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
The first thing that came to Arianne’s mind was, “Why? You’re planning a wedding between you and Robin?”Sylvain smiled cryptically and danced around the answer. “Ask me no questions, mate. Just be my co-conspirator.”Arianne deliberately turned her eyes away from the magazine. “Nope, you can’t make me unless you tell me what this is for. You can’t afford to not get my opinion, right? We women know each other the best, pal, which means anything you pick for Robin might not hit her sweet spot. Am I right?”“Alright, alright! Sheesh, it’s true, okay?” Sylvain relented. “Remember how Robin asked for nothing when we married? Lately, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve come to the conclusion that you just gotta have an actual wedding, you know? It’s the kind of thing that usually happens only once in a lifetime; quite a pity if a pretty lady never got to put on a gorgeous bridal gown at least once in her life, man. Sometimes, skipping the ceremonial trappings isn’t always the right cal
Arianne sneered quietly and turned her head away to look at the road outside. “Nowhere! I don’t wanna go anywhere at all.”Mark finally caught on. “Hmm? Is there something on your mind? You’re a little bilious, aren’t you? Did I chaff you in any way?… I didn’t, right?”Arianne might not be able to tell him what was on her mind outright, but the fact that he had to ask at all made her feel even glummer. “No, you didn’t. And I’m not ‘bilious’, okay? You think I’d dare be bilious around you? Let’s just go back to eating, shall we? I still have plenty of drafts I haven’t finished, and I need to get back there.”To her frustration, Mark did exactly as she said! He went straight back into carving his steaks with (strangely) rapt attention!Arianne was so exasperated that she almost let out a loud “urrghh!”. Was this not the same guy usually known for his acumen? Why could he not read her mind right now? Fine, then—let’s see if he could go through his life without ever mentioning restorin
Tiffany did not think Jackson looked like he was lying, so she dismissed him with a wave. “Okey-dokey, then. You can go back to making tea now. Oh, make one of them a little bit lighter on the taste, please? That will be for me. And also, don’t listen in on our conversation, hon—we’re discussing womanly secrets. It’s the kind of stuff y’all boys are forbidden to hear.”Jackson laughed. “As if I’m interested to begin with! I wouldn’t want to listen to ‘em even if you wanted me to!”Since she got no lead from Jackson, Tiffany was just as at a loss of explanation now. “I don’t know how to say this properly, but Ari… You know what men are like, right? They are animals, you catch my drift? You said he hadn’t been seeing you or Smore for a while, and he keeps saying he’s got something to mind every day after work… Like, what work, man? Is he really so damn busy that he can’t even send you home? He’s not even talking about restoring y’all’s marriage anymore, the hell does that mean?… An aff
Tiffany was starting to get a bad feeling creeping up on her. “Are you suggesting… that he had a change of heart? But I’ve always thought—I mean, he’s always been pretty damn loyal, right?” she wondered aloud before adding, “Hey, look, even if there’s nothing between the two of you, and you can’t work in his company anymore, you still have your café, remember? You’re not exactly unemployed or in need of welfare assistance. You’ll definitely be capable of raising Smore. Besides, you’re uber-talented, Ari. There are gonna be lotsa companies who want you to be in their team, you can count on it! If I were you, I’d never worry. But ultimately, I think you should at least ask him and, well, see if he has really lost interest. If it’s true, you can start packing up and skedaddle outta’ there instead of wasting your precious youth with him, and get yourself a better man to marry.”Jackson, with teas on a tray, walked in at the right moment and caught his wife’s last few words. “What are you