There was an undercurrent of wary gingerness in Tiffany’s voice when she continued, “You’re only not picking a fight with me because I’ve just given birth to your son, right? If this were the past, storm clouds would have been all over your face already! But you gotta remember, I haven’t been talking to Alejandro, and I don’t know how he knew about whatever I’m going through. Hell, he even managed to send me flowers on the exact day I leave the hospital, too! But he’s only doing this out of genuine goodwill as a friend. I myself have always seen him as nothing more than a friend! You’re the one who insists on being jealous.”Jackson looked up and met her eyes. “You might treat him as nothing more than a friend, but he doesn’t. Either way, I don’t want you to hang out with him or contact him at all—you know what, I’ll expand the scope. I don’t want you hanging out with any other guy in the world! That’s right; I’m that possessive. Deal with it, sistah.”Tiffany giggled giddily. “Aha!
“That’s right,” he replied, not bothering to hide his opinion. “The old ones are too thick and gaudy. These are great. Don’t you like them?”She didn’t dare express her dislike. “No, no, they’re pretty good. I quite like them. I’ll use the ones you’ve bought from now on. I’ll go downstairs to check on Smore. You should get some rest if you’re tired.”Mark’s phone rang just as Arianne had left. His limited time of peace and quiet was disturbed, which made him frown. He picked up the call without checking the screen. “Hello?”Janice’s voice answered him from the other end. “Mr. Tremont, there’s an urgent document you need to see. Davy had an emergency and left the office, but not before asking me to send it over to you. Is this a convenient time?”“This is a part of his job,” Mark replied impatiently. “Have I given him permission to leave the office early? Tell him to bring it over himself!” He ended the call immediately after that.How could he not be aware of Davy’s emergency? Dav
Arianne grunted in reply and carried Aristotle upstairs.Mark took a deep, impatient breath, forcing himself to contain his rage. Then, he quickly strode upstairs. “Are you… angry?”“Children don’t have great memories. He would never have displayed such familiarity if he hadn’t seen her so often. How many times have you left Smore with Janice? Look at her, she’s so good with kids. Even I, his mother, am put to shame. I’m starting to question my own child-rearing methods.”Mark was having a headache. “No, it really was just once or twice. Smore hasn’t been to my office in a long time, and it’s not like you’re not aware. Maybe he doesn’t actually remember Janice, but he was just having fun. It doesn’t mean anything if the baby is having fun playing with her, does it? I suggested firing her, but you told me not to. What the hell am I supposed to do?”Arianne paused in her footsteps, turned around, and looked at him. “‘What the hell am I supposed to do’? I’ve never asked you to do anyt
He loved her, probably because she was simply Arianne Wynn. However, men were visually-stimulated beings. This was in their nature. Anyone would grow weary of a gradually old and faded woman.Why did she give birth to Aristotle? She was beginning to seriously ponder this question. Was it because it was her last chance to become a mother? Or… was it because she loved Mark?She stared at Aristotle in her arms and felt a slight ache in her heart. He was going to be one-year-old soon, yet Mark still had the nerve to accuse her of insisting on having Aristotle, right in front of the baby. This gave the impression that he never wanted Aristotle to be born in the first place. It was disappointing.Arianne’s heart filled with grief at that very moment. She wanted to protest, but she had become pale and weary after a bout of rage. She thought that he had given her enough love and that he would allow her to do whatever she wanted to do and live life on her own terms. Unfortunately, it was all
Arianne shook her head. “It has got nothing to do with you. We were going to fight over certain things sooner or later; it was only just a matter of time. I’m not hungry. Not eating. Smore is still asleep. Thank you for taking care of him during the day. I’ll try to come home as soon as I can when I’m done at the office. From now on, send the bill for all of Smore’s expenses to me. Do not ask Mark. I don’t want to spend a single cent of his money. The same goes for Smore.”Mary gaped, unable to speak. This was the first time they had ever had a fight like this. She wasn’t sure of how to advise her.Arianne’s mind was still in a mess when she arrived at the office. Every time she closed her eyes, she was reminded of everything Mark had said last night. She wanted to console herself. It was completely normal for people to say hurtful things in the heat of the moment, but hadn’t she stayed silent last night? She was capable of controlling herself from spewing hateful words, but he was n
Davy displayed a smile that looked worse than a weeping face. “I received a family call when I was working overtime yesterday. I had a last-minute emergency. I was going to ask the director to send that urgent document over to you, but the director didn’t have your address. I was about to give it to him when Janice walked over and said she knew your address, so she volunteered to take care of it. The director saw that it was close to the end of the work day and wanted to save the extra trouble, so he gave the job to her. I thought that since we were all colleagues and that document needed to be expedited, it didn’t matter who sent it… So…”Mark’s expression sank even more. “So? My as*! Would I have asked you to do it if I needed someone else to do it? Use your brain next time. Get out!”This wasn’t Davy’s first time hearing Mark curse. He ran off, escaping his clutches. He was afraid that Mark might tear him into pieces if he stayed any longer. The thought of it still made him uneasy
After some time, Davy mustered up the courage to help Mark tidy up his office. Mark had always had the habit of cleaning his own office so that he knew where he left his stuff. If someone else cleaned it for him and misplaced his stuff, he would definitely be very mad at them.The atmosphere had been very heavy the entire morning. Davy had done his own work diligently without making a sound. It was a good thing that he had gone in late, or otherwise, he would have an even harder time.Suddenly, Mark asked, “Have you ever been in a relationship?”Davy was startled and couldn’t react momentarily. “W-what… what?”Mark had a serious look on his face. “I’m asking if you’ve ever been in a relationship before.”Davy gulped. “Is this… part of the company’s assessment criteria? Is there a need for such a personal question?”Mark grew impatient. “It’s a personal question, and I’m asking you personally, but not as your boss, so just tell me.”Davy sighed in relief. “Of course, I have. How
Arianne had a startled look on her face. “Didn’t Arianne leave this morning? Don’t you know about it?”Mark suddenly felt empty inside. He pursed his lips and said, “I do now. Thanks Robin, I’ll be off now.” Just as he was about to leave, Robin muttered, “He’s not as cold and bitter as Arianne had said. He doesn’t look old either… Quite well-mannered, in fact…”Mark heard every word that Robin had said and had mixed feelings. Was he that kind of man in Arianne’s eyes? A bitter and cold... old man? Back at the Tremont estate, he heard Arianne and Smore happily playing together as he stepped into the house. He walked up to Arianne with his face sunken and asked, “You weren’t at the office today. Where have you been?”Arianne replied without looking back at him, “What’s wrong? Do I have to report to you about my whereabouts now?”Mark choked at her words. He had just realized that he had been controlling her all along, wanting to know her each and every move. The moment Arianne le