They got too excited and ended up shouting without realizing it.
Aria turned her head to look.
Locking eyes unexpectedly, the two hurriedly rolled up the windows and urged the driver, “Go! Go!”
The car sped away.
Aria’s
‘s gaze followed the departing car. After a moment, a puzzled look crossed her face.
Aria wondered, ‘Why are they running away?‘
Owen stiffly turned back around.
Aria arched her brows, her usual sharpness softened. Her delicate features retained their cool, distant air.
There was no anger, no frown, not even a hint of irritation.
Owen hesitated, carefully choosing his words as he tentatively explained, “They were just messing around. It won’t happen again, so, don’t take it to heart, okay?”
“They weren’t messing around,” Aria said.
Her voice was clear and flat, devoid of emotion, as if she were simply stating an ordinary fact.
His heart clenched suddenly, skipping a beat. His breath caught, and his pupils widened. For a moment, he couldn’t think straight. Owen stammered, “You… don’t mind?”
Aria noticed Owen’s slightly flustered expression but didn’t dwell on it. “The volunteers usually call me Ms. Saxon, but I’m not much older than them. It was fine for them to call me Aria.”
Aria looked away and turned inside.
Owen felt the tension in his chest ease as his heart finally settled. To his surprise, he wasn’t disappointed or upset–just deeply relieved.
‘Thank goodness she misunderstood,’ he thought.
Aria didn’t have any romantic feelings for him, so Owen kept his own well hidden. He couldn’t risk giving her a chance to turn him down.
Now that Aria’s heart was sealed off, if she ever found out…
Given her personality, Owen probably wouldn’t even get the chance to get close to her.
Aria walked at a steady pace, but her thoughts grew increasingly tangled.
‘There’s nothing wrong with being called ‘Aria‘,’ she thought. “So why did he say I shouldn’t mind?”
Aria thought, ‘Go for Aria?‘
‘So that’s why the young interns told him to go for me. They thought Owen had feelings for me.‘
Not all the volunteers were around when she gave her explanation.
Once they returned and learned the truth from others, they probably wouldn’t misunderstand again.
But Owen’s expression looked a little off.
1/2
$11.00 Thu, 12 Jun ODB
Chapter 272
Aria Instinctively stopped and turned around. “Owen, are you…”
The world suddenly went dark as a solid wall of muscle crashed into her.
The momentum sent her stumbling back. She instinctively planted one foot behind her, barely catching her balance.
Aria looked up, meeting Owen’s eyes–wide with surprise and a hint of confusion.
Owen swallowed hard and asked, “Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
It was a flat, emotionless question–calm and still.
Aria studied his face.
His brows were finely arched, lashes downcast, his gaze deep and unreadable–betraying little emotion. Perhaps it was the exhaustion of the past few days, but his cheeks looked more hollow than usual.
‘Nothing seems amiss,‘ she thought.
Under her gaze, Owen’s heart was pounding wildly–not from attraction, but from sheer panic and alarm.
Lost in thought, Owen didn’t notice Aria’s sudden stop. By the time he realized, his momentum carried him forward before he could stop, and he collided right into her.
Aria wondered to herself, ‘Owen, are you… into me?‘
He knew exactly what she was about to say.
Aria frowned in confusion, thought for a moment, then asked directly, “Back at the medical station, they asked if we were dating.”
Owen’s eyes flashed with surprise and he frowned slightly. “Unbelievable! How could such a rumor spread?”
His expression was serious and his tone sincere. “I’m sorry. Rumors like this could damage your reputation. I’ll clarify things.”
Aria wanted to ask him if he liked her, but held herself back. Instead, she said casually, “It’s fine. I’ve cleared things up.”
“That’s good then,” Owen said, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly as he averted his gaze.
