Mark felt irritation. âOh, so you treat us like weâre Uber, huh? Alright, fine then. My God, can you just look at how much the childâs suffering? He looks absolutely pathetic! Gah, is that mucus dripping into his mouth? Someone wipe that away now, urghhhâŚâSeeing the disgust in his face genuinely irritated Arianne. âAre you â are you repulsed by your own son?! Mark frickinâ Tremont, did you just suggest wiping his snot as something too dirty for your royal hands?âFor some reason that only Mark knew, he was downright averse to the idea of cleaning his sonâs mucus, as though the very act really was the most dreadful thing he ever had the misfortune of being asked to do.Once in the car, Mark automatically took the passenger seat and left the backseat for Arianne and Mary. Arianne, meanwhile, gave out masks to Mary and Brian, as she wanted to reduce the number of people her son could infect. To have the entire Tremont estate be struck by the same malady at the same time was to spell chao
The first thing Mark did after his meeting was to call Arianne. âHow is it? All is fine, isnât it? No cause for concerns?âArianne had just about finished her business at the pediatric department, so she had the mood to poke fun. âHmm, are you asking about your son or me?âMarkâs lips quivered. âIâm asking about both. Donât try to bait me.âArianne espied Smore slumbering gently in Maryâs arms and replied, âIt was nothing big. Thereâs no fever; heâs just suffering from a very mild case of cold, a runny nose, and coughs. The doctor said heâs too young for medication, so itâs down to making sure heâs all warmed up and drinking plenty of warm water. Thatâs the same order for me, too. Iâm gonna breastfeed him, so I canât take pills. So, yep, please have Brian send us home.âMark glanced at his wristwatch. âIâll come personally. I have the time, anyway.âHe drove and fetched the group back to the Tremont Estate. Once they arrived home, Mary immediately brought the child into the nursery roo
Mentioning Granny caused all of the warmth in her skin to dissipate. Nonetheless, Arianne nodded and answered, âAlright.âMeanwhile, getting herself drenched in the downpour last night had caused Tanya to come down with a horrible cold. Today, on top of a barrage of sneezes, she developed signs of a mild fever, too.Tiffany could not bear to see her like this, so she bought Tanya some cold medicines. âWhere did you go late last night, huh? Thatâs the first time Iâve ever seen you return home later than I do, and then you were all wet and dripping! It must feel like sh*t, doesnât it? Seriously, Tan. If itâs awful, you can take leave and rest at home.ââIâm not like you, Tiffany,â Tanya murmured. âI canât keep myself afloat if I donât work.âTiffany pursed her lips. âWhatâs that supposed to mean? I need to work to keep myself afloat too! My mom never gives me a single penny. Hell, Iâm the one who sends money home to her!⌠Okay, fine. If you wanna continue working, power to you. But you n
âAww, I guess I got it wrong, then. But, really, an accusation like that? You didnât cross me or anything, and Iâve never looked for a fight. Youâre a little too easily triggered,â Tiffany intoned, shrugging. âAnyway, arenât you here because you were looking for Eric? Well, whatâs keeping you? Get moving. We canât be caught dead doing frivolous things during work, you know.âVicky started toward Ericâs office furiously, her high heels stabbing the floor on every step. She slammed the door shut so hard, Eric jerked and asked, âWhatâs with you? Someone crapped in your popcorn?âShe stomped her foot. âThat Tiffany! A-And Tanya! They ganged up and shouted at me with this diatribe! What for? Itâs not like Iâve triggered them or anything. Uuuurgggggh! Seriously, babe, you keep them around and give them jobs in your company and pay their wages, and this is how they repay you? Treating your girlfriend with that sort of nasty attitude? Itâs like they donât even realize that Iâm their future Lad
Vicky recognized an impasse. She also knew that nothing good was going to come out of her tantrum if she kept it up â at some point, she would have to stop.âAlright, alright. I get it. Iâm leaving. Donât stress yourself so much, alright?â she relented.En route, she passed by the shared office area and scowled at Tanya, though curiously leaving Tiffany out of her malice. The reason was simple; Vicky found Tanya the more obnoxious one of the pair because she was the woman that was once under her manâs care. Tanya had stayed in Ericâs place before Vicky met him in real life. It was the sort of thing that would have crystallized into a grudge in anyone, yet Vicky was forced to feign nonchalance despite her genuine opinion.Tanya waited until Vicky left the company before entering Ericâs office. âMr. Nathanial? Um, Tiffany got into a minor tiff with your girlfriend earlier, so I guess she came in and complained to you about it?â she said. âPlease donât be mad at Tiffany. She says what is
âWhen youâre in love, your heart will race every time you see him. Youâd immediately feel nervous,â Tiffany replied after some thought. âYou have to be bold enough to take the first step, no matter what. If you like someone, you have to boldly pursue them. Maybe even resort to a few tactics too. Thereâs nothing shameless about it, as long as you donât cross the line. Donât worry, Iâll support you in everything you do. If youâve truly found your objective, stop worrying and go after it.ââAnd what if I told you that my objective⌠is Jackson? Will you support me then?âTanyaâs question had taken Tiffany aback. She was momentarily unsure of how to answer her. Suddenly, Tanya giggled. âIâm just teasing. Did you really think that I was serious? But seriously, what would you do?âTiffany secretly heaved a sigh of relief and treated it as a joke. âHehe, if it really did happen, you could go ahead. Youâd be considerably formidable if you managed to do it. I wouldnât mind⌠Weâve broken up an
Tiffany got down from the car and gave her a bottle of mineral water. âAre you feeling better? Are you still feeling uncomfortable? Maybe you should sit in the front instead? Youâll feel better then.ââThatâs not a good idea, is it?â Tanya asked. âIâve heard that a lot of people believe that the front seat of a manâs car should only be occupied by his girlfriend⌠You and Jackson wonât mind?âTiffany, ever insensitive, simply never thought of it that way. âWhat are you talking about? What are we? Do we have to nitpick over these things? I canât possibly leave you feeling uncomfortable, can I? Stop talking and get in the car. Youâre sitting in the front.âJackson furrowed his brow when someone else climbed into the front seat for some strange reason. âWhatâs going on? Why did you change seats?ââTanâs caught a cold and isnât feeling well. Sheâs car sick,â Tiffany explained. âLet her sit in the front. It doesnât matter who sits in the front anyway. The back seat feels really spacious
Jackson was rendered speechless. Why wasnât anyone asking for his opinion? Was he invisible?After dinner, Jackson sent Tiffany and Tanya home. The trio had agreed to leave together tomorrow.âŚThe next morning, at the Tremont Estate.Arianne changed into a black outfit, ready to go to the cemetery.Aristotle was still too small and had caught a flu; plus, it was raining outside. Hence, they decided against bringing him along. They left him at home in Maryâs care.Mark was dressed in a black suit too, which gave him a very stately air. The pair brought a bouquet of flowers and left the house. It was a two hour drive before they arrived at the cemetery.The dark clouds in the sky cast an eerie light over the cemetery. It was practically deserted, except for the old, bespectacled caretaker, who was reading todayâs paper in a small hut.Arianne felt gloomy. It had been a long time since her grandmotherâs death, and she was only visiting her now. She felt resentful and helpless at
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 womanâs hair was now grey and white all over.When someone was near death, one could stand to forgive all of the history between themâeven the dark ones, even if the ledger was brimmingâfor good. So, Arianne replied, âIâll go with you. No matter what happened, sheâs still your mother.âMark did not expect that answer from her at all. In his surprise, he bent down and left a kiss on her lips. âI knew I picked the right woman as my wife. I thought you wouldnât agree to let me accompany her for the last of her daysâŚâArianne 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. âYou confused, little thing. I wouldnât 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 meâthe last one failed. Hard. I can guarantee that youâll leave us in the span of three days. If I lose, you can stay here forever. Wanna bet? I dare you.âShe 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, âYo, everyone! Letâs toast to Cindy becoming my cousin-in-law!âThe crowd answered enthusiastically with their cups in the air and a roarâexcept Raven, who remained seated. âI have a sickly constitution. I canât drink. Iâm sorry.âHer smile was so mechanical, her face too ashen. Something flickered in Arianneâs eyes before she replied, âSure.âAfter 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 Maryâs 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, âNothing beats being home.âRa
Arianne grabbed the two beauties by the hands and smiled. âThank you! Gosh, to me⌠itâs like you two have grown older in the blink of an eye! How gorgeous the two of you are! Cindy, whereâs your brother? Plato hasnât come home yet?âMentioning the name of her dear brother made Cynthia pout. âHe said he was coming home half a month agoâthatâs what he said. Who knows what heâs actually doing, though? Anyway, who cares about that no-good. Heâs always like this anyway. Oh, um, the weather is quite hot. We should probably get inside.âArianne 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. âMillie, is this your younger sister?âMelissa quickly sprung to correct her. âWhat? Noooo. This is Aresâ classmate or something
Aristotleâs 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, âWhen⌠When will they be back?âJackson closed the distance between them and gave the young man a light, comforting pat on the shoulders. âNot 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 sheâs recuperated enough for a whileâŚâ he answered. âWeâve waited for nineteen years for this, right? Whatâs 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. Thatâs the way to not disappoint your fatherâs expectation.âAristotle
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 ânaughtyâ, she was not taken aback by him. Instead, she even felt a little moved, which was amazing.It wasnât 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. âLetâs sleep, good night.âCynthia 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 flowâŚThe 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. âThereâs no⌠no need. Iâll 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, Iâll ask Agnes to help me clear one up.âAristotle walked up to her and squatted. He grabbed onto her arm with one hand while the other closed the luggage. âJust sleep with me here and stop tidying already.âCynthia 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. âY⌠Youâre kidding, arenât you, Ares? Although we used to sleep with each other a lot when we were kids, weâre all grown ups now, so wouldnât that be a little inappropriate?âAristotle said with a straight face, âI wasn't joking.âCynthia panicked a little and recalled Melissaâs words once again. âWould Ares, whom Iâve known for so
Melissa knew that Aristotle had kissed Cynthia, so she knew what was going on. Hence, she very naturally boasted, âOf course, theyâve 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 wouldnât this make it even better? From the way I see it, your illness isnât 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, youâd be better off moving back to France as early as possible. Donât worry, youâve saved Aristotleâs life before, so he wouldnât be stingy with you financially.âRaven 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 Melissaâs grasp. Melissa was startled for a moment. âAre you crazy?âAfter that, Raven regained her senses and took a deep breath. âIâm sorry⌠I was a little unwell just n
âYouâre not that worried?â Melissa was so furious that she laughed. âAm I the only one whoâs being worried for nothing? I thought you loved my brother, didnât you? The man youâve been dreaming of every day has returned from France but brought a woman with him, yet youâre actually not that worried? Letâs put aside your parentsâ intentions for a moment. Do you dare to say that you donât love him? Iâm only helping you because youâre my best friend, so could you not be so relaxed, as if Iâm helping you for no reason?âCynthia shook her head and lowered her volume as she said, âHe⌠might have confessed to me. We also⌠did that already. So, I think he doesnât feel that way towards Raven. Itâs purely because she saved his life once. I trust that Ares will be able to handle the situation properly.âMelissaâs eyes opened wide. âWhat? Heâs only returned for a few days, yet the two of you have already had sex? That fast?! I never knew it, but youâve really got it in you!âCynthiaâs face flushe