“Don’t be angry, that’s not what I mean,” he said helplessly. “I just think that you’ve just had a baby not too long ago and I’m worried that your body won’t be able to take it. If you insist on keeping in, we’ll transfer to the best hospital and have another examination. As long as we can confirm that your health won’t be affected, we’ll keep it. I’m not mean to the kid, and it’s not that I don’t like kids. Don’t make assumptions.”Tiffany felt much better. “I want to keep this baby. It’s here anyway. It’d be heartbreaking to get rid of it. I’m exhausted today, so let’s do the check up tomorrow.”Jackson nodded, then drove to the West Residence. Knowing that Tiffany was pregnant again, Summer took Plato away. Taking care of their kid was now Summer’s favorite pastime.Summer’s dog, Little Bean, dashed towards the pair, wagging its tail when they arrived. Its position in the family had been on decline ever since Plato’s arrival.“Tiffie, are you… keeping the baby?” Summer asked as
At dinner, Mark raised his glass towards Jackson in a Schadenfreude manner. “Congrats, you’re going to be a dad again.”Jackson rolled his eyes at him. “Stop it. Is your vasectomy something to be proud of? I’m going to get a vasectomy tomorrow, so that I won’t have any more kids. I can’t take any more.”Only then did Tiffany arrive at a realization. “Why didn’t I think of that? Mark’s had a vasectomy, so you should have done it too. Besides, there’s no use in leaving it.”Jackson stared at her as if she were an idiot. “A vasectomy only prevents you from having kids. You don’t turn into an eunuch. How the heck does your brain work?”When Mary joined the dinner table, the younger ones curtailed their conversation topics. Henry had been a butler at the Tremont Estate for most of his life, so he rarely joined them at the table. This was a form of etiquette for Henry. Arianne hoped that Henry would let loose one day, just like Mark. Unfortunately, he was set in his ways.Suddenly, Aria
Zoey broke into a grin. “All thanks to your guidance, brother dear! Aren’t you just the luckiest to have someone as good as Mark as your brother-in-law, Harv?”Harvey lowered his head, visibly embarrassed. He hated it when his parents went into buttery-flattery-mode. He was also deeply ashamed of the things his parents had done. Somehow, they always managed to find the most shameless things to make him feel burned.As it was a festive day today; Mary and Henry joined the Tremonts and Wynns for lunch. It started as good as one could hope until Harris raised his glass ostensibly to toast in Mark’s name. “I would like to thank you for taking care of my son Harv so well. We didn’t even know he was working under you until I read his payroll and saw your esteemed company’s name on it! Come, let us drink to that!”Arianne worried that Mark’s past grudges with them would spur him into ignoring Harris out of spite, but her worry turned into relief when her husband raised his glass cooperativ
Zoey did not say anything more, but her husband, pretending to be drunk, murmured under his breath, “Wow, they treat their workers so well, but their actual relatives? Nope, that’s too much! Jesus, I get it, we aren’t related by blood. But Zoey’s still your aunt and deserves your respect, too.”Mark abruptly hurtled his fork and spoon to the table, got up, and stormed upstairs. Henry and Mary—dragged into the fray out of the blue—simultaneously put down their utensils, their food untouched.Arianne forced the flames flaring inside of her from spilling out to the open. “Here’s what you’re missing, Mary and Henry aren’t just “some workers” to me. They are the family who watched me grow, which means they’ve been in our lives way longer and more significantly than my supposed aunt and uncle. When Mark went missing and we were in a very dark place, where were you two, huh? But when he’s back, alive and well, you come right back, wagging your tails and showing your faces! Humor me this, wh
Arianne and Mark both broke into giggles. The two took each others’ hands and descended the stairs back to their lunch.Feeling his hand in hers filled Arianne with an immense sense of security and a desire to bind her fingers with his forever, never to part. She loved the smell emanating from him. She loved the warmth spreading into her hand from his palm. She loved how his warmest, gentlest, and kindest self was always only reserved for her.She loved everything about him; the good, the bad, the whole.After their meal, the family relaxed in their yard, though Mark was busy making calls. Judging from the content of his conversations, Arianne judged that they were all work-related.A part of her watched Smore as he played with his slide, but most of her attention was on Mark. Ever since his return, Arianne realized that her eyes would always drift to his visage given any chance. His gestures, motions, all of his expressions—they never ceased to enthrall her. It was as though there
Arianne no longer wanted to suppress her feelings for Mark. “I don’t know what exactly happened, either. All I know is that I suddenly realized how much I love you. It’s so overwhelming, so strong, I feel—no, I yearn to be beside you at every moment. We don’t even have to do anything; just watching you is enough. But most of all? I’m mortified at the idea that you might disappear all of a sudden, and then I remember how that almost happened—how you almost completely vanished from my life—and my heart… It feels crushed. I feel a weight on my chest; I can’t breathe. I… I wonder, Mark, do you know how that feels?”Arianne did not have to wait for long, for her awaited answer came in the form of a swift, firm kiss.Of course, Mark loved her the same way as she did him; he always had. He loved her so much that he could not bear to be separated from her. All of the wiles and trickeries and labors he had done, just to make her stay! It used to be one-sided, and he had to resort to intimidat
Mrs. Cox’s habit of dunking on her daughter kicked in automatically. “Please, you’re just an accountant. What’s all of that ‘energy’ going to change? On that note, how’s bookkeeping supposed to get in your way of a good relationship, huh? I fail to see your logic, sweetie. You should be grateful that your aunt has the best of your interests at heart! Especially when you know you can trust her wisdom in judging a man. That settles it, then—you’re seeing your suitor tonight! We’ll have dinner together.”Robin’s face paled. Her mother had completely bypassed her opinion on this matter. This was no discussion; it was an order!Even if she were a lily-livered pushover, Robin did not want one of the most crucial and significant events in her life to be dictated solely by her family without her say. Hence, she protested. “No, Mom. I happen to have my own plans for tonight. I won’t be having dinner at home, too. Let’s discuss this some other time.”Mrs. Cox had gotten so used to Robin’s unq
Robin’s potential husband arrived before dinner, along with his parents. Everyone was in high spirits, except Robin.Everyone at the dinner table made every effort to matchmake them, but Robin stayed completely silent. She couldn’t even pretend to smile.This went on until 10PM, when her relatives and potential husband left, along with his own family. Robin immediately went back to her room and changed out of her clothes, then got ready to go out.Mrs. Cox threw her clothes onto the ground. “What was that? That sulky look on your face? Does someone owe you money? Have you forgotten all your good manners? You’re not to step out of this house today. If you leave, you can forget about ever coming back!”Robin pulled out her ID and waved it in front of her mother. “How old do you think I am? I’m over twenty years old. Anyone at my age who’s married early would have had independent kids by now. I’m not a child anymore. Why do you have to control me all the time? You don’t want a daughte
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