Chapter 13 Aaron Caius’ Past

On days without trouble, Tia quietly worked in the villa, seemingly very respectful of Aaron on the surface. But behind his back, she cursed the malicious man every day and prayed to God to keep her far from that person. On this day, Elfie was going to the mall to do some shopping and specially called Tia along. Elfie had worked in the villa for many years and had watched Aaron grow up, so she knew much more about Aaron than the other staff. Elfie had noticed from the first day Tia arrived that Aaron’s feelings toward Tia were very complicated. Seeing such a young lady suffer made Elfie’s heart ache, so she often took extra care of Tia in secret. Tia drove Elfie to the largest shopping mall nearby. Tia, who had not breathed fresh air for a long time, felt very happy. “Tia,” Elfie called out with a smile, looking at Tia who was seriously discerning product labels. “How old are you this year?” “27,” Tia replied. “Oh, that’s a beautiful age,” Elfie said with a gentle smile. “Where are your father and mother? Why did they let you come to Mr. Aaron’s house to be a maid?” Elfie paused for a moment. She picked up a fine steak and put it into the shopping cart. “You look like a young lady from a rich and noble family,” Elfie said while looking at Tia. "And didn’t you say you studied abroad? You must be a very smart and outstanding child. Isn’t it a waste of talent to be someone’s maid?” Tia’s expression became somewhat melancholic while looking at the product in her hand. “The reason behind it is too complicated. I can’t explain it right now.” Elfie sighed. “Although I don’t know what happened between you and Mr. Aaron, I can tell you're a kind child. There must be some misunderstanding. Mr. Aaron isn’t a malicious and cruel person.” “Huh? Are you referring to Aaron?” Tia scoffed. “He’s nothing but a hypocrite with a facade!” “Tia, believe me, there must be some misunderstanding here. Why don’t you try to communicate?” “I can’t communicate with him.” Tia shrugged. “In his heart, I’m someone who needs to atone for my sins. Torturing me brings him pleasure, but I won’t always go on like this. One day, I’ll escape!” Elfie opened her mouth in surprise. “Tia, although I feel for you, I still have to remind you that Mr. Aaron is not someone ordinary people can deal with. Don’t anger him. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll only end up hurting yourself.” Tia had already experienced Aaron’s ruthlessness behind his mask and was therefore indifferent to Elfie’s words. “Others may fear him, but I don’t. Even if he’s a ferocious devil from hell, as long as I’m alive, I’ll never submit to him.” “Oh, Tia, you’re still too naive.” Elfie shook her head helplessly. “Let’s not talk about this anymore, Elfie,” Tia interrupted in time. “You know how much I hate him.” Elfie smiled. “Alright, then we won’t talk about this for now.” Tia felt close to Elfie, who was about the same age as her mother and took good care of her. She was the only warmth Tia received in that cold villa. “Where’d you study before?” “Oh, in Denmark.” “Denmark? That’s a very romantic country.” Elfie smiled. “I heard that people there have very pale skin. Is that true?” “Most of them do, and they’re very beautiful.” “Wow, so when you look down the street, isn't it filled with eye-catching men and beautiful women? Are there any ugly people in the country? Is everyone as beautiful as you?” The string of questions made Elfie seem like a curious child. “It’s not entirely like that.” Tia laughed, shaking her head. “Most people there are indeed very beautiful, but not everyone stands out. There are also people with ordinary looks.” “Are there women even more beautiful than you there?” “Of course.” Reminiscing about her happy past, Tia unwittingly showed a look of longing. “There are many women there much more beautiful than me, and most of them have soft, flowing hair.” “Wow, that’s hard to imagine,” Elfie said skeptically while touching her cheek. “Women more beautiful than you must be angels, then!” “Hahaha, Elfie, you’re exaggerating.” Tia laughed while holding her stomach. Elfie laughed along. “Come now, Tia! Please don’t doubt what I say. You’re the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And I always have a feeling like I’ve seen you somewhere before.” “Maybe we were just destined to meet a long time ago," Tia went along with Elfie’s words. Elfie pushed Tia playfully. “I mean it.” “Okay, I believe you,” Tia said, linking her arm with Elfie’s. “Let’s go to the 13th floor. A lot of the items on your list are on the 13th floor.” Elfie nodded, and the two took the elevator to the 13th floor. “But if you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known. Mr. Aaron had also studied in Denmark when he was young. I must say, the two of you really do have a connection.” Elfie laughed again. “Back then, Mr. Aaron wasn’t given much attention in the Caius family because there were many sons, and the eldest was addicted to gambling. Thus, Mr. Aaron was also looked down upon. Later, he was sent abroad to study by the family head.” Elfie’s expression turned somewhat sorrowful. “They said they were sending him to study abroad, but it was actually just an excuse to abandon him. Mr. Aaron was still young at the time, yet he was all alone in a foreign land. One can only imagine how much he suffered.” “Aaron had such experiences?” Tia pursed her lips. “I thought he had always been so formidable…” “Oh, everyone only sees the success and glamor of the successful. Who would inquire about the untold hardships behind them?” Elfie continued helplessly, “After Mr. Aaron returned from studying abroad, he changed completely. "Later, he won the family head’s favor and was sent to the company. In a few years, he made quite an accomplishment and secured his position in the family.” To be honest, Tia still admired Aaron’s business acumen and strategies. “Mr. Aaron is known in the business world for his decisive and swift actions. Many who looked down on him before came to beg for cooperation later on.” “Although I hate him, I can't deny that he's indeed a natural businessman.” “Is that so?” Elfie said with a smile, squinting her eyes. “Mr. Aaron and you studied in the same place previously. I think you two have quite the connection, indeed.” Tia shouted angrily, “Elfie! Don’t tease me with that!”