Not only Noah but his wife Jenny Abson and his son Henry Abson also had a very close relationship with Aria.
Gazing at the familiar food infront of her, Aria can't help but reminisce her first meeting with Noah and his family.
In her previous life, Aria was 19 when she first met the Abson family. The Abson family was one of the most famous and richest family at that time. Noah had became the first 6 michelin star chef in the entire country Z owning more than 50 restaruants all around the world by that time. Even Jenny was also a world famous pâtissier with more than 70 high-end bakeries and 150 cafes all around the world. All of these came under one empire; J.A.N FRANCHISE.
Their son, Henry was also a world-class businessman and magnate, superintending and maneuvering all the restaruants, bakeries and cafes under J.A.N FRANCHISE for his parents. Almost everyone ridiculed and mocked Henry behind his back, saying that he was just riding on his parents cocktail and for being handicapped with his right leg but very few people who were closer to him like herself knew that it was actually the exact opposite.
He was the one who worked hard open the restaruant for his parents, motivating and supporting them to showcase their talent to the world, singlehandedly building J.A.N FRANCHISE. to such greater heights despite his shortcomings. For others, the parents always sacrificed but in this case, it was completely opposite of that. Henry was the one who pushed his parents to greater heights but unfortunately a very few people knew about. Even Aria wouldn't had known if she was close to the Abson family.
She met Henry for the first time in the grand celebration arranged in their restaruant by James to celebrate Eliana's victory in her first fashion designing competitions with the help of Aria's designs. James invited many famous and noble families in order to show off his daughter's accompolishments. She still recalled Eliana shinning brigthly under the chandeliers like a bright star surrounded by people laughing with her while she herself was hidden deep in a corner, surrounded only by darkness.
"Wow Eliana. You ranked first in the competition. That is so wonderful."
"What's there to be shocked in it. Eliana is such a talented and sweet girl unlike her annoying sister who is complete spoiled brat."
"Ugh! Don't remind me of her. Just thinking about her gives me a headache."
"Don't say it like that. It is just that father loves her a little more that she has become like this but she has a really good soul."
"Oh please Elian, don't side with your trashy sister. She is definitely not worth it."
"Trashy sister? hahaha! I like that one."
Aria heard those laughters; they were for her. They were laughing at her, comparing her with Eliana; telling what kind of trash and spoiled brat she was. Eliana spoke in her defense but was it actually defense, she wasn't sure about that anymore. Having heard such similar words for her entire life, she can't even distinguish between the truth and wrongness in her words. But someone else did.
"I don't know about that girl, but the one who actually have a trashy soul is you all. Taking and laughing behind someone's back is what I call trashing behavior." A guy spoke up from the corner, not being able to control the rising anger inside him.
"And you, you are her sister. How can you allow other's to speak ill about your own sister?" He did stop there, this time pointing directly at Eliana as he stepped forward with the help crutches.
"I...I did try to stop them but they won't listen." Eliana meely said; tears collecting in her eyes, her head bent down as a vicious looked passed her eyes, hidden from everyone.
"Hey mister, who are you and why are you pointing at Eliana like it is her fault?"
"Exactly, Eliana never badmouthed her sister infront of us. We all just know her very well beforehand that is why we said those things."
"Agreed. So don't point your fingers at our innocent Eliana."
All the girls surrounding Eliana spoke up in her support; secretly delighting Eliana as she sneered arrograntly.
Listening to all the words, the guy let out an angry laugh as she pointed his fingers at the girls.
"Now I get it. Of course she didn't badmouthed her sister infront of you. Let me guess, she just casually mentioned such things to you all to seek dvice on what to right?" Henry efficiently pointed out the reality; well awared and used to such situations.
All the girls quieten down, gazing at each other and than at Eliana win suspicion; whatever the guy said was actually true.
Eliana sensing all the suspicious gazes, immediately got restless as tears fell down her cheeks.
"No, it is not like that. Whatever I did or I do, it is always beneficial to my sister. I could never even think of harming her, neither intentionally nor uninyentionally ever in my life." Eliana tried to explain herself in panic, not being able to handle such gazes.
The commotion had earned the attention of the elders by now. Waking upto the youngsters, a man standing besides James ask his son; the guy who was arging with Eliana.
"Henry, what's wrong? Why are you behaving so rudely with our guests?"
"They don't deserve to be our guest at all dad. People who are not even true to their family have no place in any of restaruants." Henry replied; still furious for that little girl who he never met.
All the guests started whispering, pointing their fingers at the Thomas family. James, Charlotte, Eliana and John's face paled witnessing that.
"Younger master Abson, I thik you have a misunderstanding regarding my daughter. Maybe we can try solving it out privately later?" James tried his level best to calm the situation down but didn't work.
"I won't change my opinion. I have really high doubts on your daughter's character which don't align with my own principals." Henry exclaimed; Eliana's face getting paler by each second as she dread the next words.
Not only her, the remaining three members also had a very bad premonition for Henry's next words and sure enough, it came true.
"As the chairman of J.A.N FRANCHISE, I Henry Abson hereby declare Thomas family completely blacklisted from every business, either restaruants, bakeries or cafes under it permantly. This party ends here. Guards escort them out and never let them enter ever again." Henry exclaimed.
BOOM!
Henry's declaration left every shocked and dumbfounded including Aria who was hidden in a corner, away from all the limelight.
Aria felt a very unknown and unfamiliar emotion erupting inside her as she heard as unknown person stand up in her support against her own family. She never imagined that the succor she had been searching in her family, was found in someone completely obscure person she never met.
Initially she wanted to go up to support her fmily but simply couldn't bring herself to do so. She just watched evrything happening like a statue, how sure how to react to the oment.
She gazed ahead as the Thomas family was publically humiliated and thrown out of the restaurant with great insult.
By now, only Noah, Henry and Aria who was hidden in the corner were left in the hall.
"What were you thinking Henry when you did all of this?" Noah angryily questioned Henry; trying to understand his son's reason for such an unexpected behavior.
"Even I want to know why did this?" Aria asked as she came out of the deeply hidden corner; the unknown hidden darkness which had finally allowed her to step out in the light.
Aria's sudden appearance startled Noah and Henry both.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Henry asked; both curious and angry at the girl out came out of no where.
"Me? I am that trashy sister who you unknowningly just supported." Aria replied; her emotions still out of her control and straight away ran into Henry's arms without thinking about anything leaving the father-son pair in shock.
Tightly wrapping her arms around his waist, Aria finally let it go and burst into tears; tears of all the exhaustion and emotions she had accumulated inside her.
"Th...Thankh you...Thank you very much. I don't even know what to say at the moment but I do know that thw effection I had fely today, I will never forget in my life." Aria said, pouring her heart infront of two known people who somehow felt more familiar than her own family.
Noah and Henry very totally astonished by what was happening. Henry even initially wanted to push away the girl who all of sudden came crashing into his arms but as soon as he gazed down at the petite figure in his arms, all his anger vanished, replaced by the tenderness he didn't even knew existed inside him as he wrapped his arms around her, softly patting her back, trying to calm her down.
And this how Aria got herself a new family; formed not by blood but by love.