The contractions commenced before the quarterly board meeting, a fact that Aria deemed both inconvenient and oddly pertinent. She was, after all, in the midst of the market expansion presentation when her body commenced its work in delivering its child—three weeks before schedule.
"As you can see," Aria said, her voice steady despite the tightening in her abdominal region, "our strategic partnerships have successfully prevented Knight Enterprises from acquiring Syntech Solutions and DataFlow Systems." She clicked to the next slide with a somewhat guilty grip on the remote presentation pointer, as she could not relax one finger not involved in the grip. "Consequently, Xavier Knight's expansion plans have suffered a six-month delay at the very least."
On the strength of this second contraction, Aria felt it necessary to maintain a professional demeanor, although she did notice David Lim looking at her uneasily.
"The market confidence in our stability and growth potential has therefore been enhanced," she said, clicking to the last chart of the projections. "Questions?"
Vivian Zhao raised her hand. "Well done, Aria. Have we any idea what Knight intends to do now?"
"Several possibilities," Aria replied. Another strong contraction wracked her, one stronger and more regular than the Braxton Hicks contractions she'd been having for weeks. "Knight Enterprises has been looking into alternative entries into the Singapore market but our partnerships have effectively--"
Words stopped as liquid pooled between her legs and soaked through her maternity dress and down onto the conference room chair.
Her water had broken. In the board meeting. While the board was busy discussing business strategies for Xavier Knight.
Oh, the irony was not lost on her, even now as her situation unfolded.
"I believe," Aria said with alien calmness, setting the remote for the presentation down, "that we should adjourn this meeting. My circumstances have suddenly become... time sensitive."
David Lim was on his feet in an instant. "Do we call an ambulance?"
"My car and driver are observing treatment downstairs," replied Aria as she gathered her materials with practiced efficiency through her increasingly wet state and mounting pressure in her pelvis. "I will keep you all informed once the situation is resolved."
How only Aria Chen would call "giving birth" a "resolution of a situation."
Forty-five minutes later, she was in a private room at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Her makeup was a bit smudged, and her professional demeanor had given way to primal focus of active labor.
"First babies usually take longer," Dr. Sarah Tang said as she checked the fetal monitor, "But this little one appears quite ready to make an early exit."
Aria gripped the bed rails as another contraction peaked, trying to breathe through the intensity, with the same level of control and determination that she normally applied to hostile takeovers. Even with the imminent birth of her baby, Aria had prepared like she did everything else—birth plan typed and printed, her hospital bag was packed weeks in advance, and she had researched and read thoroughly on all the pain management options available.
What caught Aria by surprise was the total physicality of the experience and how it rendered all of her typical mental controls powerless against the instinct that was taking over.
"Is there anyone you would like us to call?" the nurse asked kindly. "Your husband? Family?"
"No one," Aria controlled. "I am doing this alone."
The nurse showed a flicker of concern, but nodded. Singapore's medical system was used to expatriate families apart for business assignments.
Three hours later, Luna Chen entered the world with the same dramatic timing her mother exhibited— arriving precisely as the afternoon shift was changing, which caught everyone a little off guard.
The first time Aria saw her daughter was transformational in a way she did not expect. The baby was perfect— impossibly small but unequivocally strong, with a head of black hair and eyes that would unmistakably be unique, once they could actually focus.
"She's beautiful." Dr. Tang said softly, placing the baby on Aria's chest, "healthy and alert."
Luna's crying was less distressing than it was indignant, as if the brash lights and cold air of the outside world were a personal affront to her, after the warmth of her cocoon. When she opened her eyes—roomy and unclear but already hinting at an other-worldly colour—Aria felt something crack inside her chest.
Not fully-formed affection as she had assumed it would be, but there was immediate fierce protectiveness, beyond her control.
"Luna." Aria said softly to test the name she had chosen months before, "Luna Chen."
The baby's crying stilled as if she recognized her mother's voice, tiny fingers wrapping instinctively around her index finger. The grip on her finger was surprisingly firm for something so tiny.
Aria, for the first time as an adult, was embracing both the giving and receiving of unconditional love. This little person, who shared half of her DNA and none of her carefully constructed barriers, had disrupted her understanding of what counted.
"I promise you," Aria whispered dreamily, her words slightly slurred with unexpected emotion, "I will give you everything I never could."
Two days later, Aria left the hospital with Luna, a stack of care instructions and a better sense of the sort of juggling act involved in having a newborn and having to deal with her job.
Marcus had sent ridiculous flowers with a note: Congratulations on your most successful project yet. I can't wait to meet the newest Chen.
With Luna's arrival the temporary apartment felt different--it was no longer sterile, it was so charged with potential and responsibility. Aria had hired a night nanny for the first month, which was practical because it would allow her to sleep and somewhat maintain her day schedule, while making the adjustments to becoming a new mother.
But looking down at Luna, who was sleeping against her chest, as Aria sat in the rocking chair by the window, she really started to hesitate about handing off even nighttime duties to anyone.Luna's every small sound -- the breathing, the sighs, the movement of her hands -- had a maternal component to it.
"This isn't like me," Aria murmured to her little girl who had now been alive less than a week. "I don't usually get.... attached."
Yet here she was, completely entranced by this tiny individual who had been alive for a blink in time.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Wei Ling: Take as long as you need. David says not worry about anything work related for at least two weeks.
Aria appreciated the courtesy but was already planning to look at email tomorrow. Maternity leave was a luxury she couldn't afford, not while Knight Enterprises continued their expansion plans.
Two minutes later another text: Also--Knight Enterprises has now taken the whole 40th Floor of Marina Bay Financial Centre. Just thought you should know.
Aria's happiness fell away instantly. Marina Bay Financial Centre was less than ten blocks from Meridian Global's offices. It was one thing for Xavier Knight to come to Singapore. It was another thing for him to set up shop in her office's neighborhood.
Luna shifted against her chest as if she could feel her mother's sudden stress. Aria made herself breathe slowly and evenly, stroking Luna's soft hair.
"It doesn't make any difference," Aria said softly to her daughter. "Singapore is a big city. We're not going to run into him."
But off the words, Aria was already doing the calculations. She would have to research the local staff at Knight Enterprises and look for potential points of intersection and change her daily movements so as to lessen any possibility of them being brought on by chance.
Things were different now. This was no longer just about her career and independence. This was about Luna's future, with respect to her well-being and existence in Circle of Life. Forcing the risks, realizing that Xavier Knight could never know this child, who lay soundly asleep in Aria's arms.
A child who had shown glimmers through those fluttering eyes that were, occasionally, an identical steel-gray shade of his that had blindsided Aria outside a crowded bar ten months ago.
"Your eyes are going to be a problem," Aria said to her daughter who yawned in response while still sound asleep. "But I'm sure we'll figure out something."
Everything else could be handled, hidden, or managed. But genetics could not be rationalized or socially engineered in advance, and Luna's eyes would always be an obvious connection to the man who could never know she existed.
Aria squeezed her arms protectively around her daughter, already aware of how she would resolve this new complication. Whatever changes were required to be made, she would make those changes. Luna's safety was now her number one priority, and Aria Chen had never failed on a goal that she committed too.
Xavier Knight's presence was merely another consideration in her new strategy. Nothing more. But in that moment, sitting there viewing the Singapore skyline, where Xavier was soon to conduct his business, Luna sleeping based on the trust she had in her mother, Aria couldn't dismiss the intuition niggling inside her: things were about to get a hell of a lot more complicated than they were already.