Mark didn’t say a word. He followed suit and headed towards the beach as well. Arianned heaved a sigh of relief and slowly followed from behind. She would lift her gaze and glance at Mark from time to time. She could only see his back, but it was clear that he had a really good figure — well-proportioned, firm muscles, and fair skin. Those long, muscular legs were really… attractive.Mark slowed down, probably because he sensed her staring at him. He turned around and looked at her, “Walk faster.”She fearfully turned away, “Got it…”The sun was just as hot as ever today, so hot that it was enough to fry a man into a crisp. Tiffany pulled out a tube of sunscreen and tossed it to Jackson when they arrived underneath a beach umbrella. Then, she lay down on a deck chair, “Put that on for me. Spread it out evenly. I’ll look ugly if I get sunburned.”Jackson, of course, was willing to bear the burden. He applied it meticulously on her. Tiffany noticed that Arianne was still standing in
How could Tiffany possibly let her off? She pushed her into Jackson’s arms, “You hold on to her so that she doesn’t get washed away. Hold on tight; the wave is coming again. You’ll enjoy it once you get used to it. It’s fun! I’ve heard Jackson mention that Mark is a pretty good swimmer. Why are you such a landlubber? You’re no different from someone who can’t swim at all.”Arianne and Jackson both felt awkward. Why was Tiffany so open-minded? Jackson was dressed in swim shorts, and Arianne was dressed in a skimpy bikini. Wasn’t it inappropriate for them to be hugging each other like that? Jackson did not dare say a word and was too afraid to reach out and hold her. Only Arianne awkwardly held onto his shoulders, “Tiffie! What are you doing? Why can’t I hold onto you?”Tiffany could see their embarrassment and giggled, “I think it’s fine. I can swim, you can’t. It’s not like you’ll lose a few pieces of yourselves by holding each other. Don’t worry, I trust you!”Jackson was crying in
Arianne nodded and led the way.The pair went back to the car after collecting the keys. Arianne knelt in the back seat as she focused on her search, completely unaware that Mark had gotten into the car as well and locked it. She thought that he had only gotten in to enjoy the air-conditioning.In the end, she couldn’t find the UV-protection wear. She felt slightly disappointed, “Forget it, I can’t find it. Let’s go find Tiffie and Jackson.”Mark stared intently at the perfect curves of her body. The thought of so many people staring at her in her bikini filled him with jealousy. Back in the pool, she clung onto him, and their bodies were pressed firmly against each other. It had been a while since he had felt this, and his urges crept up to him like vines, slowly spreading its stems and leaves… Until it filled him with need.He reached out and forcefully pulled her into his arms, and she landed onto his lap. Shocked, she frantically tried to struggle away, “What are you doing? We’
Arianne returned to the changing room with the medicine. Taking the medication, she took a shower in the public bathroom and changed back to her casual attire, no longer planning to play in the water anymore. After that, she looked for a milk tea shop to lounge around in for the air conditioning. It was too hot outside. She could still feel the heat on her skin from the short duration of exposing herself under the sun just now.Not too long later, Mark entered the milk tea shop as well and sat down opposite of her. When Arianne saw him, she turned her face away, still visibly angered.“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have acted on impulse.”He didn’t notice when Arianne froze. Since when did this guy know how to own up to his mistake? Her flame of fury had been burning bright in her heart initially, but when he apologized like this, she swayed. Arianne sat herself upright and said faintly, “It’s not your fault. You’re right in everything you do. You’re Mark Tremont. You can do what you want
Mark did not deny it. To him, the environment here was horrible, but as long as Arianne was there with him, he could hang around anywhere.As they ate, Tiffany asked Jackson suddenly, “I heard that men grow fat when they reach their middle age. They get potbellies. Is that true? Will your abs disappear?”The corners of Jackson’s lips twitched. “If you keep feeding me things like this, maybe. Under normal circumstances, though, it’ll absolutely never happen to me.”Tiffany cackled. “Once I think about you becoming a bald greasy middle-aged man with a big pot belly, I can’t stand it. What should I do? Hahaha…”Jackson felt a headache. “You can’t stand it when you’re laughing like this? I’m going to resist the toll that time will take on me. Even when I’ve reached seventy or eighty years old, I’ll never turn into the image that you described. I’ll stay handsome, from infancy to old age, get that? You women, however, will experience irreversible change after you give birth. That’s not some
By the time they had gotten Eric to settle down in the hospital, it was past nine at night. With the drips, Eric’s gastritis did not hurt as much, but he looked like he had withered.It was not the first time Mark and Jackson had encountered this situation, so they were in the mood to joke. “You weren’t really here to eat with us, were you? You must have come to extort us.”Eric was pale, looking listless even when he laughed. “I’d love an extortion; are you giving me millions? I’m fine. I probably just need to be hospitalized for a few days. Help me out, get someone to take care of me. I’ll pay for the caretaker; I’m not extorting you guys.”Arianne and Tiffany thought of someone in unison when they heard that Eric was looking for a caretaker. Exchanging a look, they knew that they were thinking about the same person. Arianne suggested, “I have a hardworking girl in my shop, and she’s experienced in taking care of people. Do you want me to introduce her to you? Just take her as a norm
Mark slowed down his driving, as if he did not want to send her home so soon. “I told you before, I won’t give up on you.”Arianne chuckled humorlessly. “Stop kidding around. I told you before too that it’s impossible between us. I’d wanted to escape from you for a very long time, and now when I finally have my wish granted, why would I jump into the fire pit again? I admit that you’ve made me who I am now. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. You’ve given me what others have never had, but you’ve also hurt me the deepest. What makes you think you have the right to say something like that? You caused my dad’s death, pretended to be benevolent in taking me in, and even married me, and for what? A peace of mind? You got it, but what about me? What about my dad! Other than the title of a sinner, my dad has left nothing behind! What do I have to forgive you?”Various emotions wreaked a storm in Mark’s eyes in the dark. His clear voice was laced with pain forbearance. “Am I that unfor
Arianne seemed to be in a good mood as she tended to the roses in her hands. “It’s not early anymore. You’re just a little late. Go do what you have to. Tanya’s probably already in the hospital.”Since the bouquet was taken apart, Tiffany did not notice that it used to be a bouquet. She thought that Arianne had specifically bought the flowers to decorate the shop. “I know… You’re a thoughtful one, aren’t you? The flowers look pretty. But with a few of them on each table, they’ll wilt in three days maximum. That’s a high cost. You don’t mind it?”Arianne smiled without saying anything. She did not have to spend anything for these flowers anyway. Most of the roses that were left after distributing them on the tables were placed in the vase at the counter.She suddenly recalled Mark’s “See you tomorrow” last night. How would he make his appearance today? Would he really be making an appearance?A swiftly moving figure at the door reeled Arianne back to reality. It was Naya’s mother-in-law