Love Began with the First Meeting novel Chapter 1017

Although Freya hadn't raised Ximena herself, they naturally shared a deep bond as mother and daughter. Freya's motherly instincts of affection and protectiveness were still there and she felt concerned about Ximena. "Perhaps there's a feeling of dull incompleteness in your heart because you think that a family looks incomplete without a child, but Ximena, don't you think that your life would be incomplete without him?"

Hitting the nail on the head, her words explained why Ximena kept holding back on her feelings. It was human nature to always want more. When they possessed one thing, they would want another. When they got what they wanted, they would want something else.

"I can't make a decision for you," Freya said seriously while staring at her daughter. "Ximena, ever since I met you, I have known that Aaron would do anything for you. I think that is something that you should cherish, or you might come to regret not doing so once the chance passes you by. And believe me, good chances don't come in a person's lifetime very often."

Ximena kept thinking about what Freya had said to her and also what Molly had said to her... and even what Hanson had said to her. None of them put any pressure on her or forced her to make a decision. All of them said that the final decision would be up to her. However, nothing worth having in life came easily.

At this point, she just wanted someone to give her a direct answer, so the first person she called was Molly and all she said was—"Ximena, the answer lies in your heart!"

A breathtaking sky of perfect midnight velvet loomed over QY Island, with stars so brilliant they drew the eyes heaven bound. Although it didn't look as peaceful as it was in Dragon Island, the aroma of the tall grasses were an intoxicating perfume and the tapestry above was a painting more sublime than any man could create.

When Ximena and Aaron left the house of the political commissar of the island after dinner, they decided to take a moment to walk under the stars that hung above them, like tiny diamonds strung in the air by invisible strings.

"Where are we going?" Ximena asked, bested by her curiosity. "Weren't they supposed to build a resort just ahead?" Outsiders had been prohibited to enter that area since two years ago. The property belonged to Leng's Corporations who were looking to develop a resort there.

"Hmm..." Aaron answered softly, not giving away too much. While Ximena wondered the reason behind such secrecy, he grasped her hand and pulled her to go on walking forward.

Ximena let him lead without asking anymore questions, with her cold hand in his warm, easy clasp. His big callused hands assured reliability, making her feel safe in his grip. They weren't pretty to look at but they told tales of all the hardships he had to overcome to be the man he was today.

Aaron was able to perceive Ximena's slight uneasiness. Feeling her hesitation, an indistinct smile played at the corners of his mouth. He squinted his eyes to look ahead and without saying a word, he urged her with a slight pull to carry on walking. All the while, the scenes from a memory of when they had dinner at the house of the political commissar a while ago came to Aaron's mind. His thoughts specifically revolved around the words of the wife of the political commissar who had told him—"for a man to find love, he would have to first swallow his own pride."

Aaron didn't think her words could be relevant to this predicament because he was more than willing to give up everything he hand in QY Island for Ximena's sake. In comparison to that, his pride was nothing at all. The thought left a bitter smile on his face. In front of Ximena, he could be as humble as the air she breathed.

"I wonder whether firefly squids show up in winter..." Ximena mumbled as one corner of her mouth crept up. Ever since she had heard of Watasenia scintillans, or more commonly known as firefly squids, from Molly two years ago, she had been on the lookout for it whenever she had the chance, but until now she still hadn't had the chance to witness such a grand spectacle.

Suddenly, Aaron stopped dead on his tracks and turned around to look at her. "Ximena, what do you want?" After a brief pause, he continued, "I always wanted to build a wooden house by the seaside, so I could feel the sea breeze and look at the line where the blue sky meets the sea..."

Ximena chuckled, feeling as though she had heard something familiar from him before. The scenes from the past came to her mind momentarily and she said, "If everybody got whatever they wanted, the world would have been a peaceful place."

"Then, what do you want?" Aaron asked with a faint smile on his face.