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
The dean beside him grinned. “Mr. Tremont, are you referring to… Will Sivan? You’ve probably heard of him, one of the three young masters of the Sivan family. He’s in his junior year now. The three of them are usually together.”“Next time, I don’t want to see him again at Southline University. No, in the whole capital,” Mark Tremont said emotionlessly as he turned to leave.A few steps later, he halted. “And I’ll fully sponsor Arianne Wynn, anonymously.”The dean bowed his head quickly.“Of course, of course. Have a good day.”…After classes, Arianne Wynn dragged her lethargic self as she pushed her bicycle to the campus gate, standing to wait for Will Sivan to return his scarf.“Ari, are you waiting for Will? He went home at noon, he said he has some family matters.”Tiffany Lane walked to her and took out a small bag from her purse.“Here you go, cold medicine, he asked me to give you this. Medication for fevers is also inside. Remember to take it.”Arianne looked at the bag of med
A pair of arms surrounded her suddenly and pulled her back. Arianne could almost feel the dampness from his fresh shower and smelt the fragrance of body wash.Her hands supported herself on his chest, unknowingly they were shaking.The arms that were wrapped around her waist let go abruptly.“Get lost.”For some reason, his voice was a little raspy. Arianne had no idea how she had upset him again so she scurried off at once.It was when she returned to the storeroom that she had regrets. She had forgotten to ask him about Will Sivan. Recalling what happened just now, however, the courage to seek him again slipped away from her.When morning came the next day, Mary came into the storeroom with a glass of water.“C’mon, Ari. Here’s some cold medicine.”Arianne Wynn was puzzled. Mary did not know she caught a cold. Furthermore, how would Mary dare give her medication without Mark Tremont’s permission?As if dismissing Arianne’s doubt, Mary sat down on the edge of her bed with a smile.“Si