Melanie’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I know, I can feel it. That’s why I can’t seem to hate you. But he can’t forget you. What can I do? I knew when he risked his life to save you that I’d lost. Grandfather has passed away anyway, so I’m not afraid of saying this. It was grandfather—he tried to kill you. Grandfather hoped that Alejandro would dedicate himself to me and support the Smith. He was worried that you might become an obstacle, so that’s why he made that decision. At the time, I was the only one who knew about this, aside from grandfather. I didn’t want you to be hurt because of this, and Alejandro would be affected too so I told him about it. I didn’t expect that he would risk everything just to save you… I took care of him, whose legs were inconvenienced by that accident, for so long after that accident, but I was hurting the entire time because it was all for you…”Tiffany felt upset. She was completely unaware of this. She was moved when she found out that Alejandro had ri
Just then, the waitress served the dishes. Melanie nodded. “Please, eat. You have to get back to work later, don’t you? Enjoy your food, then go back to work. I’m going to meet Alex at this office. I hope that we can still be friends.”Tiffany smiled in a carefree manner. “Of course, we’ve always been friends. It’s good that it’s now out in the open. I’m not a petty person. I won’t think the worst of people.”The pair separated after lunch and Melanie drove to Smith Enterprises’ office.She had a very grim look on her face when she left the house, with negative vibes swirling all over her body. Now, she looked radiant.She felt guilty over her quarrel with Alejandro this morning, so she brought some desserts. She wasn’t sure if Alejandro liked desserts, but she believed that something sweet could always put someone in a good mood.She found Jett watching over a sleeping Melissa when she arrived at the office. Alejandro was busy. She strode forward and put down the desserts. “Jett,
Melanie left after receiving his reply.Jett and Alejandro stared blankly at each other when she left, obviously sharing the same thought—Melanie had most likely taken the wrong medication today. Jett cleared his throat. “Maybe she has cleared her head and isn’t depressed anymore. It’s good. Women tend to have a habit of doing that. They can change their minds faster than flipping the page of a book.”“Is your wife like that too?” Alejandro asked apprehensively. “How have you managed to stay sane?” “She isn’t,” Jett answered with a straight face. “Tanya’s pretty good. She has a great personality and has never sulked at me. We’ve never even had a fight.”Alejandro curled his lips. “Alright, stop boasting. I don’t want much from Melanie, as long as she doesn’t start a fight with me for no good reason. I can’t stand it when women nitpick, like they have nothing better to do. One more thing, you can go straight home after dropping me off at the manor from now on. Things are different
Arianne ended the video call with a smile, leaving Mark with a sniffling Aristotle, staring at each other. Both father and son looked like two pitiful abandoned pets—misery loves company.Meanwhile, Alejandro had returned to the manor too.Dinner was ready. Melanie was still wearing her apron. It looked like she had cooked everything herself. She smiled when she saw Alejandro and Jett. “Wash up, it’s time for dinner. I cooked everything myself today. Try it. Jett, please join us.”She cooked? Was this the pampered Lark heiress? Alejandro frowned and said nothing. He went to the washroom straightaway.“Uh… Madam, I think I’d better go home for dinner,” Jett said. “I won’t be staying here from now on. Goodbye.”Melanie didn’t stop him. “Alright, you go on home then. Don’t let Tanya wait too long. It’s good to stay at home; it’s more convenient.”At the dinner table, Melanie scooped dishes for Alejandro from time to time. None of the dishes were spicy, even though she favored flavor
Alejandro drew a quick, shallow breath before proclaiming, “You’re overthinking. It doesn’t matter if I did it as Alejandro Smith or Ethan Connor; I am me. I am the one who married you, and I’m the one who fathered our daughter. In similar veins, our marriage is true.”It was the first time Melanie ever felt assured. If he was not going to abandon her, then perhaps all she needed was time to win the rest of him.…Despite planning for a week-long break, Arianne departed home on the fifth day.She initially thought of resolving as much café-related work as she could within this week, but she missed Smore more and more terribly as time passed. In the end, she decided to hand the job to Naya since she was free enough to watch the café’s renovation during the day.Arianne had already finalized the café’s renovation plan and addressed all of its finer details, so all Naya had to do was stick to it.It was already the wee hours by the time Arianne reached the Tremont Estate. Mark and S
As they were enjoying their lunch, Mark suddenly received a call from his company. From the way things sounded, Arianne was sure he would have to leave soon after.Immediately after his call ended, Arianne asked, “So, your office needs you, huh? What kind of emergency could steal you from a weekend?”Mark sneered. “Well, it’s no thanks to our old partner in transportation and freight, who went through a crisis the other day. It convinced me to seek other companies deserving of a long-term partnership. By a stroke of bad luck, I guess, this drew Alejandro’s attention, and he set his sight on me. I signed a contract with him under the pretense of an agreement, thinking I would be able to find others to work with, but that snake managed to threaten all other transportation companies enough so that no one dares answer our calling. God, he made them worried for their skin. So now I have no choice but to treat that agreement as genuine and… meet up with Alejandro. Brrr.”Arianne was confu
After meeting up with Jackson and Tiffany, the four of them chatted for a bit before splitting up into groups of their own. It was a given that the men would begin talking about business and money, while the dullness would inevitably bore the women.It was said that the owner of this luxurious estate was a powerful magnate who had built a sprawling business empire within the country and outside of it. As a result, many would trip over themselves to flatter him and get into his good graces. The reason why Mark and Jackson were here, however, was simply because they were old friends with this magnate, whom they had partnered with several times in many different ventures.Tiffany, standing in the estate’s courtyard, where a large swimming pool sprawled before her eyes, exclaimed, “Holy Mother Mary, this guy’s as rich as Scrooge McDuck! He built this grand, pompous place despite not staying here too often! I mean, the fees for these renovations must have been as much as the cost of the e
Alejandro and Melanie’s presence brought a biting charge to the air. Thankfully, Seaton and Beau had no inkling of the antagonism between Alejandro and their two friends. Hence, they were saved from the creeping disquietude.Still, both Mark and Jackson’s expressions darkened slightly.Alejandro scanned the faces before him and stopped for a few seconds at Tiffany, his possessiveness glinting from the deepest reaches within his eyes. Quickly, however, nonchalance rushed to supplant his true emotions as he replied, “Sooner or later, everyone has to meet the Reaper. It’s fine.”Melanie, on the other hand, waved at Tiffany. They exchanged smiles when their eyes met.After learning that Mark was Alejandro’s (or more accurately, Ethan’s) older brother, Melanie felt pressured to greet her apparent brother-in-law somehow. In a spur of the moment, she blurted weakly, “Good evening, bro—I mean, Mark. And Ari.”Just like that, Melanie’s slip-of-tongue aggravated the already uneasy atmospher
Arianne had not heard that name for so long, she had to reel back in bemusement for a few seconds before finally remembering her face.Shelly-Ann Leigh… She must have spent all those years in the mental institution, right? God knows if the woman’s hair was now grey and white all over.When someone was near death, one could stand to forgive all of the history between them—even the dark ones, even if the ledger was brimming—for good. So, Arianne replied, “I’ll go with you. No matter what happened, she’s still your mother.”Mark did not expect that answer from her at all. In his surprise, he bent down and left a kiss on her lips. “I knew I picked the right woman as my wife. I thought you wouldn’t agree to let me accompany her for the last of her days…”Arianne replied nothing. She was not so obtuse that she would try to win over a woman whose days were numbered. No matter how much of an a**hole Shelly was, Arianne was still the one who came out on top. That victory was all she needed.
Arianne sneered. “You confused, little thing. I wouldn’t be daft enough to anger the mother of the man I like if I were you, girl. I would especially not say anything as low IQ as that, too. Let me be completely frank with you: no one who bears the surname of Leigh will ever get the better of me—the last one failed. Hard. I can guarantee that you’ll leave us in the span of three days. If I lose, you can stay here forever. Wanna bet? I dare you.”She left her threat hanging at that and turned her wheelchair away, leaving the scorned young woman behind.Rage came out of Raven as waves of quakes all over her body. She was lurching close to hyperventilation, but right before it became impossible to stop, she came around and battled herself to calm down. She had a feeling that even if she fainted right there and then, no one would discover her, would they?Now that Arianne and Mark had returned, the Tremont Estate had recovered its vivacity and life. It had become merry.And Raven Leigh
Melissa was the type who always pushed things to go as festive as logically possible. She leaped to her feet and raised her cup, “Yo, everyone! Let’s toast to Cindy becoming my cousin-in-law!”The crowd answered enthusiastically with their cups in the air and a roar—except Raven, who remained seated. “I have a sickly constitution. I can’t drink. I’m sorry.”Her smile was so mechanical, her face too ashen. Something flickered in Arianne’s eyes before she replied, “Sure.”After the revelry faded, Arianne steered her wheelchair to the courtyard. The outward appearance of the Tremont Estate seemed to have frozen in time, which was why being here made her feel so… safe.Of course, that was despite Henry and Mary’s passing. In the end, time passed and things changed, characters and objects came and went, and all these missing years left lingering regrets in their wake.Arianne espied the silhouette standing alone at a distance and approached her, sighing, “Nothing beats being home.”Ra
Arianne grabbed the two beauties by the hands and smiled. “Thank you! Gosh, to me… it’s like you two have grown older in the blink of an eye! How gorgeous the two of you are! Cindy, where’s your brother? Plato hasn’t come home yet?”Mentioning the name of her dear brother made Cynthia pout. “He said he was coming home half a month ago—that’s what he said. Who knows what he’s actually doing, though? Anyway, who cares about that no-good. He’s always like this anyway. Oh, um, the weather is quite hot. We should probably get inside.”Arianne nodded and shot a brief, uneasy look at Aristotle. Not once did he look like he wanted to talk to her… Could the boy be counting his grievances in his mind? Mark and Arianne had stayed in Switzerland for so long; life must have been hard for him all alone.It took until she reached the living room to finally notice Raven. “Millie, is this your younger sister?”Melissa quickly sprung to correct her. “What? Noooo. This is Ares’ classmate or something
Aristotle’s entire being stilled.He had waited for this news for nineteen years. As time passed, the flames died little by little, the heart grew more numb, until the very thought of it was no different from a pipe dream. But today, news of it coming true reached him and plunged him into a torrent of feelings.A long while later, he finally muttered under his breath, “When… When will they be back?”Jackson closed the distance between them and gave the young man a light, comforting pat on the shoulders. “Not so soon, I bet; not when your mother has just woken up and is in need of some time to recover. She did sleep for nineteen years, you know. So maybe after she’s recuperated enough for a while…” he answered. “We’ve waited for nineteen years for this, right? What’s waiting for just a little bit more compared to that? The most important thing for you to do is to manage the company to the best of your abilities. That’s the way to not disappoint your father’s expectation.”Aristotle
Cynthia had never had a relationship before, so she did not know what love was. However, one thing was for certain. She loved the feeling of being with Aristotle and how he had protected her since they were kids. Even though Aristotle had become a little domineering and “naughty”, she was not taken aback by him. Instead, she even felt a little moved, which was amazing.It wasn’t known how they ended up in bed, with their breaths synchronized. Apart from the final step, they had done just about everything else that could be done.Just as they were about to hit the final step, Aristotle suddenly stopped and helped pull the covers over Cynthia. “Let’s sleep, good night.”Cynthia was still lost in a daze from before. She did not know why Aristotle had suddenly stopped, nor did she have the courage to ask him. She had struggled for so long before having persuaded herself to go with the flow…The next day, when Cynthia woke up, Aristotle had already long gone to his company.She took a
Cynthia heard what Aristotle said, but her hands did not stop doing what they were doing. Her head was in a complete mess. “There’s no… no need. I’ll be able to be done with these now. Go ahead and get some sleep first. By the way, where am I sleeping tonight? There are so many rooms here, I’ll ask Agnes to help me clear one up.”Aristotle walked up to her and squatted. He grabbed onto her arm with one hand while the other closed the luggage. “Just sleep with me here and stop tidying already.”Cynthia suspected that she might have misheard. She took a look at the big bed behind him in a daze and suddenly felt her palm, which was held by him, burning up. “Y… You’re kidding, aren’t you, Ares? Although we used to sleep with each other a lot when we were kids, we’re all grown ups now, so wouldn’t that be a little inappropriate?”Aristotle said with a straight face, “I wasn't joking.”Cynthia panicked a little and recalled Melissa’s words once again. ‘Would Ares, whom I’ve known for so
Melissa knew that Aristotle had kissed Cynthia, so she knew what was going on. Hence, she very naturally boasted, “Of course, they’ve been engaged to each other since they were born. Coincidentally, the both of them felt the same way about each other as they grew up, so wouldn’t this make it even better? From the way I see it, your illness isn’t going to recover for the rest of your life and the both of them are probably going to have to wait until Cindy graduates before they get married. So, you’d be better off moving back to France as early as possible. Don’t worry, you’ve saved Aristotle’s life before, so he wouldn’t be stingy with you financially.”Raven wanted to control the unhappiness she had in her heart very much, but her emotions refused to follow her will. Hence, she fiercely struggled to wring free from Melissa’s grasp. Melissa was startled for a moment. “Are you crazy?”After that, Raven regained her senses and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry… I was a little unwell just n
‘You’re not that worried?’ Melissa was so furious that she laughed. “Am I the only one who’s being worried for nothing? I thought you loved my brother, didn’t you? The man you’ve been dreaming of every day has returned from France but brought a woman with him, yet you’re actually not that worried? Let’s put aside your parents’ intentions for a moment. Do you dare to say that you don’t love him? I’m only helping you because you’re my best friend, so could you not be so relaxed, as if I’m helping you for no reason?”Cynthia shook her head and lowered her volume as she said, “He… might have confessed to me. We also… did that already. So, I think he doesn’t feel that way towards Raven. It’s purely because she saved his life once. I trust that Ares will be able to handle the situation properly.”Melissa’s eyes opened wide. “What? He’s only returned for a few days, yet the two of you have already had sex? That fast?! I never knew it, but you’ve really got it in you!”Cynthia’s face flushe