Mark adamantly grabbed her by her wrist. “You’re already a mother, yet you’re still so cowardly. It’s just a trip to the dentist, nothing else, so don’t try to run away. Are you as busy as I am? Even a busy person like me is willing to spend some time to accompany you to the dentist, yet you still dare to run away? Even after so many years, you haven’t changed a bit. You were always like that when you had to visit the doctors’ when you were young, but you’ve never been to the dentist before. What now? Do you even have a phobia towards that? Hurry up, it’s almost your turn. I’ve asked Brian to line up and get you a slot early this morning.”The moment he said that, the nurse called out Arianne’s name. Arianne surrendered to her fate and entered the dentist’s ward stubbornly. The dentist was a woman in her 30s. Although she was wearing a mask, she still had a gentle look on her face. Otherwise, Arianne would definitely have been so terrified that she would have run away on the spot.
When they arrived at the entrance of the elevator, Mark suddenly pushed Arianne against the wall with both his hands beside her, trapping her in between the wall and himself. Mark stared at Arianne straight in the eyes. “Have you and Sylvain always been on such good terms? I allowed you to get close to him so that you could pick up some skills, not so you could have a lover’s argument, especially during working hours.”Arianne firmly denied it and said, “Who’s had a lover’s quarrel? How am I supposed to explain things to Robin if she heard what you just said? We were just fooling around, isn’t that what friends do? Are you jealous?”Mark slightly turned his head to scan his surroundings. When he saw that no one was around, he lowered his head to kiss Arianne’s lips.Arianne’s first reaction was to push him away. ‘I’m still recovering from my trip to the dentist, so wouldn’t kissing make it even worse? Furthermore, we’re at the office’s elevator entrance; somebody could show up anyti
Tiffany was like a happy child, burying her face with food and eating very quickly. By the time she was full, Arianne had only just taken a few bites. Tiffany then put down her cutlery. “I’m full already, Jackson. You should eat some yourself instead of feeding me. Not only are you like this at home, but you’re like this when we’re outside as well. Others might misunderstand and think that I’m torturing you.”Jackson slowly removed his disposable gloves and laughed as he said, “What do you mean by torture? This is entertainment, but it’s too bad that you will never get to understand the joy from this entertainment. There’ll never come a day when I need you to take care of me.”Arianne suddenly realized that Jackson was slightly dazzling in her eyes. ‘Who wouldn’t fall in love with a man like him? Not only can he manage business on the outside and cook at home, but he’s even able to pamper his wife until she is over the moon. Not only that, he’s handsome as well. Tiffany must have sav
Tiffany was laughing so hard that she almost slid from her chair. “Haha… I bet you never saw this coming. Do you feel anxious, Mark? It’s good that you’re feeling anxious. Let’s see if you still dare to make Arianne unhappy. You’ve never courted her properly in the past, but it’s not too late for you to court her all over again now. In fact, I really do want to see how you court girls. No matter how cool a man is, he still has to bow his head down in front of the woman he loves, he still has to… Like how you are now… Haha… This is so funny!”Arianne brought over some food and placed it on Mark’s plate. “All right, I know you aren’t actually angry. I was joking as well just now. How could I possibly bear to give you Smore? Come on, let’s eat.”Mark was slightly cajoled before he took up his cutleries and began to eat again, deliberately ignoring what Arianne said. Jackson saw an opportunity and butted in. “Mark, since when did you become like a sunflower? You brightened up as soon as
Jackson bobbed his chin slightly to mean “okay”.Watching Mark vanish into the distance, Tiffany could not help but grumble under her breath, “His goddamned aunt again? For Christ’s sake! Honey, you have the patience of a goddess to tolerate this bullsh*t to this extent!”Arianne flashed her a faint, slight smile. “Trust me, it’s alright this time. He always does what he promises me, and honestly? If I had no problem enduring this for so long, enduring this a little bit more is nothing.”…As soon as Mark returned to the Tremont Estate, he sprung up the stairs to where Shelly was.Henry was in the middle of wrapping the woman’s hand with bandages. He had been the one to call Mark about what happened—apparently, in a desperate bid to avoid being institutionalized, Shelly had slit her wrist when none of the retinue was watching.Although her gash had been properly addressed and was now wrapped snugly by rounds and rounds of bandage, there was still a bit of blood staining the outer
Henry whipped his eyes to Mark in the hope of an order. As the days went on, Shelly’s condition consistently nosedived. If they delayed her treatment, they might be setting themselves up for something more baleful.Mark was quiet for a beat before finally giving his verdict. “Henry, send her away right now. You have found and contacted the premier institution for this, yes? Tell them to arrange a personal nursing assistant to look after her, and that I expect only the best care and treatment for her. Finally, keep me posted with updates of her condition.”With an affirmative hum, Henry left the room and began preparing the ride.Later that day, only Henry and Brian drove Shelly to the institution, as Mark had eschewed seeing her off. He worried that he would regret his decision if he went with them, especially when his stance could not help but soften and wither whenever Shelly mentioned her past of living like a prisoner in a cage, with a look of abject terror and despair.Why did
It was at this moment that Arianne let go her hatred toward Shelly.She loved Mark so much that she could not bring herself to hate anything that was his. If Shelly could recover, Arianne decided that she would not mind living under the same roof as her like family.You cannot cling to the past if you want to live beyond it. If the past is all you care about, then you have doomed your future.She sighed. “I’ll stay here by your side, okay? Let’s have the kitchen crew make something for you. After a hearty meal, go to sleep. And throughout this period, I’ll be here with you.”Mark said nothing. In his silence, she gently withdrew her hand from his shoulder and turned toward the stairs.“Henry, please tell the kitchen crew to make some fulfilling but simple dishes for him. He hadn’t slept at all last night, so he needs all the rest he can get.”“Will he really eat it?” Henry whispered. “Were anyone else to try to talk him into it, he wouldn’t possibly have listened. Only you know h
Arianne paused for a beat before clarifying, “Actually? She isn’t your Grandaunt, because she’s really your actual Granny… Bah, never mind. You’re too young to get me even if I explained it to you. Just wait till you’re all grown up, and you’ll get to dive into all of these juicy, messy things about the world. For now… wanna go downstairs and play outside? Your favorite slide is still out there in the yard. Mommy will play with you.”Mentioning the slide instantly commanded the young boy’s attention. Living outside the Tremont Estate for so long had made him miss all of the fun doohickeys in his old home.While the boy was knocking his socks off by himself, Mary and Arianne made themselves comfortable on the outdoor lounge chairs. “Phoo, now that a certain someone isn’t here anymore,” Mary said in the middle of their causerie, “The air has never tasted sweeter!”“Mary…it’s all in the past now. Let’s not talk about it anymore, okay?” Arianne intoned helplessly. “Who knows if she’ll t