20 years ago "Straight to kindergarten, ma'am?" Jeffrey asks, looking in the rearview mirror as both hands grip the wheel. Jeffrey has worked for the family since he finished high school. He is about the same age as Kenna's father, if not a couple of years older. Even though they aren't too many years apart, Jeffrey has a visible crease near his eyes and in the middle of his forehead, which makes him look older than he's supposed to look, somehow. "Yes, Jeffrey." Mother replies, applying another coat of red lipstick to her lips before walking over to the compact mirror, placing it back in her leather bag. Kenna stares at her mother, noting the way she sits gracefully and poised, defining herself as a woman. Her dark brown hair curls nicely over her shoulders, making her look professional yet casual at the same time. Even as someone who spends more time in the office than at home, she has never asked for a break or complained. "Excited, honey? You'll meet new people and make friends," she says, turning to look at Kenna and seeing that she's been playing with the hair tie in her hand. She would always take him wherever she wants him to go as it is known as her lucky hair bow, something not easily achieved. "What if they hate me? What if I don't make any new friends?" Kenna asks, her voice loud enough for her to hear but quite low if her mother was further away from her. Her mother grabs her hand, holding it in support before smiling at her. "Kenna, honey, you are the most wonderful girl in the world. You are smart, beautiful, talented, funny... We have to work a little on the fun part but you are capable of everything", both Kenna and her mother. she laughs, happy that her mother is increasing her confidence level for her to make new friends. The car pulls to a stop, Jeffrey turning to look at them with a smile as soon as her eyes land on him. Then, Kenna and her mother get out of the car as they walk towards the entrance of the kindergarten hand in hand. 0.00 "Hello, you must be Mrs. Roosevelt," a woman starts walking towards them as they stand in the middle. "I'm Mrs. Cooper. Nice to finally meet you," the woman continues as Kenna's mom shakes her hand, leaving Kenna standing with a faint smile. "Likewise, Mrs. Cooper." Kenna's mother reassures. The woman known as 'Ms. Cooper turns to look at Kenna, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement. "You must be Kenna," she says, crouching down to Kenna's level. "There's a couple of kids checking in today too, Kenna…why don't you join them on the playground?" She turns to point out the playground that can be seen from inside through the glass window. Kenna's eyes meet her mother's as she nods, "Go on, Kenna. Make some friends," her mother says, causing her to walk straight to the playground after glancing twice at her mother, who is currently he's talking to Mrs. Cooper. As soon as Kenna walks out onto the playground, she finds a couple of kids playing near the sandbox while another kid plays by himself near the slides. Kenna is left frowning as she realizes that there are only kids here on the playground…leaving her head toward the swing, clutching.hard to the sides as you go up. The swing begins to move back and forth as she looks up at the blue sky, drawing her in. Her hands were loosening their grip at her sides before her lips curved into a small smile, enjoying the birds chirping in the branches. "You're on my swing," a boy says and before she can turn to react, she falls to the ground as she tries to catch herself so she doesn't hit her face. Both eyes wandered to look at her figure behind her, seeing a boy with brown hair and light brown eyes staring at her with a slight frown between his brows. "What's wrong?" Kenna asks, her eyes almost brimming with tears, but she holds back. She looks away, wiping away her tears as she tries to get to her feet before looking at the scratch and cut on her right knee. "Aidan Gabriel Ashton!" An unknown woman walks out onto the playground, her eyes wide as she hurries toward them. She grabs Aidan's arm as she turns to look at Kenna, "What did you do?" She asks her son that she just rolled her eyes, just not caring. "She was on my swing," Aidan replies, quickly crossing his arms. The woman walks over to Kenna, her eyes showing concern before she looks at the blood on her knee. Her eyes widen as she turns to her son, "You don't act like that with or towards any girl, Aidan. What did I tell you…" Just as she was about to speak, Aidan cut her off. . "It's very ungentlemanly to hurt a girl and it's also disrespectful to hurt someone for no reason, but never hurt a girl," he exhales, somehow getting bored of saying the same thing more than once. "kenna?" Kenna's eyes wander to her. She is Jio W's mother who looks at the three in surprise before heading towards them. She looks at the scratch on Kenna's knee, "What happened?" she asks, concerned. So, Kenna sits alone in one of the classrooms, her eyes wandering around the room and down to her knee which has been covered with a bandage. Her brows furrow at the sound of her mother talking about how she hurt herself for no reason. "Right now." Someone says before the door closes again, everything goes silent, immediately. Within seconds, Aidan appears near the door, causing Kenna to look at him and see that she is playing with the tips of her fingers, but her eyes are looking at him. Then he takes a seat opposite her, "Hello." "Hello..." Kenna responds slowly. Kenna and Aidan look at each other with expressionless faces, but as children, they feel nothing except the amount of attraction towards one's beauty. "Sorry for pushing you down the swing." He says and Kenna looks toward the door, seeing that her mother is standing there with Aidan's mother, looking too. She holds her small fingers under the table before looking back at Aidan, who seems to be thinking of something else before shaking her hand. "Friends?" He asks. As Jeffrey knows, Kenna will always be the one to forgive. She was raised with manners and she will always follow them, "Friends," she exhales, shaking hands. “Your eyes are really pretty,” Aidan says as he tilts his head to the side, causing Kenna to smile. "Yours too." Kenna responds and they both start talking about other things that Kenna gets comfortable with pretty quickly. NeverShe had felt this way before, especially with someone who had pushed her off the swing, but for some reason, she feels that they will be friends for a long time. Both of their mothers looked at them with a smile on their faces as they got to know each other. None of them knew that, ever since that day... they managed to be the best of friends. It was a worthwhile trip and it was his trip.

Adian My eyes widened as my mother walked into my office with a smile on her face, leaving me groaning, knowing what she was going to say. The same thing she has been saying for the past few months, leaving me frustrated. "What are you doing here?" she asks, brows furrowed as she looks at the files on my desk. Then she turns to look at Flynn, my assistant for the last three years. One of his hands goes up to lift his sunglasses, "Aidan Gabriel Ashton, didn't I tell you to go meet-?" I cut her off, dropping the pen on one of the files before pulling my sleeves up to my elbows. Without realizing it, I have already clenched my jaw as I sigh deeply, a sign of displeasure with her. "I'm always busy", I reply, "I don't have time to go on dates", my voice was low and almost inaudible, it was loud enough for my own mother to hear it; knowing that she is always dissatisfied with my answer. "Bull" she replies, causing my eyes to widen. "Excuse me?" I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue as she takes a few steps closer to me. His right hand holding his phone, pushing it into my face, making me tilt my head back in surprise. "Scandals…" she scoffs, shaking her head, "Don't feed me lies like a child, Gabriel. We both know your pathetic reputation." disgust; showing it clearly through her expressions, "Look at this," she adds. I lean over to look at her phone, my photo was taken randomly a few days ago while someone was holding my forearm as we walked into the hotel. Within seconds, I'm already pinching the bridge of my nose before tilting my head back in disbelief. "Why do you keep up with these things?" I ask, completely unsatisfied. Especially at my age for being an adult and old enough to control my own life, but she's busy trying to alter mine. Days with her telling me to get married... to have a permanent commitment. It's not as easy as ABC. I mean, I can't just walk down the street and ask a stranger to marry me. First of all, that's just stupid. Second, I can't marry someone I don't love because marriage is not temporary. It will have to last forever, so I have to marry someone special. But for now, no one owns my heart, yet. "Because you're my son and you're embarrassing our family with your one-night stands. What's the benefit of all this? What about the dates I've arranged for you?" He takes a seat near my desk as he sighs once more. My eyes drift to Flynn, who is currently standing awkwardly next to me, signaling for him to give us an excuse to leave. He seems to be taking my cues as he clears his throat, “Unfortunately, Mrs. Ashton…Aidanhe has another meeting in five and it's very-" He's interrupted by my mom looking at him, "Uh...I think it's important," she adds, her voice almost inaudible as she sighs heavily. "Flynn, do you want me to fire you?" He asks, letting me roll my eyes in disbelief.My arms are crossed as I continue to close my eyes, hoping this is just a dream, it might as well be a nightmare that will be over soon. "He works for me. You can't do that," I reply and she raises an eyebrow, her lips curling into one of her crooked smiles before she laughs. "And you work for me. I can do whatever I want," she says. "What's wrong with my life? Why are you so anxious for me to get married?" My voice rises as I do my best to control my temper, but I'm not so sure I hold back anymore due to the fact that she's doing her best to make her lose control. The mother rolls her eyes, "Because you're wasting your time. Take your brother as an example, he got himself a wife and they currently have a lovely daughter. All I ask you to do is be a responsible man instead of wasting your time." time". your money for women who do not secure your future. You're acting like a spoiled man, enough of that," she said, she says, deadly serious. As soon as I'm about to say another word, she already cuts me off. Her index finger went up to silence me before showing an unfamiliar image of a woman on her phone with a cheeky smile plastered on her face. "Family reunion. This Sunday," she says, her eyes showing determination. "Bring your future wife or you'll have to marry the woman of my choice. Maybe one of the dates you canceled? Maybe even Shin-hye," she repeats before standing up, clearing her throat. As she starts to walk away from her, "It's in three days. How am I supposed to find someone to marry in three days? You're crazy," she tells him, jaw clenching. "Aidan Gabriel Ashton, you managed to pull off several different one night stands in about an hour, how hard can it be to find yourself a wife?" She pauses for a moment, "I guess you're already interested in someone so you've turned down all the dates I've assigned you to go to." She puts on her sunglasses, head high. "I mean, look at me, I got married when I was nineteen. I have you and your brother and sister and I'm not even fifty yet. Stop making excuses, Aidan, and start showing me your fucking commitment because that's how I raised my kids," he turns as he heads for the door, letting me sigh again, closing my eyes in disbelief. "Remember, this Sunday, don't let me down." She adds before finally leaving my office, leaving me looking at the place where she once stood. My mind goes blank at the sight of her disappearance, however, she left me with a full load on my shoulders. DSuddenly I'm remembering the date with Shin-hye. Don't get me wrong, she is a decent young lady with beautiful features. Apart from that, she is also the heiress to the best hotel in Korea, which means that she has a lot of connection but is missing a lot. What good is an heiress who she knows very little about business? all i can say is that they fed her with silver spoons and the title was given. her parents worked hard while she was spending her money carelessly. How could mom have chosen His hers?

"Should I call Kenna, Mr. Ashton? Maybe she can comfort you." Flynn says, making me look at him before I instantly get an idea of ​​my own. My eyes widen as I think about the possibilities of making it happen: Kenna and I have always been close, it could happen. "Actually, I'll meet her right now. Tell Gerald," I answered, smiling to myself. Without further ado, I quickly made my way to my desk before grabbing my phone after grabbing my coat, looking at Flynn who is currently hesitating about something. "Why are you still here?" I ask. "Uh, but you have a real meeting in half an hour," he replies before standing in front of me, the desk separating us. I frown when he hesitates to speak again; Flynn has been careful every time he speaks, afraid that he might respond like my mother, as I am known to have a short temper, which is very true. "So? Just call it off," I exhale. slightly annoyed. 0.008 "It's a very important meeting, Mr. Ashton. I can't just cancel the meeting because they're going to freak out and it's never good when they freak out," he stammers as I roll my eyes, taking a few steps closer to him. as I harden my gaze, making sure he gets the memo. "Cancel. Do as I tell you, Flynn. We don't want you to lose your job," I speak and he gulps, sweat beginning to form on his forehead as he nods. With a small smile appearing on my face, I start to walk out of my office, leaving him behind me in a hurry. As I stand in front of the elevator, I wait for Flynn to press the button before standing next to me. He clears his throat, waiting for the elevator to reach our floor. As soon as the elevator doors open, I stare at my employees, wide-eyed. Both Flynn and I entered the elevator. that has fallen silent as soon as the doors they were opened. With my two hands on me pants pocket, I wait for Flynn to press the 'G button while standing in the middle my employees pushing themselves into the wall as far as possible. We exited the elevator, receiving greetings and smiles from the other employees as we exited, meeting Gerald who was already waiting by my car. He opens the door for me, letting me into the backseat as Flynn heads straight for the passenger seat. "Call Kenna," I tell him as soon as he's buckled up. He glances at the rearview mirror, meeting my gaze before nodding. Then, she reaches into his pocket for his phone before a look of panic appears on his face, making her hands shake, "Are you going to call her?" I ask. The expression on his face shows how badly he wants to jump out of the car instead of answering my question. He turns to look at me with his eyes avoiding making eye contact with me as the car moves forward, "I'm sorry to tell youthis, Mr. Ashton, but I may have left my phone in your office…” he stutters a bit, as I continue to watch. "Could have?" I raise an eyebrow and he leans back in his seat, turning to look at Gerald, who is still driving down the road before glancing in the rearview mirror. "Gerald, let's go around so Flynn can take his phone," I tell him after clearing my throat. “We don't have to turn around…” Flynn breathes, but as soon as he catches the look on my face, he nods before looking out the window as I continue to scroll through my phone without looking straight ahead. Flynn runs out of the car, in a hurry. I glance at my wristwatch, checking the time as I see him enter the building. If my calculations are correct, you'll be able to get back to the car in less than ten minutes. With him running instead of walking, it might even be less than six minutes. My eyes wander to Flynn, who's back in the car, gasping for breath from running as he holds his phone close to his lap. I check the time again and see that it took her exactly eight minutes to pick up his phone, which means he could have carelessly wasted the two minutes. "Now, he calls Kenna." I say and he turns to look at me, his eyes widen a little but he does as I say, scrolling through the contacts before pressing Kenna's name, putting the phone to his ear, waiting for her to pick up. . Gerald drives back down the road, heading for the hospital. The trail seems to be less traveled today than ever, which is a bit of a surprise. "Kenna, this is Flynn. Mr. Ashton would like to talk to you," he says as soon as he answers the call before turning around to give me his phone. Then he leans back in his seat, still trying to control his heavy breathing which makes me frown, he's always been the one running around trying to get files and even my coffee, why does this make him tired of suddenly? "You could have called me yourself," he says over the other line. "But then, that wouldn't be the Aidan I know…now what do you want?" he asks, his voice sounding a bit cheerful which makes me smile as I look out the window. "Hello to you too. You sound cheerful." "Hello to you too. You sound cheerful" I replied before hearing the sound of his surroundings, it might seem like he's still in the hospital, according to the time, there's a couple of minutes left for lunch time. "I'm always cheerful. Unlike you," he laughs at himself, "you're like another version of Grumpy from Snow White, the similarities are there, which isn't surprising." He continues to speak, which makes my lips curve into a wider smile, thinking of her rolling her eyes like he always has whenever he has to deal with my 'annoying' attitude. "I'll pick you up for lunch," he murmured. "Actually, I'm on my way to have lunch with my co-workers.I'm working." She answers and I immediately turn to look toward the hospital entrance and see that she's standing alone in the middle, the phone pressed to her ear as her eyes wander to look around her. Without her noticing her, she had already let out a soft laugh before looking at her. She has her hair tied up in a ponytail instead of a regular half-up, half-down style. Just as Gerald parks the car a little closer to her, "You're a bad liar…you know that, right?" I ask, smiling. "What test, Aidan?" She smiles at the ground as I press the window, but she still hasn't noticed my presence. Both eyes are wandering elsewhere instead of landing on the car or more, on me. "Wait here," I say to Gerald after hanging up the phone call and getting out of the car, heading straight for Kenna. My eyes stay focused on her back, seeing that she's smiling as she talks to herself, causing me to slow my steps. She sighs, "Typical Aidan. He calls me for no reason and hangs up without saying goodbye. Remind me again why he's my best friend," she mutters under her breath, but it seems to be loud enough for me to hear since I'm only a minute away. couple of meters from her. "Remind me again why I'm friends with a liar," I tell her and she turns to me, immediately with a surprised look on her face. My lips curve into a smile as her pale blue eyes look directly into my brown eyes before giggling.