She gritted her teeth and took two steps back. “Please, don’t cause a scene on my front porch. Your affairs with Jackson are none of my business. You wanted it, didn’t you? You climbed into bed with him willingly. You got pregnant with his baby willingly. He doesn’t want you to have the baby? That’s between you and him. Why are you asking me for help? Do you think that I can make him marry you, to make him agree to letting you have this baby? I’m not that generous. I can’t help you. Please leave!”Tanya tugged on her skirt, refusing to let go. “Please, Tiffany… I have no family or relatives. I don’t know anyone here. I’m all alone, and I don’t know what to do. It’s all my fault, I was wrong to you. Hit me, if that will make you feel better. I just want you to talk to Jackson, make him agree to letting me have this child. If I abort this baby, I’ll never be able to conceive again. Please…”Tiffany wasn’t a fool. She didn’t want to be a part of this mess. Her only worry was to prevent
Tiffany let out a long sigh of relief. She collapsed against the wall, looking very pale in the face. She waited until she had calmed down before digging out her keys and heading into the house. “Were you talking to someone outside?” Lillian asked, puzzled. “I heard the commotion, but I didn’t feel like going out to look. Who were you talking to?”“Met an old colleague in the hallway. We had a few words. I’m going to make dinner,” she explained half-heartedly.The Tremont Estate.By the time Arianne had arrived home, Mark and Aristotle were already home. The pair were fresh from their bath. She looked like the more idle parent now. Mark could make money and take care of the baby. It made her feel inferior.She dashed forward, unable to restrain her emotions. “Come here, Smore. Let mommy hold you.”Mark evaded her in disgust. “Take a shower. We’ve just had ours. It’s so hot and you’ve been sweating all day…”It had been a while since he had snubbed her. She was hurt. “Are you snub
Mark had no intentions of leaving. He took off his shirt, reached out and gently massaged her smooth, naked back. “I’ll help you out… Aristotle is getting impatient. It’ll be faster with my help.”There were a few extra ripples in the humid bathroom. She lowered her head, too afraid to look at him. She hadn’t gotten used to standing in front of him, completely naked, especially since she had just given birth not too long ago. Her body wasn’t as firm as it used to be, especially her tummy area. “No need, I’m very fast. You should go out. I’m really not used to this…”He reached out and lifted up her chin, forcing her to turn around and look at him. “What do you mean? You’re going to have to get used to it. I’m your husband. Why can’t I look at you?”His intense gaze locked onto Arianne’s eyes. She felt as if she had been pulled into a deep vortex. His thin, tender lips looked very sexy and were even more attractive in the misty bathroom. The clean outlines of his muscles were on full
He pressed his lips on Arianne’s before she could react, then made his way down onto her neck. She couldn’t open her eyes and didn’t dare react too much. The irony of it all was that he had gotten exactly what he wanted. She was beginning to suspect that he had gotten himself peed on by Aristotle on purpose…Heavy pants and sighs began to rise amidst the pattering sounds of water. It went on for half an hour before gradually turning back to normal. Arianne blushed as she put on her clothes, too shy to look back at Mark in the eye.“The weather is hot. It’s very humid in the bathroom, so don’t stay in the shower for too long,” Mary reminded her. “You’ll get heatstroke. Aren’t your breasts engorged from not breastfeeding all day? It’s time to feed Aristotle. You should take him and feed him. I’m going to check on dinner.”Arianne nodded and carried Aristotle to the baby’s room to feed him. They were previously engorged, so engorged that they hurt whenever they were touched. However,
Arianne sighed. “Forget it. Just feign ignorance. It’s up to Jackson to solve it. Try to avoid talking to Tanya from now on. Regardless of the outcome, she brought this on herself. It has nothing to do with us.”There was a slight change in Tiffany’s voice. “You’re right. It’s fine. I don’t want to think of anything else. Jackson’s mom is calling me now. I’m going to their company in South Park to report for duty tomorrow. It’ll be far away, but that means that I don’t have to see any of my frustrations. It’ll relieve me. Tanya’s too scared to see you, but if she does, ignore her. I’m pretty sure that she’s lying about her bad health or inability to conceive after the abortion. She’s as strong as an ox! I’m exhausted. Going to bed now. I’ll call you when I arrive and settle in. I’ll come back during the weekend to hang out with you.”Arianne ended the call. Mark could tell that she was feeling upset, so he asked, “What’s wrong? You’re not eating.”Arianne shook her head. “Forget it.
Amy stopped criticizing her, probably because it was late enough. “Just get used to the working environment for today. You’ll be working with me. Your office desk is ready. It’s at the back, from your left.”Tiffany turned her head to the side to look. She was surprised, why would a supervisor be given an office of her own? And it was right across the room from Amy’s office too. Her office desk was directly opposite Amy’s and had the same interior. Did supervisors hold a high position in the subsidiary company?“You’re not here as supervisor, you’re assistant director,” Amy explained, as if she had seen through her confusion. “I’m aware of your lack of experience, so I will guide you, as your mentor. Mrs. West has made that very clear.”Assistant director? Wasn’t she supposed to be a supervisor? Tiffany panicked. If Jackson found out that she had become assistant director in his subsidiary company, he’d probably go mad! She knew she wasn’t good enough for the job. Now, it seemed tha
Tiffany stared up at the ceiling and calmly replied, “I’m sorry for disappointing you. It’s my fault that this happened… It’s not Jackson’s fault at all.” If only she had gone to see Jackson sooner, Tanya wouldn’t have had the chance to do anything at all. She had internally cursed herself countless times before. Unfortunately, it’d already happened. What could she possibly do now?Summer was the kind of person who never pushed things too far. She had brought up the subject because she knew that Tiffany was already aware of it. She couldn’t bring herself to feign ignorance, as she didn’t want to feel estranged. “Alright, let’s drop the subject. You have a good rest and do your best at work. Call me if you run into any problems. You’ve always been like a daughter to me. If I had to slap either you or Jackson, I’d slap Jackson. Good night.”Tiffany sent a message to Arianne after the call to tell her that she had arrived safely. She was extremely exhausted, probably because she had to
The lawyer smiled. “You have a rather special technique in extortion, quite feisty. It looks like you won’t be signing this contract, then. Allow me to inform you on the follow-up procedure for child care expenses. First, you’ll have to prove that Mr. West is indeed the father of your baby. Then, you’ll have to submit an appeal for child care expenses. If Mr. West refuses, this procedure will be lengthened. You’re a girl, all alone, and without any income. Can you go through this pregnancy? Think about it, carefully. I’ll take my leave.”Tanya angrily swept the cup on the coffee table onto the ground as she watched the lawyer walk away. She was determined to give birth to this baby, even if she received nothing from it in the end. She may be alone, but she had nothing to worry about. As long as this child existed… As long as she insisted that it belonged to Jackson West, it would always be a thorn in Tiffany Lane’s side. If she couldn’t have him, Tiffany would never have him either! H