Aria is Perfect for You

Alistair remained silent. Last night, he deliberately escorted Misha upstairs to warn her, but their conversation did not end well.

Edmond moved on to the second topic. "If you are considering marriage, Aria is the best choice for you. While she hasn't completely turned away yet, you still have a chance. Of course, if you have decided to remain single, don't ruin her life."

Alistair's head started to ache again. From the moment he woke up, he felt on the verge of exploding, consumed by inexplicable frustration and irritation.

This conversation was adding to his distress, and he didn't want to continue it, so he changed the subject.

"Aria said you came by this morning, took a call, and then left in a hurry. What were you doing?"

Now it was Edmond's turn to feel irked.

Disinterested in discussing this, he briefly explained in a few words. Edmond's tone was calm, but Alistair frowned deeply as he listened.

"A two-tone vase from the old man's room? Sure, it's Aunt Ling's favorite, but also the one she hates the most. Did it break?" Alistair looked up at Edmond, who was expressionless and gave no further explanation, so Alistair let it go.

He switched to a lighter topic. "So why did you spend the whole day in bed with Lily? Getting up early doesn't justify sleeping that long. What did you do last night?"

When this was mentioned, Edmond's mood fluctuated greatly. He was initially pleased but soon became frustrated.

"She said I'm not good at it."

Alistair was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, clutching his stomach as he rolled on the bed in pain. Although Edmond found it embarrassing, he had to find a solution quickly. If Lily kept giving him poor ratings, it would affect their marital harmony.

So, with a humble attitude, he sought Alistair's advice.

After Alistair finished laughing, he earnestly offered a piece of wisdom. "In this matter, you can't only focus on your own pleasure."

Edmond took note of this advice to ponder later. Once this conversation was over, he revealed the main reason for his visit.

"Do you remember the Double Happiness Flower Shop?"

"The Double Happiness Flower Shop?" Alistair was puzzled. "Never heard of it. What's that?"

Edmond reminded him, "Three years ago, you told me Lily invested in renovating a shop at the end of Changhuai Street to open a flower shop."

When he mentioned this, Alistair thought hard and then slapped his forehead as he remembered.

Yes, there was such an incident. It was during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

 Aria didn't return to Yang City, so his mother invited her home for dinner.

He had a late business engagement and didn't get home until almost midnight.

When he arrived, he saw Aria sitting on the garden bench, talking on the phone.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop; he was just holding the small cake his mother had asked him to bring back for her and went over when he saw her there. He overheard her mentioning Lily and talking about renovations and a flower shop. He listened for a while.

"I heard Lily asking Aria to help find a renovation team for a newly vacated shop at the end of Changhuai Street to open a flower shop. I was puzzled why Lily, who was still abroad, would want to open a flower shop here."

He had asked Aria about it, and she was startled. She stammered and didn't explain clearly, then hurriedly left. Finding it strange, he kept an eye on it.

"Lily funded the renovation, and the shop owner was a woman in her early thirties from a small town. Since it was Lily's private matter, I didn't dig deeper. You were concerned about Lily at the time, so I mentioned it to you."

Alistair looked at Edmond. "Why bring it up now?"

Edmond recounted Lily's unusual behavior during dinner and, after a pause, revealed, "Back then, after you told me about it, I investigated."

Alistair had said Lily had no prior connections with the woman, but fearing more trouble, he dug deeper and discovered something significant.

The shop owner had returned to her village after nearly ten years just a month after Lily's incident.

Alistair was stunned and took a while to find his voice. "So you're saying this shop owner might be linked to what happened to Lily back then? What else did you find?"

"I didn't continue the investigation." Edmond shook his head. "Lily was adamant about not revealing the truth. I didn't want to expose the secret she was protecting. I only investigated the shop owner to confirm if she was trustworthy."

Alistair sensed Edmond had more to say. "Now you're bringing it up because you have a new idea?"

Edmond nodded. "Yes."

---

The next day, following Lily's advice, Aria handed her resignation to Alistair. She didn't throw it in his face but placed it in his hands.

"I'll handle informing my family about the engagement termination. You deal with your side. Once everything is settled, you decide how to finalize it. I'll expedite any work transitions."

"Alistair, I won't bother you anymore. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I'll avoid you from now on."

Alistair was speechless. Edmond had been right! Realizing she was serious about resigning, he expressed concern. "Have you decided where to go? Back to Yang City? If you want to stay in Jiangyu, I can help you find a better job."

Aria replied, "No need. I'll be working with Lily."

Alistair was dumbfounded. Working with Lily?

 In that small, shabby studio? When Lily heard this, she wholeheartedly agreed.

The previous studio was a temporary rental due to its proximity to Royce's apartment.

The rent was high, the space was small, and the Feng Shui was terrible.

It was time for a change, and she needed a place with better Feng Shui. Once her face healed, she took Aria on a whirlwind tour to find a new location, keeping them busy for more than half a month.

During this period, many things happened. Alistair was discharged and, upon mentioning the broken engagement at home, was chased out by his mother wielding a broom. His family didn't agree and sent him to coax Aria back. Nursing a bruised head for half a month, he was thoroughly depressed.

Royce was disgruntled with Nadia over Franklin joining the company, leading to half a month of marital cold war and frequent social engagements. Nadia faced complaints from her husband and mother-in-law, who wanted her to resign and focus on having children since she was deemed unhelpful to Royce.

Zoya was also in a tight spot. Since the New Year, Layla had been setting up dates for Leopold weekly, while simultaneously pushing Zoya into arranged dates, much to her frustration.

Brooks, indifferent to the family drama, kept a close eye on Lily. After enduring half a month, he couldn't hold back and bombarded her with calls. "Lily! You must bring Edmond home for dinner tonight!"

Lily received Brooks' call just as her car arrived at the entrance of the Huian Road Pingxi Club. "Dinner at home? Sure, but have you handled that 9% for me? How about we sort it out when I come back?"

Mentioning the 9% shares calmed Brooks' tone, slightly softening his earlier frustration. "This involves many processes and can't be settled quickly. I've promised you, and I won't deceive you. That's business, and dinner is personal. Don't mix them up. Come back first."

The car passed the club and stopped in front of a shop nearby. Lily unfastened her seatbelt. "Alright, let me finish here first."

Hanging up, Lily stepped out of the car and walked a few steps forward. Looking up at the sign of the "Chengxin Photography Studio," she felt a surge of gratitude. Not sentimentality, but immense gratitude toward Edmond, like an endless river.

This place was the pair of shops Edmond had secured from Royce for her. Located next to the Pingxi Club on Huian Road, the location was excellent, and the environment superb. Both shops were two-story buildings, side by side.

At the year's end, Edmond had Octavian, along with lawyers, help her with the transfer. The previous tenant ran a beauty salon, leasing both shops. The prime location and neighboring luxury cars attracted good business. However, the owner had emigrated with his family last year, and the lease had just ended.

Royce, with numerous properties under professional management, had yet to address this vacancy when Edmond secured it for her. Edmond had asked to lease the shops, as he had plans for them.