Once the dishes had been served, she picked up her knife and fork enthusiastically, then buried her head into her food before suddenly realizing that there was a certain someone sitting across from her. All of a sudden, she felt embarrassed.Mark had just been discharged and did not have a very good appetite. He nibbled a little before Brian sent him back to his room. By the time Arianne went back upstairs, Brian had already washed and cleaned him. Due to his wounds, he could not hop into the shower straightaway. This was torture to a germaphobe like Mark.“I’ll sleep in the guest room.” She found the sight of the wounds riddled all over his body to be very frightening. She was worried about accidentally touching them in the middle of the night. She couldn’t bear to think of the consequences.“Mm,” he replied casually. He had long been afraid of her belly anyway, so it would be a good idea to sleep in separate beds.After an unknown amount of time, Arianne was awakened by a noise.
Jude waved his hand with mild annoyance, “Don’t give me that crap. When a man has nowhere else to go and no means of survival, he can only think of how to survive by any means. If you don’t like it, that’s your business. I just want money. What do you think your father would do if word of his son from an extramarital affair ever got out? The perfect Tremont Enterprise, built from generations of Tremont blood, sweat and tears, would be gone, along with your father’s kindly image. This would definitely make headline news. If you don’t give me the money, I’ll have no choice but to sell the Tremont family secrets to the media. Then, the media will certainly help you unearth your long-lost brother, who’d come back to take half of the family fortune. You’d lose even more. I don’t want much, just give me a hundred million and I’ll be off your back.”Mark’s face seemed to lack emotions. He picked up the phone on his desk and called Henry. Henry walked in and handed him a cheque, “Sir, are you
The fact that Jackson left Tiffany alone as soon as they arrived at the banquet hardly bothered her. She was content with simply enjoying her time there and all of the luxuries the party had to offer, even if she was surrounded by strangers.The banquet hall, glowing in its opulent, golden glory, was the perfect site for the highfalutin ado typical of the upper-classes. Here, one could find famed elites in stylish garments as well as gentlemen and ladies in their most debonair manners. They were actors, all of them being perfectly aware of their roles and being more than keen to play them flawlessly.Some of those mingling among genuine genteel, however, were also looking for a shortcut to high society — even if it meant having to sacrifice what little they had to complete the ruse. These types of men were business hawks, and the women gold diggers. Masked under layers of expensive brand-wears and jewellery, there might as well be an indulgent husk piloted by a compromised soul.“What
An unwanted hand snaked around her waist suddenly before the middle-aged man’s breathy voice loomed close to Tiffany’s ear, “That kind of sleaze won’t give you the time of their day, my dear. But I will. I know girls like you very well, like the back of my hand. You’re all looking for a sugar daddy, aren’t you? How about I be direct with ya—let’s spend some time together tonight. If you make me a happy man, I’ll make you a happy woman, starting from a luxury apartment.”Tiffany’s face twisted into a glower a split second before she decked the man’s face hard. As a stark, scarlet handprint surfaced on his cheek, she shrieked hotly, “Fat chance if I’ll sleep with a disgusting horndog like you!”Their altercation silenced the room instantly; every pair of eyes was now turned to the pair. At a distance, the conversational smile on Jackson’s face froze before he approached them quickly, “What’s the matter?”The look on the middle-aged man’s face was of one desperately evading scrutiny. “M-M
Arianne had little doubt that he orchestrated it: Mark Tremont had sent his own biological uncle to jail, collecting every single dime of that one hundred million dollars back in the process.She was at a loss as to how to judge this turn of events. Sure, Jude was a trashy piece of sh*t and an affront to human decency, so he deserved the deserts he got. However, the fact that it was Mark, out of anyone else, who became Jude’s ultimate undoing left a strange taste in her mouth. The way he had given away that much money without putting up a fight made the extortion accusation appear less genuine and more like a bait begging for Jude to bite.“Mr. West, good day. Mr.Tremont is in his study.”Spurred by Henry’s greeting, Arianne looked up from her spot in the living room couch and caught Jackson entering through the front door. He greeted the girl with a curt nod before hurrying up the stairs.Arianne found it mind-boggling. Mark had recovered tremendously this month; he could now walk aro
Conflicting emotions danced on Charles’ face. “You got me, kid. Your dad told me about it before that fateful accident. I was shocked when I heard about it. He had such a loving relationship with your mother, you know? He spared me the details, but he mentioned explicitly that if there ever came a day when his two sons become bitter enemies, he would want me to step in. Now that I think about it, it sounds pretty foreboding, doesn’t it? Maybe he foresaw his end, or maybe it was never an accident …Of course, that would be the Tremonts’ private matter. I wouldn’t understand.”Mark lowered his gaze to the table. His eyes became two perfectly opaque screens masking his aroused emotions, leaving his balling fists as the only clue to his true feelings. “Don’t bring him up in the same sentence as my mother, Uncle. He doesn’t deserve it,” he said. “Regardless, that was his last wish, wasn’t it? You honor him as you see fit, then. But I will tell you this: I’ve never wished harm upon that littl
In the ward, Mark didn’t close his eyes for even a moment throughout the long, silent night.The next morning, Arianne slowly opened her eyes. The anaesthetic had worn off and her face was pale from the pain. Even her forehead was beaded with cold sweat.She was startled the moment she saw Mark. “My babies…”He parted his thin lips slightly. “It’s alright, let’s not have babies anymore. I’m glad you are safe.”Arianne exhaled slowly. She already knew that she would lose her babies last night during the dinner, she just didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly. Just when she thought she could wait for her two babies to arrive in peace, things still turned out this way...“Why? How could that happen? Wasn’t I doing fine before? I didn’t eat or do anything that I shouldn’t…” she mumbled to herself. Her eyes turned glassy, making her look like a pitiful rag doll that had lost its soul.“It’s your physical condition that doesn’t allow you to get pregnant again. It’s negligence on my par
Jean got up from the ground with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “That’s right... Arianne still has the money and house in her hand. Those add up to about three million dollars, which will be enough to last us for a while! Let’s go find her!”After doing some investigating, Aery learned that Arianne had been hospitalized since last night. She stormed to the hospital, only to be stopped by the bodyguards at the door. By now, she no longer cared about keeping up her image as a lady from a wealthy family. “Let me in! Let me find that bitch!”Mary heard the commotion outside the ward. Her face sank as soon as she went out. “Why are you here?”Aery tried her best to stand on her toes to catch a glimpse inside the ward. “Arianne is in there, right? Let me in! I have an urgent matter!”Aery looked more like she was here to kill instead of looking for someone. Naturally, Mary wouldn’t allow her to pass. “Miss Kinsey, our madam isn’t well enough to receive guests. Please leave or I’ll have t
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