Aidan peeked; it was the uniform and a note cradled next to the jade bracelet, which was packed in an airtight transparent box.
Jacob closed the door and signalled the driver to start the car. Aidan was so lost in his reverie that he didn't realise he was already on the freeway.
He finally picked up the note.
'Dear Sir,
I appreciate your kindness. I knew it wasn't a uniform. Thanks for twinning with me. I was told by the housekeeper that I was occupying your permanent residence in the hotel. They were meticulous but couldn't empty the closet. You did more than I deserved. I will always remember your hospitality.
Take care!'
The note slipped back into the bag. Aidan looked up, then outside. For some reason, his heart became heavier.
The driver, Xiaowei, a close attendant of Aidan, noticed his expression. He said with a restrained voice, "Jacob and others said it was a slip of your tongue, and you called her 'Madam,' but I know this wasn't the case."
"What are you saying?" Aidan's face turned cold.
"She is not a Madam, and so not yours. Why?" Xiaowei questioned, looking through the rear view mirror to check Aidan's angry face, "All I am saying is that your world is too different. You will never walk the same path long enough to make her what you intend to. From these thirty years of experience, I am telling you. The feelings that triggered you—it was sympathy. It was the hormones. You are young. It is natural."
"Xiaowei, please stop. I don't want to hear this. I already hate myself." Aidan's brows arched, he rubbed his temples, and took a sharp breath.
"Good that you still have self-awareness," Xiaowei said, pulling the car into an abandoned parking space of a desolate mall.
'It was sympathy, that's it?' Aidan whispered, getting out of the car; his expression changed faster than a match is lit.
"Is he here?" Aidan asked, buttoning his coat.
Xiaowei nodded, showing him the way inside.
The corridor narrowed as Aidan stepped inside, the air heavy and dense. Each footstep echoed against the cracked tiles, chasing him down the hallway. The smell of rust and damp clung to the walls.
Silence is natural in the gloomy abandoned building.
A single door appeared in sight, with a rusted knob; it creaked open.
Darkness swallowed the room whole, except for one light shining in the center.
A lamp hung low from the ceiling, its yellow glow pooling at the centre. Beneath it sat a man, motionless, his back turned, shadows stretching across the floor. The rest of the room dissolved into black.
Aidan stepped in, the sound of his shoes low against the ground. The light didn't reach him yet.
The man exhaled, spinning the chair smoothly.
The faint scrape cut through the silence as he turned to face him, his features settling under the light.
A pause.
"Vacation is over," he said. His voice was steady and clean. "I expect you to be refreshed enough for the next mission."
Aidan stepped into the light, the corner of his lips twisted, "Indeed, I am refreshed."
"You met the Shah's heir?" The man rose from his seat, offering the chair to Aidan with a smug smile, "Here."
Inhaling sharply, Aidan waved his hand, refusing politely, "That place is yours."
"What do you say?" The man approached him and placed his hand on Aidan's left shoulder. "Did you like him?"
Aidan scoffed, yanked his hand off, and said, "He is a businessman. Let him be."
"The Lin Company. It is rather an interesting one." Aidan mentioned it, his smile grew bigger, and a hint dripped through his eyes.
"Then Lin Company it is."