Chapter 173: Chapter 174: Meeting the Mother
ARIA’S POV
The car pulled up to the familiar apartment building in Chinatown, and Aria felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement flutter in her stomach. Sunday dinner with her mother. The first time Damien would be meeting Mei Chen properly, not as the grateful woman whose life he’d saved, but as Aria’s mother....the woman whose approval mattered almost as much as Richard Blackwood’s.
She glanced at the backseat and couldn’t help but laugh. Bags and boxes filled every available space....expensive designer handbags, premium supplements, gourmet food items, wines that probably cost more than her mother’s monthly rent.
"You know you don’t have to come with all these things," Aria said, smiling at Damien. "She only wants to properly meet you. And here you are buying out the entire mall."
Damien pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "I am meeting your mother for the first time, Aria. Of course I have to show her that I am capable of taking care of you."
"She already knows that, Damien. You literally saved her life. You don’t need to try hard to prove it again."
Damien touched her face gently, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone. "But I still want to do it, Aria. Let me show her. Let me prove to her that her daughter chose someone worthy."
Aria’s heart melted a little at the vulnerability beneath his words. This powerful, ruthless CEO was nervous about meeting her mother. Wanted her mother’s approval. Wanted to prove himself worthy.
"I think it’s best that we go inside now," she said softly. "She messaged me five minutes ago asking when we’ll be getting here. If we make her wait much longer, she’ll start worrying."
They got out of the car, and Damien opened the backseat and began pulling out the numerous bags and boxes, handing some to Aria.
"This is too much," Aria protested even as she accepted the bags. "Damien, seriously, she’s going to think you’re trying to buy her approval."
"I’m not trying to buy anything. I’m showing respect. There’s a difference."
They made their way to the building entrance, Aria leading the way. The building was old but well-maintained, nothing like the luxury of the Blackwood estate, but it had been home for most of Aria’s life.
Aria unlocked the door with her own key and pushed it open. "Mama! We’re here!"
The apartment smelled amazing...garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and all the familiar scents of her mother’s cooking. Mei Chen emerged from the kitchen carrying plates, clearly in the middle of setting the table. Her face broke into a radiant smile when she saw Aria.
"Aria!" She set down the plates and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Baby, how are you?"
"I’m good, Mama. I’ve missed you."
Damien stood back, observing the interaction, and he immediately understood where Aria had gotten her features. Mei Chen looked like an older version of her daughter.....the same delicate bone structure, the same warm eyes, the same graceful movements. She was in her early fifties but looked younger, her face still smooth despite the years of hard work.
Mei pulled away from the hug and turned her attention to Damien. Her smile remained warm, but Damien could see the assessment in her eyes. The way a mother looked at a man who was involved with her daughter measuring and judging to determine if he was worthy.
"And you, young man, must be Damien."
Damien stood straighter, feeling oddly like a teenager meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. He extended his hand formally. "Good evening, ma’am. And yes, I am Damien. It’s an honor to finally meet you properly."
Mei looked at Damien’s outstretched hand and smiled. She didn’t shake it. Instead, she pulled him into a warm hug that caught him completely off guard.
"We don’t do handshakes here, young man," she said as she embraced him."
She pulled away and looked up at him....she was significantly shorter than Damien.....and her expression was warm but knowing.
"And since Aria brought you home, you must be important to her." She paused, her eyes searching his face. "Very important."
"She’s important to me as well, ma’am."
Mei’s smile widened. "Good answer. Now....." she turned to Aria, "....come help me set up the table. Let’s have dinner." She looked back at Damien. "And you, young man, please take your seat. Make yourself comfortable."
Both women disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Damien alone in the small living room.
He took the opportunity to look around, to see the space where Aria had grown up. The apartment was small....probably a quarter of the size of his bedroom at the estate....but it was immaculately clean and filled with warmth. Family photos covered one wall, showing Aria at various ages....as a baby, as a child in school uniforms, as a teenager receiving academic awards.
He moved closer to examine them. Aria at what looked like five years old, missing her front teeth but grinning widely. Aria at maybe ten, holding up a science fair trophy. Aria at her high school graduation, wearing her cap and gown with Mei beaming beside her.
There was also a dedicated section of the wall displaying medals and certificates....academic achievement awards, science competition wins, scholarship notifications. Evidence of the brilliant mind that had eventually infiltrated his home and stolen his heart.
He found himself smiling at a baby picture of Aria....all chubby cheeks and innocent eyes, completely unaware that she’d grow up to become the most complicated, infuriating, wonderful woman he’d ever known.
"She was a beautiful baby, wasn’t she?"
Damien turned to find Mei watching him from the kitchen doorway.
"She was. She still is."
"That picture was taken when she was six months old. She rarely cried. Just watched everything with those big curious eyes. I knew even then that she was going to be special."
"She is special."
Mei nodded, satisfied with his answer, and returned to the kitchen.
Damien moved to the dining table....a small wooden piece that was maybe five times smaller than the one at his estate. Four chairs, simple place settings, nothing fancy or elaborate. But it felt like home in a way his grand dining room never had.
He sat down, feeling strangely out of place in his expensive suit and Italian leather shoes. This world was so different from his own. It looked and feels too.....simple.
Aria emerged from the kitchen carrying dishes, and when she saw him sitting there, she smiled....warm and genuine and completely unguarded. She set down the dishes and bent to give him a quick kiss.
"Comfortable?" she asked softly.
"Very."
She smiled again and returned to the kitchen, and Damien heard the murmur of conversation between mother and daughter. But he couldn’t make out the words.
A few minutes later, both women emerged with the remaining dishes. The table was soon filled with food....dumplings, stir-fried vegetables, steamed fish, rice, and at least five other dishes that smelled incredible.
"Mama, this is too much food," Aria protested as she set down the last plate. "There’s only three of us."
"I wanted to make sure Damien got to try everything," Mei said, taking her seat. "Besides, you can take leftovers home."
They settled around the table, Mei at the head, Aria and Damien on either side. For a moment, there was just the sound of dishes being passed, food being served, the comfortable ritual of a family meal.
"So, Damien," Mei said as she placed food on his plate....more than he could possibly eat. "Aria tells me you run Blackwood Enterprises. That’s a very successful company."
"Thank you, ma’am.
"Aria also mentioned your grandfather approved of her. That means a lot, doesn’t it? His approval?"
"It means everything. My grandfather raised me after my parents died. Damien replied.’’
They ate in comfortable conversation after that.
When Aria mentioned that she was returning to medicine, Mei’s face lit up with genuine joy.
"I’m so glad, baby. You were meant to be a doctor Aria. Corporate work never suited you Mei responded and smiled at her daughter."
"Damien supported the decision," Aria said, glancing at him. "Even though it means I won’t be at his office anymore."
"Of course he supports it," Mei said, looking at Damien with approval. "A man who truly loves a woman wants her to be fulfilled, not dependent. Right, young man?"
"Right. Aria’s happiness means a lot to me"
"Another good answer. You’re doing well so far."
Despite the seriousness of the assessment, Damien found himself relaxing. Mei reminded him of his grandmother....direct but kind, assessing but fair. And clearly, deeply protective of her daughter.
The meal continued, and Damien found himself actually enjoying the simple family dynamic. No servants. No formal protocols. Just three people sharing a meal and conversation.
When they finished eating, Aria stood to clear the table, and Mei gently touched her arm.
"Leave it for now, baby. I want to have a discussion with Damien. Why don’t you take the dishes to the kitchen first and give us a few minutes?"
Aria looked at her mother, then at Damien, her expression uncertain. Mei gave her a knowing smile, and Aria nodded slowly.
"Okay, Mama. But please....go easy on him."
"I’m always gentle," Mei said innocently.
Aria gathered the dishes, gave Damien an encouraging look, and disappeared into the kitchen.
The air in the dining room shifted. The warmth remained, but underneath it was something more serious. More important.
Mei turned her full attention to Damien, and he felt the weight of a mother’s assessment settle over him like a physical thing.
