Helen still had the appearance of a high-flying career woman. She was always suitably dressed for any occasion. She looked capable from head to toe and maintained her composure very well. There were no visible cracks on her facade, and it was tough to read her emotions. For this reason, people did not dare to underestimate her. She crossed her hands on the table and paused for a moment before she said, “I’m very sorry for everything Aery and Jean have done to you. I don’t think I handled it very well…”“It doesn’t matter,” Arianne calmly replied, “They haven’t been bothering me for a while anyway. It’s been quite peaceful lately, but if I ever get the chance, I’ll make them pay. Is that why you’re here?”Helen’s eyes darted around briefly before she said, “They’re in jail now. One is sentenced to five years, and the other to one year. I just found out not too long ago. Mark did this. I’m sure you’re unaware?”Arianne was shocked, but she did not show it. At the same time, she was gr
After some thought, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to Mark. “Helen came to see me. I know you sent Aery and Jean to jail. There was no need to do that. I don’t want to owe you anything. From now on, my issues are none of your business. A reply soon followed. “For as long as you’re mine, your issues will always be my business. You have the nerve to send me a message instead of telling it to my face?”She turned her phone off and went straight to bed. She refused to reply to his message, and she did not have the courage to face him. She did not send him that message to tell him to let Aery and Jean off the hook. She simply wanted him to stop concerning himself with her issues. Would she ever have a clean break with him?...The capital.Tiffany had been running into walls continuously after she applied for jobs in different companies. She was getting worried. She had just stepped into the house and felt the cooling air from the air conditioner. It felt so refreshing th
Jackson stood in his spot for a moment. He stared at her and did not respond to her at all. He put on a pair of sunglasses.Unfortunately, Tiffany was completely oblivious to his strange behavior. She walked to him and held his arm. “I’ve sent the money to you. Did you receive it? How many days do you plan on staying? I won’t be able to stay with you if you’re planning to stay for a long time. I can only for two days before I have to return for work.”Jackson pursed his lips and said coldly, “Don’t wait for me then.” After he finished speaking, he went to the ticketing booth.At this moment, Tiffany finally realized something was not right. She jogged up to him. “What’s up with you? You seem unhappy.”He paused for a moment before saying, “Does it matter if I’m happy? It doesn’t really matter as long as you’re happy.”Alarm bells immediately rang in Tiffany’s mind. “Wait a minute! What do you mean? Why does it sound like I’ve angered you? You’re a guy. Do you have to sulk like a g
Jackson took a deep breath. “Would you like to split the hotel bill evenly with me too? I don’t need you to save money for me, why are you calculating the flight tickets with me? I have more than enough time to pick you up from your house, but I didn’t, and you’re not mad at me either. You didn’t even ask me about it. In my opinion, these things show that you don’t care at all.” He had always been the apathetic one in a relationship, it was what he was familiar with. Now that the roles were reversed, he did not know what to do. He was panicking.Tiffany’s slow-moving brain finally sped up. She finally realized he was not acting out because he was tired of her or regretted dating her. She sighed in relief. “It’s not that… I don’t care. I just don’t want to spend your money before we take things further in our relationship. I’m afraid your mother might think that I agreed to date you for your money… I know this small amount of money doesn’t matter to you, but this is my dignity. I assum
Tiffany paused and said, “It wasn’t really a fight, it’s just… Both of us don’t see eye to eye in certain areas… Our principles are different. For example, I don’t want to spend too much of his money while we’re dating, and I don’t sulk because he can’t pick me up. He thinks it’s because I don’t care about him and that I don’t love him. However, I think it’s good for us to split things evenly in case we break up so neither of us will owe the other. Why should I sulk just because he can’t pick me up? Wouldn’t that be unreasonable of me if he was busy? That’s why it turned out this way… It’s such a small issue, but it’s a mess. It’s pretty exhausting.”This ‘mess’ was nothing to Arianne. “When two people are together, the most important thing is that they’re happy. One of you will have to compromise. If you want him to be happy, you should adapt to his ways. If he cares more for you, he’ll pander to you. It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry. Let’s have some fun. We’ve been making our lunch
Mark did not give an immediate response. He slowly rose to his feet.Arianne’s mind was in a mess, she dearly wished that she could drag Jackson back and punch him in the face. She composed herself and calmly said, “No need. Goodbye.”Mark reached out and grabbed her wrist, “I’ll drive you.”She frowned. “No need.”“I said, I’ll drive you,” he insisted.Arianne surrendered in the end. She got into Mark’s car but sat in the backseat.The cold air in the car was a world away from the scorching heat outside. Arianne stared out the window at the buildings passing by. Her mind was blank. She could not understand why she did not hold her ground. Why did she get into his car? If she did not decide to keep Tiffany company, she would not have to eat with him.Suddenly, Mark broke the silence and said, “About that night. I’m sorry. I had too much to drink.” His tone was apathetic, and it was difficult to hear any form of sincerity from his voice. However, it was an apology at least.Aria
She cleaned out a few cheap and simple vases and arranged the flowers in them. She needed four vases to hold all the roses. It gave the shop a touch of glamor.Tanya was green with envy. “Who’s it from? They’re so pretty, and there are so many of them. They must be expensive. Just a small bouquet would cost at least $15. These flowers are from the biggest flower shop in the city, and it’s a franchise too. It must have been expensive.”Arianne was in a much better mood, thanks to the flowers. She sniffed. “Who cares?”...Back at the hotel.Tiffany was lying on the bed, fast asleep. Jackson was next to her, fiddling his phone. He would glare at her resentfully from time to time. She had complained about needing a nap when they returned from lunch and actually went to sleep. They had not seen each other for days, and when they finally did, they had a quarrel. Was this not the best time to cultivate their relationship? How could she go to sleep at a time like this?He was losing int
Currently, it was the shop’s busier hour so Arianne did not even have time to look at Tiffany. “Why are you in the kitchen? You don’t know how to make desserts. Help Tanya out with the drinks.”Tiffany was distracted. “I’ll prep the ingredients for you. Tanya is not really busy.”It was only then that Arianne looked at her. “What’s wrong?”“I… suddenly feel like breaking up.”This shocked Arianne. “What? Why? Did Jackson do something wrong? Is he still involved with the women he had previously?”Tiffany’s eyes were red. “No, he’s fine, he’s great. He’s perfect and good to me. However, it’s also because of these reasons that I feel like I’m not the one for him. Why is he so nice to me? I don’t have anything, even… even my body isn’t pure. I’d feel a little better if he’s just a bit more awful or inconsiderate toward me. Why is he treating me like a treasure? I’m not intelligent, and I’m not skilled. Even if we get married, I’m only a vase. I can’t help him with anything.” She paused bef