Feeling the powerful arms around her that gently carried her up the stairs, Aria was just like a small turtle, who was trying to tuck its head away inside its shell. The problem was that, as opposed to a turtle, she had no shell to hide inside. Her only viable option was to bury her head in his chest, trying to hide the crimson color of her cheeks as best she could. But unfortunately this also posed a problem.

Against the lean fit body, her heartbeat kept increasing in speed exponentially, not only because of the princess hold or the fresh scent of cologne that faintly assaulted her nose, but also due to the ever present warmth, which could be felt unhinged through their thin summer clothes. His powerful drum like heartbeat making the matter worse, as it helped in facilitating the increase of her heart rate, making her heart resonate in response.

It wasn't the first time he carried her, but it was the first time he held her for such a long time. A several seconds walk to the bathroom, could not compare to the distance from the parking lot to the apartment after all.

As to how she ended up in Zane's arms, or why he was carrying her up the stairs... well it all started in the morning.

Attempting to escape Zane's excessive care, as the unbending man had kept carrying her during the whole two previous nights to and from the restroom, she insisted during the doctor's check-up  in the morning to be allowed to go home. 

She was a pregnant woman, she needed to go to the restroom at least two three times a night in normal circumstances. With her body previously nourished with intravenous drips, and the fruits that he kept handing her yesterday, naturally the number of times doubled. And the man had such a light sleep that he woke up absolutely every single time she needed to use the restroom. 

The bed did not creak when she got up, the slippers were left on the floor, as she did not attempt to wear them on her feet, for fear of making noise. Even the blanket was moved away slowly on the side by her, all in an attempt to make as less noise as possible, but the man still woke up. Just how he did it, for the life of her, she could not say.

The first time she woke up, she asked that he only hold her hand, having no other option to refuse his assistance. But because of a slight anemia that overpowered her body as she rose from the bed, her fate was sealed. He wouldn't accept no for an answer from there on out, no matter what. As long as she opened her eyes and rose upward on the bed, in the next second he was there. 

The second time she felt the need to use the restroom, due to still being dazed from sleepiness,  she only barely mechanically risen the up part of her body on the bed, when she was scared silly by his swiftness. She had not made any noise, she had not even removed the blanket, and he was already by her bed, preparing to carry her in his arms. Just how did he hear her, when she did not even feel any movements on the bed that was prepared for him? She did not know.

Only one thing was clear. She needed to return to the apartment. At least there, maids would also be present for a part of the day. As such on Wednesday, the third day, to avoid the ghost like man, and return to the apartment she asked the doctor if it was possible to go home.

The doctor wasn't reluctant to release her from the hospital after two days of medical observations, as her anemia and her pregnancy's disturbance had been more of a psychological problem, rather than a physical one. And for the scald, it was only a matter of having someone change her dressing with new ones each day. So luckily Aria was granted her wish, and Zane obediently completed the paper work for her release from the hospital.

Normally, Aria also had a real aversion to being in the hospital, and being a patient would only make the aversion worse. But strangely, with the somber man by her side, the traumatic effects were lessened a lot, she was even inclined to think she had no more problems with being in the hospital. But as the small woman had no time to think in depth why this happened, this particular fact was placed at the back of her head, left to be forgotten. 

And how could it not be? When he made sure he always kept her as baffled as she could be. Even now, reasoning that the walk from the parking lot to the apartment would tire her out, he unceremoniously picked her up, regardless of her will. She did not even manage to touch the ground with her feet at all, as he opened the door from her side of the car and carried her in his arms directly from the passenger seat. 

The doctor already said she was alright. But would Zane listen to her words? Of course not. In moments like this, she felt like his interior self and the exterior one fitted perfectly together, it really seemed like she was talking to a statue.

'Put your finger on the scanner.' Zane spoke unexpectedly, cutting her thoughts short.

Barely daring to poke her head out, she realized that they were already in front of the apartment's door. A bit frightened to loosen her hold on his neck, as her arms were currently clung to it, reckoning she would fall down if she would, Aria slowly removed one of her hands, and touched the locking scanner of the door.  No sooner the unlocking sound was heard, when she quickly put her arm back on his neck.

She only dared release her hold completely, when she felt the soft blanket on the bed. A wave of relief enveloped her, feeling his arms leave her body. So she was about to finally catch her breath, when another problem arose.

'Ahhh...' The small woman yelped in pain, when Zane was about to get up, after laying her down.

Perhaps because she had kept her head too close to his chest, inadvertently a strand of her long wavy hair had become entangled with a button from his shirt. 

Fearful he was about to yank the said strand as he would  straighten his body, the tall man stumbled a bit, before crashing on the bed. Only due to his quick reflexes,  did he avoid falling directly on Aria, crushing her in the process. Though his upper part of his body still hovered above her, as his hands kept themselves propped up on each side of her shoulders. At this point, his head was just several inches away from hers.

'I am sorry. Are you hurt?' He voiced immediately alarmed. She was too petite to support his weight. If he had landed on her directly, it would certainly wound her badly, not to mention he would also crush the twins. Thankfully this was not the case, but even if he avoided falling on her completely, he was still not certain she didn't sustain any injuries at all.

'N-no.' She responded stammering. Fortunately, her cheeks did not get any redder because of the proximity. Unfortunately, they were already as red as they could be, having achieved this performance on the way here, so naturally they couldn't have brightened crimson even more.

'Are you sure?' Zane asked to confirm she was not replying only politely. Though for some reason he did not seem inclined at all to stop hovering above her head.

'Y-yeah.' Aria responded again with a bit of a breathless voice, while she was wondering about this exact fact. Why wasn't Zane getting up?

'Check to see if your hair is still latched on my shirt.' He offered a valid reason for the question she pondered about mentally.

Directing her gaze downwards, to check on the cause of her current misfortune, she discovered that the knot had detangled luckily. Unluckily, the brisk movement had also unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his collarbone and a small part of his chest.

'It... isn't.'

It was safe to say, that the easily misinterpreted position, the closeness of earlier, the cool breeze that brushed her cheeks from his breath and the current image that helped remind her of a few days back when he had exited the bathroom wearing only a towel, were enough for the men unaccustomed woman to...

'Hiccup!' She really felt like beating herself up. How many times had it been now? Why was she always reacting in this way around him? He wasn't thinking of using that method to stop it right? He threatened her once before in the hospital room he would, alright technically offered to help her stop it, but it had only been a tease. He was only joking with her to lighten up the mood, and alleviate her saddened heart, it meant nothing more than that. Not to mention, now she was not sad and there were also no misunderstandings between them so he wouldn't...

This was the last thought Aria's conscious mind pondered about, before it blanked itself out.

Feeling his lips gently covering her own, she wasn't able to have any other thoughts, as all her attention was on the slowly moving mouth. At this point, it felt as though all the touching senses of her body were directed to her lips only. Even the large upper part of his body that covered her chest was not sensed by her tactile sense, or his large hand that gently guided her head for him to have a better position when kissing her, for that matter. The hiccup reaction was long forgotten.

His kiss was unhurried, it felt as though the whole world was moving in slow motion and she had no way of speeding it up. Not that she was planning to, or was even aware of the outside world.

Zane was thrilled by her lips that did not deny his kiss, and he was even inclined to think were even more compliant to his touch than the first time. They felt a bit inexperienced, and she was also perhaps slightly trembling due to the intimate gesture, but she was not resisting, causing the stern man to increase his boldness and the force of his kiss. It meant the first time he kissed her and she did not fight back wasn't a fluke. Could he interpret it this way?

He couldn't help but become hopeful for a future together. Aria felt no adversity to his touch, it was only a first step, but this step felt for Zane like he had climbed mount Everest... perhaps in the future she might really fall in love with him. No sooner had his heart brightened up at the thought, when his hopes were shattered mercilessly.

Feeling the small palms pressing against him, trying to move away, he felt his heart sank. Did she not see him as her husband at all? Was the first kiss he shared with Aria not rejected just because she was caught off guard? Was this also the reason that she hadn't denied him at the beginning? And now as she was coming to her senses, she wanted to push him away...

'What's the matter?' Trying to suppress the pessimistic thoughts, his voice grave and hoarse spoke the words with difficulty, as he rose his head a bit.

Aria could only look incredulous at the man. She was feeling her heart was about to escape her chest, and he was asking her what was the matter. She felt frustrated because of Zane, but under his scrutinizing blue eyes... somehow involuntarily her mind was also strangely calming down, as though she was feeling protected in his arms. 

Which could only be explained as unnatural, considering the fact that ironically at the same time, she was also akin to a small helpless prey trapped by a ruthless hunter, and the latter did not seem to have even the smallest inkling of letting her go. The evidence of this was the fact that he hadn't risen on his feet, or moved his head away further than a few inches. He seemed ready to jump in for another kiss in the next second.

Was he not feeling the same as her? The several moments that he completely covered her lips, she felt like she was suffocating. Didn't he also need to breathe? She had read many romance novels before, so she knew that couples would kiss each other this way. To have knowledge about what a kiss implied, for Aria even without a boyfriend before, was easy. The process that it involved was not foreign at least in theory. But what she had never understood was, how could a kiss last more than a couple of seconds... didn't people need to breathe?

Zane had kissed her for such a long time already that she had thought she would suffocate. This kiss made the first one seem like a child's play.

'I... I can't breathe.' The words escaped her mouth, just as she thought them.

The doe eyes that looked from below seemed to send shivers through his heart, and the innocent words... he could only find them endearing for some reason. The naïve and pure hearted girl he  found dancing while making pasta that night was still unchanged.

'Breathe through your nose.' He uttered a small guiding information as his eyes took a darker shade. Then not possessing his self-control any longer, could only give in to his fervent wish and kiss her again, even deeper than before. How could he not, considering the inquiring gaze of her moist sparkling eyes troubled him restless.

Capturing the heart shaped lips again, Zane did not stop kissing them, until they were reddened completely. Only then did he feel satisfied and separated from Aria, but still did not straighten his body. Keeping his gaze uninterrupted to her face, he gently cupped her cheek and after some moments in which both of them did not dare talk, finally inquired.

'Did my actions upset you?' He asked with a hoarse deep voice, looking intently at her, as he tried to catch her every expression. This time the petite woman hadn't resisted at all.

Opening her tightly shut eyes, only to come face to face with the somber looking man's eyes, Aria could not find it in her to answer him. His actions did take her aback a lot, she had not expected them at all. But to say they upset her, this she really did not know. She felt if she answered yes or no, both answers would be dishonest. After all, she did not know what to make of the situation. 

Her only intention had been to be a mother to the children, and to live a fulfilling life with the two of them, to experience the warmth of a family. But it was never the two of them, was it? There were three, two children and a husband. Making this realization, even more vividly than before, and knowing she would have to make a choice regarding the relationship that she would have from here on out with Zane, the small woman was really confused. 

So she wanted to answer honestly that she did not know if his actions were upsetting to her. It wouldn't be unusual for him, after all. Right? With the knowledge that she was supposed to have amnesia, being confused about the status of their relationship wouldn't be strange.

Aria's intention to reply like this though at the end did not come about. She only shook her head lightly, signifying that it did not upset her. A gesture that confused her even more.

She had really wanted to say she did not know, but when she did not speak for some time, the stone man's expression softened and perhaps even saddened at the response that failed to come. The slightly frowned eyebrows, the sad eyes, and a seemingly hopeless expression caused Aria to reflexively change her answer. Why did she reply that it did not upset her? She asked herself, becoming even more troubled.

It was just that... at that moment, imagining his face becoming even sadder because of her, she could only reply like this. Otherwise her heart would once again resonate his own, and she would also sadden alongside him, she thought. Why? Why would his mood affect her, making her mirror it?

'I am glad, little one.' Zane replied with a tender coaxing tone, finally brightening up completely because of her answer, then gently hugged the small woman's body. 

His tender embrace just strong enough to hold her, but not enough to hurt her, affecting her even more.

She could not deny that even if she had considered his care a bit too excessive, alright more than a bit, she also felt a warmth that she had never experienced in her last life. Looking out the window, while counting the tiles on the adjacent building, staring at the white walls, counting the breaths she had left, reading the same books over and over again... these were the only activities she did in the past, in her former body. 

This time when she was hospitalized, except the meals and occasional restroom visits when he insisted on helping her, she could not say that the two days in the hospital had been eventful if she thought about how the time was spent. Reading a book, exchanging a word or two with the stern man, had been about it. But his presence in the room, his attention to her well-being... it would be a lie to say she was not touched.

The first time he kissed her, she had been too stunned to realize this, but strangely she did not hate his kiss at all... she even willingly participated. 

Living with the knowledge she would never experience what love was like between a man and a woman, she had never given much thought to experiencing love herself, she had never even hoped to meet someone she could call her own, but now...

She had thought of him like an older brother figure in the past, but a blood related relative would certainly not kiss you like he had just done. It seemed she had really misread the overbearing man, he  was nothing but a big bad wolf. But strangely... she couldn't find it in herself to hate such a man.

Could something between them blossom, could they become more than parents to the children? Could she really have a complete family of her own?

The Black consortium's main building

'Have you heard?' A girl slowly whispered to her colleague, as they were touching up their make up in front of the bathroom's mirror.

'About?' The colleague asked, while she was skillfully applying mascara on her eyelashes.

'Martha from accounting found out from Claudia, who is best friends with Jessica from internal affairs, a shocking rumor. And I also confirmed it because Sasha from marketing knows...'

'Jill, you are deviating from the subject. I trust your sources, tell me the rumor.' Her colleague interrupted her, sighing. Jill knew most of the interesting information in the building concerning just about anyone, all of them really trustable facts. She was not one to exaggerate, but she had only one flaw. Until you would get to hear what she had to say, she would drown you in too many headache inducing details.

'Alright, alright. I also am not one to just divulge my sources.' Jill replied and scrunched up her nose, then finally got to the main point.

'Cristina, you know the ring the president has on his left ring finger? That is a true one hundred percent wedding band. It seems that Monday, just around lunch break his mystery wife came to the office.' Jill stated enthusiastic, she was not even applying her make-up anymore.

Not that her colleague, Cristina, was also in the mood to keep on touching up her make-up also. In fact, turning briskly to Jill's side, as the latter finished her words, she had even smudged her skin.

'Really? The president got married?' Cristina, as opposed to Jill, did not really like to listen to rumors even if they were true. But having a friend like Jill, even if she was not interested in them, she allowed her friend to speak of whatever she wanted to. If not, Jill would pester her until she would let her tell about juicy pieces of news, as she liked to call them. But this piece of news, she doubted there existed anyone in the company who would not be keen on knowing it.

'He got married? No, no, no. I think he's married for at least a year already. Well it's either this  or he married his wife after she got pregnant, which I seriously doubt, considering the president's character. Sasha from marketing also said that Claire from the secretary department...'