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
Eric was very happy with this picture; he looked as if he had gotten a shot of some kind of precious treasure. “I’ll print this one out when we get back. One for me, and one for you two. I’m not sure why I’ve never noticed this, but you two look like a match made in heaven.”Arianne lowered her head and smiled bashfully. Mark smiled as well and indulgently wrapped his arm around her shoulders.They returned to the hotel to get some rest once they began feeling tired.Jackson was still out when they arrived at the hotel. Eric clicked his tongue, “I think he’s going to have a really good time tonight.”Tiffany went back to her room without another word, probably because she was feeling exhausted. When she saw Jackson’s things in her room, she irritably threw them aside. She had initially intended on having a good night’s sleep, but when she laid down, she realized that the bed was filled with his scent.Left with no choice, she went to Jackson’s room again. They had been changing ro
His sudden change in topic surprised Lisa, but she answered him anyway, “I think that when I’m in love with a man, I’m the only one allowed to spend his money. All those other wh*res are not allowed to be near him. You’ve had so many women, Jackson. Have you never had any real feelings for any of them?”As he stared at Lisa, he was suddenly disgusted by women like her. That was not love. That was no different from a material transaction. What felt even more terrifying was the fact that every other woman he had been with was just like her. In the past, he never really cared and had always felt that spending money for a bit of pleasure was the most normal thing to do, “I don’t think I have…”They didn’t go back to the hotel at night. Instead, they found a nice spot along the beach, set up a camping tent and a barbecue. Their goal was to watch the sunrise.The winds at sea were strong at night, and the temperature plummeted as well. Arianne sat on a small portable stool and stared at t
Lisa acted as if nothing had happened when she arrived back at the beach. She continued talking and joking with Jackson. Realizing that Jackson was too busy barbecuing skewers to eat or drink, she took the initiative to feed him some barbecued meat skewers and some beer. She even remembered to glance provocatively at Tiffany from time to time.Tiffany was enraged, but her head was clearer thanks to the icy sea breeze. Why was she angry? Jackson could be nice to anyone to whatever degree he wanted, and it had nothing to do with her. However, why did she have to get involved? She had always had a bad impression of Lisa, even on the plane. Wasn’t Jackson to blame for causing all of this?Now that her mind was clear, she could no longer be bothered to compare herself with her. She concentrated on eating and drinking and would chat with Arianne from time to time.Tiffany and Arianne huddled together in a tent late at night, listening to the rolling tides and chatting softly. Tiffany sudd
Jackson and Tiffany’s seats happened to be next to each other during the return flight. The pair did not speak throughout the entire journey. The past few days seemed to have drained Tiffany. She put on an eye mask once she got onto the plane and fell asleep. Arianne was the one who woke her up when the plane landed.They went home on their own. It was past nine in the evening, and Arianne had just stepped through the door. Mark was behind, bringing the luggage. Initially, Henry wanted to send some staff members to greet them at the airport, but she refused, as she did not want to draw attention. If Henry were to do it, it would be a great display of extravagance.A Tremont Estate housemaid suddenly stepped forward to greet them, “Madam, someone’s sent something over, saying that it’s for you.”She wondered who it could be from, “What is it? Do you know who sent it?”The housemaid shook her head, “I don’t know, I’ve never seen them before. I think it’s a letter.”Then, the house
The housemaid shrunk into a corner, too afraid to speak. She had given her the letter but had not expected to cause such a commotion. Henry and Mary ran out to the living room and saw it happen. No one dared to say a word. Servants like them were not allowed to get involved in such matters.Mark slowly walked towards the sofa and sat down. His face was deathly still. He raised his trembling hands and placed them on his chest. He felt as if a thousand knives had pierced through his heart. The one thing that he had feared most of all had finally happened…Half an hour later, he forced himself to steady his breathing, “Have someone follow her, make sure that she’s safe…”Henry agreed, summoning a bodyguard and leaving quickly.Arianne was all on her own. Tiffany was the only person she could turn to. She walked to the intersection, flagged down a cab, and gave the address. She did not notice the black Rolls-Royce behind her.She sobbed as she banged on Tiffany’s door when she arrived
Tiffany had just bought some beer from a small shop and made her way onto the road. Suddenly, a van arrived and blocked her way. Before she could react, two burly men got down from the vehicle and covered her nose with a cloth soaked in chemicals. Then, they carried her into the vehicle. She dropped the plastic bag full of beer bottles onto the ground, causing the bottles to shatter. The last thing she felt was a splash of cold beer on her ankles.After some amount of time, she opened her blurry eyes and found herself in a completely unfamiliar place. It seemed to be an old shack. The ground was cold and damp and unbearably dirty. A group of men sat on one side, drinking beer and chatting with filthy speech.She had only moved a little when one man turned towards her, “Oh, the girl’s awake. Quick, ask them for instructions. I can’t stand it any longer.”She was gripped with fear. Based on her current observations, there were at least five men in front of her. Her hands were tied beh
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