He usually came home early. Today, however, he did not want to go home. He didn’t know how to face Arianne. He was afraid of accidentally spilling the beans.His mind whirred with the words that the old woman had said in the Intensive Care Unit. He pulled out his phone and called Henry, “Henry, bring Zoey Wynn and her husband to my office, now.”They arrived half an hour later. Zoey saw the look on Mark’s face and knew that something wasn’t right. Her idiotic husband, on the other hand, was admiring the majesty of Tremont Tower.Zoey was bewildered. “Mark… Why have you called us here?”Mark smirked, “Do you know how Granny got sick?”Zoey’s husband stiffened, then rubbed his nose guiltily. Zoey was clearly innocent in this particular matter, “It’s perfectly normal to catch a cold in this weather. I’ve just been very busy lately, and my mother never mentioned anything about feeling ill. She had a cough so I gave her medicine. I didn’t pay any particular attention. I only knew that it wa
Zoey simply wasn’t in the mood to ask for compensation. After everything her husband had done, she didn’t have the nerve to ask for a single cent. “I don’t want a thing. I can’t face my mother. Please take care of the funeral arrangements. I’ll leave the capital tomorrow.”Her husband, however, was not happy. “Are you an idiot? You can refuse if you want, but I want the money! That’s your mother. I’ve helped to take care of her for twenty years!”Mark’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Were you the ones providing support for Granny, or was it the other way around? I’m not in the mood to go into a debate with you. You should be well aware of what you’ve done. Granny told me everything before she died. The crimes you’ve committed fall under the category of elderly abuse; I could sue you! Leave, unless you’d like to go to jail!”Zoey’s husband looked completely unperturbed. “She’s dead. Who’s to say if what you’re saying is true? Do you have proof? What, you think you’re all that, just becau
Tiffany had returned from work earlier by half an hour. To make up for neglecting Jackson, she decided to visit the kitchen and whip up dinner. Yes, she admitted that her cooking skills might be a little suspect, but it’s the thought that counts.Hearing that she had come off work earlier than usual, Jackson, who found her recent furtive activities fishy, tailed her quietly back to White Water Villa. Almost immediately, he heard susurrus escaping from the kitchen, so he stepped into the room whence the sound came.To no one’s surprise, the kitchen had descended into chaos.Tiffany flashed her teeth. “You see, it was supposed to be for dinner…”Jackson sighed in resignation, “It’s fine, Tiffie, let me take the wheel. I gotta head back to the company for overtime work after dinner, you know. I bet it will be morning when you finally finish your culinary masterpiece.”Before she could deliver her repartee, her newly-bought phone rang, cutting into her sentence. A quick glance at the scree
Grant threw out a meaningful laugh. “Oh, Tiffie, has it ever occurred to you that you might have misunderstood me? Your dad, mom, and I are old friends. Heck, I only met your mother by chance the other day, and then we talked and talked, and here we are. What motive could I possibly have? I’m not strapped for cash. So, could you please spare me these nasty tongue-lashings? I’m still your Uncle Grant, you know.”Tiffany was not in the mood for an Oscar performance, so she went straight to the point. “I’ve hired people to investigate your background, ‘Uncle’, so how about you spare me this unconvincing act? Hell, I bet that car you’re driving isn’t even yours. The debts you owe are appalling, mister. You just wanna squeeze money out of Mom to cover your a**. After all, soon, you’d be so broke, you won’t even have anything to your name.”The smile in Grant’s face faded. “You’re crossing the line, Tiffie. Your mom knows everything there is to know about me, but more importantly, this is be
From his spot on the couch, Jackson’s eyes were two pillars of ice that nailed into Tiffany. “Where’ve you been? Who in this world has the power to command Tiffany Lane out of the house with a mere phone call?”Her tongue rebelled against the thought of recounting that embarrassing impasse. “Er, it’s n-nobody. It’s a tiny thing that I can handle on my own, no problem. Don’t worry about me; get some rest soon.”Apprehension shrouded his eyes. “Am I being cuckolded?”“Holy sh*t, whaaaaaaat?!” Tiffany’s eyes widened. “D-Don’t suggest ludicrous things — as if I’m that kind of person! Look, this isn’t something I’m comfortable with telling you right now, okay? But I promise I’ll tell you all about it when it’s settled!”Jackson was too impatient. “If there’s nothing to hide, you wouldn’t mind letting me browse through your phone for a bit, would you? It’s not like you’ve never checked mine. Give it to me!”Tiffany had not saved the P.I.’s number in her new phone, which, coupled with the fac
Lilian called after Jackson tuned out for bed.Even before she answered it, Tiffany could predict the purpose of this call. Taking in a deep breath, she accepted it and went straight to the chase, “What? Grant whined to you about it?”Lilian was practically bellowing from the other side, “What the hell, Tiffany Lane?! Now you’ve done it; you crossed the damn line when you dared drive your car into Uncle Grant’s! Have you no shame, no control? You said you worry that he’s here to con my money, but now, I have no choice but to sell this house just to pay for the damage you’ve done! Good job, my hero! You forced me into this, you hear me? I’m warning you one last time: never dip your fingers into my affairs ever again, or I’ll bloody disown you!”Lilian cut the conversation off immediately after screaming her lungs out, leaving Tiffany alone with the growing realization that she had committed a grave oversight in her decision. In a fit of rage, she had crashed the car into Grant’s and ina
Tiffany gritted her teeth before forcing the words out of her mouth, “I’ll pay, okay? I’ll ask the amount from Jackson and pay him. You happy now? But! To prevent anything stupid from happening, I want you to transfer the ownership of this house to me! No harm to you if you do that—this house is meant to be your residence, so you have the right to live in it, but no right to sell it!“Besides, we bought this house with the money we got from selling my grandfather’s land. It belongs to the Lanes,” Tiffany finished. “You have no right to claim it.”Fortunately, a part of Lilian was disinclined to part with the house, too, so hearing Tiffany offering another solution softened her stance. “Well, well, at least you understand that this was your fault in the first place. Good on you; now go and get the money to pay him back. I’m fine with transferring the house to your name, but after that, you have to promise you’ll never butt into my affairs again.”Tiffany thought hard and long about her
It took her half a minute before she could return to her senses. In disbelief, she said, “Did… Mr. Smith help me get rid of Grant Jackson?” That was absurd. She didn’t know this Mr. Smith from Adam. Not only had he given her a bottle of liquor at the bar, but he was involving himself in her personal affairs. How did he find out about this? She felt as though she were being watched…The young man did not deny it. “This is Mr. Smith’s name card.”She accepted the name card. “Please thank him for me, and… Why did he help me? I don’t think we know each other.”The man simply smiled, got into his car, and left.She found it very strange. She stared at the namecard, feeling puzzled. Alejandro Smith, Executive President of Smith Enterprises. She had never heard of him before. However, the most important matter at hand was to console Lillian. She did not call to thank him immediately. Instead, she stuffed the name card into her bag.Lillian refused to open the door when Tiffany knocked on the