Tiffany calmed herself and bent down to pick up her handbag. “Er… It’s fine… I’m fine. Uhm… I’ve promised Jackson that I’d have dinner with him. I’ll be on my way now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then, she turned around and left hurriedly, as if scared out of her wits. Ethan — it had been a while since she last heard that name. She was still traumatized. She once loved and hated this man deeply. This man had personally pushed her straight into hell… Had he returned?Arianne and Mark looked at each other, feeling heavy-hearted. They did not continue discussing the topic. Mary was blissfully ignorant of the situation, so she pulled out a strange-looking thing from the plastic bag in her hand. “Ari, the doctor says that you have to pump your milk as soon as possible. Are your breasts swelling up now?”Arianne glanced at Mark, her face beginning to heat up. “N-no… It’s fine… I don’t think I need to do that for now… The baby isn’t with me right now, anyway. I can’t feed him.”“Are you shy?”
Then, it seemed like someone had unlocked the door with a key. She heard Tanya and Jackson’s voices before she was lifted into someone’s arms. She didn’t know what happened next.By the time she woke up again, she was in the hospital — the same hospital as Arianne. However, Arianne was in the department of gynaecology while she was sent to the hospital due to a fever.Jackson and Tanya were watching over her in the ward. Jackson began nagging her when he saw that she had woken up. “You were perfectly fine this morning; how did you end up with a fever? You’re already not smart enough. You’d have turned into a complete idiot if I hadn’t realized it sooner.”“It’s not like I wanted this,” she argued weakly. “I was perfectly fine this morning. I don’t know how I ended up this way either… This sucks.”Tanya stepped forward and said, “I’m glad you’re alright. I’m going back then.” She might not show it, but deep down, she was a little annoyed. She had planned on having lunch at Eric’s th
Tiffany was speechless.Jackson scowled the entire way home, simply because Tiffany had refused to throw the bouquet away, claiming that she owed Alejandro a favour and couldn’t bear to waste someone else’s efforts. However, he couldn’t throw it away for her either, so had no choice but to crudely throw the bouquet into the back of his car.When they arrived at the ground floor of her condo, Tiffany held her temper as she tried to coax him. “Okay, I’m home. I’m going in. Thank you for today. I’ll buy you a meal tomorrow.”Jackson’s expression softened a little. “Get a good rest when you get home. Let me take the flowers. My place is cold and empty. It’ll be great for livening up the place.”Tiffany was speechless. “S-sure. As long as you don’t throw it away. It’ll be quite a shame. Take it home and put it up then.”When Tiffany entered her home, she saw Tanya watching television on the couch and eating the fruit that Summer had brought. Tiffany did not nitpick on her over this. “T
“That’s right,” Jackson answered from the other end. “It’s so late and you haven’t eaten. It’d be too late by the time I cooked for you, so I ordered food for you on the way back. Did you receive the delivery? Go to bed after you’ve eaten.”She felt warm and fuzzy on the inside. She was surprised at his attentiveness. “Thank you… I’ll eat this now then.”She remembered that Tanya was making ramen noodles for her after ending the call, so she quickly called out to her in the kitchen. “Tan, you don’t have to cook. Jackson’s bought takeout for me. It looks like a large portion. Have you eaten? Would you like to share?”Tanya turned off the fire. The half-cooked noodles and bubbling water gradually steadied. “I’ve already eaten. You enjoy it.”She did not even look at Tiffany when she walked past the living room. Tiffany felt very guilty. “Tan, have some with me? I wasn’t aware that Jackson had ordered takeout for me. I’m sorry…”Tanya turned around and forced a small smile on her fac
Tanya lowered her head shyly. “Stop it…”Tiffany was enlightened when she saw the look on her face. “Sure, of course. I understand. This is great news. Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to make it happen between you two. We should always keep the goodies in the family. It’s first come, first serve. I’ll invite him for you.”The group agreed to meet up at the shopping mall. Tanya had happily dressed up too. Eric was the last to arrive… And he wasn’t alone. He had brought a woman.The woman standing next to Eric seemed like a good match for him. She was shining and beautiful, and absolutely dazzling… Tanya’s face turned ashen, unsure of how to react.Tiffany had no idea that Eric had a girlfriend. She felt very awkward when she saw the peculiar look on Tanya’s face. “Eric, what’s going on? Who is this? Won’t you introduce us?”Eric confidently put his arm around the woman’s shoulders. “This is my girlfriend, Vicky Nathanial. This is her first time meeting all of you. We’ve been
Tiffany’s head swam. She had a pitifully low emotional quotient and didn’t know what to do. Left with no choice, she turned to Eric for help. “Ah… Eric, your girlfriend has just returned to the country; you should spend more time with her. Stop being such an insensitive man.”Vicky pranced happily back to Eric’s side before he could say another word then hugged his arm as she buried her head into his shoulder in an adorable manner. “My Ricky is only an ‘insensitive man’ to other women. He’s really considerate towards me! Didn’t you want to buy presents for your friend’s baby? Let’s go. Ricky’s aesthetic sense isn’t as good as mine. I’ll choose on his behalf!”When they arrived at the second floor of the mall, Tanya finally couldn’t resist making an excuse to go to the bathroom. Tiffany hurriedly ran after her. Tanya silently stood in front of the bathroom sink, with a sunken look on her face. Tiffany carefully apologized, “I wasn’t aware that Eric already had a girlfriend. I was wond
Jackson nodded generously. “No problem. You and Mark are equally important to me. I’m definitely going to give you both the same gifts. You’d better make the most of it.”Tiffany dragged Tanya along to visit Arianne after the shopping trip. Jackson didn’t tag along; he was summoned away by a phone call from Summer.When Eric and Vicky were left alone, Vicky pulled a wounded expression on her face. “Ricky… Do your friends… not like me?”Eric’s mind was filled with question marks. “Which friends?”Vicky tugged on his arm in a cutesy manner and stomped her foot. “All of them! It’s my first time meeting them, and they won’t even have a meal with me. Not even when I offered to pay. Jackson even tried to one-up me. Can’t you tell?”Eric shook his head honestly. “I really don’t see it. You’re imagining things. They’re not like that. Arianne just had a baby, and it was a premature delivery too. Let’s just leave our relationship be. Cheer up. I’ll take you out on a nice meal. Let’s go.”T
This was Summer’s first time meddling in his personal affairs. It didn’t actually annoy Jackson, but he instinctively tried to solidify Tiffany’s image in Summer’s mind. “She hasn’t been going home at night because she’s been sleeping at mine. What are you thinking? I’m aware of everything you’ve said. Don’t worry. You haven’t answered my question; who told you? You couldn’t have sent someone to investigate, could you? Are you really that bored?”“Oh, she’s really been sleeping over at your place?” Summer questioned. “There’s still hope for you two then? Tiffie’s housemate told me… You know, that girl named Tanya. She seemed like an honest girl, so I don’t think she’d be lying to me. Besides, she’s Tiffie’s friend. I certainly wouldn’t send an investigator. I’m not that bored!”Tanya told her? Something didn’t feel right to Jackson. Wasn’t Tanya aware of Tiffany’s sleepovers at his place? Or perhaps… Had Tiffany been sleeping over in someone else’s home, aside from his? The more he t
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