“Tiffie, stop teasing me, okay?” Arianne said helplessly, “Jackson’s been pretty generous with your allowance too, hasn’t he? I’ve noticed that your clothing style has changed after the engagement party. The clothes you’re wearing right now are this season’s latest from a luxury brand. They cost at least a few thousand. How lavish!”Tiffany had no choice but to confess, “You’re right, I’ve been on a budget ever since my family went bankrupt. Of course, I’m going to relive my princess-like days, now that I have someone who’s willing to spend on me. You’re the silly one here. You have money, but you won’t spend it. Mark has given you $150,000, yet you’re frightened by it. $150,000 is like spare change to him. You should at least see if the other party has the money to spare. It’s perfectly logical for you to hesitate like that if he’s not rich. With someone like Mark, on the other hand, it feels silly for you to save money for him.”Naya felt slowly alienated from the conversation. Arian
Had Mark been waiting outside the bathroom door, all this time?She couldn’t be bothered with shyness. She grabbed her clothes, shut the door, and quickly put on her clothes. Then, she walked out, acting as if nothing had happened. Mark didn’t seem to have any plans to do anything to her, and his temper seemed particularly gentle today, “You have a good rest. I have some work to complete. Good night.”She could tell that he was using gentleness to trap her. It was just too strange. She got goosebumps after hearing him wish her good night for the first time ever. She was no stranger to cold-blooded and vicious words from him. The words “good night” filled her with panic. Her heart would skip a beat every time she heard him say it.Tanya plunged into a severe anxiety, late at night. She couldn’t sleep. Her grandfather’s death had hit her — hard. She couldn’t accept it. The silent night was like a lingering death for her. She was going mad and needed comfort. In her helplessness and anxie
Why would Arianne be afraid of Eric taking advantage of her? She was afraid of them having drunken sex!However, Tanya really seemed fine, so she heaved a sigh of relief, “Uh… Could you get ready and come with me to the hospital? We have to finish up the funeral procedures for Old Anderson as soon as possible. Will you be taking his ashes back?”Tanya hugged her blanket and fell silent before making a decision, “No, grandfather said that he wants his ashes sprinkled across the sea. That was his final wish. I have to fulfill it for him. I’ll be on my own from now on. It kind of hurts to think about it… Life used to be difficult, but I wasn’t alone… Now… I can’t even relax. It really hurts. It’s like I’ve lost hope. Ari, it hurts.”Arianne could empathise with her pain. She had gone through it, after all, “It’s alright. It will get better. Trust me. No matter how painful your experiences may be, it gets better over time. Time is the best medicine. I’ve experienced it. Get up, wash up, an
This was a particularly difficult problem. Arianne didn’t want to see the disappointment on Mary’s face, but she couldn’t possibly stay, “I’ll be back, Mary.”Tiffany sat herself down on the newly-made bed, “Don’t mind her, Mary. Your Mr. Tremont is a jerk. It’s no wonder Ari is giving him the cold shoulder. Ari will stay when the time is right.”Mary sighed, “Henry asked me to ask the question. He doesn’t like talking and is a cold individual. He’s similar to Mr. Tremont in that sense. However, he’s not entirely cold. He’s still pretty humane. I’m not saying a word, since that’s the case. You should visit more often, Ari. I hope you’ll stay forever next time and live with Mr. Tremont. This house feels so lifeless without you.”Arianne thought of how Mark had fallen sick after a long period of over exhaustion and had suddenly collapsed. This matter had really disturbed her. Her heart had softened long ago. When she found out that he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time, she w
She sat quietly in bed for a long time before she began laughing at herself. Then, she got out of bed and washed up, as usual, to get ready to go to the shop.While brushing her teeth, she noticed the water droplets on the bottom of her cup. Mark’s toothbrush was slightly damp too. That meant that last night was not a dream. He was actually here, and… he had used her cup again!Her mind went numb. She threw his toothbrush into the trash can. He left after taking advantage of her, without so much as a “goodbye”. What was she to him? He had slept very well last night, hadn’t he? No insomnia? She, on the other hand, did not have a good night’s sleep and got up one hour late!Just as she was brushing her teeth and grumbling to herself, she heard the sound of the door opening from outside. Her entire body stiffened. Then, Mark appeared at the bathroom door, holding her breakfast, “Are you up? Hurry up and get ready for breakfast. I’ll drive you to the shop and go back to the capital. I’m so
Tanya inched towards Naya’s ear and softly asked, “Naya, based on the way things have developed, do you think that the dessert shop will close down soon? Ari is still Mrs. Tremont, after all. She would have to go back to her life of luxury, sooner or later…”Naya paused thoughtfully, then said, “Ari mentioned that she’s never considered leaving. It would be good news if she went back to the capital anyway. Don’t you want her to patch up her marriage? Regardless, we don’t have to consider too much, as long as the shop still stands. Even if the shop closes, my only concern would be that it’s a shame. However, we can always find a new job. Don’t overthink it.”Tanya shook her head, “Of course, I want Ari to patch up her marriage. I’m not thinking too much of it. I’m just asking. My grandfather is gone now… I can survive on my own. I’ll just take every day as it comes, as long as I can get by. If Ari really does go back to the capital and close the shop, I’ll follow her here. I’d like to g
Tiffany handed one bottle over to Aye, “Here. Now we’re even, right? Your boobs are small. You should drink more; maybe they’ll grow.”Aye smacked her, feigning shyness, “Stop that! By the way, you’ve been doing pretty well these days. We have the same pay, but you’ve been pretty generous to yourself. You’re always wearing different clothes and carrying a different bag every day. That watch you’re wearing costs thousands too. You’re not exactly a wealthy woman, but you could be considered a yuppie.”Tiffany did not answer. In her previous company, rumors circulated just because she was carrying a handbag worth tens of thousands. She was traumatized. Now, she took great pains to behave herself in Jackson’s company. She dressed averagely and used the cheapest watch she had at home. Her bag was a $15 purchase from Amazon too. In the end, Aye still saw her as a well-off person. Was she supposed to dress up in dollar store clothes to be classified as poor? Was the quality of life for a fash
A wounded expression appeared on Aye’s face, “I thought we’re close. Are you afraid that I’d find out where you live? I was planning on inviting you on a shopping trip this weekend. This makes me sad. I treat you as a friend, but it seems like you only see me as a colleague!”Tiffany looked around nervously, afraid that Jackson might suddenly appear. The entire office would find out about them if a big-mouth like Aye found out. Everyone would know she was their future lady boss. She scoffed, “What’s there to be afraid of?” She wrote down her own house address.Aye’s eyes lit up, “We’re really going the same way! My house is in the small neighborhood right across from yours. Your home is in a more expensive area than mine. I knew you were from a yuppie family!”This was completely out of Tiffany’s expectations. How could there be such a coincidence? She really wished that a few kidnappers would suddenly appear and drag Aye away. “Erm… I might not be going home tonight. I’m going over to
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