Lynn stopped in her tracks and frowned. “I like him!”Arianne didn’t actually reach for her phone, but the answer still made her gasp. “Tell me more…”Lynn struggled internally for a moment before she decided to tell the whole story. “I guess it doesn’t matter anymore since I won’t be staying here anymore. I’m an orphan. I escaped from an orphanage with bruises all over my body, then spent the rest of my days begging on the streets. The darkest time of my life lasted until the day I met Mr. West when I was fourteen.“The memory is still vivid in my mind. It was a cloudy day, but the rain never came. The chilly wind blew against my dirty body and tousled my messy hair. When he stood in front of me, I felt a strong sense of inferiority and desperation to be close to someone for the very first time. He told me that he liked the fierceness and tenacity in my eyes, then took me in and sent me to a bodyguard academy under the establishment of the West family. In order to receive his prais
When she toasted at the dining table, she simply wanted to talk to Jackson because she couldn’t stand the intimacy between him and Tiffany. She didn’t expect it to cause such an incident… When Jackson came to the shop during the day, she was away to assist Tanya with deliveries. She had this unpleasant feeling in her heart when she heard Naya tell them that Jackson actually put on an apron to help Tiffany in the kitchen. Even if it had been seven years since then, she still couldn’t let go of the past...By the time she regained her senses, she took out her phone and sent a message to Jackson. ‘Arianne discovered us and talked to me just now.’ Jackson paled when he received the text while he was shopping with Tiffany. ‘You didn’t spout any nonsense, did you?’Lynn stared at the reply on the screen as the corners of her mouth twitched bitterly. ‘I told her everything about us. I don’t want to lie to anyone. You can deal with the rest. I’ll be packing and return to the capital tonigh
Tiffany’s curiosity was piqued. She waited for him to drop more bombs in anticipation. “Okay, okay, I promise I won’t get mad. Tell me.”Jackson knew that it was either him coming clean or Tiffany finding out. No matter how he looked at it, the former seemed to pose a more hopeful chance of survival. Hiding the truth was no different from lying. It would mean differently when Tiffany found out on her own. Determined, Jackson said, “I introduced Lynn to Mark. I’ve known Lynn for a very long time. To be precise, when I was nineteen.”“Mm hmm, and then?” Tiffany did not catch anything odd.Jackson did not dare look at her eyes. With his head hanging, he sounded similarly low, “Lynn lived on the streets back then. I took her in and sent her to a bodyguard school… When she was eighteen, I was twenty-three. I didn’t know what I did to make her misunderstand, but she was determined to be together with me. On her eighteenth birthday, we… Ah, she drugged me and we… you know? After that, I hadn’
The panic on Jackson’s face did not look fake. Tiffany could see it too. It was her first time actually seeing him get overwrought. He was usually cool and nonchalant. Other than being enraged, she could not help feeling a little tenderhearted. Her tone softened as well, “I admit that I’m upset but… I’ll believe you this time, as long as you are good in the future. I feel super insecure. You’re not just with me due to a moment of impulse, are you? Could you actually quit having flings everywhere? Are you able to stay chaste when I’m not there in the capital?”Jackson looked at her sincerely. “What should I say to make you believe me? I’ve never been an impulsive person. I won’t make decisions in the heat of the moment. My choice to be with you was a long time coming. Understood?”Not in the heat of the moment, but a long time coming – Tiffany was defenseless against such unconventional words of romance. The corners of her lips could not help curling up. “Okay, you’re off the hook this
Henry composed himself, speaking only when he caught his breath, “According to the reply of our hired hitman, Ethan was severely injured and fell into the rapids of a river twelve hours ago when he was escaping. Our men have seen it with their own eyes. It's a primitive tropical jungle all around. It’s very unlikely that he’ll survive, and it’ll be practically impossible to find his corpse. Sir, you don’t have to worry now.”There was a smirk on Mark’s face. “True, with a place like that and his injury, his survival is impossible. I’ll be away for some time in half a month. While I settle the company within half of the month, the house is under your care.”Knowing that his master had been waiting for the day he could go back to Arianne, Henry nodded understandingly. “Yes.”Returning to his room, the iciness on Mark’s face slowly dissolved as he stared at the photo on the nightstand. “Ari… I’ll be coming to you soon. No matter how much you hate me, I’ll make you come back to me.”The ne
Summer’s change of attitude unsettled Jackson. “Mom, I don’t condone you speaking about her like that. Back then, we lied to you about being together. I hired her to become my pretend girlfriend for peace. I wasn’t really together with her then. Ethan was her boyfriend of three years when they were in college. They broke up after that and Ethan came back for her. There’s the proposal that you saw in the mall too. She wasn’t sure if she still loved Ethan. When they broke up, Ethan wasn’t bankrupt yet. Besides, I’m richer than him. If she were a real gold digger, why would she have agreed to get back together with Ethan? She’d have found a chance to latch herself to me.”Summer was unfazed. “I don’t care. Who knows if you’re lying to me now? Besides, it was hot news when she was proposed to by Ethan in the mall back then. It’s so grand that the videos are everywhere on the internet. How’s it that you’re together with her now? The Wests still have their pride. I gave you two a chance and
Naya sighed and returned to the cash register. After thinking for a moment, she was still worried so she called out to the kitchen. “Ari, come out and have a look.”Arianne took off her apron and walked out. “What’s up?”Naya pointed at Tiffany and Summer. “That seems like Jackson’s mother. They don’t look like they’re getting along. Tiffany asked us not to intervene.”Arianne was silent for a beat and said, “Then let’s not intervene. She’ll be able to handle it herself. Tiffie will only be more abashed if we get in between them. If she can’t handle it, she’ll call for me.”Both Tiffany and Summer refused to relent. After a while, Summer fished out another check. This time, the sum was not filled in. “You can fill it in yourself, is that fine now? I’m not going to try talking sense into you. You’re stubborn!”Tiffany could barely keep herself composed. “Will you be able to pay me if I fill in billions and trillions of dollars? Humiliating people with money as you wish, you’re not the r
Tanya did not dare to make a sound. She ate the most among those in the shop. Everyone had only one serving, but she had two each meal…Jackson sat down obediently. As Tiffany moved her hand to get him some food, he subconsciously moved away as though he was trying to block a heavy blow, stunning everyone.Tiffany was startled as well. “What are you doing? You’re making it seem as though I beat you up all the time. It’s not like I don’t know how well you can fight. Are you trying to tarnish my reputation?”Jackson said with a grin, “I won’t be able to lay a finger on you no matter how good a fighter I am. Even if you hit me, I dare not retaliate… You always beat me up anyway. Last night, you even kicked me…”Arianne choked and coughed for a while before she finally recovered. “Enough, both of you. This isn’t fighting, this is being lovey-dovey, okay? Alright, Tiffie, don’t come in at noon. Go do whatever you want. We can’t take this.”Naya, Tanya, and a new employee nodded in assent. T
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