Arianne shook her head. “C’mon, guys! I’m not down in the dumps or anything; you guys are just seeing things that aren’t there. Besides, I gotta go home after dinner. Smore only sleeps after seeing me home.”Sylvain and Robin sent Arianne back to the Tremont Estate. By then, the time had come close to 10 PM.Arianne patted her cheeks that were slightly burning from alcohol. She was not tipsy, but she still knew that she had drunk a little too much—at least two-third of the entire bottle was in her belly now.She stepped through the estate’s gate and crossed the courtyard. It was then that she suddenly heard Mark’s voice ringing out of a dark, gloomy corner shrouded in shadows. “Where have you been?”Arianne halted her footsteps. She followed the direction of the voice until she found Mark on a patio chair with his eyes trained onto her. Despite being outside, he was wearing his white indoor sweater; one had to wonder if he even felt cold sitting in this weather.Liquid courage pro
Bitter yearning filled Mark’s eyes before he suddenly lunged onto her, flipping her body so that she would face up toward him. He loomed over her, his hands pinning Arianne’s struggling hands to her sides.“If you don’t go to my room, I’ll… I’ll undo you right here, right now,” he hissed.Arianne could not believe the words that came out of his mouth, and it showed in the way she widened her eyes in disbelief. It was only when Mark’s hand slithered beneath her skirt that she reeled back from shock and cried, “Are you crazy?! Didn’t we make it clear that you can’t touch me after we’re divorced?”His handsomely-arched brow cocked up. “Hmm, curious. Whoever told you that? I’m afraid that this being the Tremont Estate—and not the Tremont Tower—means that I can do whatever I want here… unruled by the agreement.”Arianne attempted to struggle out of his hold, and he retaliated by burying his head into her neck. It was such an unexpected jolt that she had to admit defeat. “F-Fine, I yield
Arianne bristled. “If you’re gonna behave like a dang animal again tonight, you… you’re officially a horndog!”Mark was about to leave the bathroom when he stopped, turned around, and shot her a smug smirk. “Woof.”That jerk! Why was it that even when he was imitating a dog, that woof leaving his lips just… hit differently? The way he said it with his irritatingly mesmerizing, dulcet voice, coupled with that perfect face, it was just….!After finishing her preparation for work, Arianne descended the stairs and immediately caught a fleeting but familiar silhouette in her line of vision. Her expression instinctively darkened.It was Shelly-Ann Leigh.“Mark, dear! I was buying some groceries around this neck of the woods earlier this morning and thought I should come by and say hi to little Smore. Good thing you haven’t left, too, ‘cause I got you some breakfast!” she greeted cheerily, filtering Arianne out completely as she approached Mark.Mark shot Mary a look. The housekeeper un
Henry stepped forward and told Shelly, “Mrs. Leigh, let me escort you out.”Shelly snapped rancidly, “Mrs. Leigh?! Excuse you, it’s ‘Madam’ to you from now on!”Henry feigned deafness. The difference between calling her Mrs. Leigh or Madam was so huge that it was not something a butler should take lightly.The journey to the company was a silent one for both Arianne and Mark. Whatever good mood they had felt before on that day had now been completely whittled away by Shelly. Now, everyone felt terrible.In silence, they reached the car park. Arianne glanced at the time and knew that she was almost late to work. Hurriedly, she got out of the car and started toward the elevator.Mark’s footsteps, just as hasty as hers, clambered behind her. Then, when the distance was close enough, he grabbed her wrist. “Ari, I didn’t know she would come, okay? Please… don’t be mad at me.”She gawked at him in bemusement. “Who told you I was mad? In fact, I was feeling pretty, well, allayed by your
Tiffany grinned. “Where else could we go other than White Water Bay Villa? Jackson’s the chef on duty, ‘cause he’s wary of the food that goes into my stomach now that I’m pregnant. Seriously, the only place out there with his seal of approval is White Water Bay Café—the place he frickin’ owns! I was like, ‘Aren’t these two just same difference?’ So, I decided to just throw the dinner party at home, since he’s so willing to break his back to cook for the four of us.”Arianne clasped the bracelet around her wrist in front of Tiffany. “Alright. I’ll go there as soon as work is over.”Tiffany yanked a chair from god-knows-whose desk and sat right in front of her. “Oh, I’m just gonna wait till your work’s over right here, then, since there’s only very little time left. Speaking of which… I just saw this gorgeous bridal gown collection somewhere online the other day and the style was just—chef’s kiss! You and Mark never had actual wedding photos, right? Are you sure you don’t wanna tick of
Arianne was subsequently subjected to a very harsh jeremiad, but she dared not offer any rebuttal. Tiffany was right; while her friend never kept secrets from her, Arianne could not say the same about its inverse.After work, Arianne hitched Jackson’s car for the ride with Tiffany to go to White Water Bay Villa. Mark could only glare at her with daggers in his eyes—a look she feigned not to see. They were divorced, so what could he do about this?As soon as they arrived at White Water Bay Villa, Mark followed Jackson into the kitchen, the two immediately chatting about god-knows-what.Meanwhile, Tiffany began her thorough, no-holds-barred inquisition. She unleashed a volley of questions regardless of how tactful they were until she pried every single piece of the puzzle from Arianne’s mouth.When the full knowledge was finally unveiled, Tiffany held her child as she seethed at the injustice her friend had suffered. “Frickin’ Tremonts! They owe you so much, and yet they have the gal
Mary shook her head. “Nope. With me watching, she’s got no chance. I’ve told Henry to let Smore play somewhere in the park, and till now, they haven’t returned yet. I’ll call Henry to come back now, but… the rest is up to the two of you now!”Mark was the first to pace into the house and saw Shelly watching TV in the living room. Seeing him return, she smiled and greeted, “Good evening, Mark dear. You’re rather late to be home today! Were you having dinner outside?”Mark furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re staying?”Shelly eyed Arianne standing behind him and answered confidently, “That’s right. I never wanted to leave you, so it’s only right and fair that I return to your side. Unless, of course, you don’t want me to come over and stay with you. The unit you bought for me isn’t a very comfortable and nice place to stay, and it’s really not friendly to women living alone. Besides, you and Arianne are divorced now! Whether I stay here or not doesn’t cost you anything anymore! In fact… now
Mark knew she was right, but did that mean his heart would listen to reason right now? No, his heart continued to believe that he was losing Arianne forever, that she was never coming back, and his body answered his heart by hugging her even more tightly without showing signs of letting go.Not knowing what to do, Arianne gave up and let him do whatever he wanted. A while later, however, they both heard a series of impatient rapping on the door to the bathroom and Smore’s voice exclaiming, “Mommy, Daddy! What are you two doing in there? Smore wants to bathe too!”Arianne quickly shoved Mark away from her and opened the door, letting Smore in. “You’ll give him his bath later, alright? I’m close to finishing mine. Oh, and you’re completely wet, Mark. Take care not to catch a cold like this.”Mark crouched to Smore’s height and looked at him carefully. “Smore, my little man, now that you’re gonna live with just Mommy… know that Daddy will continue to see you often,” he cooed gently. “D