Jackson didn’t reply. Instead, he stared at the message with a sullen look on his face. The word “again” seemed more magnified than the rest of the message. This meant that Alejandro and Tiffany had been seeing each other frequently.Having received no reply, Tanya paused thoughtfully before sending another message: ‘I’m sorry about the plagiarizing scandal. I didn’t know that my online friend, Hush, was really Beckett Hushman, from your company. I certainly didn’t think that he’d do such a thing. I’ve even dragged you down in the process. Regardless, it all started because of me. I owe you one. If you ever want to know anything about Tiffany, just ask me. I’ll tell you. I know that you’re still in love with her, and I want you both to be together again.’She glanced at Tiffany after sending that message then slipped her phone back into her office desk drawer.They clocked off soon, and Tiffany waited for Tanya, who was taking her time packing up to go home with her as usual. Tanya
Meanwhile, Alejandro wasn’t asking Tiffany out to dinner but had brought her two bottles of expensive red wine. “You couldn’t make it to the wine tasting the last time, so I brought these for you. Since I have something going on today, let’s have dinner another time.”Tiffany was well aware of how expensive the red wine that he had given to her was, for even Lillian enjoyed it. Hence, she tactfully declined. “No thanks… I don’t appreciate these kinds of things either. It’s wasted on me. You should keep it for yourself. I’ll buy you lunch when you’re free and I happen to have the time as well.”Alejandro insisted and told Jett to stuff the wine into her hands. “I don’t like being refused. They’re yours now that I’ve given them to you. It doesn’t matter to me if you’ve wasted it. That’s it for now. I have got to go. By the way… You should visit your best friend, Arianne, more often.”Tiffany was shocked. “You really know me very well… You know my friends, and what they’re going throug
“Then… did Alejandro contact you today?” Jackson asked suddenly.Afraid that he would overanalyze again, Tiffany paused in thought for two seconds and denied it. “No, do you really think he’d have that much time? To contact me everyday? That’s enough. I’m ending the call.”Jackson clenched his hand around the phone, scowling when she ended the call. He stared at the picture from Tanya, overcome with mixed feelings. She had clearly seen him today. Tiffany was lying to him… He suspected that she wasn’t at home at all! The thought of his woman spending time with another man was intolerable to him. Despite their cancelled engagement, he had subconsciously marked her as his woman. It hadn’t changed. How was he inferior to a cripple in any way?He had always been a man of action. He drove over to Tiffany’s condo and called her when he had arrived at her doorstep. “I’m in front of your house. Open the door.”Tiffany was soaking in the bathtub and dozing off in the tub. She immediately wok
The call was rejected. She believed that Tanya was busy, so she didn’t try calling again. “I can’t get her. Just whip up an extra portion for her. What if she does come home? Even if she doesn’t, I’ll shove it down my belly. Trust in my appetite. I won’t waste a single bite because your cooking is really the best! I won’t speak for anything else, but your cooking skills are the best I’ve ever seen. By the way, Ari’s appetite has been dwindling lately. Maybe you could make her some food if you have some spare time.”“I’m in a relationship where my girlfriend acts like she could leave at any moment. Am I not busy trying to get her to stay with me? Where would I find the time to cook for another woman? If you want me to take care of Arianne, you should at least behave yourself…” he grumbled.Suddenly, Tiffany felt as if she had been trolled once again. “C-could you not drag me into this? It’s two separate issues.”He snorted. “It’s one issue on its own. If you want me to cook for Arian
Tanya put on her earphones and listened to music. She heard Tiffany’s voice but did not respond.For some strange reason, she felt an almost indiscernible feeling. She despised how Tiffany handled things, and felt a slight hint of envy and confusion. At the end of the day, Tiffany was a born and bred citizen of the capital. Big city girls seemed to come pre-installed with their own halo — she didn’t need to work hard; her circle was in a class above her own.No matter how hard she tried, she was no different from Beckett, unable to fully assimilate herself into the group. Regardless of how grand it seemed on the surface, deep down, she was always caught in a bitter struggle. She didn’t even have the basic right of setting up and buying a home in the city. No, she wouldn’t even have the money for a downpayment, even if she worked hard for the rest of her life. Tiffany, on the other hand, had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Unfortunately, she did not appreciate it. She re
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” Tiffany interrupted. “That’s just how he is. Any woman who lasts longer than three months by his side is considered a long-term girlfriend. You’ve been with him for more than three months, haven’t you? If he ignores you, it means that he’s dumped you. Don’t be sad. You should have been aware of these rules before getting together with him. I’m taking over your spot now, but I’m not being a show-off because I’m going to get dumped someday too. You should be more optimistic, okay?”Jackson’s expression changed into multiple shades of greens and whites. He was too afraid to speak out, no matter what Tiffany said about him. “Sasha… Where did you get my address?”Sasha’s face had already paled when she saw Tiffany. “I-I… I asked around… I’m sorry… I should go!”Tiffany watched Sasha as she scurried away with tears in her eyes. She felt a raging flame in her heart. “Looks like a leopard can never change its spots. Why are you coming to me when you have s
He licked his lips, which had dried up from his nervousness. “Yes, you shouldn’t have come. Nothing happened between us, right? I thought you’d understand once I stopped contacting you. You shouldn’t waste your time on me. I’ve given you what you deserve, so can’t you let me go? If you don’t understand the rules, you shouldn’t get into this line of work. Don’t ever let this happen again. We won’t be speaking to each other again.”Sasha immediately burst into tears. “I understand… I’m sorry… I’m no different from other women, am I? But you were my first. I’m sorry. I was being delusional.”Sasha immediately ended the call after that. There was only one thing on Tiffany’s mind — “But you were my first”.Jackson lifted his arms in surrender. “Fine, you women can never be offended. I won’t do it again. You can do whatever you want. I can take it… But I maintain my stance — I will not admit to sleeping with a woman that I’ve never touched.”Tiffany smiled and reached out to scratch his
Summer’s eyes looked shifty. “A baby is the best way to tie a woman down. I would have married someone else if I hadn’t had you. If you can make Tiffie pregnant, this feat will be pretty much accomplished. This is the safest and most fool-proof plan!”Jackson felt a little worried. “I don’t… think it would work. She and I are perfectly healthy, but we haven’t been able to conceive after such a long time. I’m losing hope. Isn’t there another way?”Summer shot him a glare. “There isn’t. It’s your fault for not restraining yourself. Abstain for a while, wait for a nice increase in your little tadpoles, then launch a full scale attack. Understand? Alright. I won’t continue this subject. It’s inappropriate for me to talk to my son about these things. The driver’s waiting for me downstairs; I’m going home. My leg is still hurting…”Jackson seemed lost in thought. He remembered his mother’s words. Although he was a man and was unfamiliar with a woman’s sentiment towards her child, perhaps
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