CHAPTER 49: RETURNING HOME

Arianna approached Maxim, and he drew her back into his arms before accepting the package she had brought.

He ripped it open, revealing the gift hidden inside. He couldn't believe his eyes. Inside was a nicely handmade hankie with a lively dragon covering half of the hankie and his and Arianna's initials on the corner.

He had seen so many things, and hankies were included so he could tell whether a machine or hand was used at a glance, and this was made personally. He noticed the red spots on her fingers, which were most likely caused by the needle while she was embroidering.

He could now tell the real reason she hadn't slept and appeared tired when he saw her that morning. The girl had spent her night sewing a hankie for him, and he was deeply moved.

Nothing like this has ever been done for him before. He was used to receiving expensive gifts that meant nothing to him. No one has ever taken his feelings into account.

Everything he did had been told to him since he was a child, until that year when he openly rebelled and became his own man. He couldn't help but turn the little girl around so she was facing him.

Arianna blinked at Maxim, innocently, curiously, and anxiously. She was nervous about his response, and her hands were sweating profusely. "Do you like it?"

Maxim gave the little girl a sweet smile before planting a chaste kiss on her soft and pink lips.

"I love it, thank you very much," Maxim replied to Arianna, who was seriously blushing after being kissed.

"That's fine," Arianna murmured in a mosquito voice, making Maxim chuckle and think she was cute.

"I'll keep it with me every day and remember you when you're gone."

"Will you pay me a visit or call me when you're not busy?" Arianna asked, her heart in her hands, hoping that he would agree and give her some good news.

HOURS LATER

Arianna smiled as she climbed into the limousine sent by her parents, alongside Leah, who was delighted to see her.

Leah was taken aback when she saw how happy her young Miss was, especially after the internet barrage. Her job as Arianna's PA was to make sure her boss didn't suffer too much, which is why she used her connections to buy a water army to fight for Arianna online.

She was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover that Arianna was not universally regarded as a bad apple. A lot of people liked her, and she had a lot of genuine fans who stood up for her when others were criticizing her.

Leah became distracted when she considered the one question that everyone was curious about. How and where did her young Miss find a new love so quickly?

Arianna, who was in a good mood, couldn't help but notice Leah, who was frowning, and it irritated her greatly, "what's up with you? Is there anything you're keeping from me?"  Arianna couldn't help but ask.

Leah awoke from her dream, startled, and looked at Arianna. She had completely forgotten she was in the presence of her boss for a brief moment.

"Ummm, there is something that has been bothering me lately and I hope that I am not intruding but I just hope that you can clarify it to me so that I may know what to say or how to prepare for measures," Leah tried to sound as normal as she could because she didn't want to irritate her young Miss.

Arianna raised her brows in surprise as she looked at Leah; she had not expected Leah to ask such a bold question. She liked this young woman more because she wasn't like that the last time she met her.

Arianna chuckled a few seconds later and looked at Leah, saying, "You must be curious about my new love interest, don't you?"

"Aha, ummm, yes, that's exactly what I mean. Everyone, including your parents, was concerned. We don't mean any harm," Leah explained, and this small gesture made Arianna feel so warm.

"Oh, I meant every single thing I said at that banquet. I fell in love, and you wouldn't believe what happened," Arianna began to tell Leah her story, as she was dying to tell someone, as she didn't have any real friends aside from Freya, her newly acquired friend.

"So, it went like this....." Arianna quickly became a chatterbox, and all the way to the mansion, Leah smiled as Arianna continued to talk about how she met Maxim and what the two did.

Leah could tell Arianna was madly in love with this Maxim, and she wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or not. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her, especially after the ordeal she had gone through the previous time because of her crush on a man.

She also felt hopeless because she was currently powerless and lacked connections to assist her young Miss, but ever since her young lady gave her the mantle to take care of the cafes, she had vowed to herself that she would work hard and become an assistant that her young lady would be proud of.

"I am happy for you, young lady; I just hope that this time you are certain that this is what you want and that this Maxim is different from young duke Lucas," Leah finally said, her face tense.

Arianna laughed so hard that her ribs hurt; she hadn't laughed so hard since she arrived in this world.

"I said before that Lucas was a big mistake, and you don't have to worry about me still having feelings for him, and I'll tell you right now that I'm not being impulsive with Maxim either. There is something about him that just draws me to him like a moth, I just can't help myself, and after everything I've been through, I think I really deserve to be happy, and I know that Maxim makes me happy," Arianna let out her heart to Leah, who was looking at her with a startled expression, "I don't know how things will go in the future, but for now I will stick with him and if things don't work out then I will just let it go."

Arianna sighed as she considered this possibility. She was aware that she adored Maxim and that everything had happened far too quickly. She was the one who confessed her feelings for him first, and she didn't know much about him, but even if she didn't, she knows he won't do anything to harm her.

He gave her that feeling, and she really likes it.