4 Daniel Bulock

Ara tries to calm down her nervous heart as her father leads her through the corridor. They soon reach the drawing-room and Mr. Frost leads her in.

Ara's mom, madam Frost, was just in the middle of sharing a recent bad experience with the Bulocks about the improper service she received from the waitressing staff of 'La vita Bella', a new restaurant that had recently just come under the Bulock Corporation.

"Oh dear me, don't you worry Hao Chen my Daniel will certainly get to the bottom of this"

Just then Mr. Bulock takes notice of Ara and Mr.Frost who have entered. Both elderly men nod at each other as they shake hands.

"Noah"

"Charles"

"Giselle, a pleasure once again", Noah greats Mrs. Bulock

"It's pleasant to see you again Noah" Giselle greets back with a beautiful smile as she eyes Ara on Noah's side

Charles gives the young man by his side a look before he introduces him.

"This is my son, Daniel"

Daniel stands up and gives Noah a respectful nod before briefly shaking his hand saying "Mr. Frost, nice to meet you" which gives a glimpse of annoyance to shadow Charles' face before he is back to all smiles again.

"This is my daughter Ara", Noah introduced Ara, giving her a slight push towards Daniel and Charles.

Before any of the Bulock men could give her a handshake, Ara respectfully did a ninety-degree bow towards them greeting all the guests in the process

"Master Bulock, young master Bulock, madam, good morning"

Noah is immediately appalled at with her use of Chinese culture to greet and instantly cringes at her bland tone. Though married to a Chinese woman himself, Noah isn't fond of the idea of his daughter with English blood adopting Chinese culture. He has always tried in his ways to make sure that the traditions and customs of the Zhang family do not hold any light into his family, which has led to the multiple strains that are between both families.

It wasn't Ara's intention to use a Chinese traditional greeting for the Bulock's, but the thought of Daniel's hand coming into contact with hers had scared her so much that her body moved without the permission of her brain. who knows better than her what those hands are capable of.

In fact when she thinks of it, if she had to compare then the day Daniel killed her was the gentlest he may have held her. On their first meeting before, he had held her hand with so much force during their handshake that the pain that followed after wouldn't let her even so much as hold a glass. Yes, he had fractured two of her fingers.

Thinking of it now, Ara doesn't understand why she had allowed their relationship to establish. She doesn't understand how she could disregard her brother's words of love and care and be so obstinate as to keep a promise she had made to deceased people under coercion.

It's okay now, she has been given a new lease on life and she can avoid all those mistakes she had made in the guise filial piety.

She will live for herself this time.

"Hao Chen, I didn't know that your daughter is such a beauty", Giselle blurts out still seemingly impressed with Ara's appearance.

"Madam you flatter me", Ara replies as a faint red hue spread across her face while her expression remains the same.

Ara isn't exactly wearing anything special. She had been so excited to see her parents and be assured that they were alive that she had taken the quickest shower ever and without bothering with makeup, she had put on an elegant and casual dark blue summer dress which was also slightly above her knee-length.

The color of the dress made her pale skin seem even paler. She had paired this with nude pink, block heel strappy sandals. Her long legs are showing and the whole look gives her an even more angelic look with her shiny black hair.

"Ara dear, please lead Daniel to the garden whilst we wait for breakfast to be done", Noah gives Ara a single glance as he relays the order.

"But mom is already done prepar-" Ara asks as a confused expression appears on her face before Noah sends her a fleeting glance, one that stops her in her tracks before she smacks her lips close and casts down her eyes.

She knew this was coming, she just hadn't counted on her father's temper to push her into when she was trying to run from it.

The same thing had happened in the past life, only that then she hadn't tried to refuse her father because of her will to control her own fate, but she had wanted to refuse because Daniel's handshake had hurt her hand so much she was scared to be alone with him.

Having no other alternative and with the feeling of trepidation encasing her heart, Ara leads Daniel to the garden. They pass through multiple hallways with many corners before finally exiting to the garden.

With her first step outside since her reincarnation, the sudden onslaught of the sun's morning rays on her face brings a bright smile on Ara's face. The sun was there with her the morning she died and the same sun is here with on the morning she has been given a second chance.

The smile on her face brightens, coupled with the sun's rays this gives her an angelic halo that makes the view so innocent and magical that anyone seeing it can't help but smile in adoration.

This doesn't escape the man who had been following behind her. He gives a cynical smile as he thinks to himself how timid and useless the girl before him is,

'tsk, so unguarded very unlike a so-called future madam Bulock'

avataravatar
Next chapter