Tiffany broke out into a sly giggle. “Shh, I’m out here without permission! He’s busy in his office right now, so he doesn’t know that I’m outside. Seriously though, I’m a perfectly normal, functional adult! Why can’t I go out shopping sometimes, huh?” she moaned, before adding, “Anyway, do you know how naughty Lil’ P has become the older he gets? He’s doling out migraines to Jackson’s poor mom non-stop through his shenanigans. We’re all starting to think that maybe he was better when he was still a little bean. Sure, that kid rarely stopped bawling, but at least he wasn’t running around like he is right now! God, trying to catch him alone could take a few years away from your life!”“’Sup?” Sylvain suddenly greeted as he approached the women.Tiffany pouted. “Hey, this is a girls’ only, no-man-allowed conversation, mister! Anyway, have some roasted almonds. Freshly-made; it’s so good.”Sylvain took a single almond from the pile and examined it, his eyes belying doubt. “Really? This
Arianne went into the house after Helen left and gave Mary the sweetened roasted almonds she bought. Mark, who came in after he parked his car, asked, “Was she here to say goodbye?”Arianne feigned nonchalance. “Yeap, but she was gonna leave sooner or later anyway. I happen to hold the opinion that this is the best ending for the two of us. This way, we don’t have obligations to care for each other anymore; we’ll be just like strangers. I’m good, I’ve been like this for years now. It doesn’t bug me one bit.”Mark smiled and ruffled her hair. It was less for comfort and more as a doting gesture. “I’m gonna take a shower.”……In the Cox family’s house, Sylvain and Mr. Cox were watching TV together.It did not matter what was on the television; Sylvain’s attention was not on it. Instead, his mind was pouring all over whatever Mr. Cox could say, so he could promptly dole out an answer after the latter asked anything. Sylvain always became high-strung whenever he was at Robin’s place.
Ursula was very miffed with his attitude. “You can frame it however you want, but the fact is, I’m your mother. Without me, there’s no you. And right now, I think you’ve got an awfully nice place here; I see no reason why you gotta spend money looking for another accommodation for me. And also? I just got back here, okay? Everything here is new and strange to me, and, well, I haven’t worked any job all these years. So, how on earth do you think I can now? Where? I don’t have any experience at all—there’s no way I can work, no frickin’ way… Speaking of which, aren’t you married to that Robin Cox? Where is she, then? Shouldn’t she come to me right now and say hi to her mom-in-law or something? Seriously, what kind of daughter-in-law wouldn’t come out here and greet me now that I’m here, huh?”Sylvain frowned. “She isn’t staying with me at the moment—but really, can you lay your hands off our relationship, please? I honestly think she has no obligations to see you, anyway. You’re poised
Sylvain's patience was approaching the end of his tether. The impulse to storm out of the restaurant with Robin was ballooning within him, but still, he pressed it back as hard as he could.Ursula, however, took Sylvain's lack of outward reaction as a victory. Beaming a little, she continued, "Now, I heard from Syl that you two aren't living together. Why is that? Aren't you married to him? Or are you such a homebody that you can't bear to part with your family, huh?"Robin was hardpressed to answer her, but she was well aware that she could never divulge the truth. She could not possibly tell her that one of the Coxes were not exactly approving of Sylvain, could she? Admitting to that was like begging for Ursula to hate her even more. "Um, it's not that…"Sylvain took note of her misery and rescued her by answering his mother himself. "It's because her place is closer to her office, alright? Honestly, does it matter where we live? I'm gonna have to ask you again: lay off your hands
Robin patted his back gently. “Shh, hey. I can assure you, I’m fine. I can’t find it in me to fight her because I know why she acts this way. She blames me for sabotaging the chance of you getting with her stepdaughter, and now, I guess she thinks I ruined her marriage. Of course, it was well within your choice and no fault of ours,” she comforted. “All I know is that I married you, and I’ll gladly live the rest of my life with you. I don’t care about what other people think; their opinions are trivial. But I think that’s enough for a day, agreed? Have a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow is a fresh, new start. I’ll come over and keep you company for the weekend. How’s that sound?”Sylvain tightened his embrace, not letting go. “But I don’t want you to go. Please… stay with me, Robin. We want a kid of our own, don’t we? If you’re pregnant, maybe your mom will stop making you live with them, and maybe… I… Sigh. I just want us to live together, you know? A life of two. I don’t wanna be al
Just then, Arianne walked over. “Sure, I’ll pour it for you. What’s up with you? You look terrifying. You’re all pale. Are you not feeling well? You should see a doctor if you’re not feeling well. Don’t push yourself.”Sylvain was in too much pain to speak. He threw himself against the office desk, desperately trying to hold it in.He finished his warm water, then finally regained some semblance of vitality after a long pause. Arianne had been observing him. When she saw his pallor return to normal, she finally asked, “What’s wrong?”He shook his head. “I don’t know either. It’s probably because I didn't have a good night’s sleep last night, so I’m having a bit of a headache. It hurt really badly this morning. I’m fine now, it’s alright. We use a lot of brains as fashion designers, probably too much. This isn’t the first time. I’ve had a lot of headaches previously, but this one’s a lot worse. I just need a good rest.”Arianne was still worried. “When was the last time you had a me
When she turned her gaze towards the woman, she was stunned. She was beautiful, so beautiful that she felt slightly inferior. Her only point of pride was probably her youth at this point. The woman carried the exclusive bearing of a mature woman. She was over at least thirty years old. She wore a tight-fitting top, her sleeves made of a half-transparent organza. There was an opening on her shoulders that exposed her pretty shoulders, making them seem particularly enticing. Her skin was fair and exquisite. Her white, wide-legged pants made her legs seem extremely long. She was dressed in white, which did not seem too fancy, but one simply couldn’t tear their eyes away from her.The makeup on the woman’s face was very light too. She used cold and dull tones. This was probably why the smile on the woman’s face didn’t seem warm enough, no matter how warm her smile truly was.Before Arianne could react, Mark suddenly waved at her and said, “Come here, let me introduce you. This is my aunt
Arianne immediately felt something faintly indescribably. However, she couldn’t detect anything strange on Shelly-Ann and Mark’s faces. Shelly-Ann maintained a gentle smile on her face the entire time, but her eyes showed no signs of a smile. They immediately gave off a sense of estrangement.When Mark and Shelly-Ann left along with Aristotle, Arianne felt empty. She pestered Mary with questions on Shelly-Ann. “Where did this aunt come from? I thought there was no one left in the Tremont family…”“The Tremont family members may be gone, but his aunt is from the maternal side of his family,” Mary answered helplessly. “Both sides of the family can’t possibly be extinct, can they? Honestly, I haven’t seen her around that much. I met her once when Mr. Tremont was born, and twice before then. Honestly, humans are so different. She looks just as young as she used to be. It’s been so many years since then, yet she doesn’t seem to have aged at all. She’s only a few years younger than the old