Chapter 215 — A Lingering Aftertaste
Bayhill Hilton Hotel, near San Francisco International Airport.
Aaron reclined on the sofa, gazing up at the ceiling, quietly enjoying Jennifer Connelly's attentions as his expression shifted subtly from moment to moment.
Some time later, Jennifer Connelly rose from the floor, covered her mouth, and hurried into the bathroom.
A short while later, she emerged again—her long hair slightly disheveled, cheeks flushed, a loose graduation gown draped casually over her shoulders, doing little to conceal her alluring figure.
"Well?"
She sat down beside Aaron and leaned into his arms, a teasing smile on her lips.
"Satisfied now?"
"So-so," Aaron replied, running a hand lightly over the woman in his embrace.
Jennifer laughed softly.
"Then next time, I'll prepare something different—maybe a flight attendant's uniform, a nurse's outfit, or even a police uniform. How about that?"
When it came to Aaron, Jennifer found it hard to resist.
If he liked it, she was more than willing to indulge.
Aaron, of course, agreed without hesitation.
"You really are… impossible not to like."
She rested her head against his chest and asked casually,
"By the way, why did you suddenly decide to buy the Houston Rockets?
Didn't you say before that you wanted a sports team in Los Angeles?"
Aaron sighed.
"The NBA's Lakers and Clippers, the NFL's Raiders and Rams, MLB's Dodgers and Angels—none of them are for sale."
"The only one with any interest was the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, but I'm honestly not that keen on owning a hockey team."
"Then it just happened that Charlie Thomas decided to sell the Houston Rockets.
They're a strong NBA team anyway—so it's not a bad deal."
Especially now that Michael Jordan, leading the Chicago Bulls, had just defeated Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns 4–2 in the Finals to secure the Bulls' first three-peat.
Aaron knew very well that Jordan's first retirement wasn't far off—and that the Rockets' championship window was approaching fast.
"I see," Jennifer said thoughtfully.
"Then you'll probably be going to Houston quite often in the future, right?"
After all, owning the Rockets meant frequent visits were inevitable.
"Houston…" Aaron considered for a moment.
"Yeah, I'll definitely be going there more often. I should probably buy a house there first."
"And I'm planning to build a dedicated arena for the Rockets too.
When that happens, we can spend some time living in Houston as well."
Jennifer smiled, clearly savoring the thought.
Jennifer nestled closer in Aaron's arms and murmured softly,
"That works too—Houston is a major city in the U.S., after all."
"Exactly," Aaron replied with a smile.
"If it weren't a big market, I wouldn't have bought the Houston Rockets in the first place."
If it had been a small-market team, he would've had to consider relocating it to another city.
"Aaron, are you really not coming back to Los Angeles with me?" Jennifer asked quietly.
Aaron smiled and gently stroked her hair as she lay against his chest.
"Don't worry—you've graduated now.
We'll have plenty of time together from here on out…"
---
Vancouver, a port city in Canada's British Columbia province, sits at the heart of the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area.
Located on the coastal plain west of the Coast Mountains and at the mouth of the Fraser River, it faces Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia.
Connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the city enjoys a mild, humid oceanic climate year-round.
"Joey, you're here!"
At the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver, Aaron welcomed Joey Wong.
He had arrived from San Francisco ahead of schedule—specifically to see her.
"Yes, Rumble in the Bronx is about to start filming, so I came early—mm…"
Before she could finish her sentence, she was swept into his arms and kissed.
"All right," Joey said after returning the kiss, smiling softly.
"But why did you come to Vancouver so early as well?"
"Because I missed you," Aaron said, holding her as they sat down on the sofa.
"I thought we could spend some time together, explore Vancouver, enjoy the city."
"And there are a lot of Chinese communities here—many immigrants from Hong Kong."
"That's true," Joey agreed.
"There are quite a lot of Chinese people across Canada, especially from Hong Kong."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. After what had happened in Cannes, she was clearly more at ease and affectionate with him now.
Aaron kissed her cheek.
"Didn't you say you liked this city? I prepared a gift for you."
"A gift?" she asked in surprise. "What kind of gift?"
Smiling, Aaron helped her up and retrieved a document.
"Take a look—this is a two-story detached villa near Stanley Park. I prepared it especially for you."
"The surroundings are beautiful, and the view is great.
Whenever you come to Vancouver in the future, you can stay there."
"Aaron… this…" Joey hadn't expected something so extravagant.
"Don't say anything," Aaron said softly, kissing her.
"To me, this isn't a big deal at all."
"Didn't you say there were other men bothering you back in Hong Kong?"
"Then you can just come to Vancouver for a vacation instead. There are plenty of Chinese people here anyway."
As he spoke, he gently pressed her back against the sofa, his hand slipping beneath the hem of her dress.
Her breathing quickened as she wrapped her arms around him.
"But Aaron… isn't this gift too expensive?"
"No," Aaron whispered near her ear, his voice low.
"After Cannes… I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."
"That's why I came all this way. Filming for Rumble in the Bronx won't officially start for another week or two."
She kissed him lightly.
"Summer must be busy for Dawnlight Pictures, right?"
"Busy," Aaron admitted with a grin, "but I'm the boss—I can take a vacation."
Joey laughed.
"The Mask of Zorro has already been released in Hong Kong, but the biggest movie right now is still that dinosaur film."
"The dinosaur movie—you mean Universal's Jurassic Park," Aaron said.
There was no denying it. Jurassic Park was unstoppable, dominating audiences worldwide with overwhelming appeal.
"I've also heard," Joey added,
"that Dawnlight's Schindler's List and The Mask of Zorro are extremely popular in Japan."
Aaron nodded as he leaned back against the sofa.
"The Japanese market really is important."
He suddenly found himself thinking of Norika Fujiwara.
It might be time to visit Japan again—after all, Dawnlight International's Japan branch had been set up earlier. It was worth checking how things were progressing.
Looking down at Joey in his arms, he smiled.
"You must be hungry. Shall we go out and eat something?"
She nodded.
"How long are you planning to stay in Vancouver?"
"About a week," Aaron said, giving her a playful squeeze.
"So I can spend more time with you."
Before long, the two of them left the hotel together.