After that, Alejandro carried Millie outside without saying another word.While they ate, Melanie casually asked, “How are things with the Larks?”Alejandro answered back just as casually, “We’re currently in the midst of discussing their acquisition. They aren’t letting up at the moment, but I think they won’t be able to continue holding on much longer.”Then, Melanie remained silent. Alejandro suddenly asked, “That’s it? I thought you would’ve said something else.”Melanie snickered. “What else can I say? It’s their own fault that things have developed up to this stage. Even if you hadn’t stepped in, Jackson probably wouldn’t have gone easy on them either. I’m not that saintly; I can’t even say what’s going to happen to me, let alone worry about them. Moreover… Even if I begged you, you wouldn’t help the Larks anyway, so what’s there for me to say when I already know the outcome? Even if you help me defend the Larks, they’re still in the wrong, so if you go up against the Wests a
When Melanie saw Alejandro approaching her, she instinctively avoided him just as she felt his breath on her lips. “I’m tired, I would like to get some sleep. You’ve probably got a lot to do in the office tomorrow as well, don’t you? Get some rest.”Alejandro lowered his raised hand. “Fine…”He had never liked to fulfill his urges by force.When Arianne arrived at her office on Monday, she received Sylvain’s invitation. He and Robin were going to be married soon. Just as Arianne received the invitation, Sylvain emphasized as he said, “I was already planning to do this, not trying to rush behind you and Mr. Tremont. Whatever happened at your wedding was purely an accident… Don’t take it to heart.”Arianne glared at Sylvain. “Do I seem like the kind who would overthink things? I think my wedding with Mark was rather perfect; there’s nothing for me to regret about since he put in his all. As for Tiffany's accident, it doesn’t matter to me in the slightest. Relax, I’ll definitely be th
Helpless, Arianne relented and accepted her mission.It was time for lunch. She declined Mark’s invitation and dragged Robin to a cozy little Chinese restaurant for the break.After taking their seats and making their orders, Arianne feigned her tone to be non-committal as she asked, “So… How come you and Sylvain haven’t tried adding members to the family yet? He’s more than old enough to be a father while you’re just the right age. You know what it’s like: better have children early while the body’s at its prime than to wait until you’re thirty-odd years old and life’s fraught with uncertainties. By then, your body’s state might not be as optimum for childbearing, too.”Robin was a little skeptical of her intention. “Hey… Wait a minute. This isn’t because Sylvain’s asking, is it?”Arianne’s mind scrambled in slight panic, but outwardly, she doubled down on her pretense of casualness. “Wha-wha-what? Oh, nooooo. Why would he make me ask you something like that? Noooo way. I was just
Sylvain sank into silence. He had thought that giving Ursula a separate place to stay, away from his family, would help circumvent many of these problems, but now, it seemed that his hope to escape was premature. He knew the exact opinions and thoughts Ursula harbored toward the Coxes. This was why, in the past, Sylvain had been adamant that a relationship, an affair between two persons, would ultimately need to subsist on the blessings of those around the couple. To marry without other people’s blessings was to unite against all odds—especially the most difficult ones.Sylvain made his choice long ago. And come hell or high water, he was not going to bend his knee.Arianne patted his shoulder good-naturedly, hoping to give him comfort and a morale boost. Unfortunately, before her hand left him, Mark—who just stepped inside the office at that moment—caught her.One could almost see lightning flashing on his stormy expression. “Arianne Wynn. My office, now!”Sylvain was pulled back
A certain someone stepped inside with a bouquet of flaming red roses. He placed them on the table in front of her and announced, “Someone gave this to me. Frankly, I have no love for it, so it’s yours now.”Arianne spied the bouquet with a side-eye. The flowers’ freshness was so overwhelming and evident that there was no way he did not buy it for her. Yet, the same man wanted to pretend otherwise just to save his thin skin!“Urgh, I don’t like it. Throw it away.”Mark turned exasperated. “Why you—don’t step out of line!”She scowled at him. “Hey, hey, hey! You said ‘someone’ gave you this bouquet, and you only gave it to me because you yourself don’t want it. And now I’m telling you I don’t want it either—how’s that ‘stepping out of line’, huh? If anything, you’re stepping out of your line by giving away a beautiful gift someone clearly took pains to give you! Though I have to wonder… Which young lady dares present you such bright red roses, hmm? They’re so fiery red, I can see the
Back in the Smith Estate, Melanie was feeding her daughter dinner. Alejandro would not be having his dinner at home today, which was hardly surprising.Him calling Melanie in advance about it, though, was incredibly abnormal.Truthfully, Melanie was cognizant of the aberration underpinning their interactions lately, and—to her dismay—it was rendering her closer to vacillating about the divorce she had so wanted to see through.It was at this moment that the nanny suddenly hurriedly came to her. “Madam? Your family is outside the gate. They say they are here to see you, but… should we let them in?”Melanie could see more than an air of urgency from the nanny. There was fear thrown into it. She rose, shot a quick glance out of the window, and found herself staring at not only her mother, but also the rest of the family: her father, her two older brothers, and other relatives who were shareholders of the Larks’ company. There were at least a dozen people in the mob.Melanie held no d
Nikolai spat at the ground. “Get out of our way, or don’t blame me for extending my courtesy to you, Dad! Don’t squawk about disrespect by then!”Mr. Lark’s eyes widened in lividity. “You dare lay your hands on your old man?! I'm still your goddamn Pa! You may have your harpy of a mother cheering you on for being a paragon of jacka**es, but don’t mistake that as authority to do anything you like, you insolent brat! Christ, you’re a carbon copy of your mother! I shouldn’t be surprised though; a child takes after the parent who raises them, after all, and right now, you’re an embarrassment and I wish you were never born!”Nikolai clenched his teeth, his hateful eyes zeroing in on Melanie. In his mind, he had already equated every fault as her doing. One look at Nikolai’s face was enough to tell anyone that he wanted to tear her into pieces with his bare hands.Finally, Melanie’s second eldest brother, Miklan, yanked his big brother by his shoulder. “Nikolai, snap out of it. This is yo
On the other end of the phone, Alejandro was rushing home as he yelled, “Don’t listen to her; tell the guards to do their thing! I’m rushing home already!”Alejandro’s words were the shot of confidence the nanny needed. She immediately pushed open the window and yelled, “Protect Madam! Retaliate against whoever hit her—this is our boss’s order! He is coming home as we speak!”The guards acted instantly. They swarmed toward the mob-surrounded Melanie and liberated her, who was already covered by battered marks and bruises. Mr. Lark, who had thrown himself forward to protect her, looked no better.On a distant end, neither Nikolai nor Miklan had emerged victorious in their fight. Mrs. Lark just could not break them up.The Larks and the guards resigned into a shouting Mexican standoff for about fifteen minutes before the shrieks of tires on brakes scraped against the atmosphere. Alejandro’s car had screeched into a stop right outside the gate. There was a very evident dent on its bum