Mark shot him a look and irritably replied, “What do you mean ‘a woman like Arianne’? Watch your words.”Alejandro laughed carelessly. “I don’t mean it in a derogatory way. I just mean she’s not easy to deal with. She’s a woman who’d rather die than give in. How did you convince her to be with you? I’m very curious…”Mark did not answer his question. Instead, he asked another question of his own. “I’ve heard that there have been threats of a divorce on your end. Are you at your wit’s end? Is that why you came to speak to me? The prerequisite to making a woman devote herself to you is for her to love you.”Alejandro was apprehensive. “Then, what if she’s already in love? Why does she suddenly want a divorce? What would one do under these circumstances?” He was confident that Melanie was still in love with him.Mark displayed hints of annoyance on his face. “That’s your problem. Stop bothering me, I’m busy. Don’t you have anything better to do? Did you come all the way here just to f
Melanie was a little taken aback. “How could it be? He wouldn’t even let me go out without a fight. Even if I’m allowed out, Jett has to come along. Do you know why? Because he’s scared that I might bring Melissa back to Ayashe. I… I’ve been discussing the prospect of a divorce with him, but for some reason, he wouldn’t sign the paper.”“It’s obvious he doesn’t want a divorce,” Arianne said, trying to analyze Melanie’s situation. “You two have been married for more than a year now. You even have a daughter together. And a divorce… isn’t something to be taken lightly. Why would you want that? You can share your reasons with me.”Melanie watched the clouds drifting in the sky as she murmured, “Initially, I was truly happy about our marriage. I love him, sincerely and passionately. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him as happily as we could be. But time and time again, he broke my heart. These sorrows and disappointment, they accumulate, you know? Then, one day, you wake up an
The two women only bade each other farewell and went their separate ways when it was almost dusk.Melanie emerged from the conversation a visibly spirited woman. It seemed like this stemmed from having her worries soothed.She returned to Smith Manor and resumed her old ways without mentioning getting a divorce. She told herself that she would give both Alejandro and herself one last chance.Jett had furtively reported Melanie’s new emotional development to Alejandro.Upon hearing that, Alejandro stopped hiding and went home earlier than usual to play with his daughter. He acted as though nothing had happened as well. He only stopped playing with Melissa when she began to bawl and nothing he did could soothe her.No one mentioned the divorce. No one knew if Alejandro had quietly tossed the divorce agreement that Melanie had given him earlier away....Tremont Estate.As soon as Mark stepped through the door, he discovered Arianne was regarding him with a strange expression on h
Arianne nodded. “That’s a pretty good idea. But I thought Alejandro is looking to work with you in the long term? It’s a little bit dishonorable to use him as a learning opportunity and to dump him in the future, right? Suppose Alejandro knows that you’re tagging along only because you’re looking to accumulate experiences for your own transportation business in the future. Won’t this sow a seed of grudge in him?”Mark had, naturally, considered this as well. “Oh, please. Any scenario you come up with, I’ve already thought about it, and so did Alejandro, I bet. He knows I’m reluctant to have a long term partnership or an exclusive contract. However, if he can’t stomach less savory prospects like these, then, he can pack it up and quit being a businessman.”Mark continued to say, “Moreover, I was just casually talking about venturing into the transportation business. I didn’t put any real thought into it yet. After all, Tremont Enterprise has so many ventures that I don’t think I shoul
Alejandro’s voice echoed behind her. “Something terrible has happened to my brother.”Arianne’s legs wobbled. She almost fell walking down the steps. Fortunately, Alejandro caught her hand in the nick of time. However, his grip was a little too tight.She righted herself and willed herself to calm down. “W-w-we should talk in the living room, okay? T-t-tell me what happened?”Alejandro waited until she took a seat on the couch before he recounted what happened. “The freight ship we boarded is wrecked. I don’t understand. I’ve ordered countless inspections and made sure that it had no faults and is in top condition. We encountered mild turbulence at sea, but it shouldn’t pose a problem to a ship like that. It… it doesn’t make sense why it’s so weak. Someone must have sabotaged the ship, someone wants to kill me! Or maybe… maybe the target is Mark. I don’t know. I really don’t know. When we were trying to save ourselves, we discovered the lifeboats have been sabotaged as well. Not eve
Arianne only moved when Henry looked for her. Staying stationary in the same position brought a wave of nausea when she finally moved. However, compared to the agony roiling in her heart and body, it was nothing. She took a few deep breaths and mustered up her courage before she said, “Henry, please bring some people with you and assist them in the search and rescue. As for the company, I’ll handle it. Remember, this piece of news cannot be leaked. No matter what the rumors might be, not a word about Mark’s death is allowed to get out.”Henry nodded. “Understood. I’m on it.”Arianne’s face was as white as a sheet of paper. She was like a husk, as though her spirit had left her body. She went to her dressing table and plastered her ashen face with makeup to look somewhat more presentable before she changed and left the house.Her first destination, she told Brian, was her company. There, she informed Mr. Yaleman that she wanted to quit without giving him any reason. Her poor ex-boss
“Mark isn’t coming back anymore, is he? You’re the only one with the right to manage Tremont Enterprises. Smore is too young. How can a woman like me possibly accomplish that?” she said with a serious look on her face.Alejandro was reminded of the nightmare. The usual frostiness in his eyes died away. “You can do it. You’ve been with him for so long, you’re capable enough and you have more right than anyone else until Smore is old enough. I won’t touch Tremont Enterprises. I’m not Ethan Connor anymore, and I’m certainly not Martin Tremont. I’m Alejandro Smith. If you’re here to ask me this, there’s nothing more to say. I won’t agree to it. It may seem difficult for you at first, but I will help you. Just say the word when you need more. I owe Mark that much. I owe him a life…”“Didn’t you want to supplant him?” Arianne asked. “The opportunity is right in front of you now, so why aren’t you taking it? It’s completely legal. No one is objecting to it. You’re overestimating me. I don’t
She waited for Davy to leave, then stared at the black tea on the coffee table. Her strong facade finally cracked and crumbled. She couldn’t bring herself to taste the tea. Both the temperature and taste were Mark’s favorites. He drank this all the time. She lay on the office desk and wept, keeping her voice as soft as possible by biting her lip until blood poured out from her lips.Mark, please come back? I won’t fight with you anymore, and I won’t make you angry anymore…Mark, I can’t do this without you. I don’t know what to do.Mark, you’re playing a joke on me, aren’t you?When she got ready to go home that night, Davy noticed that her eyes were slightly red and felt suspicious. However, he didn’t dare ask.Brian drove her back to Tremont Estate. She looked out the window on the way home and asked, “Do you think he’ll come back? Perhaps a miracle might happen? I can’t shake this feeling that he’s still alive. I could never get rid of him, so how could he possibly surrender an