The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 46: First Meeting

Chapter 46: First Meeting

Aryana tried to go back to sleep but cannot. Erik left the ward earlier to make a call and she was thankful for that. She needed peace to absorb what she and Erik discussed earlier.

After turning on the bed for a few minutes she gave up. She sat down and retrieved her phone from her bag and logged into her vlogging account. She recently uploaded a video of her experiences in the hospital when her Aunt Elena got sick after she came back from her vacation. She got approval from the hospital that she can post the video. She knew she doesn’t need their approval but she is a professional and want to avoid any legal issues later on.

It was her first time sending someone to the hospital and she encountered a lot of difficulties she was hoping that her video will help others so they will not go through the same problems as she did.

There were a lot of heartwarming comments and some people even sent her gifts.

"Thank you for this enlightening video. I’ll surely know what to do."

"I hope your relative gets better soon."

"You are so pretty. Can you give birth to my child?"

But there were always anti-fans whose comments caused her heartache.

"You bitch how dare you use you’re relative’s sickness to gain popularity?"

"You are heartless. What makes you any different from a bitch. You’re exploiting a patient’s sickness for popularity."

"How shameless!"

Aryana has gotten used to seeing those painful and negative comments and has learned to ignore them.

She checked her messaging app and saw a lot of unread messages.

9:00 pm. Mu Chen: Why are you not online? We have our class today.

10:00 pm. Mu Chen: Still not online? What happened?

11:00 pm. Mu Chen: I am worried. It is not like you to miss a class without giving a heads-up.

12:00 pm. Mu Chen: Aryana, where are you? Has something happened?

Aryana replied to Mu Chen.

Aryana: Sorry, I got sick and am still in the hospital. I am fine now so don’t worry.

She put down her cell phone and closed her eyes. She pondered about what happened earlier. She kept replaying in her mind her discussion with Erik and still cannot believe that he asked her to marry him.

Was Erik pushed to the corner by his father? She remembered the gloating look on Julia’s face when she rolled down the car window and called out to her.

’So Erik doesn’t want to marry her. If it is just a political marriage, why would Erik not want Julia? Was it just to spite his father? To think that she acted high and mighty during the party...’ She smirked.

Aryana was attracted to Erik. Who wouldn’t be? Erik was an exceptional man. She would be lying to herself if she said that she was not infatuated with Erik. In fact, it was not just mere attraction. She was in love with him for as long as she can remember. She loved him even when she hated him for taking her father away. She adored him the first time he saw him in their garage during that stormy day.

***

It was her fifth birthday and she nagged her father that she wanted to be with him. Her dad was so helpless and in the end, agreed to bring her with him to the Lee Mansion in the Green Heights central district. He brought her to a famous fast food restaurant for lunch and ordered a mini cake for her to blow and make a wish. She especially enjoyed the crisp fried chicken, the spaghetti, and the ice cream which tasted heavenly.

She was so pretty and adorable despite her plain dress. The waiters in the restaurant were captivated by her cuteness. They were very kind to her and gave her more toys on top of the set that went along with the food. She was very happy at that time.

Her dad received a call and has to bring her back to his small room behind the garage. He asked permission from Mrs. Lee if her daughter can stay with him and Mrs. Lee agreed.

The storm suddenly came. The sky has become dark and suddenly lightning streaked across vast space followed by the roaring thunder. Aryana was afraid of thunder. She was wailing as she went out of the room but she cannot find her daddy.

Then another lightning struck. It was too close that Aryana felt her hair standing. The boom that followed drowned the sound of her wails. She felt two big arms engulf her and carried her inside the mansion’s living room. He closed all the windows and the door and the sound outside was no longer as scary.

"There, there. No more thunder. You can stop crying now." His voice sounded like a frog, typical of an adolescent. But to her, the voice was like the voice of an angel that soothe her fears away.

She stopped crying and cleaned her face with the hem of her dress. She felt safe and no longer scared.

"What is your name?"

"Ar ... Aryana." She stuttered.

"What a pretty name. My name is Erik."

Aryana smiled at him and he ruffled her hair. He sat beside her on the big sofa and he hugged her until the raging storm passed.

***

The door of the ward opened and a few people in white entered. Aryana was brought back from her reverie.

"You’re doing pretty well. The bruises on your forearm will be gone in three days." The resident doctor and the nurses left quickly after doing their rounds and she was alone again.

She picked up her phone and browsed through her gallery and looked at an album. Those were selfies of her dad and Erik. Her dad would always take his selfie with Erik when he had a chance. She clicked on one of her favorites, Erik looking straight at the camera with a bright smile.

She released a long sigh.

She definitely loved him. Maybe it was all that mattered. She made the decision and she finally went to sleep.

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