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
A child about seven to eight years old had led Arianne away to a place where no other person was in sight. Noticing the kid’s full black getup, she asked, “So, you’re a relative of the Rodriguez family?”“Yeah,” the child nodded. “Um, you know, they told me Mat’s dead, but I’m not very sure about it? Do you think they are being serious? ‘Cause if he’s dead... doesn’t that mean Mat’s never coming back?”Arianne found herself too hard-pressed to answer him. She could not bear to cut into a child’s hope with a blade as cruel and blunt as reality.The duo continued forward until the funeral almost faded out of sight. Arianne stopped in midtrack in confusion and took off her mask. “Where are we going, honey? You told me someone’s looking for me, yeah? Where’s that person now?”The child looked around them, his head swinging wildly. “Hey... wait a minute! This is the place, though! OK, is that guy ditching us?”Arianne was just about to say something when a pair of hands suddenly reache
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