She took advantage of the silence in the night and crept to the door of the guest bedroom. “Jackson… Are you asleep?”Less than two seconds later, the room door opened. Jackson appeared, barefoot and staring at her. “What?”She buried herself into his arms. “We’re back together again. Aren’t you happy? Why aren’t you reacting?”He pursed his lips. “What reaction did you expect from me? What kind of reaction could I possibly have at a time like this? That’s enough, go to bed. Get an early night’s rest. It’s late. Staying up like this would be bad for the baby.”Tiffany was extremely disappointed. It was as if the fire in her loins had been doused by a block of ice. “Fine, I’m going. I hate you!”Jackson rubbed his eyes as he watched her go back into her room. In reality, he was wide awake from excitement. He leaped off the bed to open the door and forgot to put on his slippers when he heard her voice. Except… He was too afraid to sleep with her. Only god knew how much she was suffe
Alejandro agreed easily as well. “Sure. I won’t tell him. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to go.”Arianne nodded. She got up, carrying the baby, and watched him leave.As Jett pushed his wheelchair out, she stared at Alejandro’s side profile, which felt strangely familiar. However, there was nothing familiar about his appearance. It felt strange. She carefully recalled every detail of her interaction with Alejandro. From his voice to his intonation, or the way he moved and gestured, it all felt foreign to her. But why did it also feel so familiar?She couldn’t figure it out, so she stopped trying. It was a long trip, the coffee shop had great air-conditioning, and she was tired. It was a great opportunity to rest and relax… Alejandro’s expression immediately turned cold when he got back into the car. His tightly clasped fingers betrayed his state of nervousness.“Why did you meet her, if you’re so worried about getting found out?” Jett asked softly. “I could have met her on yo
Jackson’s eyes shone with a smile. He put a helping of nutrient-rich congee to her lips. “It’s fine. My mom’s eager to feed you and let you sleep to your heart’s content. It’s like raising a pig. The fatter you are, the happier she’ll be. She’s already taking care of your lunch, while you’re having your breakfast right now. I’m her son, yet even I’ve never enjoyed such treatment.”Tiffany’s heart was overflowing with sweetness. “Why is your mom so nice to me? She’s nicer to me than my own mother. I’m just overwhelmed by her favor.”“I think she’s more eager to have you as her daughter, more so than her daughter-in-law,” he said, half-jokingly. “She’s always wished that I was a daughter instead, calling me a wet blanket demon, and apparently, I’m not as considerate as a daughter would be. I think you’re more of a killjoy than I am.”Tiffany smiled as she drank the congee, not even using a spoon. Her appetite was great. She finished the entire bowl, which Jackson took downstairs for h
Tiffany grew nervous. “Uh… Alejandro. I don’t know why.”Jackson’s expression sunk. “He knew about your pregnancy before I did? And he knows that you’re staying with me and delivered supplements to you? These are all maternity supplements…”She scratched her head nervously. “It’s not what you think! I told him first because I thought, what if he’s actually interested in me? This was the perfect way to get him to back off. I don’t know how he found out about me staying here though. I didn’t tell him!”Her explanation did nothing to soothe him. Jackson’s face was just as sullen as ever. “What am I supposed to think? Am I supposed to thank him for taking such good care of my woman and baby, if it is mine?”Tiffany was upset. “What do you mean ‘if it is mine’? Are you implying that it might not be yours? Fine. This baby is Alejandro’s. Are you happy? I had sex with him long ago. That’s why he’s so nice to me. Why have I gotten back together with you though? He has money and power too.
His tone was a little harsh. Arianne was in shock. “I-I… Why do I have to always stay home and take care of the baby? You’ve been so busy everyday because of the issues at work that we rarely ever get to see you. I was just trying to share your burden. In this house, no one is confined to just one job, just like how you take care of Smore too when you have the time. Why can’t I share the burden? I don’t think I’m surrendering at all, and my dignity certainly hasn’t been swept under the rug. The problem is solved. Isn’t that a good thing?”Mark’s emotions were slightly unhinged. “Forget it. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Don’t concern yourself with these issues anymore.”Arianne did not expect this reaction from him. She had considered the possibility of getting exposed, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. She never intended on being a good little housewife. She had done this for him. Did he have to display such a big reaction? Was ego that important to men? Besides, t
When it was almost noon, Mark could no longer hold back. He changed his clothes and went downstairs. It seemed like he was about to leave the house. “Where’s my black tie?” When he asked about his tie, he did not look at Mary nor Arianne. However, apart from him, there were only two of them present. It was clear he only wanted Arianne’s attention. Alas, Arianne did not have any intention to bother with him.In order to save Mark from further embarrassment, Mary quickly said, “Why don’t I help you look for it?”He became angry. “No need!” After that, he grabbed his collar in frustration and left the house directly. Arianne smirked slightly. “How dare you argue with me! You’ve always dressed up nicely and properly before. How can you just leave the house with your collar wide open now? I want to see how long you’ll hold onto your opinion.” Mary smiled helplessly and said, “Men are usually prideful and have a high self-esteem. This is especially true for someone like sir. He has a
Eric laughed so hard that he could not catch his breath. He could not even hold his golf club properly. “How’s it possible that you don’t even know what she likes? You’ve spent more than ten years with her now. As your friend, I don’t think you’re too arrogant or self-centered. However, you also need to prove to me you’re not like that. Loving a person is much more than just holding her dearly in your heart. How could it be? You don’t even know what she likes. You’ve been living with her for more than ten years now. As your friend, I don’t think that you’re someone who’s too arrogant and self-centered. But you need to prove it to me too. Loving a person doesn’t mean only holding her dearly in your heart. You need to understand her as well. However, there’s something I noticed. Since you raised her, she resembles you in certain aspects. Most people don’t understand her as well. However, you’re certainly able to understand her since she’s like you. Try to think about this from a differen
“Nothing…” Jackson pocketed the brooch and acted like nothing had happened. “I won’t stay for lunch. Just order food for yourself. I have some work to deal with tomorrow morning so I’ll go home early to rest.”Upon hearing this, Tiffany was slightly disappointed. People always said that absence made the heart fonder. They had just gotten back together, but they did not seem to be very close or intimate with one another. “You’re leaving now? You’re leaving so soon after giving me a ride home. Why don’t you want to stay with me a little longer?” She paused for a moment before she finally said, “It’s fine. I know you’re extremely busy. Just leave. I don’t want to make you stay and bother you.”...On the way home, Jackson’s mood was just like the cloudy sky. It was fine when he sent her home. Now the weather had changed. Soon, there would be a thunderstorm. He knew he was not wrong. That was a man’s brooch. He thought to himself, ‘Whose is it? Is it Alejandro’s? Did Alejandro go to her
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