Jackson had imagined their eventual confrontation to be a severe one; however, the sight of jealousy pouring out of her mien was somehow a pretty enjoyable sight. “Well, what do you think?”“What do I think?” Tiffany was on the verge of an eruption. “‘What do I think?’ I’ve been fuming at the idea for the entire evening, Buckaroo, and here you want me to think about it even more? I ain’t playing this game… You tell me yourself!”Jackson could not stop himself from laughing. “Oh, Lord, what did that brain of yours cook up, huh? Alright, I admit, I used to swing around a lot, but! My escapade never involved people of my inner circles. Perhaps you should ask Aye about this; she would tell you that I only have relationships with women outside our company. Everyone knows that I’ve never slept with any of the female employees,” he explained. “Sure, Miss Lane is bodacious, and that body is pretty damned sexy, but too bad! She is my secretary, which according to my rul — ”“Too f**king bad?” H
Jackson appeared by the steps leading to the Lanes’ residence the next morning while it was bright out. Behind him, a striking procession of cars lined up in a neat row outside the entrance to the complex.Tiffany had only (reluctantly) rolled out of bed after a call from her beau before dragging herself to wash up. Lillian, in contrast, was much more excited for the event. She was already all dolled up, so she lent her daughter a hand with the latter’s make-up.“Uh, youngsters nowadays! I told you to head to bed early last night, but did you listen? Now look at you — your eyelids are practically glued close!” she chastised. “Jackson’s waiting for you downstairs, young lady. Just look at all those cars lining up outside — pooh! Now that’s the Wests for you. But if all of this is for a mere engagement ceremony, then how grand would the wedding itself be?”Tiffany cracked yet another jaw-breaking yawn in front of the dresser. “Can’t we do this at, uh, a later time or something, Mom? As l
Tiffany was just as confused about her sudden anxiety. Her family’s affluent past had acclimated her to grand events like these, and she was never one to shy away from social interactions. However, somehow over time, the girl had begun to shrink from people-centric events.Nevertheless, Jackson and Tiffany were the stars of the show today. She could not possibly weasel her way out of attention despite herself. “I-I don’t know why. Aww… Can’t Ari be any faster? I’ll feel soooo much better if she’s around,” Tiffany murmured. “Without her, I feel so, well, vulnerable…”Jackson patted the back of Tiffany’s hand reassuringly. “God, you can’t live without Arianne, can you?” he teased. “Now, now. Have no fear, for I’m right here with you, right? In fact, let’s bring you to the lounge for a breather and a little surprise that I have in store for you.”Tiffany was secretly unexcited for whatever Jackson was gearing up to do. How could any “surprise” be of any help to her multiplying anxiety?Th
With that, Arianne spun on her heels, palpably sulking.Suddenly, Mark reached out and hurriedly tugged on her wrist. “Granny was kidding. Please, don’t pay her words any mind,” he explained. “Listen, how about you come home to the Tremont Estate with me after this party’s over? It’s been a while since you’ve come back to the Capital — spending time with your grandmother is something that’s long overdue between you two. Besides, Mary and Henry both expressed wishes to see you home.”Arianne swung her hand away from his grip in a fit of discomfort. “We’ll see, okay?” she fumbled an answer, her eyes avoiding him. “I’m going to accompany Tiffie. She’s nervous.”Mark let her go in silence. He knew how much Tiffany meant to his wife.Summer and Atticus had both left by the time she returned to the lounge. Tanya, upon seeing her return, suddenly piped up, “Um, Ari? I get this feeling that we’re very different from everyone else out there… Everyone’s wearing suits and tux and gowns and stuff,
Arianne nodded curtly before springing toward the escalator to the floor below.Firm confirmations from hotel security that no elderly man had ever left the building was relieving news. After giving the security some instructions, she took the stairs and scoured floor by floor.A few floors later, she was panting hard.Mark had ordered his guards to look as well, but they were hamstrung by the need to remain discreet to avoid disrupting the ceremony.The clock was going to strike twelve soon. A few more minutes, and Tiffany, the star of the day, would have to go through the rites with Jackson, yet Old Anderson was still nowhere to be found. At this critical moment, Arianne received a call from Eric, who promptly asked, “Didn’t Tanya follow you to the Capital today? And didn’t she bring her grandfather with her?”“How did you know?” Arianne questioned. “Are you booking tables for the wedding or what? Hold on, where are you, exactly?”Eric sounded a little upset. “Does she have any idea
Had Arianne not worried about ruining Tiffany’s engagement ceremony, she would have swung her fist right there and then.Honestly, even Arianne was boggled at how cantankerous she had become. Ever since the Aery Kinsey incident back then, it seemed to her that the best way to solve a problem that might require her fists was, indeed, to use her fist without saying another word. Sometimes, actions do speak louder than words… literally.She gulped a deep breath to calm herself forcibly. “Tell me: did you or did you not hit an old man on the eighth floor earlier? And before you insult me by trying — no, I’m not gonna buy your crap. I have CCTV footage with me, and honestly, I want this solved today, or you’re not going anywhere. Wanna bet?”A hint of consternation from being exposed flitted through the woman’s eyes. Still, she quickly regained her composure. “What the hell are you yammering about, b*tch? That old man started it by bumping into me!” she rebutted. “Besides, I can’t stop wond
Mark glanced at Tanya’s grandfather and had an inkling of what happened. He curled his lips into a faint smile when he thought of Arianne’s ‘wildness’. He was surprised by this new facet of his woman. She was like a… tiny wild cat?Naya pushed the medicine box over to Mark. “Mr. Tremont, Ari is hurt as well. Please take care of it for her.”Mark used an alcohol cotton swab to disinfect Arianne’s wound.Arianne felt a piercing pain on her wound but was too shy to give voice to her pain. Mark’s handsome face was magnified before her eyes. His aura was stronger with his close proximity as he dabbed the cotton swab on her cheeks. His expression was solemn and focused. She did not know the thoughts that ran through his mind and wondered if he was humiliated by her actions.“Ari, don’t you think your rebellious stage arrived a little too late?”He was blaming her, right? Annoyed, Arianne avoided his hand. “I’m not being rebellious. I tried negotiating with that woman, but she refused to reso
Tiffany stepped forward and handed Chloe’s money to Tanya. “Keep it. Don’t refuse free money. Consider it a bite from a dog. There’s no point in being calculative with people like her. Do you have a place to stay? Let me book a hotel room for you. Try and cheer up. Let’s have fun for the next couple of days.”“Stay in this hotel,” Jackson suggested, “I’ll tell the front desk to prepare a few rooms for you. The hotel belongs to my family so there’s no need to be modest.”Tiffany looked at Jackson in shock. She was still quite in the dark about the West family’s wealth. They actually owned such a big hotel. The Wests seemed to have their fingers in every pie.Mark suddenly grabbed Arianne by the shoulder. “Let’s go. Come home with me.”“I don’t want to.” Arianne shook him off. Mark lowered his head and whispered into Arianne’s ear. “Mary has been unwell recently. Don’t you want to see her? She used to dote on you so much.”Arianne gritted her teeth. “Fine. I’ll go. I’ll see Mary and Hen