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
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
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 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
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.
“Wow, he’s back. He immediately made huge donations to the prominent art schools in the capital too. It’s great being rich, isn’t it!”“I’ve heard that he’s our alumni, having graduated from the Southline University. That explains his generous donations. Plus, he’s the richest man in the city after all. More importantly, he’s so charming… practically the whole nation’s ideal man - rich, handsome, and down to earth. There’s no one else like him in this world!”The entirety of Southline University Art Institute was engrossed with news regarding Mark Tremont’s return, except for Arianne Wynn who stood out like a sore thumb.Seated at the stairway, she was munching on a stale bun which had long lost its warmth. Downing the otherwise hard to swallow baked good with just plain water felt equally as cold as the winter season.Mark Tremont. He’s back again after three years…“Ari, why are you eating buns again? Come on, I’ll buy you a good meal!”Tiffany Lane plopped herself down carelessly be
Arianne was too scared to resist. This had happened countless times in the past.“Sir, it’s meal time.”Butler Henry’s voice rang from outside the room, sounding like a savior that had just come from the heavens to rescue Arianne.Butler Henry had served the Tremonts for decades and had watched Mark Tremont grow up, thus Butler Henry carried some significance to the latter.“I see,” Mark Tremont replied casually.Arianne Wynn opened the door immediately, fleeing for her life. Mark’s words still echoing in her mind.“You’re turning eighteen in another half of a month?”His question shattered the peace within her. She was well aware of what turning eighteen meant.Mark Tremont left the house after the meal, giving Arianne a sense of relief as she drifted to sleep on the small bed in the storeroom. She had lived here in the storeroom for ten years. To a certain extent, the Tremont Estate was her second ‘home’.Her slumber tonight was not in repose. She asked her father repeatedly in her d
Two minutes later, Mark Tremont’s car drove away. Arianne released a breath that she was unaware of holding, wondering what he was doing when the car was stationary.“Sir… It’s snowing. Are you really not letting miss in the car? Should we wait a bit more? Or shall I call her?” The driver, Brian Pearce, was rather worried.“Busybody...” Mark Tremont looked at the delicate silhouette from the rearview mirror, feeling inexplicably annoyed. He waited for two minutes and had given her the chance.When Arianne arrived at school, Tiffany Lane was baffled by her soaked state.“What do you think you’re doing? Did you cycle here in the snow? Are you crazy? Come on, breakfast is still warm. Eat up quickly!”Arianne accepted the milk and bun that Tiffany passed her with a smile, a dash of red appeared from her cracked lips.Tiffany sucked in a deep breath. “Do your parents not care about you? They don’t worry about your meals or clothes and aren’t concerned about you attending art school. Did the