Arianne was dazzled by the sights in the shopping mall when they arrived. She shopped around for cheap brands and did not intend on buying anything too expensive.On the other hand, Lillian lingered exclusively around the sales counters of big brands. She seized the opportunity when Tiffany had gone to the changing room and pulled Arianne aside. “Ari, look at how pretty those clothes are over there. I haven’t bought any new clothes in such a long time. My daughter is so useless. I used to indulge her so much in the past, and now, she wouldn’t even buy me a single piece of clothing.”Arianne forced herself to ask, “Then, how about I buy one for you? I’ve left the Tremont household so I have to survive on my own. I don’t have much so I can only afford one…”“Alright, alright, alright,” Lillian hurriedly replied, “Just one. You’re the best, Ari!”Arianne wiped the cold sweat off her brow when she saw the price of the clothing Lillian had chosen. She did not have much cash on her today
Arianne shook her head. “I’m not going in. It’s awkward to meet. Return it for me. I’ll be going now.”Mary called out hastily, “What are you doing? It’s so hot. Look how red your face is from the heat. How can your skin take this? Moreover, what if you get a heatstroke? Heatstroke can kill as well! You can stay away from him, but don’t you want to see me? Come in. You can cool down in my room!”After a moment of hesitation, Arianne followed Mary to the housekeeper’s room. Everyone was working at this hour so no one was in the room. Although the room housed four people, it had everything and was very spacious. There were even an individual washroom and a kitchen.Mary returned from upstairs briefly and returned the card to her. “I told you, sir isn’t so petty. He doesn’t want it and asked me to return it to you. He said to keep it for emergencies.”Arianne was startled. “Really? Did he say anything else?”Mary shook her head. “Nothing else. He just asked if you’re back. I told him yes,
Arianne did not really feel like moving out. “Tiffie, I understand what you mean, but I moved here because I don’t want to stay alone. We can do this. I’ll save some for Rice Ball and my personal expenditure when I get my salary each month. I’ll pass everything else to you for food, rent, utility bills, and whatnot. I won’t have anything to give your mom when she asks for it since my money is with you.”Tiffany could only agree. “I guess that’s all we can do. Don’t worry. You don’t usually eat at home, only during weekends. You don’t have to bear the living cost. After dividing the rent, utility bill, and everything else, I’ll save what’s left for you. I won’t spend it on nothing. Just don’t let my mom see that we have any money.”Just as Arianne lay down, Tiffany suddenly exclaimed, “Ari, look! Someone took photos of us buying the Chinese-style omelet wraps! There are even photos of us coming home. Rumors are spreading that you’ve divorced Mark and moved out of the Tremont Estate. It’
After Tiffany bought the pregnancy test kits, Arianne tested it instantly and received the result in less than five minutes. Two bars. She did not dare to believe it and decided to test it again tomorrow morning. The results would be more accurate in the morning.When morning came the next day, she was in despair. She was really pregnant. Calculating the time, it must be around three months now. It was then she realized how long it had been since she had left the Tremont’s. It felt surreal.After Arianne confirmed the results, Tiffany asked, “What’s your plan? The baby is Mark’s, right?”There was a momentary silence from Arianne before she answered, “Both Will and I were unconscious that day, it’s nearly impossible for anything to happen. It can only be Mark’s. However, he definitely won’t believe it. He didn’t believe it the first time, he definitely won’t believe it this time. I genuinely can’t stand how he questioned me about the baby’s father with his cold and indifferent tone at
Looking around at the pregnant ladies accompanied by their husbands, Arianne felt slightly gloomy. When it was finally her turn, Tiffany went in with her. After a blood draw and an ultrasound scan, the doctor looked at the results and said, “Baby is 12 weeks old and is quite healthy. This is your first checkup? You shouldn’t be so careless. Have your file documented and come back punctually for your checkups.”It was already past two in the afternoon when they left the hospital so they headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Tiffany had two big servings since she was extremely hungry. “It’s so troublesome to do a checkup. One full day is gone. There are too many people in the public hospital. Why don’t we go to a decent private one? Otherwise, I’ll suffer and you’ll suffer even more each time.”Arianne stroked her belly. It was slightly protruding, and she could feel a tiny bump. She could not help but smile. “Yeah, let’s go to a private hospital next time. I know of one.”When they r
Lillian agreed easily and showed Arianne her loving side. She reminded her what to watch out for and what to eat during her pregnancy, citing herself as an experienced person. However, in Tiffany’s words, Lillian’s experience was only limited to being pregnant and giving birth. She did not know anything else. Her daily meals were prepared by nutritionists, so Lillian actually knew nothing.Early the next day, Tiffany went downstairs to queue up for some Chinese-style omelet wraps. She was reluctant to see Arianne line up with a baby bump. Her line of vision involuntarily traveled to the front of the line. It had been a while since Ethan showed up. Was he tired of the dish or was it his current partner who was tired of it? He probably wouldn’t be coming anymore…Realizing that her thoughts had gone astray, Tiffany shook her head. That man was not worthy of her longing anymore.As she bought the breakfast, Arianne came out with her purse as well. Tiffany passed her the steaming omelet wr
While she had time, Tiffany downloaded a maternal and child health app onto her phone and filled in the information according to Arianne’s current state. She recorded everything that she needed to take note of, including what Arianne could and could not have. Engrossed in her phone, she didn’t notice a large hand knocking at her desk. “Are you ever going to stop slacking off like this during work?”Tiffany looked up at Jackson before returning back to her phone. “I don’t have any tasks now. Are you assigning something to me? I’ll do it right away if you are.”Noticing that she was focused on her phone, Jackson couldn’t help his curiosity and decided to take a glance. He was stunned when he saw the maternal and child health app. He blurted out, “Who’s pregnant?”Tiffany was taken back. “I… I am… Aren’t you getting a bit too personal as my boss?” She couldn’t give away Arianne, for if Jackson knew that the latter was pregnant, that meant that Mark would know too. Panicking, she was unabl
Tiffany’s heart rate sped up. She didn’t have any man around her usually and she wasn’t close to her colleagues, so there was hardly anyone to show concern for her. She did not expect Jackson to believe her casual lie and actually take responsibility for it!“There’s no need for that… Don’t worry about me, I can handle it by myself,” Tiffany rejected kindly, the offer very nice for a pregnancy that didn’t exist in the first place. She would expose herself if the topic continued to be discussed.“It’s better to have the abortion as early as possible, since dragging it out won’t be good to you. That aside, from now on, I’ll pack you lunch every day. You need to stop eating at the office’s cafeteria. The food there is decent, but the meals don’t exactly maintain the balanced diet a pregnant woman needs. We’ll make do with the White Waters Bay Restaurant for today.” Jackson was composed, perfecting his plans for Tiffany within minutes.Tiffany would feel worse and worse if she continued ly