Chapter 51: Mason's vow

Aria got up at the usual time she was used to. Her body had been trained to get up exactly at 6 a.m automatically. She was a little excited about the conference. Today was the first day of the conference. Although nothing much would take place on the first day, she was still looking forward to it.

Aria looked at her phone. There were two messages from Noah.

'Not sleepy. Aria, I am very happy today. I had a very memorable day.' Aria smiled, reading the message. She too had a memorable day and that was all because of Noah. She was still confused with her new found attraction towards Noah. Her mind was having a serious battle about it. She looked at his next message and sent him a reply.

'Good morning.'

Aria sighed and got up from her bed to get ready for the day. She finished her morning chores and got dressed as quickly as possible. She was out of her room by 7 a.m. She knew her colleagues would still be getting ready. So, she walked around the hotel by herself. On the first day she had arrived, it was already night and she was a little jet-lagged. And yesterday she had gone sightseeing. So, she hadn't seen much of the hotel. She walked around taking in the beauty and the elegance of the hotel. She knew it was not wise to walk around in 4 wings of the hotel as there were mostly rooms for the guests. So, she proceeded towards the second floor where there were many restaurants and shops. The shops were closed but some restaurants had been opened.

Aria sat down at the sitting area after getting a cup of lemon tea from one of the restaurants. She took a sip while her eyes wandered in all directions. Not many people were present in the area. She saw an old man occupy the table opposite her. He looked around fifty or so. He had a French beard which made him look quite wise. He had his glasses on and he was dressed in professional attire. She felt that she had seen him somewhere, yet she could not put a name to his face.

'Why is he dressed professionally, early in the morning?' Aria thought, when she herself was dressed in a similar fashion.

Stuart had messaged them that right after breakfast, the inauguration of the conference would start. So, she was already ready for the event.

Aria looked at him for a while, trying to rack her brain where she had seen him. Then it struck her. He was the world-famous cardiothoracic surgeon, Wilbur Price. Recently, he was in the news for performing a heart transplant on a ten days old infant.

Aria picked up her cup and approached him. She cleared her throat. "Hello, Dr Price. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The man was taken aback by the sudden introduction. "Do I know you?"

"No, Dr Price. But I do. I saw your news about the heart transplant. You are like a teacher to me. I have also read your books on hear surgery."

"Please take your seat. Are you a doctor too?" The man was pleased to hear Aria referring to his books.

"Thank you. Yes, I am a cardiologist." Aria said politely.

"So, you have come here to attend the conference?"

"Yes."

"Good. Good. What are you doing here at this time? Ain't it quite early? There's still time for breakfast."

"Yes, sir. But I have the habit of getting up early."

"That's nice," Wilbur said, nodding in appreciation.

At that moment, a man came running. He stopped in front of their table and panted for a while.

"Dr Price. I have been looking for you everywhere."

"Is there something serious?"

"Yes. The committee wants to have a word with you."

"Let's go then." Wilbur turned to Aria.

"It was good to know you. I'll see you around." He gave her a smile and walked away with the man.

Aria waited till she finished her lemon tea. After that, she checked her phone. There was a message from Noah. Since, she had kept her phone on silent mode, she had not heard it.

'Good Morning. Have a good day.'

Aria smiled reading his message. Warmth spread through her entire body. Since the previous night, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She found it strange that in one day how she had found the once irritating man quite pleasant and appealing. She had never found anyone as attractive as Noah before. She blushed at once when she remembered the scene from the garden where they were too close to each other. She calmed her racing heart and sighed.

"What is happening to me?"

Aria shook her to clear her thoughts of Noah. She then got up and walked to the dining hall. It was almost time for breakfast. She waited for a few minutes for her friends to arrive.

"Where had you been? We were quite worried about you." Stuart said as soon as he saw Aria. He was the first one to arrive.

"I think I got lost. Anyway how was your day?"

"It was kinda okay. You were not there right? So, I lost interest. It became boring."

Aria raised her eyebrows playfully.

"I am honored."

"You must be. How was your day?"

"It was awesome, I think it was one of the best days of my life." Aria's mind immediately diverted back to Noah.

"Wow. What did you do for it be like that?" Stuart was surprised. In fact, he couldn't stop worrying until he received a message from at night that she had reached the hotel safely. Only after that, he could calm down.

At that moment, Tara and Julia arrived, followed by Aiden and Mason.

"Aria, where the hell had you been?" It was Mason. He looked quite agitated. All his plans of spending some time with Aria had gone down the drains as soon as she had separated from the group.

Everybody looked at Mason shocked, hearing his sudden outburst. Realizing that his behavior had been inappropriate, he changed his tone. "What happened Aria?"

"I am fine guys," Aria replied, ensuring it with her eyes.

"Perfect. So, what are we waiting for? Let's have some breakfast." Tara said pulling Julia and Aria with her.

Mason clenched his fists looking at Aria's retreating figure. He made a vow to himself. "By the end of this tour, I am going to have a taste of you, Aria. After that, I promise, you will be head over heels with me.