When Hearts Collide: From Ashes to Love

On Monday morning, Marian, looking a little under the weather, decided to head to the coffee shop.

The moment she stepped inside, she spotted Aaron sitting leisurely in a corner, sipping his coffee.

Marian instinctively tried to blend into the background, scanning a QR code to order while deliberately lowering her presence, hoping Aaron wouldn't notice her. But things didn't go her way.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the barista said sweetly. "We've run out of oat milk for the oat latte you ordered. Would you like to switch to a regular latte instead?"

"Sure, sure," Marian replied, raising a hand to cover her face like it might make her invisible.

She glanced nervously toward the corner, only to lock eyes with Aaron, whose gaze had wandered her way. Resigned, Marian straightened up and walked over to greet him. "Good morning, Mr. Aaron. Here for coffee?"

"Mm," came his usual nonchalant reply.

After the polite exchange, Marian didn't want to linger. Nodding slightly, she said, "I'll go wait for my coffee," and made her way toward the pickup area. Seeing that there were eight orders ahead of hers, she debated whether to head back to the office first.

"Marian, what a coincidence! You like this coffee shop too?" a voice called out.

It was He Bing. Forcing a smile, Marian replied curtly, "It's fine." She wasn't keen on talking to him much; as the saying goes, the best kind of ex is a nonexistent one.

"By the way, Marian, I tried asking you out for dinner over the weekend, and you said you were busy. What about tonight? I just got my year-end bonus, so I'll treat you to something fancy!" he said, grinning.

Not wanting to owe him anything—and especially not tonight, since she was already meeting Aaron—Marian naturally refused.

However, He Bing didn't seem to pick up on her clear attempt to keep her distance. Instead, he moved closer, so much so that from Aaron's vantage point, it looked as though they were practically leaning into each other.

"Marian, do you still hate me? I know I was wrong before. Could we…" He Bing began in a low voice.

Before he could finish, the barista called out loudly, "Order number 39! Customer number 39, is your order ready?"

Realizing it was her number, Marian quickly cut him off. "Sorry, my coffee's ready. I have to go."

She grabbed her drink and walked briskly toward the door, not looking back. He Bing hurried after her.

"Marian, wait! Please, wait a second…"

The elevator arrived just in time, and Marian anxiously pressed the button to close the doors. But it seemed the universe wasn't on her side today—He Bing slipped in after her, followed by Aaron.

It was the morning rush hour, so the elevator was packed. Yet, curiously, there was ample space around Marian.

Aaron glanced sideways, quickly noticing why: He Bing was holding his arm out to create some room for her.

A faint sneer tugged at Aaron's lips. Small tricks, he thought, his eyes glinting with disdain.

As the elevator ascended, it gradually emptied. When it reached the 23rd floor, Marian stepped out, but not before He Bing leaned in to whisper, "I'll text you later."

Marian froze for a moment, feeling exasperated, before striding out. Just as the elevator doors began to close, Aaron, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Marian, don't forget about dinner tonight."

Her body stiffened, and she turned back to mumble awkwardly, "…I won't."

He Bing's eyes widened in surprise. Aaron and Marian knew each other?

A sour feeling crept into his chest. She had declined his dinner invitation but agreed to dine with Aaron instead. He eyed the tall, imposing man before him and thought bitterly, I should remind Marian that Aaron isn't someone you can easily approach. He's the kind of client you don't want to cross.

Meanwhile, members of the project team, who had overheard Aaron's dinner reminder, couldn't resist teasing Marian.

"Wow! Mr. Aaron is taking you out to dinner? Something's definitely going on!" one of them joked.

Marian sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Is it possible that I'm the one treating him to dinner?"

The energy in the room instantly deflated. The team exchanged sympathetic glances, as if silently wishing her good luck. Treating a client to dinner was always a nerve-wracking affair—especially someone like Aaron, with his reputation as a cold and demanding boss. They could already imagine Marian being scolded mercilessly over the meal.

Even the tech lead, Zhang Gong, came over to check on her. "I heard you're treating Mr. Aaron to dinner. Is this about that thing?"

Marian hesitated for a moment before realizing what he meant. "Uh, yeah, something like that."

She didn't plan to explain her complicated relationship with Aaron to anyone—let alone mention how he had driven her home after she'd gotten drunk over the weekend.