"Oh no, no, no... I don't have a boyfriend," Sophia answered, "I'm buying this for me."

Mrs. Cooper just got the information she needed, it seemed like her son had not succeeded in courting Sophia. 'Hmph! How can it be that my handsome, charming son is having difficulty charming this woman? Maybe I should step in and hurry these two up. I definitely want a daughter-in-law soon," she thought.

"Bring those shoes and the bag," Mrs. Cooper ordered the store assistant. Adding these extra trinkets to her outfit really transformed her look.

"Wow, thanks for helping me out, I really know nothing about fashion. My PA chooses everything for me, and you have a very good eye. The only thing I know about is women's beauty products.

"You look, beautiful dear. I wish I had a daughter like you. Someone I can go shopping with, spend time at the spas, drink tea with me and my friends," she touches Sophia's hair with longing. "All I have is a useless son who doesn't have time to see me," Mrs. Cooper always thought daughters were cuter than sons, and of course she did not mean Aiden was really useless, but she couldn't do any of the things she mentioned with him, and he was taking his time getting her a daughter-in-law.

"I think your son wants to spend time with you, but sometimes work takes all his time, and he cannot help it. I bet he's doing all of this for you," Sophia consoled her. Mrs. Cooper smiled inwardly, she liked that Sophia was supporting Aiden without even knowing her true identity.

"Yes, yes… you are probably right. But I still wish I had a daughter," she pouted.

"Well if you ever feel bored, you can call me," Sophia volunteered out of compassion. She didn't have a mom, so maybe this friendship could be beneficial for both of them.

Mrs. Cooper had her mouth and eyes wide open when she heard her reply. She did not expect her to volunteer to meet up after today. The reply she was expecting was a pat on the shoulder and something heartfelt.

Sophia blushed, "Well... Only if you want to," she said, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, of course, I want your number.," Mrs. Cooper said happily. "I was just surprised that you would give an old lady like me your number. Most younger women just ignore us," she said in her little sad voice to drive her point across. But deep inside, she was doing her happy dance.

Sophia will probably regret giving out her number because her future mother-in-law has a lot stored for her. But for now, she thinks she did the right thing.

-=-

It just started raining heavily when Aiden received a call from Sophia's assistant on his way home.

"Sir, is Ms. Collins with you?" the assistant asked in a frantic voice.

Aiden had coordinated with Sophia's assistant, giving his phone number because Sophia rarely answered his calls or his messages. His instructions were to inform him if anything happens to her boss. So he was able to monitor her whereabouts all the time.

"She's not with me, what happened?" He asked.

"Well… I don't know if I should tell you this…," Aiden's concern grew, "Just tell me already," he barked.

"Ms. Collins has a hard time during the rainy season, especially when we have thunderstorms. I would usually stay with her, but it didn't start raining until I got home. My place is too far from hers, and right now I can't get there because the roads are blocked," the assistant explained anxiously.

"I've been calling her the past few hours, but she hasn't picked up. Please...please… check on her Mr. Cooper," the assistant sounded like she was almost in tears. When the rains started she would always stay in Sophia's spare bedroom. She learned about Sophia's condition by accident, and she has been protective ever since.

"I will check on her when I get home," he answered and ended the call.

Aiden tried Sophia's phone, thinking he could get through to her. Even though he mildly annoyed her, she would at least answer his calls and his messages. But today, there was nothing but radio silence. He told the driver to hurry, concerned about what the PA told him, he counted every second until he got to his building.

When he got inside everything felt eerie. The power had just turned off because of the thunderstorm. The residents were waiting for the generators to kick in, but he could not wait for the elevators, so he took the stairs two steps at a time until he reached their floor.

When he got to Sophia's door, the generator's power just kicked in, which meant there was not enough to power the whole building. Just enough juice to power the doors, the elevators, and some lights.

"Sophia! Sophia!" he yelled, looking in the living room and the balcony, "Where are you?"

He entered her bedroom but did not find her there, he tried the other rooms, but she was nowhere to be found. There was a voice inside his head that told him to go back to her bedroom, so he did. After one big clap of thunder that shook the window frames, he heard something from the bathroom.

"Sophia?" he kneeled beside her, touching her shoulder. And she looked at him like she was seeing someone else.

Aiden brushed her hair away from her face, "Sophia?" She stared at him without seeing him.

"What happened? Are you okay?" She looked down and around her like she did not know what was happening.

"It's Aiden," he said softly, as she stared at his face trying to figure out who he was.

He was not getting through, and it was killing him. How is he going to help her if she didn't know who he was?

Aiden took Sophia in his arms and laid her on the bed, covering her with a thick blanket. Her hands were freezing, and he tried to warm her up by rubbing them between his palms. 'I'll make her soup to warm her up," he thought as he got up. But Sophia surprised him, "Don't go," she feebly murmured as she grabbed his hand.