‘Exhausted you say? Melanie did say that as well…’Alejandro extinguished the cigarette in his hands and suddenly leaped up to grab onto Mateo’s collar. “Don’t you dare put that expression on your face as if you know her very well!”Mateo calmly released himself from Alejandro’s grasps. “I don’t know her very well, just a little bit more than you do, that’s all. I came back because of someone, but it’s not her, so you can be rest assured.”This time, Alejandro did not have Jett stop Mateo when he tried to leave. Before Mateo left, he told them that he wouldn’t tell Melanie about their meeting.The next day.Arianne got off work in the afternoon and had intended on inviting Mark to Mateo’s Cantonese restaurant for lunch, but she ended up having to go alone, since he had sudden business to attend to.Unsurprisingly, during the second day of the restaurant’s opening, business was still booming similar to the first day. However, Arianne was lucky that she could be served, so she chos
Arianne was slightly surprised. ‘The woman’s already married and has a child, yet Mateo still came all this way especially for her. Why does he sound like he’s planning to steal the woman?’ However, Arianne did not dare to voice her thoughts, so she could only be as subtle as possible. “She… She’s already married and has a child? In that case… What kind of outcome are you hoping for? Could it be… you’re hoping for her to get a divorce and be with you?”However, Mateo merely shook his head. “I don’t expect her to be with me. In the past, just one look at her was enough to make me want to protect her, yet I kept stopping myself from doing so. I’ve waited for a hug from her for so many years… All I want is just a hug. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”Arianne heaved a sigh of relief. “Just a hug? That’s easy. Since she’s the light of your life, then I’m sure the two of you know each other. Therefore, since the two of you have known each other for so many years, I’m sure she wou
Mark had never divulged on his past relationships, and he did not intend to let loose a whiff of a clue now. “You said so yourself. How is it plausible that someone like me could ever deign to pine for anyone? As if there’s anyone in this world who’s worthy.”‘As if anyone’s worthy’? What, not even Arianne herself was worthy?!She swung a fist gently at him. “Oh, sorry I’ve asked, then! I forgot that none of us mortals deserve someone as highfalutin and above-it-all as you. Yep, none whosoever deserve your immortal affection; nope, nada, zilch!”Anyone who could read between the lines would hear her offended undertone. Yet, Mark seemed to have committed one of the cardinal sins the male species was sometimes accused of—either their crippling inability to interpret things beyond their literal meaning, or their inclination to feign that inability. “Do refrain from stating the obvious.”Arianne was miffed. “Oh, so even I’m unworthy, then? Someone’s making this seem as if I was the one
“I heard you, Arianne. I’ll talk to him about this with my attitude in check. Then, later, I’ll be eating with you and Tiffany at Teo’s place. I don’t give a damn about what he thinks. I’m gonna go there with my head held high, and I’m gonna let him know myself!”Just like that, Melanie terminated their call, leaving Arianne with her mind dancing on pins and needles. What had she done? She was the one who brought this up, which meant that if a heated altercation between Melanie and Alejandro broke out, part of it was on her.Meanwhile, Melanie wasted not a minute more before driving all the way to Alejandro’s office. Despite it being a weekend, he was working overtime again. The man was renowned for being doggedly focused on his work, which likely stemmed from his troubled life experience in the past. Knowing full well that the survival of the Smith family’s wealth and legacy was on his shoulders, while he still had much to learn and do, Alejandro usually sacrificed his weekends away
Melanie seemed to have read Arianne’s mind. “No, Arianne. This has got nothing to do with you. Even if you kept this a secret from me, I would have found out about this, so don’t think this happened because of you,” she pointed out. “In fact, I’m happy and grateful... You didn’t choose to be biased toward him despite his connection to you. If we really think about this… He’s your brother-in-law, isn’t he? He’s family. I’m not.”Melanie’s analysis of their complex relationship had reached a depth beyond Arianne’s cognizance, and it made her feel pretty ashamed of herself. Frankly, she had never once cared for Alejandro the way a decent sister-in-law was supposed to do, particularly since Mark did not exactly enjoy the warmest of kinship with him. Granted, with a backdrop as charged and tumultuous as that, Arianne felt as though she could never be a good sister-in-law even if she tried.Mateo was always in his restaurant these few days, but at least he was not as busy as he used to be
Mateo’s body immediately stilled. When he whipped his face upward to consider Melanie, his signature practiced grin was completely absent. “How did you… know?”Melanie breathed a quiet sigh. She was relieved; it turned out that Mateo was not pining for her, and yet, she could not help but be simultaneously worried for the path her old friend seemed poised to tread. “Your friend can tell, Teo. And unless I’m mistaken, our reunion in the supermarket wasn’t a coincidence at all, was it? You planned for it. I was never the reason that compelled you to come back; that had always been Arianne,” she said. “You knew Arianne’s my friend, so you used me to help make you closer to her. I don’t mind being used this way, Teo, but I think I should warn you—Mark Tremont’s wife isn’t someone you should set your eyes on. Ever.”He curled his lips into a flitting, pained smile. “I know, I know. I’ve never harbored any funny ideas either, if this helps. But, seriously, how did you piece it together?
Upon reaching the estate, Alejandro disembarked and went straight into the house.Melanie tailed him nonchalantly. The quieter he was, the more it boded ill, like the calm before a storm. It was simply not Alejandro’s nature to be so quiet, especially since the tirade Melanie had recounted to Jett should have lit up his fuse and caused him to erupt twice over.Hearing their footsteps, Melissa sprung out to meet them. “Daddy! Mommy!”Alejandro lifted the little girl into his arms and pecked her on the cheek. “Daddy’s a bit tired today; gotta catch some rest. You will have to play alone today, Millie.”Melanie, however, waved at the girl. “Come here. Mommy will be your playmate today.”Alejandro later vanished into the stairs without asking her anything or even showing the telltale signs of an incoming altercation.Melanie was starting to feel the dissonance of him being out-of-character. How was a man so known for his hair-triggering temper suddenly as calm as still water?While
Just look at the other kids! All of them were holding their parents’ hands as they regarded the foreign environment with childlike repulsion. Only a handful of them seemed to welcome the brave, new world sprawling before them.Mark was already showing signs of bailing out of there. “Seriously, can’t you just bring him inside, leave some words to him, and then mission accomplished, we go home? When it’s time, we come back and take him home. Simple as that,” he suggested. “It’s becoming pretty apparent now, hasn’t it? He’s not the slightest bit ill at ease! I can’t believe your anxiety eclipsed his!”Arianne rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t sugarcoat it; you’re just growing impatient! I can’t believe you’re impatient with your own son! And also, just because he isn’t anxious now doesn’t mean he won’t be missing home after a while. What happens if he starts to cry, huh? Besides, look around you, mister—none of them decided to just leave after dumping their kid here, right? Just be there f
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