Chapter 38 "Just Say It, and Don't Cry"
Aaron was such a natural born leader that when he just stood there and uttered "open the door", Yolanda did so obediently.
She also knew that she had no other choice.
Inside the room, Yolanda guided him to the sofa and said in a calm manner.
"Sit down please. I'll get you something to drink."
Then she ran to the kitchen and closed the door, trying to calm down.
It was almost ten o'clock at night, and how did he find where she lived?
But it was normal for this man who would make it whatever he wanted to do.
And even if Yolanda had left the country, Aaron would have the ability to find her, not to mention that she was now in Darlington.
But what was he going to do here?
"This damned WhatsApp made me screw up again! How am I going to explain this when I go out?
"Yolanda roasted in her mind as she scrambled to find something to drink.
After Elbert returned to Darlington, he spent money to auction back the original Walter family villa, and moved there.
This bachelor flat was now occupied by Yolanda.
She was not a fastidious person and liked stocking up on food and drinks in the fridge. However, Yolanda had been too busy recently and forgot to replenish the fridge in time. Besides, now she found that the last bottle of mineral water had been drunk a little by herself this morning.
Now there were only a few bottles of kid milk left in the fridge.
Yolanda imaged inviting Aaron to drink them, but she thought it would be like provoking him in some way.
Giving up on the milk, Yolanda suddenly remembered the red wine she drank every day before bed.
Although it was a bit strange to invite him to drink wine at night in her place, it was still more formal than milk.
"It was a temporary emergency, so forget about it." Yolanda thought.
She took out two glasses, poured some wine, then walked to the small hall, and sat down opposite Aaron.
She gently pushed the glass to him, "Sorry, I only have this at home ..."
Aaron took a glance and snorted, "You're quite good at enjoying yourself."
"..."
Probably because she was a bit nervous, Yolanda felt her throat was so dry. She took a sip herself to moisten her throat first, then smiled on purpose, but then stopped smiling awkwardly.
Both did not speak, and the stagnant atmosphere was too torturing.
But Aaron was not come to chat with her.
He was here to settle accounts with Yolanda, and there was something he could not let go of easily just because she did so.
Realizing this clearly, Yolanda hung her head in frustration and stopped pretending to be calm.
"If you have something to say, say now."
He glanced at her and then took out two small items, throwing them onto the table with little expression.
"You left these. Did you meant to remind me how you tricked me?"
Yolanda hung her eyes, her body stiffening slightly for a second.
They were a pair of cufflinks.
Now lying silently on the table, they seemed to have turned into worthless trash, devoid of any attractive luster.
She knew that with Aaron's ability, he must have recalled the original significance of buying this pair of cufflinks.
But he actually didn't.
And they no longer had that significance now.
Yolanda remembered the solemn and reverent feeling of destiny in her heart when Aaron wore the cufflinks.
They were clearly something destined for him.
Otherwise, why did his name so coincidentally have a letter "j" as well?
She suddenly pushed the cufflinks back firmly, "I don't take back whatever I give away."
"Did you give it to me?"
"Yes." Yolanda looked at him with certainty,
Suddenly, Aaron smiled.
"In the name of what did you give it to me?"
"..."
Yolanda had just plucked up the courage before she flinched again, not knowing how she should answer him.
They were sitting face to face, and his cold laugh suddenly made her remember the night on Valentine's Day --
They were also sitting face to face, and in front of them were two glasses of wine.
Yolanda didn't know if she was possessed, but suddenly it was as if a voice was whispering in her ear, "The Teacher is giving you the chance to retake the exam, seize it!"
"A retake exam? I must be crazy." She thought.
Yolanda shook her head and immediately took another sip of wine to try to calm herself down.
Dropping her eyes for a moment, she saw in the glass the light reflecting from the small ruby on her neck and paused for a moment to come up with the answer -
"I gave you cufflinks in the name of what you gave me the necklace in the name of."
Aaron, "..."
She was very smart, now knowing to beat around the bush.
"Yolanda Walter." Aaron looked at her gently, "Do you think you're smart?"
This man had been calling her full name with such indifference since she screwed it up.
He used to call her Yolanda.
"The man was so heartless." She thought.
Recalling the woman she saw at night, Yolanda strove to hide her true thoughts but said, "Not as smart as you."
After a few seconds of silence, Aaron suddenly lost his patience.
He didn't know why he had come here, obviously he was the one who was cheated, but in the end, it was her who ran away and he was the one who couldn't hold on and surrendered first.
"So, you think I should go along with you and be a little more stupid so you can continue to fool me?"
"No, I don't." Yolanda replied hastily.
She lifted her head and looked at him across the table, wanting to say something for several times, but the word seemed to come to her lips and she didn't know how to say it out.
After hesitating for a long time, Yolanda finally gave up the self-esteem she tried to maintain.
"I was going to confess to you that night on Valentine's Day, but I didn't know you'd find out the truth in advance."
When she gathered the courage to say this, the aggression pent up in her heart vented out little by little.
"I had prepared myself for the confession for so long, rehearsed it for hundred times at home. I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me, so I deliberately chose Valentine's Day, bought you a present, and wore a beautiful dress and perfume with good smell."
"I wanted to turn myself in to you, but you didn't give me the chance."
It was probably because all the emotions had fermented inside her for a month, at this moment they finally broke out.
Yolanda's eyes were red with tears. She said, "Now that you're so smart, why didn't you just let me say it first."
Aaron stared at her tears and silenced, looking away from her and looked out of the window.
He didn't want to look at her face, which had deceived him too many times with tears.
But forcing himself not to look at it did not bring him peace.
Every time she sobbed, his heart ached.
"Must I forgive you even if you confess?" He said forcefully.
"The law even says that confessions are lenient. Would you kick me out at night if I confessed? Would you let me get wet in the rain? And would you let me sleep at home for a week with a high fever and pneumonia?"
Speaking of these Yolanda was aggrieved, she had poked more needles in her hand back that week than she had since she was a child.
"..."
Aaron frowned, and wanted to ask about her health, but thought it was normal to get wet in that heavy rain and get a high fever after it
It was just for that he was too angry at the time and lost temper, overlooking the possibility of her getting sick.
After a long moment of silence, his tone softened, "Are you well now?"
"No." Yolanda sniffed her nose, "Sometimes I still cough when it's cold."
As she said that, she coughed a few times, almost coughing her lungs out.
Aaron, "..."
He indifferently watched her performance, and finally turned his head to suppress the smile at the corner of his lips.
Finally, the familiar Yolanda was back.
Having indulged herself in saying all these sincerely and heard that he was actually willing to care about her, Yolanda suddenly felt that the deadlock between them was not so irreparable.
He didn't unfriend her on WhatsApp.
He came to her home to find her.
He cared if she was well now.
Of course, she was not and actually vulnerable.
"Do all these mean that I still had chance?" Yolanda thought.
Her courage doubled.
Still sobbing, she remembered the words "retake the exam", then she took another sip of wine to brace herself, and started crying and confessing thoroughly:
"I admit that I've lied to you, but put yourself in my shoes, that day I came to Capital, I first found that James cheated on me, then I learned that my family was bankrupt, and I wandered on the streets in this unfamiliar city like a homeless ghost, and as a result I was hit by your car."
"Can you find another person who suffers all those bad things?"
"I didn't lose my memory, but if you were me, wouldn't you be moved by the sudden appearance of a rich man, who offered help when you broke down?"
Before Aaron was to say something, Yolanda said aggressively again:
"Besides, you're so handsome."
Aaron, "..."
What he wanted to say were immediately held back by this.
"Not bad, she also learned the carrot and stick technique." He thought.
Aaron still didn't say anything, drawing a tissue and handing it to Yolanda.
She said thanks while crying, and continued--
"I was totally at a loss when your car hit me, and all I could think of were the words of that scumbag mocking me. I admit I'm not as composed as you, and I am brainless, vulgar, and childish. At that moment, I just wanted him to explode in place."
"I was wrong, and I've told you I'm sorry many times. But actually, apart from taking on the identity of your sister, I didn't utilize you once."
Yolanda complained as she sobbed, "On the contrary, the first time I tore him up, you helped him with his PR." Which was followed by her self-assurance--
"Did I get angry about that? No, I didn't, and I even gave you a massage and shoulder pounding that day."
Aaron, "..."
"You're so kind." He thought.
"I tweeted that myself."
"I planned hunkering him down myself."
"Did I ever use your resources throughout all this?"
"I didn't ask for your favor."
"What bad intentions could I have?"
"I just wanted to have fun being your sister."
Aaron, "..."
The more she said, the more sense she seemed to make.
Yolanda's tears poured down, which was a bit exaggerating, but the aggression inside her for a month wasn't just an act.
"I could have left and you wouldn't know anything, but I came back to confess to you."
"By the way, you took a video of me to give it to James, didn't you?"
Yolanda hummed in affirmation, and suddenly got his meaning, sitting up straight and shaking her head:
"Absolutely nothing of the sort."
"Didn't you do it?" Aaron did not believe her.
"I did." Yolanda raised her hand to wipe the tears and said aggressively, "But I definitely didn't expose you even a bit, I admit that I secretly filmed your desk to make James believe me. I used your desk, and if you feel the need, I'll go and say sorry to your desk in person sometime."
"..."
Aaron was actually confused by her for a moment.
So, in the end, there was nothing wrong with her at all, or he had wrongly blamed her for hurting their brother-sister bond.
How speechless he was.
Aron couldn't stand Yolanda's crying, he hadn't felt it when she was crying and talking at the same time, but now she was humming like she was crying and panting every now and then.
She was so pretentious but charming.
It tickled his heart.
He looked at her, saying, "Just say it, and don't cry."
Yolanda was not sure if he was making concession by saying this.
She hadn't spent time with him for a month, getting a little unfamiliar with his temperament.
But at this point, Yolanda had no other choice. She did not make it at Valentine's Day night, and tonight was a make or break moment. Having taken the first step, Yolanda was determined to go through the entire process.
She gritted her teeth and suddenly stood up from the chair.
Aaron, "...?"
Walking up to him, Yolanda made up her mind and sat down on his lap, throwing caution to the wind.
She blinked her eyes with tears and uttered with coquetry and the feeling of being wrongly accused, "I just want to cry."
Aaron, "..."
"If you don't forgive me, I'll cry." She also threatened, "I can cry for two hours."
Who could stand this?
Aaron smelled the natural bathing soap fragrance from the woman's body, but his face inexplicably turned grim and his voice was cold.
"Do you like to sit on man's lap a lot?"
Yolanda froze, not expecting him to react in such a way.
He had changed, not being coaxed as easily as before.
She lowered her eyes, feeling that she might have indeed been too flirtatious, and was about to get up honestly.
But the moment she stood up, a hand had suddenly held her waist from behind, pulling her back to sit down.
"Do you think you can sit on my lap or leave it whenever you want?"
Yolanda, "..."
His words gave a sense of alienation, but his hands were burning hot, as if fire had been set up on her waist.
Yolanda's waist was sensitive and uncomfortably ducked twice, only to be snapped back tighter. "I'm asking you the question." The man said.
This made them almost close together. Yolanda was startled, reaching out to put her hand against Aaron's chest.
This subconscious action made him laugh.
"Are you scared?"
Indeed, her heart was racing a little fast at the moment.
But it was not for that she was afraid.
She seemed to have never looked at Aaron so closely before. She gazed at him, who was whose eyes were dark and eyelashes thick, cold and detached.
But for some reason, perhaps that the wind was too pleasant tonight, Yolanda felt that she saw the deepest tenderness hidden in this man's cold and reserved eyes.
The conversation stopped, and the air seemed to stop flowing at this moment.
They had never looked at each other this close before.
A window in the living room was open, and from time to time the slightly warm breeze blew in gently, blowing Yolanda's long hair and sweeping across the back of the man's hand, making him feel her waist in his hand softer.
The temperature was creeping up, and their breaths had long been intertwined unknowingly.
She could feel that the way Aaron looked at herself was beginning to change.
There might be ... but more than that, it was a helpless concession after the conflict.
It was the kind of compromise Yolanda was familiar with.
A lump come into her throat and she didn't hold back from saying softly:
"It's my fault. Forgive me, please."
After a pause, she uttered a long-awaited cry, "Brother."
"..."
Aaron let her go after a long time.
"Leave my lap." He looked away mute, finally realizing that his inner preference for Yolanda had been her biggest killer.
It was enough to call him "brother".
There was nothing he could do about it.
Distracted, Aaron casually picked up a bottle of water on the table and drank, only to find Yolanda staring at him blankly.
"What are you looking at?"
With tears still hanging on her face, she swallowed and said, "... Nothing."
The bottle of water was just what she had drunk this morning.
Aaron's clothes were stained with her wet tears, and the smell seemed to cling to his skin, slowly seeping into it and stirring him up.
Aaron pressed his brow bone and wondered why he had sought to come and suffer this.
He stood up and walked to the window, turning his back to Yolanda to unbutton his shirt.
Yolanda stood looking dumbfounded, "What are you doing ...?"
"Bring me that shirt."
She looked guilty, "What shirt? I don't understand."
Aaron turned back, "Do you think I didn't know that you took a shirt from my room?"
"..."
Yolanda glanced at his tight waistline before dropping her eyes. Knowing that nothing could be hidden from him, she muttered and went to the bedroom to take out the black shirt.
When she handed it over to Aaron, in case he thought she was a clothes-stealing maniac with some special fetish, Yolanda forced herself to explain.
"I... I just needed a pair of pajamas that day, so I took a shirt randomly from your room."
When she said this, Aaron had already half buttoned this clean shirt.
He didn't seem to care what she had done with the shirt, and he put it on and turned to look at the rooms, asking, "Which room should I sleep in?"
Dumbfounded by the question, Yolanda said, "This is my house."
"You could sleep in my house, but I can't sleep in your house?"
"..."
It seemed reasonable.
Yolanda opened her mouth, "Of course you can."
This bachelor flat had two bedrooms, one for herself and the other for guests.
After all, having cheated him for food and sleep for three months, she had no reason to refuse his request.
She pointed to the guest bedroom, "How about this room? It has a bathroom and there are clean towels and--"
Before she could finish, Aaron walked in and closed the door, "Don't come in."
Yolanda, "..."
"You are so confident. But why do I want to come into your room?" She thought.
Yolanda went back to the living room to clear the table and suddenly stopped when seeing the mineral water bottle.
She remembered the way the man's throat rolled as he drank the water, and the way he had just wrapped his arms around her waist.
A ​faint ​pink flush ​coloured her ​cheeks.
So, whether she had passed today's retake or not, Yolanda didn't know.
She glanced at the door of the guest bedroom and, like a thief, furtively hid the bottle she was to throw into the trash can.
After cleaning up the living room, Yolanda went back to her bedroom, removed her makeup and took a shower.
She had always worn Aaron's shirt to bed before, but now that he had taken it away, she just grabbed a pair of her own ones and changed into it.
She turned off the light and went to bed.
But not knowing if it was because things that had happened today was too magical, or because Aaron was sleeping next door to her, Yolanda tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
There was a copyright auction tomorrow, and she didn't want to go to it with dark circles under her eyes.
After pondering over it for a long time, Yolanda thought her pajamas the reason.
She had worn Aaron's shirt to bed almost every day for the past month, and she would dry it immediately after washed it, for feeling safe wrapped in the big shirt of textual quality.
She just could not get used to her own silk pajamas now.
She put on an eye mask and even lit aromatherapy, trying various methods until 1am when she got up helplessly.
she walked quietly to the door of his bedroom, hesitating for a long time before knocking on the door, "Brother?"
There was no response.
Yolanda wavered for a few seconds and finally decided to disturb Aaron.
She unscrewed the door handle and walked in --
This month had not been easy for Aaron in every aspect.
With the start of the new year, there were so many projects in his company, so he could only focus on his work, keeping himself busy so that he did not have time to think about anything related to Yolanda.
The good thing was that Yolanda's pretentious confession tonight relieved him much.
At least he knew that she cared about his feelings.
Tonight, at Nordica Hotel he drunk some liquor, which caused a strong hangover, so he just wanted to sleep well in her place.
The bed was very soft and the liquor kicked in at the moment, so Aaron didn't fall asleep soon, but after a long time heard a voice suddenly calling him.
"Brother."
"... Brother."
Aaron was wakened a little, dazed and confused.
"I've washed and dried your shirt for you. Can you change it?"
Aaron was almost awake by this time and opened his eyes slightly, only to see a figure standing in front of the bed in the darkness with a shirt in her hand.
He felt that this woman must be fooling him.
"Why do you want me to change now?" His eyes were closed and his voice was a little hoarse but calm, and sexy.
Yolanda swallowed carefully, "Because I've been used to wearing your shirt to bed. Now I don't wear it, so I'm not accustomed, can't sleep and feel very insecure."
There was silence in the dimly lit bedroom for several seconds.
After a while, Aaron seemed to let out a soft sigh.
"Do you have to be so pretentious at midnight?"
"..."
Yolanda instantly gave up her idea, "I'm sorry."
She turned around and was about to leave when a hand behind her suddenly pulled her back. Her body leaned back immediately--
She was in Aaron's arms.
"Is it safe enough?"
"Sleep and shut up."
Yolanda, "..."