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
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