Tiffany glared at Mark. Feeling a gaze on him, Mark looked up just as Arianne quickly pushed Tiffany into the kitchen. “Go help out!”Suddenly, Jackson’s phone, which was on the living room’s coffee table, rang. Mark picked it up for him; Summer’s loud voice came through the speaker. “You brat, what did you do with $150,000? I didn’t hear about the company needing funds recently, what did you spend it on? You aren’t up to no good, are you?”Mark pulled the device away from his ear, feeling his eardrums crying a little. “Mrs. West, it’s me, Mark. Jackson’s busy. I know about this. He isn’t spending it unnecessarily, so don’t you worry. He’s not a kid either, and $150,000’s not a lot.”When Summer heard Mark’s voice, her tone became much gentler. “Oh, it’s you, Mark… Sure, I’m at ease with you watching out for him. Isn’t he with Tiffany now? I’m just worried that he’s out with questionable women again. I can’t keep my rein on him usually. You’re his bro, help me out. You’re already marri
Upon receiving the text, Mark deleted it after reading it. Something improper like that did not have a place in his phone…He rolled up his sleeves to help Arianne with the dinnerware. When Arianne saw that he was actually getting to work, she quickly stopped him. “No need to help me. It’s just washing the dishes. You don’t know how to anyway…”Mark spoke seriously, “I can learn. I’m not that dumb. Just leave them to me.”Giving him the benefit of doubt, Arianne allowed him into the kitchen alone, checking in on him occasionally out of worry to make sure that he could really do a good job.The floral fragrance from the shelf spread into the house from the air conditioning. Looking at the overflowing roses at home, Arianne felt speechless. Mark had not listened to her; she had asked him not to send her flowers anymore, but he still sent her a bouquet every day. If this went on, she would run out of space at home to keep them, and the shop did not need that many flowers too.Mark’s phone
Her voice was muted by him.Arianne was unable to get herself out of his grasp. When Mark’s kisses moved to her ear, she blurted, “Are you sure you love me? Or do you just want to do it? Mark, if you really wanted to be together with me, you’d give me time to accept you and accept the past, not force me to do this all the time! For now, I can’t accept that I’m together with someone who caused my dad’s death!”Mark froze. “Will you accept me if I give you time then?”Arianne did not know the answer. If he gave her enough time, would she really be able to accept him and what had happened in the past? She thought that she was most likely unable to do it because every time she saw him, she thought about her father’s wronged death and found it difficult to let go. The person whom she had once thought of as the most important person became the person who caused her to lose everything. How could she let it past?Her silence unnerved Mark. “Speak up! Will you try to accept me if I give you tim
As if seeing through her mind, Mark said, “I can give you time, but not so that you could dismiss me and drag my time along. You have to consider our relationship seriously. If you can’t do it, I’ll just take you back. Don’t ask me to give you up, I can’t.”Arianne felt like something was not right here. She frowned. “This isn’t fair. Either I agree to be with you in the end, or I’ll be forced to go back with you. Don’t I have the right to refuse? If I still can’t do it after consideration, I’ll have to go back with you, regardless—then what was the point of giving me time? To let me persuade myself to be with you? Don’t you think that your request is unreasonable? Normally, shouldn’t it be you giving me time to consider, and if I can’t get it past myself, we’ll go our separate ways?”Mark looked at her and pronounced each word clearly. “That’s right. Me giving you time is only for you to get used to it, to recognize the fact that you won’t be able to leave me. Ever. It’s not for you t
Tiffany was quite astonished. “That works too? They didn’t get a divorce, it’s been years since you saw him, and you don’t even know if he’s dead or alive. Isn’t that too much? If there’s no feelings between them, isn’t it better to get the divorce? They’d both be free then. This, right now, is wasting away your mom’s time… Wow… Alright, I understand. If that’s the situation, we’ll leave your father out of this then.”Jackson was quick to shift the topic. “Since you’re fine, should I arrange it for tomorrow? Stay and keep me company today…”Tiffany glared at him without malice. “I’ve only just gotten back and you’re not letting me go home to my mom? We’ll still meet tomorrow. I’m not staying tonight. Behave!”Surprisingly, Jackson did not insist. “Okay… Go back to spend time with your mom. After tomorrow, it’s going to be ‘our mom’.”In the afternoon, Jackson sent Tiffany home and went to the West’s residence.Summer was home reading a book, carrying her dog. She did not show much of a
Tiffany pinched the inner part of his arm slightly. “My mom is still here. Could you please stop being all clingy?” Lillian said immediately, “It’s fine. Just enjoy your sweet romantic moment. Pretend that I’m not here.” When they reached the West family’s residence, Lillian’s back went stiff. The family residence alone was worth more than a million dollars. She was rather satisfied with her future son-in-law. Summer commanded the servants to clean up the entire estate thoroughly. She even asked the gardener to trim the plants in the garden. Further, she also had her Little Bean changed into an adorable white dress with a bowtie around its neck. When they entered the estate, Little Bean rushed toward Tiffany directly. Surprisingly, she found herself favored by the small animals. She then picked up Little Bean carefully since it was Summer’s pet dog. Summer always adored her pet dog, and she did not dare to be rough with it.Lillian looked at Little Bean and found herself drawn
She headed back to the room and shook Jackson up from his nap, “Hurry, get up and get dressed. Your dad’s back!”Jackson jolted up, “What?”She nodded vigorously, “I’m not lying. It’s true. He’s downstairs. Hurry up and come downstairs with me. I’m too nervous to do this on my own…”Jackson frowned. He leisurely made his way to the bathroom and took a shower, put on some clothes, and went downstairs. His expression turned to ice when he laid his eyes on his father. He did not greet him but pulled Tiffany to a seat on the couch next to him.“You’ve grown, Jackson.”Jackson lifted his gaze and stared at the man in front of him. “People grow. Am I supposed to remain a child in your memories?”His father lowered his eyelids, the depths of his gaze filled with guilt, “It’s all my fault.”Lillian felt curious, but it was still a family affair so she kept her mouth shut. The breadth of Summer’s patience was shocking. She might seem upset on the surface, but she did not fly into a rage.
Jackson truly couldn’t bring himself to smile at all. He pulled her into his arms, “It’s alright. I’m not angry at you. Don’t overthink it. I knew that my mother called him, but I never expected for him to actually show up and so soon too. I was kind of hoping that he’d never come back; I’ve always treated him as if he were dead. It wouldn’t be too bad if he really did come back to live a peaceful life with my mom, but she wouldn’t be able to take it if he leaves again.”Tiffany was at a loss for words, “I’m not really good at comforting people. You should probably try to calm down though. I’ll go and wash off my makeup and get showered. Since you haven’t slept since yesterday, you should get an early night in. I still have to search for a job tomorrow.”She had just gotten up when Jackson pulled her back, “Let’s shower together…”Tiffany blushed from his advances, “What… I’m not used to that. Let’s shower separately. I’ll be done very soon.”Jackson refused to comply. He carried h