be yours. I will never stop you or protect you when you don't need it. Imagine me trying to solve the tiniest problem in your life even before you get to it. That will be suffocating as fuck, and it will break your confidence in yourself. I don't want you to think that you need me by your side to keep yourself safe. I don't want you to be that dependent on me. That being said, I will always have your back. Silently. So, when it does become too complicated, all you have to do is raise one hand in my direction, and you will always always find me there for you. But, not unless you ask for it," Aaron said.

I looked at him in awe. The love in my heart raised a notch. It felt so good.

It felt like that thing they say about true love. That true love doesn't cage you. It sets you free and liberates you.

I smiled at him as a tear slipped from my eye.

Aaron wiped it away and frowned at me, "Unless, it is a life and death situation. Then,