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"Noah, let's take a trip on the hot air balloon." Aria was beyond elated, and Noah could not help but chuckle seeing her state. Though he was surprised at what she had prepared for him as it was completely not what he had expected, he willing to accept it. Moreover, this was his first time on the hot air balloon, and being with Aria only added more to the experience. Why would he say no to it?

"Sure, darling." He agreed, and Aria cheered up, joyous that the man liked her present, or at least that was what she felt on seeing Noah's astonished face.

An instructor was waiting for them, and as soon as he saw the couple walk towards the balloon, he greeted them with a warm smile.

"Hello, Dr. West. How are you?"

"I am good, Mr. Scott. How is Mrs. Scott doing?" Aria queried with equal vigor. 

"She is doing great. Thank you doctor for saving her life."

"Not at all, Mr. Scott. Her condition was not critical. So, you do not have to worry about it." Aria brushed it off and looked at Noah, who was listening to their conversation with a small smile on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Scott. This is my boyfriend, Noah Carter and Noah this is Mr. Andrew Scott." She introduced the men to each other, and Mr. Scott's reaction was a sight to behold. He knew who Noah was and what he did. However, he had never expected the man to be Aria's boyfriend. The moment the couple had entered, he had found the young man beside her familiar. But it only hit him after Aria introduced them.

"Hello, Mr. Scott." Noah held out his hand, and the man shook his hand with glee. It was not every day that he got to meet Noah, the man who was well known in the business world and it was not every day that he got to shake his hand.

Aria stifled a smile on seeing the man's reaction. "Mr. Scott, is everything ready?"

"Yes, Dr. West. I have checked the balloon, and it is perfectly fine. Let me explain the controls for you." The three people entered the balloon, and the man explained to the couple how to operate the balloon. Once he was sure that they knew everything they were supposed to know, he got out and closed the door.

"Have a great trip!" He wished them and released the rope that was tied to the stake before he waved at the couple.

Slowly, the balloon rose as Noah followed the instructor's words. He controlled the heating mechanism until they were significantly high in the air, and then he stopped, allowing the wind to maneuver the balloon.

Aria was watching him keenly, her eyes not once moving away from him, and Noah chuckled seeing her star-struck gaze. "I must say, Aria." He wound his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Aria tilted her head as she waited for the man to continue. "I was not expecting this. It surely was a great surprise."

"Did you like it?" Aria's smile widened, and she looked at him with such passion that Noah had to use a lot of self-control to stop himself from kissing her.

"Yes, sweetheart. I like it. Thank you so much for such a memorable present." He pecked her forehead lightly, and the couple watched the view of the city from above. It was peaceful, calm, and beautiful and Aria did not want to break the tranquility of the moment. However, she had to tell him even if the man would be angry at her. At least, he would not storm out and leave her alone given the predicament they were in. 

Moments passed and finally, Aria started speaking. "Noah, I met Maggie when I was still an intern at the Regal Medical Hospital."

Her sudden words startled the man who was enjoying the solitude with her. He stared at the girl who had her eyes fixed at the sky that was slowly turning orange as the sun moved towards the horizon. It did not take him long to realize what was happening. Though he wanted to know about her, now was not the time.

"Aria..." He started, and the girl faced him at once, moving away from him.

"Let me speak, please." She almost begged, and Noah did not have the heart to stop her, especially after seeing her eyes. He could see that Aria had mustered all the strength in her to reveal everything, and if that was what she wanted to do, he would allow her to do as she pleased.

When the man did not utter a word, Aria took it as her cue to continue. "I was on a night shift that day, and the girl had come to me with a gunshot. She was shot in the abdomen. It was not life-threatening but it was not an easy case either. The people who had shot her had followed her until they lost track of her. They started to search for her in the hospital as they presumed that was where she would be."

"They were unwilling to give up searching as they claimed her to be a convict. But I knew she was not as I had seen her badge when I had removed her jacket. She was from the Intelligence. How could she be a convict?"

Aria stopped and took a deep breath before she started again. "There was not much staff at that time, and it was a difficult task for us to control the men. So, I took Maggie with me from the back gate and drove her to our apartment."

Aria had her head lowered. Yet, Noah could see every expression of hers clearly. Not once did she show regret for her actions. Not once did she falter in her words. There was a hidden pride in every statement, and Noah was happy to hear it.

"After we had moved to the new house with our parents, the apartment had been empty. So, I took her there and nursed her to health. It was a coincidence that Ivy once stumbled upon her when she had visited the apartment to check if everything was fine, and since then, we have been close."

Aria licked her lips as she tried to gauge the man's reaction. However, she could not read him whatsoever. His face remained stoic and blank. "Although Maggie did not tell us in-depth about the case she was working on, she did give us a few details. She was tracking one of the first cases of organ trafficking, and the men had found out about her. Fortunately, the men had not seen her face as she had her face covered with a shawl."

"Maggie stayed at our apartment until she recovered but remained in touch, occasionally going out on lunch and shopping with us. It was Ivy who suggested that Maggie train us some combat skills and the basics of self-defense. Ivy was already a journalist by then, and given how adventurous she is, she needed them."

Noah chuckled as soon as Aria called Ivy adventurous. It was the truth, and considering how Ivy had faced some life-threatening situations, she needed to learn some life-saving tricks. And for the first time, since Aria had started speaking, her face broke out into a smile on seeing Noah smile.

"How is it that you know to operate a gun while your sister doesn't?" Noah asked the one question that was bugging him.

"We used to meet whenever we had free time, and Maggie would train us. But there were times when Ivy would be away on her mission, and I would be training alone. So, Maggie herself suggested that I learn to operate a gun. Although it was purely for fun at the beginning, everything changed when my Dad disappeared and Mom died of a heart attack."