Mark had actually noticed Arianne’s abnormal behaviour over the past two days. He pondered for a moment before he said, “Ari, no matter what others think of me, I hope that you will believe me when I say that Mateo’s death has got nothing to do with me. I haven’t done anything to him. You don’t have to feel guilty about this matter when it has got nothing to do with you at all. I hope that you’ll… be able to have a good rest.”In fact, Arianne did feel a little guilty; the suspicions she had against Mark had always been there. That had always been true even if Mark had already personally told her that he did not do it.However, Arianne suddenly believed him from the bottom of the heart at that moment. ‘He might be cruel in his tactics, but he wouldn’t cover up and deny whatever he’s done. It’s just as he said: if he’s done it, he’ll admit it, and there’s no need to hide the fact. What other reasons do I have not to believe him?’“I trust you. Mateo’s death has got nothing to do with
Soon after, a group of security guards rushed to the garage. Inevitably, there would be some form of physical struggle during the process. However, some of the paparazzi actually took the opportunity to record the process and then state that the security guards were “exerting violence” on them, reporting live that Mark was allowing his men to do so on purpose.Arianne felt both angry and helpless. ‘Would they even listen to our explanation if we were to talk nicely? Would they be willing to leave after that? The only choice is to act, but the moment that’s done, they’ll treat it as violence. What the h*ll do they want?!’While Arianne remained frozen, there were numerous times where she resisted her own urge to get out of the car to argue with the paparazzi. ‘It’d be better to let the matter die out on its own. The moment I get out of the car, the situation will only get even more out of hand.’After struggling for a long time, the paparazzi were finally chased out of the garage. Th
When Arianne returned to her car, Brian hesitantly said, “Madam, why did you come here? If it’s this place… It could only mean that you’re here to find out more about Mateo Rodriguez’s matter, couldn’t it?”Arianne merely shook her head. “No, you’d be better off not asking. Let’s go back now.”Brian did not believe her, however, and continued on that topic. “Madam, you couldn’t possibly start to doubt sir’s innocence in Mateo’s murder, could you? I’m sure there is someone who knows about this matter within the Tremonts. Why don’t you ask Henry since he’s sir’s most trusted person? At least you wouldn’t have to feel bad that way.”Arianne half jokingly said, “Wouldn’t asking Henry be a complete waste of effort? Whatever Mark has asked him to do, he will never breathe a single word about it and will bring it to his grave.”Brian was deemed speechless. He could not come up with another comment even after pondering for a moment.Then, Arianne sighed. “That’s enough; I do trust Mark. I
Arianne did not reply to what Melanie had just said. ‘I’ll definitely feel some kind of mental pressure since the matter happened close to me.’The weather was pretty humid that day, and feeling a little suffocated, Arianne took off her mask.The moment the scar on Arianne’s face showed, Melanie asked in shock, “What happened to your face? I was wondering why you were wearing a mask even under this hot summer’s day, but I just thought you were down with the flu and didn’t want your son to get infected!”Arianne determined that there was no need to hide her face from Melanie, since the latter definitely would not tell Mark anything. “If I told you that I was abducted by Mateo’s mom, would you believe me? I almost died in her hands and it was Mateo’s friend, Geralt, who saved me. Geralt’s the medical examiner who verified the finger belonging to Mateo; you might know him. Mark doesn’t know about this matter. I didn’t dare tell him because I don’t intend to pursue the matter.”Melanie
After listening to that, Arianne felt her heart becoming tighter. She did not even dare to think of how the kidnappers had tortured Mateo to death before chopping off his finger.When she saw how bold Geralt was as he walked past the cordon to enter the bloody crime scene, Arianne was slightly worried. “Wouldn’t you contaminate the crime scene?”Geralt stopped in his tracks to look at her before gesturing her forward. “Don’t worry, the investigation here is done. The cordon will be removed at any moment. The thing that I wanted to show you is here.”Arianne frowned as she hesitantly walked a few steps forward; within the cordoned area was a wooden chair that was filled with dust. There were also some pieces of rope scattered and blood splatters that had already begun to turn black. The scene before her was extremely chilling to the bone.Then, Geralt bent down as he slowly pulled away a piece of rock that was as big as his fist. “Look here.”Arianne went forward and saw some scrat
At that moment, Arianne only had one thought in her head. However, it was neither to leave Mark, nor be fearful of him. She only wanted to protect him!“Geralt… can you… not report these markings? Just turn a blind eye to this. After all… it’s just some very messy markings that somehow form an ‘M’. We will never know whether this was left here by accident or if it was deliberate. Plus, this won’t be concrete evidence to evict Mark… There are so many words that can be formed with an ‘M’, so how could you be sure that it’s directed at Mark?!”Geralt frowned. “Are you really going to… defend Mark senselessly? I’m not saying this because I’m siding with Teo, but it’s all because… you’re the woman that my best friend has fancied for so many years. I’m only advising you because of Teo. Are you really going to wait for the day you finally die in Mark’s hands?”Determination filled Arianne’s eyes. “He would never lay a hand on me, and even if he does, I won’t regret protecting him. Isn’t th
Mark’s gentle look made Arianne recall Geralt’s words. ‘Would Mark really kill me? Would he be as cruel as he is to others…’Then, Arianne unexpectedly asked, “If I were to do something you find intolerable, would you want me dead?”Mark was slightly startled before he answered. “No, if I couldn't tolerate it anymore, I’d just get a divorce. Why would I need to take your life? Get some rest, I’ll take a shower now.”‘A divorce you say…‘If it really comes to that, would he really be able to divorce so easily?’As she heard the sound of rushing water, Arianne laid in bed and raised her hand. Then, she followed the messy markings that Mateo left as she drew in the air. ‘It would really be hard to carve out the word “Mark” if a person was dying, so is that why only an “M” was left behind?’…Mateo’s body still had yet to be found, so the Rodriguezes could not wait any longer. A month later after the incident, they announced that they would conduct a funeral for him. Arianne found
En route to Mateo’s funeral, Arianne passed by the man’s Chinese restaurant.The day was still young, so naturally, the shop had not opened, and at that moment it looked rather barren. Empty, even.As empty as a place would be when its master was gone, Arianne reckoned.She put on a pair of shades and a mask once she reached her destination to avoid recognition. Although many had shown up to pay their last respect, which should make her stand out even less, Arianne still felt a little antsy and unsafe about her appearance.The ever-perceptive Melanie quickly located Arianne despite the volume of people after a careful glance. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement and had a simple exchange.And then they let silence drown them both.As below, so above. Grey overcast hung above the crowd today, with none of the sun’s light in sight. The air was sultry; it was as though a dollop of the endless dark clouds in the sky had taken to cling to every attendant, squeezing against the