Chapter 169:

Ace sighed as he finished the last sequence of 100 seconds. He descended from the bar lightly, akin to a professional gymnast, nay, even them would be at awe at the pure control Ace showed, not a single fibre of his body was out of place, every molecule in synch, completing the perfect harmony that was every single one of his actions.

He began to unstrap the weights that were fastened all over his body, before letting an attendant take them, and headed straight for the shower.

Once he came out, he dried himself efficiently and got dressed in some straight black chinos and a white dress shirt. He put some light cologne, and was ready to go. He walked out of the elevator and into the lobby, into the gaze of an excited girl. Ace was sure that Miranda Rye had never received the attention she seemed to think she was going to get. Shure, she had her share of suitors who just wanted her for her money, but there was one big difference between them and Ace: he was Ace.

Him being good looking was away from the point - of course, it helped that he was as perfect as could be physically, and as far as she could tell, in other aspects too. He had a fortune and was heir to something that rivalled her own, this meant that he was not attracted to her just for the money. Of course, the idea of him looking for profit crossed her mind - she was not dumb, and even her uncle warned her about it, even if her aunt did say he seemed like a wonderful boy, (her grandfather did grumble, "Of course you would,", and got a severe telling off from her though).

However, all of this had disappeared the moment he had called to ask her if she wanted to tour the Tower. Of course, she knew that she was probably the only person his age, or close to it, so it made sense for him to want to do something, but what if…

And it was stuck in that reverie that Ace caught her, he walked up to her, and smiled, complimenting as soon as he ensured she was noticing him. "You look wonderful,", he said with a light grin, which got even wider once he saw the light blush that it produced. The truth was that though, while she was slightly above average in terms of looks, the fact that she had probably had multiple stylists working on her for a good part of the morning simply made her look amazing.

She was tall enough that she would not look out of place in a fashion show, with her high-end clothing and masterfully applied make-up.

"So, shall we go?", he asked, and she nodded, he took her hand, tugging it lightly, and then let go of it, 'Gently, bit by bit, you know how this goes.', she looked distraught, but then her face brightened up, "Let's go see the gardens! My aunt told me there were some wonderful ones here", she looked excited, and this was clearly a topic of interest for her.

Ace nodded, and thought for a few seconds, "Ok, but you like flowers right?", she nodded, looking at him in a silent, questioning manner, "Then let me take you to the beautiful one. Now, most people will see the gardens, the ones that are spread out around the island, but only a few special people will ever get to see Eden.", he smiled at her softly, "Now follow me, we wouldn't want you to get lost here…", he said, as he walked off.

***

They travelled through a maze of shrubbery and ravines which held its own charm, but Ace knew that this was meant to stop people from getting into Eden, the bright star of the island.

People would think that the Tower was at the centre of the island, and partially, they were not wrong, however, if someone also took into account the underwater caves, that were part of the island thousands of years ago, which could actually be explored as part of the activities offered, one would plot points until they found a new centre to the island, and that, was where Eden was.

"Wow.", she breathed out, 'Wow indeed, I remember seeing this for the first time.'

A gate greeted them, simple yet grand at the same time. It had decorations and statues of small cherubs dotted around it. When Ace pushed it, light tinkles sounded out, as if fanfare to greet them to heaven.

They walked inside, and Miranda was assaulted by the fragrance of flowers and nature. Scents complementing one another, into a crescendo of wonder and beauty.

She looked around, taking in the idyllic scenery she found herself in. "It's…", "Beautiful."< Ace finished for her, "I know, I have been here for hours, and yet, I always feel overwhelmed every time I come here. Now, I understand that I owed you a gift?", Ace said, as he led her into the most enchanting scenery she had ever seen, and she had been all over the world.

Of course, that was not necessarily true, it was simply that the air charged with the natural scents that had been strategically placed around here made it so that it had a greater shock on the body than it would have if there was no smell. And yet, that was part of the mesmerising aspect of the meadow, overwhelmed by the beauty of nature, combined with the care of man.

They walked into the meadow, and Miranda saw some painting equipment laid out on the grass.

"Is this for…", "Yep.", Ace grinned at her bewildered look, "Normally, no one is allowed except express permission, but I called in some favours from my grandmother, and you will be allowed to even paint the scenery. Normally, not even pictures are allowed."

Miranda, overwhelmed by his gift, almost teared up, but she composed herself quickly, and smiled at him in thanks, "I cannot thank you enough, this is a one time opportunity."

Ace laughed lightly, "Please enjoy yourself.", then motioning with his hand, he walked towards the place that had already been set up for her to paint.

She sat down, and for a few minutes, she just took the atmosphere in, inhaling it completely, before she took out some light pencils, with which she began to demark a few lines.

All the while, a silhouette was watching them from afar, with a slight smile on its face, "Truly interesting, he most certainly does have quite a talent.", then, a voice that came from behind her, erupted into laughter.

***

While she painted, Ace sat down in the background, with a canvas set up in front of him, and an array of tools and colours at his disposal. And so, he proceeded to make her gift.

They painted for the whole day, for hours straight without stopping, simply letting their creative juices flow, and their brushes do their thinking for them.

They only stopped once it got dark, and the light for painting had become suboptimal.

She stood up, and looked at Ace behind her, who was simply staring at her, he smiled, and stood up at her.

"Well, we should go, don't worry, they will take your canvas inside, and it will be ready for you to take it tomorrow.", then, he walked off, carrying a rectangular shaped package in one of his hands, wrapped in simple brown paper, tied with brown cord.

Once they got back to the Tower, after their silent walk back, Ace turned to look at Miranda, "I hope you enjoyed yourself, I had a wonderful day, but before I leave, I wanted to give you your birthday present.", "You've done more than-", "No, it was my pleasure, believe me when I tell you that I enjoyed it just as much as you will. I only have one request,", "Anything."

"I would like you to open it at home. That is it.", he then kissed her gently on the cheek, "I hope you have a wonderful night.", before walking away.

She stared at his back, and then blushed, cursing at herself for not being able to say anything. Then, remembering what she held in her hands, she ran home.

***

Ace heard her rapid footsteps and congratulated himself, 'Great job, we got her, everything went to plan, and it should consolidate once she sees the painting. To be honest, I really did outdo myself, it may be the ambience affected me as well, I should speak to Samantha about it.'

He thought, as he waited for the elevator to lift him up until his floor.

***

Miranda ran into her room, and sat down on her bed, before opening the wrapping gently, as if caressing a baby. 'Careful, Miranda, be careful.'

As she tore off the paper, and revealed what was inside, her eyes widened, and tears threatened to pour out of her eyes, until she blinked, and they did. And once they began, they did not stop.

She sat there, looking at the painting for maybe ten minutes, her eyes shedding tears, a mix of emotions provoking them.

She took the painting gently, as gently as she had ever done something. With as much care as one could ever hope to give, and she rested it against the wall, on her nightstand, where she would be able to admire any time she went to bed.

The portrait, signed by Ace at the bottom right corner, depicted a maiden, sat on a simple wooden stool, placed in the middle of a meadow a canvas in front of her, the scene was beautiful, and Miranda recognised the dress the girl wore instantly.

It was only one she was about to lift the wrapping paper with care, that a simple card dropped to the floor.

As she took it close to her face, she could still smell the fragrance from the garden, and she knew that every time she now looked at the elegant script on it, she would always remember that afternoon, and the boy she shared it with.

[Painting the meadow, I hope you enjoy my gift, Ace]