“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 instinctively wanted to escape, but she was afraid of provoking him into a drunken rage. Hence, she simply gritted her teeth and stayed still, praying that he would soon fall asleep…The more she hoped for one thing, the more it happened otherwise. Not only did he continue his excursion, but he also seemed to have gotten addicted to it and became annoyed with her clothes getting in the way. His hand changed direction and slipped in through her collar!She held her breath, her cheeks now burning as if they were on fire. Finally, unable to endure it any longer, she murmured carefully, “Mark…”He heard her voice. “Mmhmm…?”“You should get an early night’s rest… Go to sleep…” She was too afraid to say anything else. She even made sure to watch her tone.He shifted closer so that they were eye to eye and stared at her through his drunken, blurry vision. “Don’t you want to leave? I’m giving you a chance…”Then, he flipped over and climbed on top of her, tearing open her pajamas