The housekeeper shook her head, "Young master! I have never seen Young miss jog. Young Miss only uses hammock and she does stretching."

Alan left outside ignoring the housekeeper ask about Aria. He called Aria out but she was wearing headphones. He jogged behind her and held her hand. ​​

Her face looked terrifyingly calm. Aria removed her headphones and faintly smiled to know why he stopped her.

Alan couldn't understand what was going on in her head. "How are you doing?"

She could have said, broken, alone, clueless, confused, fragile, on the verge of tears, depressed, anxious, about to breakdown, pathetic, annoying, distant, bitter, empty, feel like going to just fall apart at any moment but she chose, "I'm fine."

His tone slightly changed and seriously asked, "Then why are you running around for so long?"

Aria released her hand from his hold and walked towards the mansion as she replied without looking him in the eye, "I had eaten too much yesterday."

Alan furrowed his brows and held her hand again, "What are you hiding? Did anything happen?"

Aria tried to release her hand but failed, "Young Master Morgan! You are overthinking."

"Who do you think you are lying?" His voice turned awfully cold.

Aria made sure to look calm, "Nothing happened is the fact. Leave my hand."

The more she tried to release her hand, he held tighter. Alan was sure, she had cried by her swollen eyes and her words didn't match her eyes.

He took her inside keeping hold of her hand, he made sure she could manage his pace.

The housekeeper ran behind them seeing Alan's dark face. Two maids went behind thinking Aria was hurt.

Alan grunted when the housekeeper and others were entering the room, "Scat."

"What's wrong with you? Did your other personality wake up again? Leave." Aria spoke but Alan made her face the mirror.

"Look at yourself! And speak. Don't dare to lie." Alan coldly ordered.

Aria didn't expect her face to look so pale and eyes to be still swollen. Since he said 'don't lie', she didn't make up a lie and didn't speak either.

Alan waited long enough before making her face him. "Aria"

Aria's clenched fist got tighter digging her nails to her palms. Aria thought given his temper, he would leave soon but Alan didn't move an inch.

When he noticed her fists, he released it to see her palms completely red, "What's wrong?"

Aria sucked a deep breath, "Sometimes you have to stay silent because no word can explain what's going on with you... I'm fine! You should carry on your work." There was no emotion in her tone.

She tried to go washroom but he didn't let her enter. "Missing your father?"

Aria didn't reply.

"Insecurity?"

Aria didn't reply.

"Uncertainty?... Vulnerability?... Scared?... lonesome?... ..." Alan didn't get any reaction.

"All of them?" Alan asked and felt her fingers tremble which was in his hand before she controlled.

He didn't even think she would be crying previous night else he would have checked on her.

He again pulled her to face him, "Sometimes you hurt yourself more than anyone can hurt you just by keeping your feelings hidden."

Her eyelashes fluttered a little hearing him.

Alan continued, "Build trust with one person and start sharing your feelings with them to stop feeling alone."

He held her ear gently and made her face him, "A life spent being fearful of showing yourself is a life not worth living."

Aria blankly looked at him until he asked, "You have never shown yourself as weak to anyone, isn't it? Excluding your Dad and... I caught you multiple times."

Aria's nod was very faint after a few seconds looking at his expectant gaze.

He sighed in resignation, "Get fresh! We will have breakfast." He rubbed her hair gently before leaving but he paused hearing Aria.

"Have you shared your hidden feelings?"

She didn't get a reply. "Showing your inner self? Have you tried it?"

Alan turned to her but there was no reply.

"Do you trust anybody so much that you shared your true feelings?"

Alan waited for her to finish. Aria continued after a brief pause, "If you never did! How can you expect it to be easy for others?"

Alan went next to her and smiled softly, "I got one for all that."

Aria didn't continue and understood he was telling her to at least trust somebody to the extent she could share everything.

Eva? Rian? Noah?

She didn't want to say them. Because, once she shares, they would be sympathetic for her more and the least need was sympathy. She didn't want to ruin their jovial friendship for her life's mess.

Alan saw her looking at air blankly thinking about something. He didn't force her to tell anything. He turned her and sent her to the washroom. "Take a shower and come, we will go out."

He pulled the door to close and went out of the room. He rearranged his few meetings before getting fresh and going downstairs.

Aria remembered he had lunch date but she couldn't understand why he said about going out in the morning.

She got fresh soon and checked the mirror to see her face and eyes looked a lot better. She thought to get ready after breakfast and went downstairs.

The housekeeper checked on her before asking, "Young Miss, are you hurt? What happened just then? Why young master took you like that? Did he scold you? Don't take it to heart. The young master must be concerned about you. He usually wouldn't do anything as such. Was young master too much..."

Alan coughed lightly passing by them. Aria who tried to cut in from beginning calling aunty, spoke, "Aunty Lilly, I'm fine. Young master wasn't angry at me. Everything is alright."

The housekeeper sighed a breath of relief.

Aria and Alan had breakfast in silence. Alan spoke when he was done, "Get ready! We will go to the office first then date."

Aria nodded with a hum.

Alan was thinking about how to make her talk normal paused before leaving the dining area, "Aria! Can you pick an outfit that could go with both? We will not have time to shop."

Aria tried to make out a few styles of outfits in mind and nodded. After finishing breakfast she had to enter Alan's walk-in and dumbfounded.

She didn't get words to say looking at Alan who was leaning on the door frame. The latter thought she was thinking outfit looking at him then realized, she was speechless.

"What's wrong?"

Aria crossed her arms, "Are you really twenty-two? Why do I feel like you are too old looking at your choice of clothes? Did you perhaps forget your age handling companies? Uncle Rowan still could manage the company for some years, how about you remind yourself that you are a young man, not an old uncle?"

Alan had nothing to rebuff.

He never liked to shop hence he would enter and pick dark solid unpatterned colors. So his wardrobe had all white shirts, Dark blues, black suits with dark-colored ties.

Aria rolled her eyes and took a white shirt and dark blue suit but passed pants without a blazer. "Don't you have any pullover? Were you wearing these types of clothes to college?"

Alan felt like she was looking down on him but he couldn't say anything either. "We gave off all those clothes."

Aria shook her head resignedly and checked the shoe cabinet, seeing brown loafers she picked them, "Wow! you have these. Finally, something different."

Alan gritted his teeth hearing her sarcastic remarks.

'Should I toss her out from the balcony?'