When Hearts Collide: From Ashes to Love

Marian sipped the ginger tea, feeling a cozy warmth spread through her body. Bored, she rested her chin on the table, first scrolling through the project chat group—unusually quiet today, so probably nothing had happened—then checking her social feed. Posts from their recent graduation reunion filled the screen. She swiped through them one by one until she paused at a photo capturing a toast between her and Aaron.

Whoever took it clearly favored Aaron's features, highlighting his appearance perfectly. Back in college, he had been the campus heartthrob—tall and lean, with striking brows and eyes, his high cheekbones paired with a defined nose giving him bold, attention-grabbing features. But he also carried a cold demeanor and was taciturn, which could be intimidating when he stayed silent.

To top it off, someone with this kind of look and presence had an equally impressive family background. During school, people often wondered which door God might have closed on him.

Which door indeed? Others might not know, but Marian did.

For all his noble status, even Aaron once knew what it was like to love someone and not have that love returned.

She put her thoughts aside and resumed scrolling through posts—most featuring captions about the passage of time and the peace of daily life. Meanwhile, she still hadn't accomplished much even five years post-graduation, and that realization left her a bit dejected.

Shutting her phone, she lay down on the table and dozed off in no time.

When she woke, the sky outside had already gone dark.

Startled, Marian sprang to her feet and dashed to the door.

Great, just great, she thought, panic rising. She'd fallen asleep in the client's office! If word of this spread, she'd lose all face in the industry.

She hurried to the elevator and watched the slowly climbing floor numbers, heart gradually calming as they rose.

"Ding"—the elevator arrived, and she stepped in as the doors slid closed.

Suddenly, a pair of long, graceful hands blocked the closing doors. "Wait."

Aaron's steely gaze swept over her before he entered wordlessly.

His slender fingers pressed "1."

Perhaps due to the temperature drop, he wore a black cashmere coat over his dark suit—a piece of obvious quality, noticeable even in the dim lighting. Yet the combination of black on black made him look like a refined yet forbidding figure.

"Just heading home?" he asked.

Marian nodded. "Yeah, I dozed off and ended up leaving late."

Better to admit her lapse before he could scold her. Sincerity was always the best strategy. Having dealt with clients for years, Marian was adept at reading them.

Aaron gave a faint chuckle. "Seems the meeting room's pretty comfortable."

She chuckled along politely, nodding once.

When they reached the first floor, she was prepared to say goodbye—she'd already rehearsed her parting words—but Aaron unexpectedly pressed the door shut again. He turned to her. "It's still raining outside. I'll drive you."

Marian: …

Within moments, they arrived at the B1 level, YuTou Group's underground parking.

Seeing her hesitate, Aaron asked, "What's wrong?"

She'd wanted to refuse, but just then, a few people walked by, bowing slightly to Aaron and calling out, "Mr. Fu," giving Marian curious looks. Taken aback, she promptly stepped aside to let them pass, practically forced to tag along behind Aaron.

Sure enough, it was still raining outside, though not as heavily as before, and the fierce winds had subsided.

"Just drop me off at the subway station," Marian suggested, pointing ahead.

Aaron didn't reply. Marian watched as the car sped right by the station entrance.

"Give me your home address," he said.

Marian bit her lip, offering no response.

Aaron shot her a sidelong glance. "Not talking? Then I'll just take you to my place. It's big enough."

Marian's eyes went wide with disbelief. After a few seconds of inner struggle, she whispered the name of her complex, "East side, Jinxiu Gardens."