IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER, VOLUME 2 - Season 10 Episode 89

Aria was standing by the door of the Maple Cafe for several minutes, hesitating to go inside. She looked through the window and saw that there were not so many guests in the cafe at that time. But it wasn’t the crowd she was anxious about. It was the thought of meeting Lawrence’s mother that put butterflies in her stomach. Cherry was not only Lawrence’s mother, but she was the most respected and well-known woman in the city.

But Aria could not just stand there forever, so she summoned all the courage and walked in.

“Welcome!”

A waiter approached her and greeted her warmly.

“Hi! I’m here for Mrs. Chu,” Aria replied politely.

The waiter looked at the guest book, smiled and then said, “Oh, you must be Miss Aria. Am I right? Please follow me, Miss,”

The waiter looked at the guest book, smiled and then said, “Oh, you must be Miss Aria. Am I right? Please follow me, Miss,”

the waiter said as he led Aria to the second floor.

Cherry had seen Aria being led by the waiter to where she was sitting.

“Mrs. Chu, your guest has arrived,” the waiter politely said to Cherry. Aria appeared after the waiter announced her.

“Okay, thank you,” Cherry replied and turned to look at Aria.

“Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Chu,” Aria greeted politely and made a bow naturally. She had noticed that Cherry was wearing a simple yet elegant dress. From Aria’s perspective, it wasn’t a branded dress, but it looked very stylish and sophisticated on Cherry.

“You need not be so polite. Please have a sit,” Cherry said as she gestured Aria to the seat opposite her.

“Thank you!” Aria replied and sat down. As Aria was helping herself to the seat, Cherry was already observing her.

Looking at her this close, Cherry could already see Aria’s resemblance with her mother. She noted the light make up the young lady was wearing which highlighted her natural beauty. The structure of her face showed that she was kind, innocent, and selfless. But Aria was too timid, and Cherry was sure that the young lady wouldn’t stand out in the crowd.

However, Cherry could somehow see that Aria was brought up in an ordinary yet peaceful family. She looked well-educated and well-mannered, which made her stood out among all the ordinary girls Cherry had met.

“Would you mind if I call you Aria?”

Cherry smiled amicably. She wanted to lighten up the mood because Aria seemed to be stiffed and nervous since she entered the room.

“No, I don’t mind at all,” Aria replied politely.

At that time, the waiter brought two cups of coffee for the two ladies and put it on the table. Aria was glad for this intermission as she was starting to tremble from nervousness. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.

After the waiter left the room, Cherry said, “Please don’t be too nervous. I just want to talk to you today.”

Her voice was calm and pleasant like music to Aria’s ears.

Hearing these words, Aria calmed down a little. She was still having a hard time relaxing, but she smiled at Cherry faintly and said, “It’s very nice of you, Auntie.”

“I’m sure Lawrence has already told you something, hasn’t he?” Cherry went directly to the point. She could sense that Aria was a straightforward young lady so there was no sense wasting time beating around the bush.

“Yes,” Aria replied. She didn’t know that Cherry would go straight to the point, so she took a deep breath and continued, “I know very well that I am not the right woman for Lawrence and that he deserves someone better, someone of his own league. So, I decided to break up with Lawrence. It’s not an easy decision to make because I truly love your son, but I also don’t want to cause him pain. I know that he loves his family more than anything in the world, and I must not compete with that.”

She sighed deeply, trying to control her tears. After a few moments, she continued, “I’m letting your son go without any grudge. And I’m sincerely praying for his happiness.”

After hearing this, Cherry was amazed. Lawrence was head over heels with Aria, and she could easily force Lawrence to marry her against his family’s will. But this young lady was different from any other noble and rich women. She was understanding, selfless, and reasonable. Cherry could tell that Aria loved his son so much that the latter would do anything for him, even if it meant breaking up with him. Now, Cherry understood why her son loved Aria despite the latter’s circumstances in life.
“Aria,” Cherry said.

Upon hearing her name, Aria looked at Cherry with a surprised look on her face.
“Do you really love my son?” asked Cherry. Her face looked serious and she was expecting a truthful answer from Aria.

“Yes, I do love him,” Aria replied without any hesitation. She had never doubted how she felt for Lawrence. “Auntie, I love Lawrence. I love him just for who he is, and not for his money or power. I feel comfortable and happy when I am with him. He loves me for who I am. We care for and understand each other. I know that I am not of help to him with his work, but I support him at any way I can.”

Cherry could sense the sincerity in Aria’s words and had no doubt that it was the truth.

“My dear,” Cherry said, addressing Aria differently. “I have read through all your information and I know about your family and education background. I also know that you both love each other very much and I will respect my son’s decision if you will both continue your relationship.

But if one day he decides to marry you, I will have to think it over. You know that he is my only son and I want the best for him. To be honest, his Father and I don’t have any explicit standards when it comes to the woman he wants to marry. But you must also know that there are unspoken standards amongst the rich and powerful families in this society.

Though we despise it, we can’t do much about it and we couldn’t just ignore it. I hope this makes things clear.”

Aria nodded. For Cherry, it was an unspoken standard. But for an ordinary woman like Aria, it was obvious that the rich and powerful wanted to maintain their family’s “bloodline” by marrying within their league. And Aria understood it loud and clear. “I understood, Auntie,” she responded politely, with a sad look on her face.

“Tell me, what kind of girl do you think Lawrence should be marrying?” Cherry suddenly threw the question to Aria to see how well she understood the situation.

“Well,” Aria felt a little awkward because it was like shooting herself on the foot by answering that question honestly. But after thinking things through, she boldly said, “Lawrence is a very talented, capable, and outstanding man. His wife must share the same ideology as him.

This way, she can support him with his business endeavors, and she can give him sound advice on specific matters.”

Aria paused for a while and then went on, “I know that when he is stressed out, he is too much to handle. He gets cranky and throws tantrums like a child. So, his future wife must love and support him unconditionally. She must be able to read his thoughts, be with him at the time he needs her the most and must stay with him through ups and downs. I think that’s the most important.”