There was a stoplight ahead. Aristotle stopped the car while it was red and gazed outside the window, his eyes grazing the stream of traffic. “Nothing of importance. Just the usual load of bull that never fails to irritate me.”He had had a rather strained relationship with Mark since he was a kid. More specifically, after he was three.All these years, the Tremonts’ father and son were connected only by a thin thread, formed from distant phone calls and nothing else. Even if they had enjoyed a close bond before the incident, the fact that it had been so loosely maintained for so long could only have sped up its deterioration.Every challenge, quandary, and storm Aristotle encountered in life, the young man had to brave through alone for nineteen long years. That was it; the toll of Mark’s steadfast commitment as a husband was negligence to his duty as a father. Aristotle had tried to be as charitable as he could, but it was an especially tall order when Aristotle himself suffered
There was something infectious about Cynthia’s smile that made Aristotle’s lips quiver on his own. “Please, I’m only tolerating your noise because it’s you. If it were literally anyone else—well, I’d make sure they don't croak at all when I’m around. Come on.”They returned to the Tremont Estate, and from there, Cynthia got into her car and drove away. Aristotle stood by the door. He watched the car vanish into the distance before turning back into the house.He was not the only audience, however, for another figure had been peering from the window upstairs, watching.“Had she taken her lunch, Agnes?” Aristotle asked his housekeeper.Agnes shot a helpless glance in the direction of the room upstairs. “Uh, she hasn’t. Miss Leigh informed me she’s feeling unwell today, and hadn’t gotten the appetite. Really, the only meal she had today up until now is… well, a bowl of oatmeal she didn’t even finish,” the woman replied. “Um… She looks really pallid, Master Tremont. Could she have
Agnes let out a hum of assent and headed back into the kitchen, her mind already back to her duties.It was then that, suddenly, Raven descended the stairs from the first floor. Her body, already frail, seemed to have become a lot more enervated by whatever diseases that plagued her. Even her gait gave the impression that walking itself was too strenuous for her if she did not help herself via the handrail.“Ares! Where are you going?” she called out.Aristotle paused in the middle of changing his shoes. “Dinner. Is there a problem? If you’re feeling really sick, I’ll order someone to send you to the hospital right now.”Fear undergirded her eyes. “No, I don’t want to go to the hospital. You know it’s incurable, Ares. It won’t help, and I’m stuck like this forever. It’s just that… You brought me to a place that is very alien to me, and being alone gives me anxiety, you know? Must you go? Can’t you keep my company, please…?”Her tone was so feeble, so close to pleading, that most m
Since that incident, Raven’s daily expenses had become Aristotle’s responsibility. This was especially germane due to the injuries she suffered, as they hamstrung her so much that she could no longer resume her part-time work to survive. Taking her under his wing was the least he could do. Since she temporarily lost the ability to care for herself, he invited her to move into his luxury mansion in France. Then came the time for Aristotle to return home, and he brought her along as well.Granted, if he had any other choice, he would not have chosen to do this, either—Aristotle was used to being by himself. Having an additional member by his side felt awkward.Raven Leigh started out as his compatriot, but at a young age, her mother married a French man. Shortly after, she brought young Raven with her abroad. One day her mother died, and she soon found it rendered her invisible to her stepfather’s eyes. The young woman began living on her own for several years before getting into the
Cynthia stuck her tongue out at Jackson before turning to take a sip of the wine, letting its sweetness pervade her tongue. She fell in love with it at first taste. “Mm, it’s good!”Aristotle’s lips curled slightly. “Don’t drink too much.”Tiffany considered him and mulled her question over for a while, before finally asking, “So… You tied down to a girl yet?”That came out of nowhere. Aristotle had to reel back a little after his initial bewilderment. “Wha? No. Of course not. Why did you ask?” he replied. “I’m afraid my busy life has provided me no luxury of time to look for one.”Cynthia’s tongue moved on its own. “But you brought a girl back home already,” she blurted out. “How’s that a no?”Aristotle seemed a little helpless. “No, you misunderstand. She’s just a schoolmate. A bit more than an acquaintance, but not much. Her stay is temporary.”Tiffany let out a long sigh of relief. “Ohhhhh! Well, that’s good news! I really thought you were taken.”Sitting next to her, Jackso
Cynthia cowered beside Papa Jackson, shivering like a kitten. “But Mom! Ares just came back after so many years! We haven’t hung out with each other for so long, it’s only normal if things get a lil’, you know, awkward? Weird? Not used to each other? But I’m sure that given time, we’ll just be back to normal again!” she protested. “Besides, what happens if he doesn’t like me that way? What am I supposed to do, then? This isn’t the kind of thing I should control, right? Like… what if he’s always seen me as his little sister growing up?”Jackson, contrasting his wife, turned out to be a lot more zen about these things. “C’mon. Rest your heart, Tiffie. Let the kids explore and develop their love life at their own pace, okay? We parents have no business sticking our hands into their business. Besides, Aristotle said it already—Rey is just a schoolmate who’s taken up a temporary lodge at his place. She’s just not his girlfriend.”The longer Tiffany stared, the more this father-daughter du
Bringing up that subject was deliberate. Raven needed to rouse the guilt inside Aristotle, after all.The man sighed helplessly and slid his hand out of hers quietly. “I’ve never once thought of you that way, all right? I know it wasn’t for money—never mind. Perhaps we shouldn’t discuss something so far off into the future,” he said. “I’m going to bed. Need to rise early tomorrow.”Raven knew that the most important matter to him at hand was the company he was about to inherit. “Let me join you tomorrow! I know there will be some things I can help you with. You’ve just come back, so it’s only logical that you might be lacking in manpower. I can help with that!” she volunteered. “Bonus point? You don’t even have to pay me a single cent.”Admittedly, she hit the nail on the head—Aristotle was in need of human resources. But of course, Raven’s sickly constitution made him balk at considering her for the job. “I think you should sooner focus on your health for now. When you’re finally w
Raven greeted the assembly with a smile. “Thank you for taking me in.”Melissa was charmed by canned courtesies. She chewed her gum with a new air of contempt and blew a large bubble. “Puh-lease. The only people who could join this company are the real deal with skills to back ‘em up, man, they deserve to be here. No one’s ‘taken in’,” she stated sharply. “Read the room, new gal. Can’t you see we’re trying to host an internal meeting here? Outsiders who are not part of the group, here’s the door.”Raven, sensing Melissa’s acute hostility, tried to contain the unfurling self-consciousness inside of her as she walked out of the office.Melanie poked her daughter on the back of her head. “What was that? That was your cousin’s classmate you’ve just chagrined. Please, at least show some decent reception.”Melissa felt not even the slightest tinge of guilt. “Hey, I was only spitting facts. This is a family meeting. Why is she standing there gawking at us like a dumba**?”That immensely