Did that mean Aery saved Aristotle? At least, based on her account, she did not deliberately hurt Aristotle. Arianne nodded. “He’s fine. You don’t know how to take care of babies. Next time, stay away from him. There are plenty of servants in the Tremont Estate. Someone will look after him.”Mary was consumed with guilt for leaving Aristotle alone for a split second. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have left him alone without supervision. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened. The house cleaners are seriously a piece of work. They couldn’t have mopped the water off the floor? I’m going to give them a piece of my mind when we get home.”Helen did not defend Aery at all. She remained silent the entire time when Arianne lost her temper earlier. Actually, she had seen Aery rolling down the stairs with Aristotle in her arms. As for what happened prior to that, she was not sure. However, from her point of view, Aery had saved Aristotle. She did not dare to speak up, afraid that Arianne wo
Mark paused thoughtfully and replied, “I don’t believe it either. Knowing her, it would more believable to say that she has nothing to do with Aristotle’s fall than to say she has turned over a new leaf and protected Smore. It’s strange. I’ve never believed in humans’ good nature. Especially after everything she’s done… I did consider this when we invited her and Helen to live in Tremont Estate. However, with your mom keeping an eye on Aery, I didn’t think it would be a problem. Your mother has always been meticulous. Besides, Mary hardly ever leaves Smore alone. This temporary lapse today must have been an accident. Don’t overthink it. It’s alright as long as Smore is fine.”Arianne suddenly tugged on his collar and sniffed. “Mary should have told you about Smore’s fall when you got home, and you still have time to take a shower before seeing your son? Why do you… seem so cold-blooded?”The corners of Mark’s lips twitched. “Mary already told me that Smore is fine. I don’t think it m
Upon hearing that, Mark was apprehensive. “He’s just been released from prison. Eating and living costs would be a problem, how could he possibly have the money to leave the country? Those parcels he sent to Helen came from an address in the country. Even if the parcels could be explained, his goal is Helen. He knows that Helen is in the country. Why did he leave the country? Isn’t that strange? Are you certain?”Henry shook his head. “There’s no mistake. I’ve found records of him leaving the country, just a few days ago.”Mark stroked his chin. “Did he escape overseas because he knows that I’m looking for him? It would be difficult to trace him if he’s not in the country. I wonder he found the money to leave the country? Plane tickets to Country X would be too expensive for him at this time. There are tons of people who would hit a man when he’s down. Who would possibly loan him the money after everything that’s happened to him? It wouldn’t be a small amount if you consider his dail
Aery leaned against the head of the bed and protested. “What are you doing? My leg hurts. Can’t you be gentle? Am I your daughter?”“If you work with an outsider, you’re no daughter of mine!” Helen snapped icily, “Answer me, did you give money to your dad?”Aery averted her gaze. “N-no… Why do you ask? I didn’t speak to him at all. We haven’t seen each other for a long time now, how can I possibly give him money? Will you calm down?”Helen refused to believe it. She pulled Aery’s wallet out. “You card. All I need to do is check your account, and I’ll know. You better reconsider. Are you going to come clean or do you want to go through your accounts before I deal with you?”Aery instantly looked like a deflated balloon. “It… It was me. Yes, I gave him money. I pitied him, okay? He just got out of jail and has no money for food. I only gave him the money you usually give me for my daily expenses and allowance. I saved the money, I have a right to spend it the way I want, don’t I? He’
Aery gritted her teeth and growled, “No, I’m not going! My foot still hurts so I need to stay here for recovery! If you wanna leave, fine by me, but as for me? I’ll stay. I hurt myself in an attempt to save Smore, right? Mark and Arianne can’t turn me away!”Helen, in a fit of rage, raised her hand, ready for another wallop. Aery quickly cowered, wrapping her head with her arms—a response that convinced Helen to push back her impulse. “Hey, Aery, if Arianne manages to piece out the truth about your injury—that you deliberately fell off the stairs while taking Smore with you—I swear, she’ll tear the life out of you!”Aery froze. Her lips thinned as she stared at her mother with wide eyes filled with fear. She knew better than to deflect Helen’s accusation with sophistry, especially since the latter had made it clear that she had already seen through Aery’s scheme. To her mother, the girl’s guile was as see-through as a toddler’s lie.Aery’s reaction was the last fuel to Helen’s fire.
Aery put just as much force in her voice when she rebuffed, “No! I’m not going! You wanna leave? Leave on your own!”Exasperated, Helen grabbed the closest clothing article her hand could reach and hurl it at Aery’s face. “Goddamn it, Aery, I’m telling Ariane and Mark about everything you have done!”“You know what? I don’t think you will,” the girl mustered enough bravado and defied. “To rat me out is to implicate yourself as guilty by association, which means you’ll lose what little dignity you have left to see Arianne. Isn’t your dream to have Arianne forgive you for abandoning her in the past? You’ll have no chance to make that dream come true if you tell her what I did. She’ll hate you just as much as she hates me.”Helen drew a deep breath and scoffed scornfully. “Well, well, you’re at least spot-on about that. Yes, I’m scared. But it doesn’t mean I don’t know how some people commit the same sin over and over again, Aery. Nor am I stupid enough to sabotage my reconciliation wi
Helen made sure her emotions were in-check before climbing up the stairs, this time for Arianne.Arianne was just about to fall asleep when quick rapping on her door stopped her. Groggily, she opened it and stared right at Helen before asking, “What’s the matter?”Helen appeared transfixed on the woman for a second too long, her eyes grave. Then, a quiet current of yearning broke through her gaze, and she finally said, “I’m leaving, Arianne. We’re flying tonight. Jean… He isn’t going to trouble you anymore. I also don’t know when the two of us will meet again in the future, so until then, promise me that you, Mark, and Smore will live happily forever.”Hearing her words chased away at least half of Arianne’s bleariness. “Why so sudden? And in the middle of the night, no less! Can’t you wait until tomorrow?”‘But if we wait until tomorrow, who knows what could happen?’ Helen countered in her mind. Outwardly, however, she merely replied, “It’s alright. We have to leave sooner or late
The next morning came, and Arianne went to work with a well-adjusted mindset.It was in her nature to do that. No matter how spoiled her mood was during the day before, the effects only lasted for a night, tops. She was indisposed to trapping herself with negative feelings for far longer than the problematic issue warranted.The first thing that greeted her in the office was Sylvain, who wore one of his most mopey looks ever. “What the heck, Sylvain? It’s a bit too early for that look… Couldn’t wake?” she teased.Sylvain leaned against the back of the office chair with his “kill me please” expression. “Oh, worse than that, ma’am. It’s way, waaaaaaay worse.”Arianne guessed. “Gosh, has a calamity has befallen your relationship with Robin?”“Bruh, would it kill you to generate positive thoughts for me?” Sylvain reparteed sourly. “I’ll have you know that ever since I met her mom that one time, Robin’s mom ceased being a problem for quite a while. I even get to go out on dates with Ro
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