Chapter 504 - Under The Aurora

The arrival of the two ethereally handsome young men to Schneider Tower in downtown Manhattan attracted a lot of attention from the employees and guests who were there.

London, who had started working at the Schneider Group headquarters in Berlin, had expected the treatment he would receive to be as such. He recalled the first day he entered the office. At that time, many female employees were incessantly stealing glances at him.

Now he came together with his younger brother, Rune, who was much more attractive because of his beautiful blond hair hanging down to his shoulders and his pair of blue eyes that looked slightly narrow, which gave out a mysterious vibe.

He appeared indifferent but looked very fashionable with the most expensive outfit from the household's fashion houses. Rune was indeed rather flamboyant, a bit like his uncle, Aldebar. Even so, he still preferred natural looks, unlike Aldebar who liked wearing historical outfits from the Victorian or Edwardian era.

"Good day. Mr. Chan is waiting for us upstairs," London said kindly to the receptionist in the lobby.

"Good day, Sir. May I have your name?" asked the receptionist politely.

London and Rune exchanged glances, then both shrugged. Their father had let them out and gave out their identities as the sons of the Schneider family. Therefore, London didn't hesitate to mention his name.

"I'm London Schneider. This is my brother, Rune Schneider."

"Uhmm... How do you spell that?" asked the receptionist while typing on her computer.

"L-O-N-D-O-N and Schneider like the name of this building," London answered patiently. "And this is my brother, Rune, R-U-N-E. His last name is also Schneider."

"Like this building?" the girl repeated his words

"Yes. This is my family's building." London replied nonchalantly.

The receptionist and her colleague looked at each other and immediately turned pale. "You... Are you really from the Schneider family?"

"Yes.. Please give us access to the President's office."

"I... Well, right away, Sir." The receptionist swiftly called Terry's assistant on the top floor and told him that there were two young people looking for the president.

"Please let them in. Master has been waiting for them." The response from Terry's assistant' prompted the two receptionists to quickly escort London and Rune into the elevator and open the access for them to the top floor.

After the two young men disappeared behind the elevator door, the two receptionists could only chuckle in admiration.

"Gosh... Have you seen the sons of the company owners? They are very handsome!!"

"Yeah, they don't look like humans!"

Upon their arrival on the 50th floor, they were immediately guided to Terry's extremely spacious and luxurious office at the very end. The new president of Schneider Group immediately welcomed them at his door and brought them inside.

"Welcome!" Terry brought out a drink and three glasses." The office hours will end soon, so it's okay to drink now."

London and Rune nodded. Each received a glass from Terry and drank its contents.

"I heard they will be using the Virconnect technology to broadcast the show," London started. "Uncle Aldebar asked us to conduct research during the event so we can analyze some of the weaknesses of Virconnect."

"Yes, I'm also interested in coming to the Ritz Gala because of the features of Virconnect," Terry smiled, "And of course, in order to receive the "Top Ten Most Eligible Bachelors in the World" award."

London and Rune shook their heads, "Mom said it was just a ridiculous award."

"Uh, it's not ridiculous ..." Terry protested. "Mom only thinks it's ridiculous because even though no matter how successful Uncle Caspar was, he was never nominated."

"That's not true," London rebuked. "Father has won this ridiculous award ten times since 2010. He never accepted it."

TEN TIMES...

WAIT, WHAT!?

Terry's competitive spirit was suddenly awoken. It was only his first time being nominated, and although Finland called it ridiculous, Terry still considered this award important. Especially after seeing his rivals who were nominated this year.

He must not lose to the youngest president in the world, William Holmes of Malta; Niels, the crown prince of Sweden; Elios Linden, the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, and several other prominent figures in the world.

Even if he didn't win this year, he must strive to be re-nominated in the upcoming years for eleven times in a row so he could beat Uncle Caspar's record.

"Are you ready to look like proper gentlemen for the Ritz Gala?" Terry asked them. London and Rune only laughed.

They discussed a number of things about work beforehand then returned to the penthouse at St. Laurent Hotel. While waiting for the important event to begin, London and Rune followed Terry to various high-profile events to introduce his younger siblings.

Two days later, the Ritz Gala party finally came.

***

After four days in Reykjavik and hunting for Aurora every night, Aleksis, Nicolae and the twins finally managed to see the extraordinarily beautiful Aurora Borealis.

There were no words to describe her feelings when she saw the various bright colors running and chasing in the night sky for the second time in her life. They saw green and blue lights dominate the sky while they sat transfixed on the hood of the car as if bewitched by the aurora's charm.

"Oh my God, this must be the most beautiful aurora I have ever seen in my life," Aleksis softly whispered.

Nicolae just nodded wordlessly. He had seen the aurora several times during his time walking on this earth for one hundred years. Once in Iceland, twice in Norway, and once in Finland.

But for him, none of his experiences could be compared to the feeling that was now filling his chest to the brim. This was the happiest day of his life, sharing the most beautiful sight in the world with the girl he loved and the two children he considered as his own.

He wished that time could be frozen and that this moment would last so they could be here forever.

He could no longer contain his feelings as he slowly put his arms around Aleksis' waist. Very gently, he hugged her and kissed her hair. The scent of citrus from Aleksis' body had always fascinated him.

"Aleksis ..." he whispered in a very soft voice, "marry me."

Aleksis sat fixated in her place. She did not object when Nicolae hugged her because she had actually begun to feel cold after hours of being outside in sub-zero temperatures while only wearing a thin jacket.

She knew that one day this question would come - when Nicolae would ask her to be his wife. Everyone already knew how the man felt for her. Everyone expected Nicolae to propose to Aleksis and for them to get married.

But Aleksis did not expect Nicolae to ask for it so soon. They had only been reunited for four months after Nicolae returned.

"You don't have to answer now," Nicolae gently tidied Aleksis's hair gently. "I just wanted you to know my feelings. I am a simple man who says what I think. And tonight, I thought of how I would be the happiest man in the world if you were to be my wife. I didn't mean anything …... I just revealed what' is in my heart. You don't need to answer it now or even in another ten more years ..."

Aleksis closed her eyes and imagined Alaric whose face, until now, she never knew. She only saw Alaric's face when she was twelve years old and that was fourteen years ago.

When they were together, during their short marriage, he always covered his face with a mask and claimed to be badly disfigured. Aleksis' memory was not as good as other people's and now she could not imagine what Alaric's face would look like if they were together.

Whenever she saw Altair, she only hoped that her son would grow up quickly so Aleksis could immediately see her husband's face in her son, to help with her longing.

She was only with Alaric Rhionen for a very short time, even though she had been obsessed with the man for 8 years. They have had two children together, but apart from that, Aleksis and Alaric had had nothing since his death six years ago.

Aleksis could not even visit his grave because Alaric was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the open sea.

Here, beside her, now stood a young man who loved her dearly, and had been waiting for her for years, willing to do anything for her, even willing to protect her at the cost of his life. The same man who also treated Altair and Vega like his own children.