Smore placed a few of his cookies into an empty plate. “I’m leaving some of these for Daddy. He hasn’t eaten what Mommy made yet.”Was Smore insensitive and inconsiderate? If he were, he would not have cared if his father had gotten to taste his mother’s cookies. Was Smore sensitive and sweet, then? Well, he did just twist the knife in his mother’s heart, right where it hurt…Mary, at the very least, was amused by the little boy’s antic. “Aww, isn’t our Smore just the most precious, sweetest thing?” she praised. “Your daddy puts on an icy exterior all the time, too, but boy, he’s always the nicest gentleman to his lady. The apple doesn’t fall too far from its tree; I know for sure that you’ll grow up to be just as much of a loving man.”Meanwhile in the Tremont Estate, sitting across from each at the dining table, were Mark and Shelly gawking at one another in tense silence.The clamor of fireworks outside was all the presence Christmas’s Eve amounted to within the walls of the Tre
Frankly, Mark had not expected himself to be free tonight. Based on what he learned about Shelly, the more meaningful and important a given day was, the harsher his house arrest would become.His patience toward Shelly and her threats was thinning. Sometimes, an impulse to just give up and let her do whatever she wanted would seduce him. For a chance at freedom from her control, Mark was tempted to allow Shelly free reign in anything—until he thought about the potential ramifications, and suddenly that thought would become baleful again.Most importantly, the man knew that the cost of seeing Arianne and Smore tonight was far heftier than the promise she had coerced him into making. There were more schemes in Shelly’s sleeves waiting for him, he was sure, but right now, he cast his worries to the farthest reach in his mind. He just wanted to meet the people he missed so much.By the time he reached the condominium, it was already nine at night. He had forgotten to bring the back-up k
Right now, the one thing that Arianne feared the most was Shelly’s prediction of Mark falling in love with another woman coming true. With someone like Shelly devoting her effort and relentless persuasion into making it happen, who knows if Mark might cave in one day?As though knowing Mark was going to leave, Smore—who should have gone to bed by ten o’clock—had stubbornly stayed up way past bedtime. Even after the clock ticked past eleven and he kept making jaw-breaking yawns, the little boy was adamant about accompanying Mark.Mary had already gone to sleep. She had decided early on to give Arianne and Mark their much-needed alone time, thus leaving Arianne to accompany the man in watching late-night Christmas programs.Unsurprisingly, neither of them was focused on the TV. Their minds were too preoccupied with a plethora of things they had dreamed of telling each other that now, despite the chance presenting itself, neither knew where to start.When it was almost twelve, Mark’s
Mark’s furious backlash was instantaneous. “Are you done manufacturing outrage over nothing?! Because of you, I only got to be with my son for a few measly hours on a Christmas Eve. Is that not enough control for you?! I’ll have you know that Arianne will be bringing Smore to visit Henry tomorrow. Let me put this out there: I’m not afraid of flipping out if you dare make her feel the slightest discomfort. Of course, you’re welcome to test my resolve if you don’t believe me.”“That’s the most ridiculous crap I’ve ever heard this week! Bringing your child to this house on Christmas Day just to see the butler working for the family?” Shelly mocked scornfully. “Or is there yet another hidden agenda, huh? You know what they say—you can never trust a snake!”Mark balled his hands into fists. “It’s not like there’s anyone else worthy of her visit, is there? What, you can’t really be suggesting yourself, can you? Are you even worth the trouble?… No, don’t answer that question; I’m already fa
Arianne herself was just as reluctant to let Shelly be near Smore, so she intuitively backed away as well.Seeing her reaction coupled with Smore’s words was enough to trigger Shelly’s temper. “Gosh, I just love how you brainwashed your child. Taught the boy to address some random, non-blood-related woman as Granny while despising his true biological grandmother, didn’t you? Are you going to teach your son not to recognize Mark as his father next? Just as I thought, allowing you his custody was a grave mistake!”Arianne was not in the mood to clarify, so she replied simply, “We’re here to see Henry.”Shelly turned to Mark and bristled. “You saw what happened with your own eyes, didn’t you? She brought her son back here for a mere butler on Christmas! Isn’t this the most preposterous, asinine bull ever? Just look at how she indoctrinated her son… Tell me, how could you still think she’s beyond reproach, huh?”Mark wrapped his arm around Arianne’s shoulders and led her away to the li
Henry returned home shortly after. Mary took out the items that had been bought for Henry. “Henry, Ari has bought these for you. That overcoat is especially nice; I helped pick it myself. You should try it on later.”Arianne felt slightly troubled since Mary was the one who bought it instead of her. Arianne would be placed in a difficult spot if she did not bring any present for Shelly. However, even if she did, Shelly might complain and even criticize the present that had been given. Hence, Arianne thought she might as well not get her anything since she did not need to gain Shelly’s favouritism. Mary only did that to spite Shelly, but she neglected the fact that it would make it difficult for Arianne to escape the inevitable later on.Henry shot a glance at Arianne and noticed that her face had paled. He knew that he should reject the gifts if he did not want Arianne to offend Shelly. However, instead of rejecting it, he smiled happily and said, “In that case, thank you very much
Mark answered reluctantly, “What are you talking about? Can’t we talk about something else?”Arianne breathed lightly and walked to the patio with Smore in her arms. “Let’s go outside and sit for a while since the weather’s so nice today. It’s a little boring to be sitting inside at the moment.”Mark followed Arianne to the patio, which had previously been decorated according to his preferred taste. However, everything changed shortly after Arianne had left; even the roses that she loved had been replaced by another type of vegetation. Undoubtedly, the interior of the house would very soon be renovated according to Shelly’s style. Arianne suddenly felt that she would not be able to return to Tremont Estate after her recent departure. Even if she did, she would have to return as a guest such as today. The man beside her was no longer related to her legally and everything would be different once he had another woman by his side. The two of them sat opposite each other and suddenly ra
Mark glanced towards the living room and helplessly asked Henry to send off Arianne and the others.He stood where he was, going into deep thought for a long while before he walked towards the living room. “What are you trying to play at? I’ve already told you before not to make things difficult for Arianne. What would you have me do?! Did you come back just to control me? Do you think that you could make me obey your every wishes just because you have some leverage on me? I’ve had enough!”Shelly was in tears when she raised her head and looked at Mark. “Just how bad do you think I am? You think that I’m a bother, that’s fine; I’ll just walk away and not interrupt the two of you. However, here you are, still blaming me when she’s left after she was done eating. Have I done anything? Furthermore, I didn’t stop you from sending her off. She was the one who didn’t want you to do it anyway, correct? Why are you putting that on me? Since you’re already divorced, you shouldn’t be in conta