It was only now when Arianne Wynn remembered today was the campus function event and he would be here as well… He had not returned home since he left that day. What would it be like to see him again today? For an instant, she felt a flurry of emotions.“Did he… say anything that day?”Tiffany Lane did not notice her inattentive manner.“Nope. But I complained about your brother to him. That brother of yours is a real jerk!” Arianne was speechless. Now she was no longer surprised why her singular reply that day triggered his fury, like an eruption of a volcano – no, more like the eruption of an iceberg… He must have felt horrible to be condemned like that and right in his face too.Shouting and cheering came from the downstairs abruptly. Fueled by adrenaline, Tiffany tugged Arianne and bolted down the staircase. “Mark Tremont’s here! Let’s go see him!”Arianne was rather nervous for she had not yet figured out how to confront him.“Tiff, let go… You can go ahead, I’m not going…”“Ari,
Mark Tremont’s reply was nothing but a cold scoff, his response made the dean shudder and kept his mouth shut.After some time, a few bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses hurried over.“Sir, we’ve looked into it. The offender is a fool who’s mentally challenged. Twenty-one years old, son of the Southline University’s cafeteria lady. He’s usually the handyman of the cafeteria. His actions today were completely unfounded as he was unable to answer anything we asked. Due to his condition, it’s highly unlikely to send him to jail.”“Then send him to the mental institution! Is an aggressive lunatic supposed to be kept on the campus to continue harming others?” Mark Tremont’s reply came close to a low growl, his deadly frosty tone echoing in the corridor.“Yes, sir!” The bodyguards left in a hurry once again.The dean was hesitant to speak, wearing a troubled look on his face. Mark Tremont cast his gaze at him and sneered. “What is it? Are you unhappy with my decision?”“No, no… It’s jus
“Woken up?” The man closed his laptop and looked up at her.“Mm…” Arianne wanted to get up but even the slightest movement brought her a dull pain to her left shoulder. It was then that she recalled what happened.Mark Tremont went forward to check her wound. “Don’t move.”Arianne stayed obediently whilst the pressing urge from her lower abdomen made her incredibly awkward. She wanted to go to the washroom but there was only Mark Tremont here and her mobility was compromised… Any minor movement would cause agony to her injury.As if noticing her unease, Mark Tremont asked, “Do you want to go to the washroom?”“Yeah…” Arianne Wynn blushed.Mark Tremont said nothing as he attentively helped her up, his gentleness was unlike his usual self. Even then, Arianne was still breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain. Crimson stained the bandage around her wound.Arianne had gone to the washroom half-carried by Mark Tremont. When his hand went towards her pants, she quickly said, “I’ll do it my
Arianne’s hand that held her spoon quavered. Looking at the half bowl of soup, she hesitated before saying, “Mary, help me to another serving…”Mary saw through her little gimmick and answered softly, “Ah, why are you so scared of sir? He won’t gobble you up.”After the meal, Arianne trudged up the stairs only after Mary finished cleaning the table.The door to the master bedroom was half open, however she still knocked before entering.Mark Tremont was going through documents in front of the French window with a cigarette between his fingers. Half a glass of wine stood on the small table beside him.Naturally, he stubbed out the cigarette when Arianne coughed from the smoke.“Come over.”She went closer to him. “Is there… anything you need me for?”Putting down the document in his hands, Mark Tremont took her into his embrace without warning. “I’m going on an overseas business trip tomorrow. Come with me.”Arianne’s ability to think was already affected having been seated on his legs.
Mark Tremont left early in the morning the next day.Arianne Wynn had turned her closet inside out yet she could not find anything befitting to wear. This was the first time she felt the desire to go shopping. She invited Tiffany Lane, and they both headed to the mall together.When Arianne went to pay, Tiffany’s mouth formed an ‘O’ shape when she saw the bank service deduction text on the former’s mobile phone. “Ari, that’s a little too much. I’ve always thought that you’re poor, but it seems like you’re only pretending to be poor huh! You’re a little rich woman!”Arianne was reluctant to mention that the money was from Mark Tremont, simply replying, “That’s nonsense. Let’s go.”The gathering at night was located at Will Sivan’s family beach villa.When Arianne Wynn and Tiffany Lane arrived at the party, a crowd had already formed. Arianne was unfamiliar with most of the guests, having never met them. Will Sivan stood out the most among the mass of people, attracting her line of visio
Brian Pearce took in his dark expression and deduced that something must have happened as he quickly made a turn. Every time Mark Tremont was enraged, it had to do with Arianne Wynn.Arianne had just taken off her clothes back in her room of the Tremont Estate when the door was rammed open, making a hard bang.Turning around in surprise, she met eyes with Mark Tremont’s raging gaze. She pulled over the jacket to cover her front, as she was currently wearing nothing. Her voice trembled when she asked, “Why are you home…”The fury in Mark Tremont’s eyes burned brighter when he saw the garment that she was clutching was a man’s jacket. “Remove it!”Arianne knew what he was referring to but she had nothing on since she was going to shower. If she removed the jacket, then…While she was caught in a quandary, Mark Tremont was already in front of her, pinching her chin.“Are you going to do it yourself or do I have to?”Arianne Wynn wished for none of these options, silently keeping a death g
Mark Tremont got up and left in disgust. “You’re not qualified to negotiate with me!”The room door was slammed closed, the loud bang sent shivers through Arianne. For the first time in ten years, she felt like her world had collapsed.Mark Tremont’s enraged words echoed in her ears, truly frightening her. Arianne tried her best to call Tiffany but for the entire afternoon, but the only reply she received was the busy-line tone.Arianne panicked. Could Mark Tremont have forced them away?She clenched her jaws and went to his room. This was her first time entering directly without knocking.The room was smoky. Mark Tremont was still seated on the chair in front of the French window but this time, he had his back facing her. The ashtray beside him was brimming with cigarette butts and ash. His back was laced with a sense of melancholy.“Please… don’t do anything to them. It’s my fault. I know that I’m wrong…” Arianne cried while she begged him. Will Sivan’s departure abroad the last time
Arianne gasped from the pain. Just as she was about to pick herself up, a pristine pair of high quality custom-made leather shoes appeared before her eyes. Mark Tremont’s apathetic voice came from above her head.“You have two minutes.”Arianne looked up into his deep orb eyes and carefully probed. “Can you… let them go now?”She did not catch the disappointment that flashed across the bottom of his eyes. What he wished to hear was not this.“You’re wasting my time if that’s all you had to say after chasing after my car so recklessly.”Mark Tremont went back to the car without a pause after speaking. His forceful slam of the car door frightened Brian.“Cancel my return ticket for next week. I’ll take over the overseas branch myself.”Brian Pearce was hesitant. “Sir… You won’t be able to come back for at least three years then… Are you sure you want to cancel it?”“Do what I say!” Mark Tremont’s lips were pressed into a thin line as he closed his eyes and rested against the seat.Ariann
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