Forever Yours, Ada.

- Chapter 16 -

Third POV:

People at the entrance gawked at her. Their wide eyes, once filled with morbid curiosity after her accident, now held a hint of surprise, maybe even admiration. She straightened her posture, a confident stride replacing her usual hesitant shuffle. A smirk played on her lips. These stares didn't irk her today; they were a flicker of recognition, a spark reigniting the fire within her.

Maybe her old, confident self was finally coming back.

A familiar car made her halt her steps, 'Did he borrow Aidan's car?' she wondered.

A gloved hand reached out from the sleek black car, followed by a tall man in a business suit. As he drew near, a glimmer of recognition crinkled in her eyes, "Aric," she smiled at her old comrade.

"Long time, Ms. Malik." Time had woven a few silver threads into his once-dark mane, but his smile remained a force of nature, etching deeper lines around his eyes like happy sunbeams carving their path. He still addressed her formally, and with caution, he drew a clear boundary between them.

She smiled, playing along with him, "You can call me Aysel, Aric. Did Jay ask you to pick me up?"

The man flinched; his professional smile faltered briefly, "Ah.. you could say that, I guess." her brain churned new questions at his response. "We would be late if we don't leave now," he glanced at his empty wrist, muttered a curse and fished a cell phone from his back pocket.

She glanced at her watch, "It's not time yet. The party isn't going to start for like another two hours!" he was evading the question, and it didn't settle right with her.

"No, it starts in like thirty minutes. And for you to make a dramatic entrance, um," Aric grimaced, "about fifty-five minutes." It was such a cheap trick that even someone with new money could see through it. While his head shook in disappointment, he didn't miss the flash of surprise on the lady's face.

'How could she still trust them after what they did to her? What does Sai even see in her?'

He got his answer when she squared her shoulders and raised her chin, "I was hoping to grab a bite before the party," one questionable culinary adventure was enough to turn her into a kitchen hermit. She didn't want to take any chances in a war zone today.

'Ah, so she still has some fight left in her,' Aric, with a warm and inviting smile, courteously extended his hand to assist Aysel into the car, "Let me help you in,"

The latter didn't want to sit in the back seat. Aysel would only dwell and feel anxious about the chaos, "I will sit in the passenger seat with you, you know, chat a bit?" she grinned at him.

He simply shook his head, following her wish, "As you wish, Ms Malik," he jogged to the driver's side, and soon they were headed towards the venue.

"So, how's family?" she fidgeted with her necklace.

"Um.." surprised at the sudden question, his gaze flickered at her for a second before he shifted it back to the road. Aysel understood she had stepped on a land mine, so she swiftly changed the topic.

"I heard from Aidan. You are working at the company now?" her heart thumped with each moment passing. She hoped Aric would humour distracting her till they reached the venue.

"Ah, yes. Sai wanted me there. People say he was crying without a good assistant like me!" He grinned, realising her intent. They talked about random topics, from politics to how to take care of adopted dogs. Aric ran an animal shelter house, which Aysel eagerly promised to visit.

Halfway through their journey, Aric started the car radio, "Let me know if you like any channel," he shuffled the channels until they stumbled upon a talk show channel.