When Hearts Collide: From Ashes to Love

"Have some water."

A slender hand offered her a glass of warm water. Marian thanked him and downed it in one go.

"Do you want more?"

"No, thank you."

The sofa beside her sank slightly as Aaron took a seat. He scanned her up and down: aside from the slight redness on her left cheek and around her eyes, she seemed fine. He was surprised at how quickly she recovered. If something like that had happened to Yao Ning—being publicly berated—she would've likely cried herself into a faint. Yet Marian seemed to handle any amount of injustice that came her way.

Aaron understood that her circumstances were different. With no family to fall back on, someone like Marian could only rely on herself. Tears were the most useless of weapons. Realizing this, he found himself frowning, a faint pang of sympathy tugging at him.

His phone rang—an incoming call from Yi Ming.

"Just have a seat here. I'll head upstairs to the study and take this."

Marian nodded. She'd caught a glimpse of the caller ID too; likely Yi Ming was calling about the woman who had gone on a rampage earlier. Part of her wanted to join and hear what he had to say, but in the end, she let it go. She trusted Aaron would fill her in.

No sooner had he shut the study door on the second floor than a middle-aged woman walked into the living room. Judging by her outfit, it was clearly the housekeeper Aaron had mentioned.

"And you are…?" The woman, Ms. Li, looked Marian up and down, a bit taken aback. She'd been working here for half a year and had never seen anyone else—especially a female—inside the villa.

So Mr. Fu does have a girlfriend after all.

Great. That's great.

Such a handsome man—if he were into men, that would be quite a pity.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Marian." She gave a slight nod, polite but restrained.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Marian. I'm Ms. Li, responsible for Mr. Fu's dinners and housekeeping."

Marian's brows lifted. "He mentioned you."

Carrying a bag of groceries, Ms. Li smiled brightly and headed into the kitchen. When she noticed Marian following, she asked, "Miss Marian, is there anything you particularly like or dislike eating? I'll keep that in mind when I buy ingredients from now on."

From now on…?

"Actually, Ms. Li, I'm probably just here this one time. There won't be a 'next time.'" She smiled, brushing back some stray hair as she went to help Ms. Li sort the vegetables.

"Huh?" Ms. Li exclaimed inwardly. Does that mean she isn't Mr. Fu's girlfriend but just… a companion for the night?

Even if it shocked her, she could understand: Mr. Fu was in the prime of his life. If he rarely brought women home, the occasional fling was perfectly normal.

What a shame. Miss Marian looked so sweet and gentle, even going out of her way to help. She'd be an excellent wife someday.

She patted Marian's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. Mr. Fu is a good man. Even if this is just a one-time thing, he won't treat you unfairly."

Marian: …

Something about this conversation felt off…

With Aaron's wealth, she didn't imagine him skimping on a meal…

As Ms. Li busied herself cooking, Marian rinsed the vegetables and spices. By the time she finished, she looked up to see Aaron leaning against the kitchen doorway.

"Mr. Fu~"

"Mr. Fu."

Their voices overlapped.

Right away, Ms. Li's eyes went wide. What? Miss Marian is actually Mr. Fu's subordinate???

Wait, is Mr. Fu… eating the grass by his own workplace? She found herself secondhand-embarrassed.

Aaron's gaze slipped from the apron Marian wore. "I've clarified the situation. If you're free, let's talk upstairs in the study."

Marian dried her hands, removed the apron, and followed him to the second floor. They each took a seat on opposite sides of the desk. Aaron, resting his interlaced fingers on the surface, watched her with those deep black eyes. His voice, low but distinct:

"The troublemaker was He Bing's mother. According to her, He Bing's been acting oddly—going out early, coming home late, spending every day in bars, drunk to the point of starting fights. Last night he got into a brawl, supposedly because of…"

He paused, then continued, "because of you."

Marian blinked in confusion. "Me?"

"Mm. He Bing fought someone to defend you. It escalated to the police station, and his mother paid bail to get him out. But then He Bing suddenly vomited blood and ended up hospitalized."

It was one twist after another, leaving Marian momentarily stunned. She clenched her hands. "How is he now?"

Aaron's fingers stayed locked; he lifted his gaze. "Why so concerned?"

"Obviously, because it's a life at stake."

Aaron leaned forward, fixing her with a chilly stare. "So you still like him?"

Marian frowned at the nonsensical question. "Whether I like him or not, I can't just shrug off someone's wellbeing."

"Fine. Do you still like him?" He pressed on, unwilling to stop until he heard her answer.

"Marian, answer me!"

Alright, so now he was putting on his "boss" facade as if she were a subordinate. She huffed quietly. "I stopped liking him ages ago." Avoiding Aaron's eyes, she looked away.

Aaron relaxed into his chair, arms resting on either side. "He's alive, but it'll be a while before he's back on his feet."

Marian nodded. "So his mother came to the company to raise a fuss because she thinks it's all my fault? Ridiculous. Her imagination is wild."

Aaron found her reaction fitting. Curling his lips faintly, he said, "Yi Ming has already emailed me the lobby surveillance footage from YuTou. If you want to call the police, I'll help supply evidence."

He Bing's mother had publicly harassed and insulted her in her workplace, tarnishing her reputation. Marian had enough grounds to press charges, demand a public apology, and even get compensation.

Initially, Marian had intended to do just that. But hearing Aaron's explanation, she hesitated.

She understood that for an ordinary family, a son's severe illness was already a crushing blow. If she filed a lawsuit now, the He family might be ruined entirely.

"I—I'm not planning to call the police."

Aaron was startled. "You're letting her off just like that? What if she harasses you again?"

Marian laid out her thoughts. Listening, Aaron cast her a cool glance and remarked drily, "Some might see that as kindness; others might say you still have feelings for him."

Suddenly, a soft "ding" punctured the quiet, announcing a new message on his phone from Yi Ming. Aaron read it and let out a snort. "Marian, you worry about others, yet no one worries about you."

With that, he handed her the phone.

She glanced down, eyes widening at the sensational headlines scrolling across the screen:

"Famous company's female employee rumored to be a homewrecker—attacked by the wife"

Below was a video, undoubtedly footage of today's altercation. The "ding ding ding" of notifications flooded Marian's phone. Peeking, she saw numerous messages from colleagues expressing concern. Which meant… they'd all seen it…

She went cold all over, like falling into an icy pit, closing her eyes in helpless resignation.