“That should have happened long ago. Your life must be going well, now that you have officially begun living as a family of three. Just ignore your mother-in-law and try to avoid interacting with her. I knew from my first glance of her that she wasn’t a nice person.” Naya smiled and said nothing. An intellectual and kind-hearted person like her would never speak ill of her mother-in-law behind her back, no matter how horrible the latter was. After the dessert shop closed for the evening, Arianne and Tiffany took a cab to the hospital. Jackson hadn’t shown up at all today, but they ended up meeting him at the hospital. Mark was there too. The ward instantly grew lively. Eric sat cross-legged on the bed, happily munching on an apple that Jackson had peeled for him. “How kind of you guys, but this isn’t the first time my problem has acted up. It’s nothing serious, so there’s no need for you guys to stay too long. The girl you introduced me to took really good care of me. I have to g
’Doesn’t Aery Kinsey count?’ — was what Arianne wanted to say but did not in the end. This had always plagued her. She really didn’t want to be reminded that her husband had once dated her own sister.Mark knew that she was overthinking again when she suddenly gave in. “What are you thinking about? Don’t hold it in, talk to me.”She curled her lips, “I just think that you’re too cruel. Aery once dated you, after all, but you personally sent her to jail. Her life is pretty much ruined now.”As she spoke, she inadvertently observed his expression, wanting to see how he would react.“It’s true that she and I used to date,” Mark replied calmly, “But I can’t tolerate anyone who’s hurt you.”Arianne wasn’t satisfied with his response. Didn’t he also hurt her, alongside Aery? Now he was washing his hands clean and pretty much admitting that something had happened between him and Aery?‘It’s true that she and I used to date’ — these words put a sour taste in her mouth. “You’ve both done
He steadied his emotions, ordered takeout, then walked out into the hallway and called the stranger’s number. The call was soon answered by a melodious female voice, “What do you want, Jackson? Our son is fussing. Can we talk later?”His frustrations doubled when he heard the child’s cries, “I just wanted to say, do not disturb me until the test results are out and don’t call me either. Once the results are out and it’s proven that the boy is mine, I will settle things with you. If not, stay away from me!”He ended the call immediately and secretly wiped off the cold sweat from his brow. Tiffany would check his phone from time to time. He shuddered to think of the consequences if she ever saw that message.After deleting all untoward messages, he went back to the room as if nothing had happened. Tiffany emerged from the bathroom soon after, with only a towel wrapped around her. Water was dripping from her dark hair. Her long, smooth legs were particularly enticing, but today, he was
Jackson let out a sigh of relief, but felt guilty at the same time. He never expected for things to turn out so serious when he brought her here. At the time, he simply received a call from that woman, saying that she had something important to tell him. He didn’t look too much into it but was afraid that Summer would find out about his past and nag him endlessly. So, he decided to come here, under the pretense that Mark needed his help at the company and set up a meeting with that woman in this city. Then, he brought Tiffany along to have fun with Arianne and cheer her up.He did not expect for this matter to spiral out of control. His emotional state fell into ruins when he discovered the child. He had just had a meeting with this woman today during the day and had gone to get tested first. He avoided contacting Tiffany because he was afraid that it would seem too obvious and that she would figure it out.The next day, Tiffany relayed her “discovery” from last night to Arianne when
Ellie was surprised. Mark had glanced at her meticulous outfit but showed no reaction. She felt mildly disappointed, “Okay… I’ll go right now.”She crossed the road under the hot sun to the café. Ellie let out a sigh of relief when the cool, refreshing air in the café hit her. She sauntered up to Naya and said, “Two cups of iced black tea, please.”Naya noticed Ellie’s outfit with a single glance. She was speechless. She had always been more modest, but she could accept dressing in spaghetti straps with hot pants or a mini skirt. However, Ellie’s getup was much more daring than a simple spaghetti strap top…“O-okay…”Naya felt slightly embarrassed. She was too embarrassed to stare at her for too long, even though they were both women.Tiffany, who was behind the counter, heard Ellie’s voice and turned around. She was immediately upset, “Your workwear certainly has personality. You’d fit right in as a stripper in a nightclub. Mark certainly has a special taste. Do all of the women
Ellie’s mind went momentarily blank, followed by a subtle wave of delight. It was probably because she’d performed outstandingly in every aspect, right? She reached up and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and asked bashfully, “Why?”“Because in the past, you would put all of your focus into your job and would never try to seduce me.”Ellie’s expression immediately changed. She promptly straightened up, “I-I’m sorry…”Mark refused to give her a chance, “You may collect your pay from the financial department. Consider yourself fired. You’ll even receive a pretty good severance package.”Ellie couldn’t believe this. She had more to say, but she shut her mouth when she stared into Mark’s icy glare. Reality had finally struck her. She had managed to maintain this great job for many years because of her own professional capabilities, not her good looks. Giving in to devious intentions had not only caused her to lose her chance in achieving her goals, but she had also completely
Jackson furrowed his brow, “I’m on the way over. I just collected the car. Quit rushing me. Until the results arrive, I won’t ignore you. And don’t get all weepy!”He rushed all the way to the woman’s hotel then quickly scooped the baby into his arms and rushed to the hospital. As Jackson held the chubby little thing in his arms, he felt a strange kind of feeling — fear, absolute fear. There wasn’t a hint of sympathy at all. If he was the father of this child, he was dead!In the hospital hallway, Jackson sat silently on a long bench. His former bedmate stared at him with tears in her eyes, “Thank you for not ignoring us…”He refused to look at the woman and icily replied, “I’m not that inhumane. Since we’re here, let me tell you this — I want nothing to do with the child, even if it is mine. What do I have to do to make you disappear?”An almost indiscernible sense of mechanization flashed across the woman’s pretty face, “I understand. You’re with someone now, and I don’t think yo
At this point, she no longer dared to make a mistake. She feigned a calm outlook and wept pretentiously, “Do you really think that I want to stay here and suffer your humiliation? If you think that I like money that much, then just give it to me. I’ll leave at once. Like you, I don’t want to wait any longer either! Our son isn’t used to this place, and he’s sick. I’m hurting more than anyone else. If that’s how it’s going to be, I might as well speak to your girlfriend myself!”Before Jackson could retort, the emergency room doctor walked out, “I’m looking for this baby’s parents?”Georgina wiped off her tears and walked up to the doctor, “I’m his mother. How is my son? Is he alright?”“He’s suffering from acute gastroenteritis. It’s not too severe, but he’ll have to stay in the hospital for observation over the next two days. Pay close attention to his food intake and avoid solid food. Try to give him milk for now, no more solids,” the doctor explained to her in a formal manner.S
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