In order not to rouse Mark’s suspicion, Arianne asked to leave an hour and a half earlier from Lily in the afternoon. She did not ask Eric, afraid that he would tell Mark.When Arianne left the office, she bought some fruits and hailed a cab to the hospital. It did not take long before she found Will’s ward. She hesitated for a moment, caught in a dilemma, before she finally knocked on the door.Will’s clear voice rang from behind the door. “Come in.”Arianne felt inexplicably assured when she heard his voice. She pushed the door open, revealing a small smile. “I got off work early today and thought that I’d drop by since you’re hospitalized. How are you feeling?”Will was a little stunned as though he did not expect to see her. When he regained his senses, his eyes were filled with joy. “I… I didn’t think you’d come. I’m okay. My leg is fractured, it’s not very serious. Have a seat.”Arianne observed Will and felt the guilt in her heart growing. He had been hale and healthy before thi
Arianne inhaled deeply before she said, “When I threw a tantrum after my miscarriage, saying things I shouldn’t have, and letting the world know that I cheated on him… He didn’t mind. There are many other examples. That’s enough for me. It really isn’t that bad. Will, I’m really doing well. My only pain is that I’m the daughter of a sinner, and I’m indebted to the Tremonts. In fact, Mark satisfies all my material needs, and he’s my type as well. Hatred isn’t the only thing that exists between us. We spent more than ten years together. It’s more than love. We’re family. It’s really not that bad.”Upon hearing Arianne’s words, the light in Will’s eyes visibly dimmed. “Is that so? That’s good, then, if it’s true. I hope he won’t let you down…”Arianne could no longer stay so she said, “Um… I have to leave now. Rest well.”Will nodded. “Okay…”When Arianne was at the door, Will suddenly called out. “Ari!”Arianne stopped in her tracks but did not turn around. The tears that she had been ho
Mark sneered. “Hah, only friends? Friends can sleep together as they wish?”Arianne’s breath caught in her throat. “Please don’t say that. Whatever it is, it has passed. There’s no need to dwell on it. I didn’t even make a fuss about you sleeping with Aery Kinsey.”He chuckled aloud before he said coldly. “How do you know if I’ve slept with her? However, everyone knows about you and Will Sivan. If I truly intend to dwell on it, you wouldn’t have been able to see him a long time ago. It’s because I don’t care that you’re able to visit him in the hospital, understand? Besides, you don’t care who I sleep with anyway, right?”Don’t care and don’t mind.Arianne pondered over his words and wondered if she cared. When she heard the amorous sounds he and Aery made in the hotel, she had fled in panic. She felt empty, and her emotions went through a rollercoaster ride for no reason. Did she mind? She did not love him but betrayal was betrayal. No one could tolerate a betrayal, neither him nor he
Mark’s hand with prominent joints pinched Arianne’s chin as he stepped forward and looked at her with an expression of ridicule.“I’ve... never seen you as family. Even when you were a kid, I’ve not forgotten about my revenge. Each time I saw you, I felt like killing you. When you reached puberty, I suddenly realized that you’ve grown up, growing easier on my eyes. Do you understand what I mean? I waited for you to reach eighteen before I had you, but Will Sivan took you from me. What belonged to me was sullied. What do you think I’ll do?” He continued to say, “How can you be so foolish to think of me as family? I’m someone who’s waiting to take your life. I’m only keeping you now as my plaything. Why do you think I forbid you from interacting with other men? It’s because, like an object, you’re my possession. I don’t like others touching you. I don’t love you, and I never will. I don’t care either if you don’t love me. Stop talking about how I took care of you for ten years. It’s no fu
Arianne smiled self-deprecatingly. “He has always been like that to me. I envy the rest of you sometimes, being at the receiving end of his gentleness. I’ve been with him for more than ten years, but I’ve never...”Nina did not have any intention to tease her. Instead, she felt rather sympathetic. “Based on my past understanding of him, I think he only said those words out of anger. I don’t know what has happened between both of you. However, based on my womanly instincts, I don’t think he’s being honest. Initially, I didn’t believe he likes you. I even thought you forced him to marry you by faking a pregnancy and using whatever tricks people used in dramas. However, I believe it now. Didn’t he insist on marrying you?”Arianne did not understand Nina’s words. “What do you mean? After hearing what he said, you still think we have some sort of relationship?”Nina looked up at the sky that was dotted with stars. She mulled over her words before she finally said, “Don’t tell me you think h
Nina shrugged. “If I didn’t hear his words earlier and see him going berserk because of you today, I wouldn’t have believed that he likes you. If he doesn’t, I’ll definitely fight for a chance. However, it’s different now. I’ve never liked stealing another person’s partner. You’re quite amazing, being able to turn a gentle and angelic man into a devil. I’ll give you two thumbs up.”At this moment, Mary suddenly appeared, “Oh, you girls are chatting here! Come, have some fruits.” Since she had heard Nina’s words, it seemed like her prejudice toward Nina had disappeared as well.Nina could feel the change in Mary’s behavior as well and gracefully accepted the fruits. “Sure, leave them here, Mary.”Mary put the fruits down and looked at Arianne. “Ari, sir is furious. Why don’t you… Never mind, it’s a waste of breath talking to you. Both you and sir are too stubborn. In this regard, you’re both really similar!”Arianne lowered her head, keeping quiet, when she was suddenly fed a piece of p
Arianne pretended like she heard nothing and went in. “Mr. Nathaniel, what’s the matter?”Although Eric had reined in his emotions, he did not smile and was unable to conceal how upset he was. “Uh… Please go to Mark’s office. There are a few contracts that need his signature. We need the agreements urgently. We’ll have to work overtime these coming days. However, since your health is poor, you don’t need to stay overtime. This sudden decision is made due to an emergency. Who knows, I probably won’t be in charge of this company soon. I’ll have to make sure everything is done before that happens.”Arianne nodded and took the documents before she returned to her desk. After packing up, she headed downstairs to hail a cab to the Tremont Tower.Smoothly entering the building and reaching the forty-sixth floor, she took the initiative to remove her shoes and stepped on the floor barefooted. Mark’s secretary, Ellie, stopped her outside. “Please hold on. I’ll report your arrival.”Ellie receiv
Arianne called home and informed Mary that she would not come home for dinner since she was working overtime.Mary nagged at her, worried that her body could not endure hard work, but she did not say anything else.When Eric exited his office to make himself a cup of tea around eight at night, he was taken aback when he saw Arianne was still around. “Why haven’t you gone home?”Arianne replied nonchalantly, “I sit here all day, it’s not like my work is physically arduous. It’s not tiring at all. I can handle this. If I feel unwell, I’ll leave early. Don’t worry about me.”Eric was still concerned. “It’s already past eight. We’ll stay till half-past nine latest. So you can leave now. It’s fine.”Arianne glanced at him before she finally turned off her computer and packed her things up without saying anything. Being a man, Eric had more pride. Although she had overheard his conversation earlier, she could not directly comfort him. Moreover, it was his family’s problem. It was not her pla