“I’m sorry, Tiffie. I lost my composure. Please don’t say that kind of thing, okay? I want to stay with you…” Ethan compromised for the very first time in his life, and it was with her.Although Tiffany was always indecisive, she would never waver once she had made her decision. “Forget it, Ethan. I just realized that I shouldn’t have been this indecisive from the very beginning. You shouldn’t come back looking for me again; it’s what’s best for both of us. Now that you have everything, you can have any woman you want. Ever since the day we broke up, you’re no longer mine. And now, I belong only to myself. I can’t lie to myself, I’m no longer in love with you.”After saying that, she opened the car door and left without looking back. Under the dim street lights, her figure faded into the darkness. Ethan didn’t get out of his car to chase after her and just watched as she slowly disappeared from his view. His heart grew cold with every step she took, gradually reverting him to that or
About ten minutes later, Mark was done changing and headed downstairs. “Let’s go.”Arianne went up to him in delight, while Mark bent his arm naturally and gestured for Arianne to hold his arm. With a slight blush, Arianne wrapped her hand around his arm.She called Tiffany as soon as she got into the car, asking her, “Tiffie, where are you? Send me your location. I’m coming for you right now.”Tired of walking, Tiffany had been sitting on the side of the road for some time. Mark stepped on the pedal after receiving the location, his focused look while driving attracting Arianne’s gaze. She had never imagined that there would be a day when there would be no ill feelings between the two of them. Did the act of her heart thumping mean that she liked him then?“If you continue looking at me like that, I’ll have to in the middle of the road,” Mark teased when he noticed her heated stare.“You’re annoying…” Arianne peeled her eyes away from him and looked through the car window in feigned s
Jackson got up quickly and said, “You girls can leave. We won’t be needing any company for the night. Dismissed!”The group of women finally caught the belligerence of Mark as they left the booth in a flurry. Eric quietly shuffled to Jackson’s side while Arianne and Tiffany sat themselves down. Both women were on one side while the three men were on another side. The party atmosphere just now was long gone, as if summer had been swapped with winter in an instant.Eric could not quite weather it as he braced himself in saying, “Mark isn’t a regular here actually. Nor has he ever asked for an escort. What’s more, other things…”“I know, it’s fine,” Arianne said while slowly pouring her and Tiffany some alcohol.The more composed she was, the more nervous the three men became. Mark subconsciously swatted at the spot on his chest where the woman had touched just now. “It’s fine if she says it’s fine. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves…”The awkward air did not linger too long. With a few shots
Mark shook his head. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about them. He won’t do anything recklessly even if he doesn’t send her back.”Arianne was not that worried when it came to Jackson. She was only concerned about it being dangerous, since both of them had drunk. “Okay… Uh… you used to frequent the bar, huh? The people there seem to be familiar with you…” Of course they were, that flirtatious woman was already latching herself onto him!“Jealous?” Mark asked instead of answering.“No! Let’s sleep,” Arianne denied with a pout.Mark adjusted their position and took Arianne fully into his embrace. “I’m taking you for a holiday tomorrow. You can’t say no.” He had thought about it. With the breakup of Ethan and Tiffany, he could only delay things, take Arianne away, and prevent her from coming into contact with Ethan and the letter. He would take however long he had to prolong it.Arianne did not reject him, but she made a condition as well. “Can we take Tiffany as well? She’s just broken up with
Moving away slightly, Jackson was still above her. “Why should I let you go now? Tell me that you’ll quit fussing first!”Tiffany’s hand went to Jackson’s head and gave it a rough rub. “No! I don’t feel good! I need to vent!”With his breath choked from the touch, as no woman had dared touch his hair yet, Jackson’s gaze darkened. He pinned her troublesome hands above her head and said, “The worst it can get is falling in your hands. You provoked me first, don’t regret it.”Before Tiffany could fight back, Jackson closed the distance between their lips. It had been light kisses earlier, but he deepened them this time. Tugging at the belt of Tiffany’s bathrobe, he saw that Tiffany looked rather petite in the large robe. Jackson’s rational mind came back in the last moment as he asked in a low tone, “You and Ethan, have you…?”Tiffany shook her head vehemently. “No! We didn’t get to… Not before our first breakup… Not now either…”Recalling that she had unintentionally said that she was a
Tiffany fought back. “I brought it up. I feel like I can’t go back to how it used to be with him anymore. Of course, it should be broken off as soon as I know that it won’t work out. It’s my personal affair, and it has nothing to do with you! You’re just afraid that I won’t be able to find some rich man, aren’t you? If Ethan weren’t Mark’s younger brother, you wouldn’t be supporting us being together. Since we’re on the subject of money, I’ll also remind you that the fortune fairy who gifted you a house is gone now. You’ll have to spend money on moving, so don’t go splurging on unnecessary things. We’ve gotten a taste of poverty, so don’t bring it back upon yourself.”Lillian knew her daughter’s temper. From what she said, she knew that there was no turning back. “Forget it, I won’t waste my saliva on you either. Go out and have fun. When you come back, find a proper job. We can’t spend the money without making something in turn. Forget about moving into a mansion with that little mone
Lisa had an opinion about her since the flight. With the alcohol in her system now, she stabbed a finger in front of Tiffany and questioned, “What Majesty? You’re Mr. West’s new girl, huh? Don’t be too full of yourself. The new will overthrow the old, and you’ll be replaced sooner or later. We’re on the same path, so no need to look down on each other. You’re young, that’s all, but he’ll dump you in less than three months. I was with him for three months too, a relatively long time, you know? What’s more, he bought me everything I wanted… Too bad, it won’t last. Good luck to you.”Tiffany was repulsed and cussed at Jackson inwardly. Before Lisa left, she slammed the door right in front of her face and texted Jackson. “‘He bought me everything I want’, this is what Lisa said. Please, I can still feel shame when you can’t. If I’m woken up again, I’ll castrate you!”Jackson did not reply when he saw the message, heaving a long sigh while laying on the bed. He wished that he would have kno
Eric began heckling as well, “Stop trying to explain it. An explanation means that you’re hiding something, and whatever you’re hiding is the truth. The more you describe it, the worse it becomes. We’re all very much aware of what’s going on. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re not that young anymore, Mark. Stop acting so bashful.”Mark happened to be in a good mood, so he didn’t quibble with them. Instead, he stepped aside and gazed into the landscape in a distance, holding a bottle of beer. He enjoyed the gentle sea breeze. It was a rare moment of peace.Tiffany was bored. She picked up her bottle of beer, walked next to Eric and asked, “How long do you plan on vacationing here?”Eric shrugged, “Don’t know. It’s up to you guys. I’m fine with anything.”For some strange reason, Jackson found the sight of Eric and Tiffany sitting together unsightly, “We’ll definitely go back in a week. We can’t leave our companies alone, it’s not like we’re bums.”Tiffany narrowed her
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