"Aria? This name sounds familiar. But, this is also a fairly common name."
Patrick smiled gently: "Aria? I remember this name. Next time, if she comes back, I will accept it."
"Thank you, lawyer Patrick, you are the most considerate lawyer I have ever met."
Patrick's lips curled slightly, thinking that she did not need to flatter him so much; he could not bear it.
To put it bluntly, he took this case mainly for Alex's sake. The two of them were close friends.
As soon as he mentioned it, the person in question called.
"Is my wife still in your office?" Alex went straight to the point.
Patrick raised his eyebrows: "That's right, your wife just gave me a gift to thank me. Unlike some people, who just threw me aside after finishing the job."
"She didn't answer the phone, told her to wait for me in parking lot A. I'll be there in five minutes."
Patrick chuckled and said to Emma. "Alex said you didn't answer the phone, he said he's waiting for you in parking lot A, you go down there quickly."
Emma took out her phone to check, but it turned out to be out of battery: "Oh, okay. Lawyer Patrick, then I'll go first. See you later."
Yesterday, Alex said he would take her somewhere after work, but didn't say where.
The headlights of the familiar Cullinan lit up, clearly visible in the parking lot. Emma habitually opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.
"Where do you want to take me today?"
Alex's eyes raised slightly: "You'll know when we get there."
His mysterious attitude made Emma even more curious. She raised her chin and looked out the window, the street scene behind her, not knowing when she had fallen asleep.
When she woke up, it was already dark.
A deep, masculine voice sounded beside her: "We're here. Get out of the car."
Emma was still sleepy, she got out of the car in a daze.
Under the dim streetlights that filtered through the trees, she saw a familiar garden. Looking at that scene, her heart ached a little: "Is this... my family's old villa?"
"Yeah." Alex nodded: "I bought it. Do you like it?"
Emma looked at the garden filled with camellias, suddenly remembering the last time she got drunk and was taken home by him. It turned out that Alex was the new owner of this place.
"Why did you buy this place?"
The villas in this area have existed for a long time, and wealthy families often like to move to new, richer neighborhoods. Moreover, Alex is not a New Yorker; his house is in Washington.
"I think this place is very good. Some places are older, but still have their own value." Alex turned to look at her and repeated the question, "Do you like it?"
Of course she did.
All her happy memories before she was seven were associated with this villa. Her father often took her to plant flowers, practice calligraphy, and read books; her mother sat and watched the two of them together. After Gabe was born, life became busier, but she still clearly remembered the scene of her silly little brother crawling around in the garden, so adorable.
Since birth, she had lived here, witnessed her younger brother's birth, and then got married herself.
The wedding day was the warmest in the entire time she had known Daniel. Her father wiped her tears, held her hand, and handed it to that man, joking that if he didn't treat her well in the future, he would immediately take her back.
At that time, her family was her most reliable support until her father passed away.
All good things stop here.
"I like it. This place is very important to me, thank you for buying it." If Alex agrees to sell, the remaining money in her hand should be enough to pay.
Alex walked through the cobblestone streets and went inside. To him, this place was no less important.
No one knew that when he was 18, he had been to New York and met the most important person in his life there.
He curled his lips slightly: "For you."
Emma couldn't hide her surprise: "It's too precious, I can't accept it for free. Alex, can you sell it to me for the price you paid?"
After all, if it was any more expensive, she wouldn't be able to afford it.
Alex frowned slightly: "Are you insulting me? If I accept your money, the people of the capital will probably laugh at me for a whole year."
"...But is honor more important than money?" Emma's heart was filled with questions.
He put one hand in his pocket, his tone a little teasing: "I think I can also be considered rich, I don't lack this."
Then Alex suddenly became serious, walked closer to her, brushed away her hair blown by the wind, and asked softly: "Emma, are you satisfied with our wedding dowry?"
Emma didn't answer, but she couldn't deny that she was quite satisfied.
---
On the way back, Emma's head was buzzing, and her mind was in turmoil.
Why did Alex buy her family's villa three years ago? Why did he insist on giving it to her?
She didn't dare to think further, but when facing that man who was sometimes cold, sometimes serious, sometimes profound, her heart was slightly moved.
Looking at her constantly changing expression, Alex couldn't help but curl his lips.
It felt so good, but it was this feeling that made her gradually fall for him.
Late.
The thunder rumbled outside, causing her to lie on the bed, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Emma pulled up the blanket, covering herself.
She was afraid of stormy nights, because the night her father died was also one of those nights.
There was a knock on the door. In this house, besides Alex, there could be no one else.
Emma spoke softly, her voice tinged with fatigue: "What's wrong?"
"Are you asleep? Open the door for me."
She didn't want to, but the person outside the door was very patient. After the third knock, she reluctantly got out of bed, her expression unhappy: "What's wrong?"
Alex looked straight into her eyes: "I'm afraid of thunder. I want to sleep with you today."
Emma couldn't believe it, looking at the 1m88 tall man hugging the blanket, brazenly saying that he was afraid of thunder. She choked: "Alex, are you kidding?"
He walked straight into the room, lying down naturally on the right side of the bed, where her warmth was still present.
He patted the bed lightly, his expression serious: "Don't worry, I'm just sleeping today, I won't do anything else." Emma rolled her eyes. She cursed under her breath: "Shameless."
She was annoyed and wondered why she couldn't sleep just now when she kept thinking about him, such a scoundrel.
Alex blinked sincerely, afraid that she wouldn't believe him, so he explained further: "Really, only dogs lie. I slept very well, don't worry."
Hearing that, Emma didn't believe it even more.
She stood there, angry to the point of irritation, but then another thunder sounded, causing her to quickly crawl back into the blanket.
He chuckled: "So you're afraid of thunder, too."
Emma covered her head: "Go to sleep."
Alex giggled and replied: "Okay."
But strangely, after he entered the room, Emma felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier, her mood also lightened, and she quickly fell asleep.
Hearing the steady breathing of the person next to her, Alex gently propped herself up, leaned down, kissed the corner of her lips lightly, and whispered: "Good night."