The cloud of daze that hung above Arianne dispersed immediately when she heard the sound of the pages of a book being turned. “I can’t go out. You know my situation. You go ahead and send my regards.”Tiffany sounded a little dejected. “Alright then… I’ll ask him what’s going on when we meet. How can there be an accident out of the blue? If it’s really the Galenas, I won’t forgive them!”Arianne’s conscience clawed at her, she was feeling guilty on Mark’s behalf. “Sure… Off you go… I haven’t even gotten up from bed. I’m hanging up.” After she hung up, she stayed in bed a little longer before finally going into the bathroom to freshen up.Since she had spent most of her time in bed recently, she discovered her hair had grown longer. It got tangled when she was sleeping last night, and no matter what she did, she could not comb the knots out. Just when she found a pair of scissors and was about to snip it off, a pair of fair hands stopped her.“Give me the hairbrush.”Bewildered, Arianne
Tiffany scoffed. “Your mom and that bitch, Aery. It’s good being rich nowadays. Aery ran her car into you and caused your miscarriage, and yet, here she is, out and about. I thought she would end up in jail for years! Nauseating! They must have spent a lot to bail her out. How could Mark endure this?”Arianne inhaled deeply, not daring to reveal the truth despite her conscience. “She’s my younger sister. We share the same mother. Since mom gave birth to me, I’ll just consider this as repaying her. What were they doing in the hospital anyway?”Tiffany thought about it for a moment before she replied, “It seemed like your mom went there for a health check. She’s got a great life, much better than yours. Her health is good. She doesn’t have many issues despite her age. I heard the doctor said her physical state is even comparable to young girls since she has taken very good care of herself. Tsk, tsk, you better worry about yourself instead.”There was a buzz in Arianne’s head. “Are you su
Soon after, Mark entered the room. “What happened?”Arianne looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Are you with Aery Kinsey because you like her or because you want to seek revenge from me? Hmm? I admit defeat, okay? How much do you hate me to go to this extent? Marrying me then getting together with my half-sister. Not only did you tolerate her killing our child, but you covered for her and helped the Kinseys after the incident. If you really like her, why won’t you let me go? If it’s just for revenge, I surrender. I’m not a worthy opponent. I’ll use my entire lifetime to repay what I owe you. Don’t disgust me with those people anymore!” She took a deep breath before she continued on her tirade, “No matter how abominable I am in your eyes, I’ve already become such a pathetic person! Even I despise myself. My mom… My biological mother colluded with you and covered for Aery Kinsey. My mom told me she had cancer and forced me to plead with you to help the Kinseys. I actually believed her.
When they hung up, Arianne felt inexplicably gratified. It was strange, but nonetheless, she could get used to this feeling. For once, she actually felt the pleasure of revenge. She could understand why Mark liked tormenting her. Did he feel like she did when he watched her being tormented and miserable?“What are you thinking about? Are you hungry? Wanna go down and have something?” Mark did not know what was going through her head but his sudden amiability caught her off guard. “A little but I don’t want to eat downstairs. Have Mary send it to the room…”Mark did not force her to go down. “Go back to bed then.”Lunch was sent to Arianne in the room by Mark, and Rice Ball followed at a leisurely pace as though it was the master of the place.Arianne could see that Mark was afraid of cats. Once Rice Ball touched him, he would freeze up. While she was eating, she asked, “You aren’t allergic to cats so this means you’re afraid of them, right?”“Eat.” He refused to answer her question, b
As Arianne thought of ways to cover for her slip of the tongue, Mark had already lay down next to her. He took her phone away before he said, “Then what kind of tone do you want me to use with you?”Arianne’s face felt a little hot when she caught a whiff of the manly scent that belonged uniquely to him. “Give me back my phone… I’ll sleep after replying to Tiffany.”Mark raised his hand that was holding the phone high up. There was no way she would be able to reach it. “Answer my question first.”Bracing herself, Arianne replied, “I’m not your daughter… What tone do you think you should use?”“Teach me?” Mark looked at her with gleaming eyes.Arianne felt as though doing that was akin to going on a suicide mission. She punched his chest softly and said, “Let’s sleep.”Lo and behold, Mark suddenly swooped down to kiss Arianne’s forehead. “You don’t even know how to act cute. Are you even a woman?” After that, he returned the phone to her before he adjusted himself into a comfortable pos
After breakfast, Arianne and Mark headed out together. In the car, Mark’s ‘dutiful father’ mode kicked into gear. “Call me if you feel unwell in the office. If I’m busy and don’t pick up, have Eric send you home and ask Henry to call the doctor to the house for a checkup. Don’t push yourself. Poor health means a poor immune system. Try not to go to places like the hospital. It’s not that I don’t want you to go work. I’m afraid of something happening to you. As long as you’re fine, you can do anything you want.”Arianne looked at him as though she was looking at a monster. “Did you take the wrong medication today?Mark’s expression darkened. “What did you say?”Arianne quickly phrased her words differently. “No. I mean, why are you being so naggy. I’m not a child anymore. I won’t insist on working if I feel unwell. I work to earn money, not for fun. I won’t push myself. You don’t have to worry…”Brian was inwardly startled. Arianne was not the only one who thought Mark had changed, he t
Arianne was perplexed. The only landline phone in the entire design department was at Lily’s table, and it was normally used for work. Usually, she would not be asked for work matters. She rose to her feet and went over to pick up the phone.Arianne answered the phone, “Hello? Good morning, this is Glide Design.”“Hah, it’s me, Wendy Galena.”Hearing the voice at the other end of the line, Arianne was even more bewildered. “Wendy? Can I help you?”“Nothing much. I passed by your office earlier and saw Mark dropping you off at work. You were smiling really happily as though you like him. I genuinely thought you like Will. I really didn’t expect that you’re not even affected by what Mark did to the Sivans. You’re quite ruthless. Well, I guess everyone would be thrilled to become Mrs. Tremont. You must have done good in your past life for being able to cling onto someone like Mark despite your identity.”“Is there anything else you want to say?” Arianne frowned.Wendy chuckled dryly. “Wil
“It’s fair. If it were any other woman, she’d do the same. I can’t pay back an eye for an eye like what you’ve done to me. What a pity!” Arianne said with an icy expression on her face while she ate.As though she wanted to tear Arianne into pieces, Aery said through gritted teeth, “Mark doesn’t even love you. Why do you think he covered for me and mom when he’s well aware I’m the one who caused your miscarriage when I ran my car into you? It seems like you think you’re someone important now. Look at yourself. Mark only married you so he can slowly torture you for the sake of revenge. Your dad is dead. The dozens of lives he owed the Tremonts are yours to pay. He doesn’t love you, and yet, you think you’ve gained the upper hand!”“This has nothing to do with love. I don’t love him anyway. Since he’s unwilling to divorce me, whether it’s for revenge or torture, it’s my duty to get rid of pesky flies like you that buzz around him, don’t you think?” Arianne was incensed but she suppressed