She spoke explicitly and clearly. Jackson would have been an idiot not to have understood it. There was a flash of dejection in the bottom of his eyes as he feigned nonchalance. “Sure, all the best to you girls. Remember to bid farewell to me, someone who lives in your past, before you leave.”Thinking that he was joking, Arianne chuckled. Tiffany and Jackson, however, felt differently. One was making a resolution while another was respecting the resolution.After dinner, the two women began to clean up. Jackson added. “Right, Arianne, didn’t you ask me to ask Mark for the cat? He said that he’s not giving it.”Arianne instantly became upset. “Why not? He banned me from keeping a cat last time. He doesn’t even like it. Why isn’t he returning the cat to me?!”Jackson quickly replied, “Don’t get upset with me, I’m just the messenger. He simply said that he’s not giving it back. He didn’t say anything else. How could I know why that is? Don’t worry, if you really do leave, it’ll be inconv
”Purposefully choosing a time when I’m not around to come back... Are you that eager to avoid me? If you’re going to leave, you should at least say goodbye. “ It was difficult for her to distinguish the emotions in his tone, but great suffering lay beneath the undercurrents of his calm facade. She did not turn around, as she was unsure of how to face him. How was she supposed to speak frankly to him, acting as if nothing had happened? After a bout of silence, he took her luggage downstairs. This surprised her. She thought that he would stop her from leaving, restricting her in every way, like the madman he was in the past, and force her into staying with him. She was afraid of that, if she was being honest. However, to her surprise, he seemed perfectly calm. She heaved a sigh of relief. At the very least, she could bring herself to say a few kind words to him. Arianne tucked her hair behind her ear as she followed him down the stairs. Lowering her head, she mumbled, “I’m on
Upon their arrival in a new city, Arianne and Tiffany spent half a day trying to find a place to stay. Then they spent the second half decorating their small home. By the time the pair collapsed from exhaustion on their newly set up bed, they were smiling with satisfaction. Arianne turned her head to the side, looked at Tiffany and asked, “Are you really okay with leaving your mom on her own?” Tiffany paused thoughtfully and said, “I’m a bit worried, but it’s fine as long as we stay in contact. We’ve moved quite a distance away and found a city that’s neither too big nor too small. My mom won’t be interested in visiting me. I’ve told her that I’m here to start a business and want to travel the world, so she can’t be bothered with me. You, on the other hand… Do you think Mark will send someone to watch over you?” Now that she had mentioned it, Arianne believed that this was highly possible because Mark seemed too calm when she left. Perhaps he never really intended to release her in
Helen smiled, “You’ve misunderstood me. I’m only here on business for two days. I heard that you started a shop and I was hungry. I couldn’t decide on what to eat, so I came here to have a look. It’s alright if you’re closing, I’ll leave.” Her heart softening, Arianne asked, “What would you like to eat?” Helen walked to the front desk and picked up a menu. She glanced through it and chose two desserts and a cup of latte, “Just these. I hope I won’t take up too much of your time. I’ll just have my order to-go.” Arianne didn’t answer. She simply put on her apron and walked into the kitchen. Tiffany quickly made Helen’s latte and packed it up. Once the desserts were done, Helen left after paying for the items. She did not say anything more to Arianne. “Ari, I have a feeling that your mom is truly here on a business trip. Just treat her like a normal customer. You’re always smiling at strangers, try to be a bit… nicer to your mother. Okay?” Tiffany suggested, unable to stop herse
Arianne had managed to fine tune her emotions into the best possible state by the time she returned to the shop. Tanya Anderson, the staff member in charge of deliveries, greeted her apprehensively, “Have I been too slow, Ari?” Arianne was taken aback. It took her awhile before she realized what Tanya meant. “No, I just happened to have some free time, so I helped you with a delivery. It’s fine, go back to work. I’m going into the kitchen.” Tanya was born and bred in the city. Her family’s financial situation wasn’t too great, so she could not continue her studies after getting into university. Instead, she started working very early. She had a senile old grandfather at home and was pretty down to earth. She had delicate and pretty good looks, although she was slightly tanned due to constantly being on the move. Tanya was much more earnest compared to the other employee, Regina McKaren, who was in charge of serving the customers. Regina did not even finish high school and had ent
Tiffany couldn’t be bothered to fight with her in front of the shop entrance. It’d affect business, after all. She took out her pay and counted it all out in front of her, saying, “Here, this is the full amount.” However, Regina was not satisfied with this. “That’s it? Are you kidding me? This obviously isn’t right!” Tiffany pulled out the daily timesheet and thrust it in front of her, “Have a good look. I mentioned this when you first joined the team, but a lateness means cut wages. You’ve been consistently late, every day. I didn't even charge you for the desserts and drinks that you freeloaded off of us. Is there anything else that you’re not satisfied with? If you’d like for me to do a more detailed calculation, you’d have to reimburse me!” Regina was completely upset, “You have so many leftovers and you’d throw them away than let your own staff members eat them? What have I been eating?” Tiffany had never met anyone as shameless as this girl, replying angrily, “Leftovers a
Arianne hadn’t expanded her vision to that stage yet. She was still feeling sentimental over the present. A calm and peaceful life like this was the best kind. “We’ll see. Besides, Christmas is coming up soon. We should have some kind of promotion and a small gift exchange to attract new customers and reward our regulars.” Tiffany patted herself on the chest, “Leave it to me! I can do it. It’s good to do these promotions, especially since they bring us minimal losses. By the way, I have something to tell you, but I’m not sure if I should.” Arianne stared at her, “Mm? What is it?” Tiffany hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “You have to promise not to get angry first.” Arianne curled her lips, “Our lives are pretty good now and I’m in a good mental headspace. Nothing could possibly anger me, unless you’re saying that the business has had a loss. Just tell me.” “Mark and Jackson have formed a partnership and started a financial company in the office building across the r
The shop was closed for a while during the Christmas season. Lynn and Tanya went back to their own homes to spend Christmas with their families, but Arianne and Tiffany only had each other. This was their first time spending Christmas in a different city. On Christmas Eve, Tiffany had an hour-long call with Lillian. Arianne was left staring out into the cold Christmas night. Suddenly, Arianne’s phone rang. She thought that it was a simple Christmas greeting and was not bothered. She picked up her phone and glanced at it, then realized that it was from Helen. The contents of the message may have been a greeting, but there was a bank transfer of 1,500 dollars into her bank account. Apparently, it was a Christmas present, to make up for all the presents she had owed her when she was younger. She felt nothing and simply replied to her with two words: Merry Christmas. Helen was standing in front of a window when she received the message and smiled. It was snowing heavily outside and h
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