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
Mark had brought with him a plethora of toys, which delighted Smore so much that he hopped in joy. Pleased, the man picked the kid in his arms and played with him for a bit, before finally admitting, “I thought the two of you would be at home, but it turns out no one was. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my key.”Arianne stepped forward in an attempt to open the door. However, fishing around her handbag for minutes had not produced her key, either, which bummed her out. “So did I. Call Mary, then. She’s probably grocery-shopping or something.”Mark did not look at all surprised. “Already did; she’s on her way back. She told me you left your key at home, too. Anyway, since you’re disinclined to eat out tonight, I figured I’d come over and have dinner at your place instead!… Hmm. You don’t seem very delighted, do you?”Delighted? How was she supposed to be “delighted”?Arianne leaned her back against the door and cast her eyes to the floor, avoiding his gaze. “There’s nothing for me
Mark, growing suspicious, shouted in the direction of the kitchen, “Ari, get over here!”Arianne pretended not to hear him, which prompted Mary to admonish, “Say something, dear. Before Mr. Tremont gets all miffed—”Arianne tossed the vegetable in her hand into a pool of water that formed in the sink. “He can be pissed off all he wants; I’m not scared! In fact, I’m the one who should be pissed! If he wanna, he can scram the hell back to the Tremont Estate and throw his tantrum there and save me from his stupid show of dominance! You might be scared of him, but I’m definitely not!”Her voice was so sonorous that Mary panicked at the thought of Mark hearing her. “Jesus H. Christ, turn down your boombox! What’s gotten into you? All I’ve been seeing is how normal Mr. Tremont has been acting—for Pete’s sake, he still buys you and Smore all these nifty knickknacks! How can something like that miff you at all? Gee, you’re crabbier and crabbier, aren’t you?”Not about to subject herself to