Mark took his seat behind the desk. “What’s the matter?”Robin promptly handed him a resignation letter. “Mr. Tremont, I know that things are looking bad for me now, which is why I… I have no problem resigning my position as long as Sylvain is safe from negative splashes. I swear, though, I’ve got nothing to do with any of this. I’m innocent! But Sylvain told me that it’s too difficult to clear my name by now, and it’s likely that the investigation has no other leads to go forward. I… I guess that means there’s no other way out, so I’ll willingly resign. I’m sorry.”Mark stared at the resignation letter in her hand and thought for a while. “Take this back. Frankly, I’ve never even considered firing you,” he replied. “I’ve talked to Arianne just now, and we both agreed to close the chapter on this case. Neither of us are interested in continuing this investigation, and no one will mention it ever again, let alone allow it to affect Sylvain negatively. Both Arianne and Sylvain are adam
That same night, Melanie invited Arianne to have dinner at the Smith Estate.She accepted the invitation and attended alone. It had been a while since the friends chatted with one another, so their ensuing conversation quickly turned into a pleasant, lively one. Revisiting the topic about the plagiarism scandal around the dining table, Arianne once again reaffirmed her disbelief that Robin was the one behind it.Melanie agreed. “I don’t think it’s her, either. I’ve talked to that girl before; I’ve got nothing other than good things to say about her. Someone must have hijacked her computer at work and used her account. Poor girl; she’s still shouldering blame that was never hers to begin with without knowing what has really happened! Good thing you’re a force of reason, Arianne. Otherwise, there really isn’t any other way but to have her kicked out, and that will definitely impact Sylvain, too.”Alejandro, who had been reticent to comment throughout the women’s exchange, suddenly sni
Before Arianne could mount a reply, Alejandro had stepped into the opening with a repartee. “And this is why no one seriously considers a woman’s opinion on things. Turning the other cheeks doesn't bring peace—instead, it only makes you seethe and suffer your indignance on your own. An eye for an eye is the real way of living! We’re all equal as humans, so why the f**k should we have to tolerate certain subsets of people, despite them being no more special than we are, huh? What’s the point of living a life of servitude and submission?”Melanie was so exasperated that she launched into a series of eyerolls. “Oh, please miss me with that high-minded bunkum. You just want to watch the world burn with a box of popcorn in hand, Nero. Sure, your conjecture sounds reasonable, but it doesn’t automatically exclude the possibility of you being dead wrong! What if you were wrong? You goading Arianne into pursuing this investigation is basically just you trying to manufacture more drama!”Aleja
Soon, someone among them finally stopped gawking and feigned care. “Aww, don’t cry a river over this now! The sooner you get used to it, the better. Gee, a while ago, you defended her to the point of getting into heated disagreements with us. Now you know, huh? Being ‘Mrs. Tremont’ for a while had really gotten into her head, I’ll give you that. B*tch always thinks she’s several levels above us. And then she got dumped hard, but she still thinks she’s ‘The Madam’ and the boss of us. Ludicrous, right? Oh, wait… We gotta watch our backs—the boss has mandated us to never talk sh*t about Arianne, so we better zip it now, I guess. Come on, Robin, don’t be too upset, ok? At least you get to keep your job in Tremont Enterprise. It’s not like Arianne has the power to fire you or anything.”It was then that the supervisor approached them, chastising, “Oy, what do you think you people are doing here? This isn’t time for talking—shut your piehole and go back to work! Miss Cox, you’re with me.”
By this point, even the look Libby shot was evident of pity. It was as though Robin’s predicament had drawn much of her sympathy. “Oh, hon, I can’t accept this now! I don’t recall actually giving you any special treatment, you know, because I believe in treating everyone fairly and impartially. Chin up, dear. Your husband’s the renowned designer, Sylvain Trudeau! Leaving Tremont Estate isn’t gonna hurt you too much, trust me. People like you won’t ever fret about the cost of living, yea?”“But I insist, Mrs. Sheppard!” Robin exclaimed, her eyes wide with sincerity. “Sylvain’s too busy tonight to join, but he approved of me inviting you for dinner, so… Well, c’mon! Let me treat you just this once—you can go anywhere you like. Or, if you don’t know where to pick… How about White Water Bay Café? It’s a pretty top-notch place. But what do you think?”Hearing White Water Bay Café as a possible venue perked some of Libby’s interest. “Damn, that’s an expensive place right there though, ain’
“Well, she used to take care of me at work,” Robin explained. “So even though we’re technically not friends anymore, I think I should at least acknowledge her for old times’ sake. So, I invited her for my last dinner.”Libby tucked her phone away and said nothing. All she knew was that her mood for selfies was dashed.Arianne crossed the room and took her seat with phlegm, addressing no one in the room either through eye contact or verbal greetings. In her mind, Libby had rolled her eyes for almost a hundred times over the party-pooper’s attitude. All that was left was squeezing a scornful “Holy sh*t, still putting on those godforsaken airs because you were ‘Mrs. Tremont’ for a few days?!’ through her teeth.The group dined in silence. Then, Arianne—seemingly casually—broke the spell, asking, “So, Libby Sheppard. I heard that you used to be quite chummy with Shelly-Ann Leigh, weren’t you? Still talking to her after she left?”Libby stole a furtive glance at Arianne and decided agai
Arianne lunged, grabbing Libby by her collar before pinning her against the wall.“This restaurant belongs to Jackson West, whose wife, Tiffany, is my best friend. You really think you can skedaddle out of here before giving me answers?” she hissed. “Now that we’ve finally got you, you’re not leaving this premise until you tell me the truth. Just how many favors did that Shelly give you in exchange for you being her tail-wagging lackey, huh? Think. She’s exhausted every single one of her brain cells trying to kick me out of the company, yet the easiest way to do that has always been to just get Mark to fire me. Ever wonder why she would rather throw all of her effort into these useless roundabout ways than just doing that?“It’s because Mark wants me to always remain in his life, divorce be damned. He won’t accept me leaving his sight. It doesn’t matter how many tricks Shelly plays, as long as he wills it, I’ll never go away,” she continued. “Say… We were never enemies before, were w
Even so, Shelly was keenly aware of the minute but odd flex in Libby’s voice. “Libby… Sheppard? What are you doing? You sound off, dear.”Libby shot a brisk glance at Arianne then took a deep breath and started, “Nothing. I just came home from work, that‘s all. Walked quite a distance, so I might sound a little, er, breathy. Um, anyway, the reason why I’m calling you right now is because I… need your help. Mr. Tremont thinks I’m not doing a peachy keen enough job for him, and I think he’s onto axing me. Mrs. Leigh, I was, uh, hoping you can help put in a good word for me, you know? I’ve been working hard in Tremont Enterprise for so long, and I didn’t get to be the supervisor just to be shown the door… You get what I’m saying?”The other side of the phone was quiet for a tad too long. It took more than ten conspicuous seconds before Shelly finally said, “Hey, listen. I really, really want to help, but… I can’t do much about the affairs of the company. As you’re no doubt aware, I’m no
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