Seeing that Arianne was keeping quiet, Mary said with a smile. “Ah, you’re still young. You’ve been staying by sir’s side since you’re a little girl. You’re just like a carefully cared for rose that hasn’t seen much of the outside world. Once you go out into the world and see enough people and men, you’ll understand this. Sir might not be the nicest to women, but he’s certainly not mean to them. I can see there’s something going on with Aery and sir, but if Aery had met with an accident, I don’t think he would’ve rushed to the hospital and stayed the night.”Arianne did not want to speak about this so she quickly changed the topic. “Mary, did you arrange for someone to take care of Rice Ball on my behalf? It was raining so heavily last night, and the wind was so strong. It must have been terrified, being left in the backyard.”Mary slapped her leg. “Aiyah, I forgot! I was so worried about you all night and didn’t get a good sleep. I had a nagging feeling that I’ve forgotten something.
With what happened to Arianne last night, Tiffany did not get a good sleep. She had been yawning frequently while she was at work. She finally persevered until the end of office hours and was about to leave when she felt an oppressive force behind her. She whipped around and saw Jason who looked a lot taller than her now that he was looming over her while she sat.“Oh, always slacking during work hours but leaving as soon as work hours end, huh? I heard the supervisor said you made a mistake with an important document today. I was even notified about it. What do you think I should do?” Jackson said with a smirk.“I… I didn’t get a good rest last night. I’ve already rectified my mistakes. It’s a great virtue being able to admit to one’s mistake and rectify it. Don’t pick on me, okay?” Tiffany did not dare to show her dissatisfaction. After all, she should apologize since she was at fault.When Jackson saw her giving in, he could not help but continue to tease her. “Didn’t I tell you tha
After a moment, Arianne asked, “What about Rice Ball? How is it?”Without meeting her eyes, Mark simply answered, “Pretty good.”Arianne heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I saw the weather forecast that it’ll be windy and raining recently.” Then, she asked tentatively, “Can… Can you allow Rice Ball into the house? It’s quite stupid. It doesn’t know how to hide from the rain... ”Mark glanced at her. “It’s pretty stupid. It can enter the house as long as it doesn’t come near me.”Mark’s attitude was a lot better compared to before. This was a good sign. Arianne felt relieved since Rice Ball would not have to suffer. Since she had decided to take care of it, she must take responsibility for it.Jackson watched their interaction from the side without saying anything. A nurse came in to perform a routine checkup on Arianne and took her temperature. When she saw Jackson and Tiffany, she could not help chuckling. “Mr. West, I was wondering why you were so generous. I see that it’s for t
After some time, Arianne could not withstand it anymore. “Go back. You must be busy too. You look like you haven’t slept well. I don’t need anyone here. Mary’s coming in a while anyway.”Mark ignored her and took out his phone to occupy himself.She had unintentionally browsed Mark’s phone. There was no form of entertainment in there; everything was work related. Any document in there was packed with words. It hurt her head.After a while, Mary finally came. Arianne breathed a sigh of relief and asked her to come closer to tell her softly, “I need to use the bathroom…”Mary almost choked herself on laughter. “Isn’t sir here for if you need to use the bathroom? You’re husband and wife. What are you afraid of? Did you hold it in, just waiting for me to get here? Why would you do such a thing!”Arianne became flustered and did not dare to look at Mark’s expression. She had whispered it so quietly, but why did Mary not understand her intention and shouted it instead?Perhaps to avoid the a
Arianne thought that the name was familiar. She pondered for a long time while looking at Nina’s pretty face, which was caked with makeup, and finally recalled where she’d heard it. “I know you, you’re Uncle Moran’s daughter.”That was right. She was Charles Moran’s daughter, Nina Moran. When she ate with Charles during the business trip with Mark, the older man had mentioned Nina at the table.Charles and the Tremonts went way back. He was someone Mark respected, somewhat of an elder figure.Nina smiled easily. “Great. The guards at the gate wouldn’t allow me to go in. I could only wait here. I tried calling Mark, but the call didn’t connect. He’s probably busy.”Arianne asked the guard to open the gate while Nina hauled a large suitcase from the trunk without anyone’s help. Arianne thought that it made her like the girl a little more. Nina’s figure was wonderful. She had the proportions of a super model and was half a head taller than Arianne.When they entered the house, Nina left h
When it was time for lunch and Nina had yet to come downstairs, Mary could not help going up to check. She promptly came down with a long face. “Ari, is this Nina Moran girl here to snatch your man? It’s forgivable if she showered in the room, but what’s up with her sleeping on the bed while wrapped in nothing but a towel? In all the years that I’ve worked for the Tremonts, I’ve never met a woman so immodest here! She’s even using sir’s towel! Revolting! I’ll throw everything out after this!”Arianne frowned. She would be lying if she said that she did not mind. Even if it wasn’t Mark’s room, it was still also her personal room. She would definitely mind a stranger using her bathroom and bed, plus sleeping in just a towel. Moreover, she was further repulsed when she recalled Mark wearing that towel. He had used it. Even if it had been washed, it was still…“Mary, wake Nina up for lunch. She needs to get up. Let her sleep in the guest room after lunch. Clean the master bedroom after thi
Nina mumbled an agreement and went to the kitchen for food. After that, she got changed and went out.Mary complained as she cleaned the master bedroom. The moment Arianne lay down, she felt incredibly content. She used to hate sleeping on this bed, but she hadn’t expected to have gotten used to it now.No one knew how long it had been when loud noises came from downstairs. There was the sound of the door being slammed and the click-clack of heels against the floor. Arianne was woken up, with her head feeling like a mess. Unhappy, she checked the time and saw that it was four in the morning…She did not have to guess to know that Nine was back, not that she could say anything. She could not even throw a tantrum. Covering her head, she went back to sleep.She got up at ten the next morning and Mary grumbled to her once she did. “Nina came back at four in the morning and was so drunk, she vomited all the way. Downstairs, the staircase, everywhere. It’s disgusting. Sir will be mad if he f
“It’s windy today. Don’t stand here. Go back and lie down. Ask Mary to send your meal to the room.” Mark went to Arianne and stuffed Rice Ball into her arms.Arianne was stunned once more. He had disallowed her from eating in the room, citing improper manners in the past. Now, he was the first to suggest it.In the heat of the moment, Arianne asked, “Can Rice Ball come into the room? It hasn’t seen me all day, I’m afraid that…”Mark halted his steps slightly. “Don’t ask for too much. If I see it, I’ll throw it away.”His tone was not stern, but rather, casual. There was a ghost of a grin on Arianne. Did he mean that she could bring it in as long as he did not see it?Arianne did not have her dinner in the room out of self-consciousness. It wasn’t like she couldn't move.Nina was chattering at the dining table ceaselessly. “Mark, you’re still the same after so many years. I thought men turn fat and ugly when they reach thirty, but you’re growing the opposite, still as charming as ever e
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