Returning from work, Arianne took a hot shower. She then had a sip of black tea that Mary passed her.“Thank you, Mama Mary!”Mary watched her lovingly. “Ari, you’ve become sweeter with your words recently huh. You used to be too shy. It’s true that people do change finishing school and enter into the working world. You should try to talk to sir more too. Usually he’s not one to speak. How are you supposed to spend time together if both of you keep to yourselves?”The fact that Mark Tremont was mentioned, gave Arianne Wynn a smile but she did not comment.Butler Henry’s voice suddenly boomed from the doors. “Sir!”Seeing that Mark Tremont was home, Mary scooted into the kitchen to urge the chef’s to prepare dinner.Arianne took the black tea and sat on the couch, appearing to mind her own business. However, her mind automatically replayed the scene where Aery Kinsey entered the restaurant whilst hooking arms with Mark Tremont. She could not pinpoint what she was feeling, but it was lik
“Cough, cough…”The sound came from Mark Tremont all of a sudden.Mary grumbled softly as she walked to the kitchen. “Sir’s been sleeping in the study room recently. I think he’s caught a cold. I’ll go get a glass. Madam, bring him some medicine later.”Arianne cleared her head and followed Mary into the kitchen. Fetching some warm water and took the medication along to the living room.“Take some medicine.”Mark Tremont wore a slight scowl, ignoring her.Arianne stubbornly pushed the water and medicine to him. “You’ll feel better after taking it.”Finally, he lost his patience. “Take it away.”After a standstill, Arianne put both items down and went to the dining table. Looking at her breakfast, she did not have the appetite.Sometime later, Mark Tremont headed upstairs for a change of clothes and was prepared to head out. Arianne picked up the glass and medicine over to him once again.“Mary made me give it to you.”Mark Tremont did not refuse anymore and took the medicine with a fro
Eric glared at him, pretending not to care as his gaze dulled. “I’m happy being free. They can do whatever they like. You and Mark are both the only sons of your family, so no one is fighting over family assets. What a delight! It’s different for me. Danger lurks everywhere!”Jackson diverted the topic as he went over the latest industry news. “There’s some issue over at Mark’s. There’s an accident with his partnering jewelry manufacturer. Someone embezzled the raw materials, costing nearly fifteen million. It’s a regular factory. I don’t think the manufacturer will be able to survive this. He’s probably done for.” Eric sniffed and talked through his blocked nose, “It’s only fifteen million. Mark can take it. It’s the little factory that got unlucky.”Simultaneously, Arianne saw the news. Her heart sank when she saw the name of the manufacturer, ‘Hoyle-Roy’. That was Tiffany’s family run workshop!She called said girl in a haste, but an automated machine-voice message told her that he
Mark Tremont gave a small smile. “She’s your elder sister. You shouldn’t be so petty.”Aery Kinsey’s temper vanished when she saw him smile. Despite being upset, she suppressed it. Since she was unable to make him stay, she may as well act the part of a dutiful girlfriend.“Then you can’t leave halfway again the next time…”Mark Tremont did not reply, merely returning her an ambiguous look. However, his expression was neutralized at once when he turned around.When he got back to the Tremont Estate, it was already half past eight. Arianne was famished but she brightened up when she saw him. “You’re back!”With a faint hum, Mark Tremont went back to his room for a shower as per usual.Looking at the dishes on the table that had lost their warmth, Arianne felt inexplicably down.“Mama Mary, heat them up.”When Mark Tremont came down again, the dishes were reheated. Mary could not hold back her tongue. “Sir, madam has personally made dinner today. Have a taste!”There was no ripple of emo
If that was the case, she had committed a grave mistake. Arianne became extremely conscience-stricken.Mary slapped her own thigh. “Right, sir hasn’t done anything for his birthday for so many years, I’ve almost forgotten too! Look at this memory of mine, I should’ve reminded Ari earlier!”Arianne stood up weakly. “Never mind. It’s okay. I’ll go look for him.”She made it sound casual but inside, she was at a loss. She did not even have the courage to enter the study room.She made tea and brought it to the study room. Knocking on the door, Mark Tremont’s furious voice came from the inside, “Get lost!”Arianne knew that she must not back down now and braced herself to go in and open the door. “I didn’t know that it was your birthday today…”“Get out!” Mark Tremont threw the book in his hand to the floor, his wrath felt like the deadly winter.Arianne bent down to pick it up but saw Mark Tremont leaving like a gust of wind.She had a premonition that she would not know the next time he
A photo fell from a book unexpectedly. Curious, Arianne picked it up. It was the day she moved into the Tremont Estate when she was eight years old. She was holding Mark Tremont’s hand.Having seen the photo in the newspaper, she had never seen an individual photograph as such. Why did Mark Tremont have it? Had he… intentionally kept it?Arianne denied this belief promptly. He had probably kept it without much thought at the time and had already forgotten where he placed it. The book that held the photo was an old one and not of his preferred genre. He must not have flipped through it for many years.It was another sleepless night.Mark Tremont headed for the Nightlight bar after leaving the estate. Jackson West and Eric Nathaniel arrived soon after and asked for several bargirls to boost the mood.Expensive liquors were spread out on their booth table. Jackson West was the most familiar with places like this, as among the three of them he was the prime example of a rich family’s profl
Smelling the stinging perfume scent, Mark Tremont instinctively pushed her away in repulsion. Both his gaze and tone were extremely icy. “Stay away!”The whole booth was dead silent, only saved by the bar’s blaring music.Aery Kinsey was startled, teary-eyed and shaken, as it was also her first time to see this side of Mark Tremont. “Mark darling… why are you so mean to me? I’m just concerned…”The bargirls beside them did not dare make even a sound. The entire city knew that Mark Tremont was gentle and flawless, the epitome of perfection, as he was always amiable to everyone and anything.Jackson West and Eric Nathaniel, however, were not the least bit surprised. Having known each other for over a decade, they probably understood each other better than themselves.Worried that a scandal would break out if someone were to make a fuss, both men hoisted Mark Tremont up. “Let’s go back?”“I don’t want to see her…” Mark Tremont mumbled faintly.“Then where do you want to go? Eric will send
Arianne spotted Mark seated next to Aery. She also noticed that Aery's arm was coiled around Mark's. “I'm his wife. It's my responsibility to determine where he goes and to consider his safety.”The word “wife” put a hateful look on Aery's face. “You…! He’s already made it clear, he doesn’t want to go!”Out of pretense, Eric disembarked from the car and helped Mark down. “Stop causing trouble, Aery. A member of his family has arrived. Let Mark go.”Aery, still unresigned, grabbed Mark's arm. “Mark’s already said that he doesn’t want to see her. Quit fooling around, Eric!”Arianne didn't give two hoots about whether Mark returned home or not, but she also refused to back down at the prospect of him following Aery. Before she could speak up, Mark suddenly shook Aery off and demandingly said, “Ari… Come here!”There was no doubt that he was speaking to Arianne.This was the first time Arianne ever heard him call her by that name, so she was a little absent-minded. After a momenta
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